The other night when I came home from work, my children were playing on their bicycles in our driveway. My two youngest daughters, Laura and Marlena, ran up to me as soon as I pulled up. “DadDadDadDadDad! Can you take our training wheels off?” They wanted to learn how to ride their bike on two […]
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The Digital Declutter Experiment: Spring Cleaning for Your Brain
At this point in the school year, the purpose and practice of great teaching can get foggy. The stress and challenges and changes of the year accumulate, and our minds and hearts grow dim. One thing we do is remind ourselves: it’s not about winning a prize or success as a savior, but instead it’s […]
Why I Am a Digital Minimalist (and What the Heck that Means)
Last time, I wrote about how many of the online tools we use most — email or news or social media, for example — have addiction mechanics sewn right into them. Like slot machines, the apps and devices and services that crowd our lives tend to give more than they take. These media don’t give […]
Slot Machines
On their faces, slot machines are kind of dumb. You pay money to pull a lever, and most of the time all you get is a few seconds of spinning icons. But then sometimes, you win a little. Very infrequently, you win a ton. Percentage-wise, it’s a losing scenario. If your goal is to make […]
How to Build Resilience, Part 3: Adaptability
During these past weeks of reflecting on resilience’s three pillars, I’ve started to see a relationship between the three, how they really do act like the legs on a stool. If you’ve got a deep sense of purpose but not an acceptance of unpleasant realities then you’ll err toward unchecked idealism. Unchecked idealism happens when […]