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Call from Mom

It’s a good thing I didn’t have a cell phone in school. Would I have received a call from Mom? Probably not. But I most likely would have been calling for a lifeline every few minutes.

Cartoon of a boy and a teacher. The boy says, "I'll answer that in a second. But first, let me take this call from Mom."

Today, can you really trust if it’s your mom calling you? Scammers can mask any number and make it appears it is coming from your loved one. If your mother is calling to ask for your social security number, it’s probably a good sign that the person on the other line is a scammer. The deep, bass voice may be a giveaway too.

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The Best-Laid Plans Never Go as Planned

If the last two years have taught us anything, we have learned that the best-laid plans never go as planned. There are circumstances and surprises that come out of nowhere. In fact, we may be tempted to utter along with Curly, “I’m a victim of circumstance!

Children and the Best-laid Plans

I thought I had life all figured out until I had children. Planning was easy when my wife and I started our lives together. For the most part, we were on the same page and had similar goals. But when we had kids, I discovered they didn’t always share the same goals like when was the proper bedtime, how to behave at restaurants, and when was the optimal time to begin potty training.

Cartoon of two people waist deep in water. A woman says, "I've learned there is a fine line between potty training and preschooler vandalism."
Published in Kidzmatter Magazine
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Loving your Neighbors the right way

Alas, if you get slapped with a restraining order, you probably aren’t loving your neighbors the right way! What does it look like to help those around us when society has become very suspicious of anyone offering help?

Cartoon of a boy and a teacher. The boy says, "Every time I try to love my neighbor, I get hit with a restraining order!"
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motivation teaching

Teaching to Learn

 

Photo of mountain landscape with the following quote, "When one teaches, two learn." Robert Half

I love this quote from Robert Half because that is essentially why I wanted to make blogging a regular practice. I have learned several lessons as I have taught over the years.

  • The preparation to teach is almost as important as the lesson.
  • If I can’t adequately explain it to someone (especially a nine-year-old), I probably don’t adequately understand it myself.
  • It is okay to veer from a lesson plan. It isn’t the Gospel.
  • All learning needs a little entertainment. If I am boring, I am not really teaching.
  • I can learn much more from teaching elementary than adults.
    • Grown-ups will hide if they are not engaged.
    • I child will have no problem telling me if I am boring
  • No matter how much I know about the subject, there is always something more to learn.
    • New discoveries make learning fun for the teacher and the student.

I am taking a hiatus from teaching elementary kids and I am already missing it. I get so much from teaching and engaging with others. If you have never tried to teach another, I would encourage you to give it a try.

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Reinforce a Lesson by Teaching Someone

The other day, a coworker was asking me how I keep my notes organized. I responded that I have got a lot out of a web site and book about the Bullet Journal Method.

It reminded me of how valuable it is to reinforce a lesson by telling or teaching someone the same lesson. I have been using a variation of the method for some time and bought the book in the spring. I was reminded of how effective the method was when I told him how it helped me.

If you are a lifelong learner, I suggest you find a way to teach what you’ve learned to others. You don’t have to be an official, formal teacher. You can just share what you’ve learned to your friends or people at work.

If you have found a piece of knowledge to be useful for you, chances are another person can benefit from it. In turn, that helps you remember the lesson and reinforce it in your own mind.