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Hope Through Action: Social & Emotional Teaching and Learning

Place your hand over your heart, can you feel it? That is called purpose. You’re alive for a reason, so don’t give up. We observe World Suicide Prevention Day each year on September 10. It’s a growing problem and the numbers tell…
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Write Your Own Self-Care Manifesto

The author of the poem below intended it for academics. I’m reprinting it here for all of us, educators, parents, basically if you’re human you might relate. My Dad and children exchanged terrible poems that they’d composed. It was a wonderful…
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IKIGAI: The art of staying young while growing old

“Only staying active will make you want to live a hundred years.” -Japanese proverb People born in the U.S. today can expect to live to an average age of about 79. A century ago, the life expectancy was closer to 54. “We’ve had…
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2022 Possible Practices

2022 Possible Practices Listed below are 3 variations on the New Year’s Resolution theme that you might consider exploring. 1. 20 out of 22 in 2022 Practice Rather than continue with the worn-out practice of setting a New Year’s…
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We Can Do Something

2021 has without a doubt been a difficult year. There is a collective feeling of missing what was, and an underlying hum of uncertainty and fear. However, do you ever feel guilty for feeling bad, knowing so many others have it worse? Since…
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Stop Trying So Hard

It's dark because you are trying too hard. Lightly child, lightly. Learn to do everything lightly. Yes, feel lightly even though you're feeling deeply. Just lightly let things happen and lightly cope with them. So throw away your baggage and…
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Summer Reading Remembered

If you’re an avid reader, you may find yourself forgetting the titles of what you’ve read. It’s like that file in our brain is full. Many of us record the books we read in a journal, or on goodreads so that we can recommend our favorites…
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Looking for an Inexpensive Father’s Day gift solution? Try Listening.

What do you get a 93-year-old man that has been married 70 years and been a father for 60? The elderly woman at the antique store had a strong opinion, “The only thing you get someone who has lived that long is something to eat, they don’t…
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The Ten Things: A To Do List for Restoration

Typically, as an educator, summer was a time for me to get caught up on the hovel my house had turned into. I would end every school year determined to clean the attic, purge my closet, and organize the piles that had accumulated in the basement.…
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Another Mother’s Day - The One No one Talks About

Last week we celebrated Mother’s Day. I don’t know why, but there is never a year where I don’t think about the Mom’s out there that have lost children. There are countless ways to lose a child. For those that have carried a child…
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They’re Going to Shit on your Head

They’re Going to Shit on your Head Those were the last words I heard as I departed to meet my friend to watch the migrating snow geese. I live with an over stimulated amygdala- my husband. He is constantly scanning the environment…
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Happiness-Marriage and Winston of West Chester

One of my favorite podcasts is the Happiness Lab, hosted by Yale professor Dr Laurie Santos. Santos takes you through the latest scientific research and shares inspiring stories that may alter the way you think about happiness. Her class, Psychology…
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Idle Practice

If you’ve read Practicing Presence, you know I’m not often idle. You also might recall that I seem to be constantly encouraged to slow down. So, when I stumbled on an entire company dedicated to helping people slow down, I decided to pause…
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6 Antidotes to Worry

6 Antidotes to Worry “I've had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.” ― Mark Twain Studies on worry vary in results, but most show that about 85% of the things we worry about are simply that, worry. So…
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Practice Judgelessness

There are many kinds of practices, athletic, art, music, martial arts, meditation. Our practices are the habits we choose, that shape who we are and who we want to become. What we practice gets stronger. So, what will you practice this year? I…
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No More Sorry

In early January I proposed we could choose a word of the year. Mine was the original word Judglessness. Many of you shared your words. A few that stood out were: Alignment, Change, Expectlessness, Compassion, Empathy, Peace, Stop, Openness,…
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86,400

This e-mail below was sent to me, it takes less than 2 minutes to read. The author is not known. It was found in the billfold of Coach Paul Bear Bryant. Alabama after he died in 1982. It was titled: The Magic Bank Account Imagine that you…
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An Inexpensive Gift Suggestion

An Inexpensive Gift Suggestion By Joe Zelnik (Annual reprint of a column that first appeared in 1983 in the Cape May County Herald) For those who can’t find an Interactive Barney or afford a 40- inch “home theater, “it’s still…
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Another Inexpensive Christmas Gift: Reduce Loneliness

Alone? You’re not. You are never alone. Feeling alone? That’s a different story. One there is a solution to. You can choose to think about someone else, who might also be feeling alone. That doesn’t mean they live by themselves; you…
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Empathy

In homes around the world, life isn’t as usual. In many schools, it just isn’t the same. Students, parents, teachers, and administrators, each have their own challenges and internal response to those challenges. Let’s take a glimpse…
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Wellness Wednesday on VoicEd Radio

Remember Live Radio? Seems like a lifetime ago that I turned on the radio in my car or home. I tend to load podcasts or Spotify on my phone. I’ve got a new option for you-tune in Live to Wellness Wednesday on VoicEd Radio. It’s not my…
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A Handful of Real Friends

“We bring a deeper commitment to our happiness when we fully understand, that our time left is limited and we really need to make it count.” -Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (Life Lessons, 2000) It was more than a decade ago that I first…
Perception is Projection This week my husband turned 59- my mother-in-law 89 and my granddaughter 5 months. A 2009 survey of Americans asked participants when they believed someone grew ‘old’. Those in their twenties believed said…
“Your genetics load the gun. Your lifestyle pulls the trigger.” Dr. Mehmet Oz Every sixty-five seconds another person develops Alzheimer’s disease; and of these newcomers, roughly two-thirds will…
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Reminders for Uncertain Times

I’m designing a course at the University on the topic of Wellness. In an effort to save students money on purchasing a textbook, I’ve been looking for articles, blogs, podcasts, anything current and relevant to compile into a course that…
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Perspective Changes Everything

Many of us are stressed with the current pandemic situation, and for valid reasons. However, we aren’t the only generation to be subjected to hardships. Perhaps the present moment isn’t so bad. Imagine if YOU were born in 1900. On…

A Brand-New Presence

This Wednesday one of the free take- aways from my webinar on Self-care Practices will be a resource that I’ve curated during the past few weeks to help all of us navigate through these turbulent times. Please consider sending me your stories…
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7 Step Risk Aversion Solution

“I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!” Many of you might recall Stuart Smalley, the self-help-obsessed pathetic character on Saturday Night Live who repeated that mantra to himself constantly. Smalley suffered…
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Hope and Miracles

This is the season of hope and miracles. The stories of Passover and Easter are about overcoming the impossible. Those stories at their core, are about all of us. This is a time in human history where the collective conditions are threatening…
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Alcohol Anyone?

The word on the street (actually the streets are empty) is that there will be more babies born in 2021. I don’t know, I fear there may be more divorces and waiting lists at Betty Ford Clinics. We are all dealing with the unknown, and the…
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Opt Out of the Collective Anxiety

The collective anxiety of humanity has people so engrossed in the media, so hypnotized by the news of possible horrible outcomes that we are missing the present moment, which might not be so bad. The truth is, if something bad happens, we’ll…
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4 Things You CAN Do

If you listen, almost every conversation right now is about what we can’t do because of the COVID-19. Let’s pivot and focus on what we can do. Below are 4 things almost all of us can do if we have not been infected by the virus. 1.Go…
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Self-Compassion Isn't for Sissies

On Thursday I’ll be delivering a keynote at the West Chester University Scholarship of Teaching, Learning and Assessment Conference #wcusotla . The audience will be predominantly professors from various universities. What’s impressive…
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Comfort Food for the Stressed and Weary

Everyone feels the pace escalate around this time of year. The grocery lists are longer, the money spent is greater, and the time needed to pull it all together is increased. If you’re in education, this week is typically survivor week.…
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5 Compelling Reasons to Retreat

Retreat comes from the Latin verb “to pull back”. Wouldn’t you like to pull back from the world for just a few hours in the midst of the holiday season? Here are 5 reasons to step out of your structured day to day routine and create a…
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Extreme Self-Care for Educators

For educators everywhere, the stretch between late October and Thanksgiving is akin to a survivor episode. Second only to March (read my book Practicing Presence for more on March meltdowns), this is when we are most likely to lose our sh_t.…
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Evidence of Practicing Presence

Just about every day I wonder if I’m really making a difference. It helps to have some evidence that your thoughts, words and actions do indeed sometimes impact others. I have a file folder that I’ve labeled “Happy File” where I put…
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Gratitude Practice

What if every Sunday you vowed to in some way reach out to one person that you’re grateful for in your life? My favorite gratitude practice in action was when Fred Rogerss accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award. He modeled that we should…

Forgive Them, for they Know Not What They Do

Do you have someone in your life that triggers you, that hijacks your rational mind? Perhaps they look down on you, ignore you, or say disparaging things about you behind your back. Do you ever watch them change their demeanor when others are…
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The Trouble Is …You Think You Have Time

The Trouble Is …You Think You Have Time We are all dying, every single one of us. At least our bodies are. But somehow, we spend our days like they are infinite, like this life will never end. We always think once I get done this, then…
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Failure Progress

Last week I presented a keynote in Ohio to a large group of educators- mostly administrators. I wanted to “knock it out of the park”. In the last 5 minutes of my presentation the slide deck on the power point presentation froze (as did my…
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5 Reasons People Don’t Practice Presence

Last week I posted a mindfulness mantra. The feedback was interesting, but not unexpected. Every time I mention mindfulness, I typically hear a few common responses: • “Do you really think I have time in my day to sit and do nothing…
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The Muck of March: Meditation Might Help

In Practicing Presence, I lead with the following: It was March. Outside, I was greeted by dreary, gray skies and a constant drizzle. It was the kind of rain that makes you feel chilled to the bone. Inside, I felt equally dreary. I’ve…
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This year’s Practicing Presence Summer Self-Care Retreat award recipient is Laura Davis.

This year’s retreat award recipient is Laura Davis. Congratulations Laura! We have all heard the statistics related to how many teachers will leave the profession within their first five years of teaching. This is Laura’s fifth year…
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3 Don’ts and a DO to Begin Your Day

It’s about 6 AM. You open your eyes. What’s your first thought? Possibly something like- “Oh crud, the day ahead is endless. I don’t have time to get all this done today. Only __ more days and the week-end will be here.” There…

1 Present-Moment Strategy: A Doorway to a More Mindful Life

Lisa J. Lucas, an author, consultant, and professor in the field of education, knows firsthand how much a mindful approach to the role of teacher can contribute to a positive classroom atmosphere Mindful is the word of the moment, and mindfulness…

Self-Care Strategies for Stressed Teachers

Mindful Teaching Self-Care Strategies for Stressed Teachers Practicing Presence: Simple Self-Care Strategies for Teachers Collins Associate Dr. Lisa Lucas understands well the demands that teachers…

Modeling Mindfulness by Practicing Presence

Mindful is the word of the moment, and mindfulness in education has exploded. It sounds so obvious; who doesn’t want to be mindful? The alternative, mindless, isn’t what most of us are striving for. However, mindfulness in education is…

Social Emotional Awareness for Educators

A Well Trained Mind: Social Emotional Awareness for Educators Listen Now

Preparing Instructional Coaches

Growing numbers of classroom teachers and reading specialists in schools across the United States are being asked to provide coaching to their colleagues, a form of job-embedded professional development. This paper describes an approach to developing…

Awake Accountable and Engaged

As a new college professor, one of the things that surprised me most was the lack of student engagement and accountability in the classroom. Striving to be a professor that utilized a lecture format sparingly, I structured my class sessions…

Words Create Worlds

A conversation I overheard from a group of three-year-olds heightened my awareness of the frequency of complaining that permeates our daily interactions. It was a typical fall day; I was observing my preschool field practicum student from the…

Presence-Based Teaching, Leading, & Learning

Education is one of the most rewarding professions, but it can also be one of the most stressful. Presence-Based Teaching, Leading, and Learning is a professional development model designed to support teachers, administrators, and students…

Write More, Grade Less

Abstract: This article describes five practices for effectively grading writing that demystify the grading process and focus on students’ writing more and faculty grading less...

Is mindfulness training useful?

In this study, we investigated the effects of mindfulness training with 23 preservice teachers. Subjects were assigned to either a 6-week mindfulness training program or a control condition. Post intervention, mindfulness participants reported…

Mentoring and Tutoring

Mentoring in Higher Education Should be the Norm to Assure Success: Lessons Learned from the Faculty Mentoring Program, West Chester University, 2008–2011

Remembering to Breathe: The Challenges and Rewards of Teaching Mindfulness Practices to Pre-Service Teachers

This paper reports on a pilot study conducted to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness based program in reducing stress and enhancing emotion regulation skills for a cohort of undergraduate students completing their pre-service teaching…