social-emotional

Does Feeling Guilt Make Us a Better Person?

/ Dave Eberwein / 2 Comments

I feel guilt — most of us do.

Some of us likely cope with it better than others. I’m not too sure where I fit on the coping scale — Do I worry more than others? Does it interfere with my ability to move forward? Does it limit my ability to grow and become better?

Guilt permeates both my personal and professional worlds. I think I feel the most guilt when I’ve been neglectful about something. Here’s an example of what I mean …

I feel guilt when I do not send an acknowledgement to others for good work that they’ve done on an issue — a teacher for their efforts on a special event in their building — an administrator for their leadership on an important instructional topic — an office colleague for the extra work I see them do to make the system better.

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The Struggle is Real

/ Dave Eberwein / Leave a comment

A typical moment in my professional life:

I’m at my desk deep in thought — maybe it’s a budget issue, perhaps a community concern, or maybe an organizational dilemma that needs a creative solution. I’m stuck.

It can feel like my brain’s gears are seized or conversely like my wheels are spinning in mud — it’s an immovable tension of struggling to find a solution.

Neuroscientists have learned that the act of struggling is actually an important part of the learning process. Struggling with a problem results in increased neural connections being formed in your brain. The act of struggling forces your brain to develop new networks — bridging the old to the new.

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Does Technology Inhibit Positive Classroom Relationships?

/ Dave Eberwein / 2 Comments

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you will recall that I’m a big fan of taking risks to make things better in our classrooms and schools. How better to show my belief in this statement than me writing about technology in our schools. It’s hard to find a more polarizing issue in the world of public education.

So, let me put it right out front — I believe in the power of technology to make a difference in student learning. Full stop.

I view technology as that tool that makes curriculum accessible to more children in more ways than if we didn’t have it available. Some examples that come to mind include:

  • e-resources that can be adapted to varying reading levels making curricular content more accessible;
  • reading intervention software that helps build neural pathways to strengthen the reading centers in the brain;
  • math programs that provide just the right amount of practice to master basic skills before moving to the next topic
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