Tips for Boosting your Self-Esteem I remember hating Valentine’s Day when I was in high school. Yuck! All the cool girls would receive candy grams and carnations from their secret admirers. As much as I tried to play it off, I sulked all day. My mother tried her best every year to pick up my […]
Read More
A Chain is Only as Strong as Its Weakest Link For many years, my extended Connecticut family has shared in an October multi-generational tradition. We choose a weekend before Halloween to go pumpkin picking together. We take a hayride, select our squash, and head home for some communal carving. These Pumpkin Pickin’ Days hold my […]
Read More
Health benefits of drinking of water Recently I started the Keto diet. One of the core components of the Keto diet is reducing the consumption of sugar. No more cans of Ginger Ale, now I’m drinking water strictly. Over the last few weeks, I noticed a few changes; physically I feel lighter, and emotionally I […]
Read More
Choices and More Choices Bootleg, skinny, straight leg jeans; there are so many options! Sheesh! Just choosing a pair of jeans can be overwhelming, however, I believe one of life’s greatest gifts lies in our ability to choose. Our ability to make choices is one which gives us significant power in our lives. However, knowing […]
Read More
Self-Esteem vs Self-Awareness I have learned that self-esteem can have several different meanings depending on who you converse with. When it comes to your self-esteem, only one opinion truly matters: your own. As educators, it is critical to understand the difference between self-esteem and self-awareness; they share many of the same elements. However, there are […]
Read More
Prioritizing Meaningful Conversation with Your Children Too often parents and children stop communicating. In most cases, it happens subtly and unintentionally. Parents are continually trying to balance their personal, professional, and family lives. As a result, parents may tend to become distracted and can forget the importance of taking the time to check in, talk, […]
Read More
Strategies for Motivating Students I remember facilitating “Girls Chat” every Wednesday when I managed a middle afterschool program. The girls seemed disinterested in participating at the start of the program. Their indifference frustrated me. I thought what am I doing wrong? I seemed to have tried everything: several pep- talks, lectures, demands, but trying to […]
Read More
5 Ways to Improve Your After School Storytelling Storytelling in the purest sense of the word is the tradition of oral narrative. It is timeless entertainment and education shared by the relating of a story. As after school educators you are front line to use storytelling simultaneously for both purposes. If you want to try […]
Read More
The Power of Teaching Young Children Social Skills “Pink, Pink”, my niece excitedly repeated as she walked into the kitchen. I loved the way she attempted to say paint. She was only two years old, and she was quickly expanding her vocabulary every day. I grabbed the paint supplies and she got to work. […]
Read More
“Reel” Life Lessons for OST Success When I was a little girl, my Poppa wanted to teach me the virtues inherent in fishing as a hobby; patience, perseverance, and pride. He took me out to the local lake as soon as he thought I was ready. I remember very specific parts of this day vividly. […]
Read More
