by Lynea Gillen | Sep 6, 2016 | Community, Families, K-12 Education
When I was a young teacher, I was given some good advice by a mentor: Start off the year firm. You can always loosen up. But if you start too loose, you will have a hard time getting the classroom under control later. It took some practice to become very precise and... 
by Lynea Gillen | Aug 27, 2016 | Uncategorized
You know the feeling…you’re floating along on a lazy late summer day, then suddenly hear the rumbling of rapids ahead. The frenzy and chaos that accompanies the beginning of the school year are dead ahead! But instead of just plowing bravely ahead, like... 
by Lynea Gillen | Aug 13, 2016 | Social-Emotional Learning
When I was a counselor, I used to tell the young girls about the time I got suspended from school for a week. “I got in BIG trouble,” I’d say, then ask them to guess what I did. Usually they’d guess that I had skipped school. Or had said something really mean. Or had... 
by Lynea Gillen | Jul 23, 2016 | Mindfulness, Social-Emotional Learning
One day, a group of children from the behavioral classroom came into my room VERY angry. As a group, they had been bullied on the way to an assembly, and their collective rage had come busting out. A frightened educational assistant brought them into my room and... 
by Lynea Gillen | Jun 11, 2016 | Mindfulness
Ask a teacher what they think about their work. You’ll likely hear that it’s rewarding – and exhausting. For as a teacher, you’re constantly giving – your time, your knowledge, your care, your attention. You’re constantly doing for others. Add the increasing pressures...