I Saw You Reading

Students exceeded all expectations when they presented a 1 1/2 hour presentation at the NAEA Conference.  Their presentation was titled “Turning Stumbling Blocks into Stepping Stones” and it focused on the ways students use the programs at SWA to make positive changes in their lives.  They received a standing ovation—and it was well-deserved.

I ask new students to fill out a ‘get-to-know-you’ form when they enter my class.  One question is “What is your most treasured possession?”  While many students list a piece of jewelry or special photographs, the answer I get most often is MY PHONE.

‘The Simple List’ in Real Simple’s September 2011 issue stated that 53% of 16-22-year-olds around the world would rather give up their sense of smell than their favorite personal technology device.  Really?!?  Give up the smell of baking cookies?  WebMD even has advice for people suffering from smartphone addiction.  Apparently I haven’t developed the relationship I should have with my own phone.

What’s your  most treasured possession?

Had a case of the winter blues lately?  Look at how you are carrying your body.  Are you vegging out on the couch watching TV?  Slumping in front of your laptop?  “Emotional states can be triggered by external clues,” says Erik Peper, Ph. D., a professor at San Francisco State University.  “If you look down or sit in a collapsed position, it will cue your brain to focus on the negative.” via wholeliving.com

What suggestions do you have for helping to beat the winter blues?

After it sinks in, consider the importance of taking a second look.  When it comes to seeing the world, would you benefit from taking a second glance…..perhaps with a different attitude?

A fun and seemingly easy project that the students soon discovered was more challenging than expected.  Choose an article.  Find words that, when read in order, create a poem or condensed version of the story.  Cross out all other words with a black sharpie.  Done.

BOB from Jacob Frey on Vimeo.

What’s the message of this adorable little video?  Watch it all the way to the end—past the credits.