A Book for Parents
For 11 years I taught middle and high school math, but I never felt comfortable in my calling. Always proving I was good enough, always coping with a sense that I wasn't. The inadequacies and conflict only increased as I took on the role of small town elementary principal. Parents, kids, and staff expected me to solve their problems. I tried every fad that came along in teaching. I spoke in acronyms and believed that each new initiative would get our school to the next level and prove I was a real principal.
As I watched the kids grow up around me and saw them take on the same question I was facing, I knew this problem was bigger than me. On my chalkboard I began to fashion the framework for understanding the levels of health and dysfunction that we all face as we ask whether we matter.
I learned to put down my own question of whether I matter and lead my staff and students to do the same. My greatest joy is to bring the same message to parents, spouses, and leaders of all kinds. This message has brought me around the world, and I can’t wait to see who I get to help next.
The Pillars of Culture
Many people put their hope in education, the right politician/policy, the expertise of researchers, or the insights of artists and media. I really think everyone has a religion somewhere inside, mostly as a conglomeration of ideas you’ve come to believe deep down about yourself, others, and “the universe”.
A Discipline Guide
Raising your voice should only be done in an emergency. Shame (and the blame it creates) is almost always ineffective at addressing misbehavior, even of the most chronic or defiant variety.
For Easter
To understand Easter is like trying to understand the last 15 minutes of all the Marvel movies. It’s like trying to read the last 10 pages of the last Harry Potter book, thinking you’ll understand what happened. You won’t. If I want to try and tell you the Easter part, but without the backstory, you’ll be pretty lost.