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In the words of my fellow Council member William, “I didn’t even realize I had these opinions until someone asked to hear them.” While I have been online—whether gaming or on social media—for practically 10 of the 17 years of my life, I never felt like I could really do anything about the often cruel […]

By: Nicolette G. Granata Monica Lewinsky is one of two keynote speakers at this year’s IBPA national conference in San Diego, CA. In 2015, Monica Lewinsky confidently and courageously took the stage to deliver a TED talk entitled “The price of shame.”  Before I actively listened to the talk, I didn’t realize just how effectively

By: Kim DeMoss Mindfulness, simply put, means paying attention on purpose. In our fast-paced society this can be quite counter cultural, and we can end up with a mind literally full of ideas and thoughts and no space to process them. For students, the pressure to perform well academically, the focus on achievement standards, plus

By: Nicolette G. Granata “Cultural competence is having an awareness of one’s own cultural identity and views about difference, and the ability to learn and build on the varying cultural and community norms of students and their families. It is the ability to understand the within-group differences that make each student unique, while celebrating the

By: Christa M. Tinari, M.A. The end of summer involves the hustle of back-to-school preparations, including lesson planning, last-minute supply ordering, and room set-up. If you’re like many educators, you’re probably also reviewing your class list, and planning how you will interact with your students on those first few, critical days of school. You know

“I think it’s a wonderful opportunity to get to know your students because it really creates a space where students feel impelled to speak up and engage in the lessons. I also feel that my students were challenged in a supportive way.” – 6th grade Advisory, Female Teacher “This quote encapsulates perfectly what many teachers

*Featured piece of full article below (Borba, 2017). Read the full article here: https://micheleborba.com/empathic-kids/ “Here are four ideas that might help you raise a more caring, kind children and help them reap The Empathy Advantage (UnSelfie, 2017). Switch roles The next time there’s a conflict between your child and a friend (or between you and

*Featured piece of full article below (Scarlet, 2014). Read the full article here: https://www.superhero-therapy.com/2014/10/psychology-behind-harry-potter-books-post-1-of-3-compassion/ “In reading the Harry Potter series we learn what cruelty is, we are reminded of what unspeakable horrors human beings are capable of, and most importantly, we are reminded of how amazing human beings can be. Through seeing the world through Harry’s