Don't Burn Out

How To Figure Out What Matters

Most of the things we do won’t matter next month. But a few will matter even in a few decades. How do we figure out what actually matters?

I Didn’t Need *More* Ideas

As a teacher, I’d start by grabbing new ideas. But I didn’t need more ideas. I already had too many!

Reflecting and Planning With Four Lists

Four lists I update every time I sit down to reflect and plan.

Let Your Brain Breathe!

I was breathing in too much. I needed to exhale. I didn’t need more ideas. I needed to do less!

Why a Measurement Must Never Be the Goal

When we focus on a simple measurement to guide a complex goal, that measurement becomes the goal, and the measurement starts to work against the real goal.

Knowing Our Own Mindsets

I continue reading my friends’ dissertations and stumble across how very “fixed” a teacher’s mindset can become. What do we do?

Raising Our Levels of Moral Development

Kohlberg’s levels of moral development are a fantastic tool for helping our gifted kids understand their advanced awareness of moral issues. But it also challenges us, as adults, to step up and push our own moral development higher.

Important vs Urgent: The Daily Checklist

A daily checklist is a powerful tool (for teachers and students) to remember those important, but not urgent, tasks.

Focus on what’s Important, not what’s Urgent.

It’s so easy for the daily chaos of suddenly urgent tasks to overwhelm what really matters. How can we better focus on those long-term, important tasks?

Being a Healthier Teacher: Stopping Burnout

As someone who experienced burn out while teaching, and has watched friends and family members burn out as well, I know that it’s a real affliction, but one that is rarely addressed.