This morning as I hurried to organize my lunch supplies for work, start the coffeemaker, put bread in the toaster and wrangle a bowl of cereal, I remembered, with only minutes to hastily consume my breakfast and still manage to be late for work, that one of my favorite simple pleasures in life is breakfast … Continue reading
Posted in April 2012 …
Successful Schools Remember To Have Fun
“There is little success where there is little laughter.” – Andrew Carnegie We were talking about this at work. Not the quote, but an idea related to it. I work in a public elementary school and we were discussing the concept that school should be fun. Someone questioned whether this was possible; “How can school … Continue reading
Book Lovers Never Go To Bed Alone
“Book lovers never go to bed alone.” -Anonymous I love this quote – there’s nothing like a good book to send you off to sleep. And on a rainy day, as this one has been, there’s nothing better than curling up with a good book. From the time I was very young, I discovered the … Continue reading
Wish To Be What You Are
The better part of happiness is to wish to be what you are. – Desiderius Erasmus When I first read this quotation by the Dutch Renaissance humanist, Desiderius Erasmus, I wondered at whether happiness, as described by the quote, could be attainable in the modern world. I like this quote, because I believe the statement … Continue reading
What is your favorite animal in the jungle?
Every morning the second-graders are given a topic to write about in their morning journals. Yesterday the topic, presented as the Question of the Day, was “What is your favorite animal in the jungle?”. The topic came in connection with the children reading about Jane Goodall’s observations of chimpanzees in the wild. When I read … Continue reading
Oh, Happy Spring!: A Pittsburgh Treasure
Oh, happy Spring! It’s the time for blooms and blossoms, warmer air and sunshine. Last weekend my daughter had the opportunity to host my sister and her family when they visited her in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of the spectacular sights she took them to see is the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. Phipps Conservatory is … Continue reading
The Reading Circle
Sometimes pleasurable little moments come when you are not trying so hard. They just happen and you become aware that something sweet and positive is revealing itself to you. Yesterday I had one of those moments. I was assisting in the second grade classroom where students were working on a writing assignment. The children were … Continue reading
Making Great Choices – With Confidence, Part 3
Charting Your Course: Creating Your Action Plan Every great choice begins with a vision, whether it comes in the shape of a dream, an intuition, an epiphany, or an opportunity knocking loudly on your door. Maybe you can remember a time when a great idea came to you or a wonderful opportunity presented itself to … Continue reading
Making Great Choices – With Confidence, Part 2
Charting Your Course: Preparing The Way You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go… ― Dr. Seuss, from Oh, The Places You’ll Go! … Continue reading
Making Great Choices – With Confidence
Finding Your Starting Point: Identifying What is Meaningful to You There is something about this photo that I like. Even though it’s a solitary scene, it seems to call out to me, like a personal invitation. The little red boat sits at the end of a railed, clear path next to the landing, waiting to … Continue reading
Simple Pleasures 