Posts by Lynne Watts
Seven Ways to Teach Children Empathy
What is empathy? Empathy is the ability to understand and feel what others feel. It is putting yourself in another’s shoes. When my youngest daughter was little she watched the movie, The Fox and The Hound and cried and cried at the end when Todd was attacked by the bear. That’s empathy! How do you…
Read MoreThe Greatest Gift a Teacher can Give
The Power of Mindset What is the power of expectation and mindset? It is not only huge but it trumps ability every time. In an education world that has become increasing obsessed with data, testing and assessment, what role does a teacher’s positive expectations play in a student’s performance? Apparently it is the greatest gift a teacher…
Read MoreFive Ways to turn Sibling Rivalry Around
Sibling Rivalry or Sibling Opportunity? We can all probably remember the sibling rivalry that went on in our own families. As the oldest in my family, I certainly participated in plenty of bickering and arguing of my own. Once you become a parent though, what you participated in as a kid quickly becomes one of the most…
Read More5 Creative Ways to Get Students’ Attention
How to Hook Students at the Beginning of a Lesson Ever been to a conference where the keynote speaker started out with… “Take out your textbook and turn to page 24”? Me neither. If they did… well their audience would probably either head for the exit or start playing Candy Crush on their iphone.…
Read MoreThe Secret Sauce for a Happy Child
Positive and Negative Feedback Do you wonder what the key is to having happy children? Maybe you even wonder about the key to finding happiness in your own life? Turns out we don’t find happiness… it’s not even related to our circumstances. Surprised? The Research on the Happiness Advantage In Shawn Achor’s book, The Happiness Advantage, he…
Read MoreHow to raise responsible, self-reliant children
Helping Kids Develop a Can Do Attitude I often hear teachers and parents alike lament that the students today have little intrinsic motivation and initiative. Certainly as a school counselor, I often presented lessons on being responsible. When asked what it means to be responsible, children usually have a good idea. They would identify tasks like…
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