My Blog

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Heros Among Us: How to Be a Catalyst for Positive Behavior

by df-admin

This post was co-written with Linda Kavelin Popov, co-founder of The Virtues Project. It was a dark and stormy Friday afternoon at Newton Elementary. By 2 PM, Mrs. Adams’ Grade 2 students were restless and cranky, as was Mrs. Adams. Billy, who tended to act the class clown and was often an irritant when peaceful […]

Technology and Early Literacy: A Recipe for Success

by df-admin

After several years of stepping away from working with educators and technology companies in the area of instructional technology, I have decided to step back into that arena, at least where there is an overlap between technology, character and 21st Century Skills.  Over the past couple of months I have attended several education conferences focused […]

The Power of Belief

by df-admin

The Man Who Thinks He Can ― Walter D. Wintle If you think you are beaten, you are; If you think you dare not, you don’t. If you’d like to win, but think you can’t It’s almost a cinch you won’t. If you think you’ll lose, you’ve lost, For out in the world we find […]

The Courage and Compassion to be an Upstander

by df-admin

As I was reading over today’s facebook updates, I noticed that www.character.org  had posted a story that was written by Katie Kindelan and featured on the ABC News Blog titled,  “an 8-Year-Old Boy Asks Santa to End His Sister’s Bullying.” The story was about a set of twins, a brother and sister, where the brother […]

Teacher Appreciation Week: Gifts of Inspiration for My Fellow Educators

by df-admin

How can I express my since appreciation to my fellow educators for your steadfast dedication to your students, your families and your greater community?  This time of year can be tough for educators; students have spring fever, end of  year meetings seem to last forever,  paperwork is never ending and the thoughts of, “If only […]

My Book, The Heart of Education, Published Today

by df-admin

It is with incredible gratitude and enthusiasm that I can finally say my book is published!  Below I share my  Introduction with you in hopes that it will give you a taste for what the book is about and inspire you to read it as well as share it with others.  I welcome your honest […]

Being Intentional About Teaching Character

by df-admin

“Imagine a school that expected its students to become literate without any formal instruction. Most parents would be alarmed by such an approach, which would leave their children confused and with gaps in their understanding. This however has been the philosophy on character development in many of our schools. Why is the development of character seen […]

The Person Sitting Next to You…

by df-admin

I was inspired today at the ASCD Conference in Chicago by the amazing heart centered educators I met. I was touched deeply by the remarks from Ryan Twentey and Joshua Garcia, who were honored as ASCD’s Outstanding Young Educators. Freeman Hrabowski lit a fire in all of us to commit to having high expectations and […]

Inspiring 2 Days with Jack Canfield

by df-admin

Spending 2 days with Jack Canfield and friends was a beautiful and inspiring experience. Jack is such a grounded and loving person. I am awed and humbled that he wrote the foreword for my book and am grateful to have had the opportunity to connect with him in such profound and meaningful ways. He has […]