Encouraging Your Children’s Fantasies—and Their Future! It’s something a child hears often: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” A simple, even rhetorical question. But for children, this is a serious inquiry that can also be a great opportunity to share their ambitions, dreams, and creative longings. Even if the answers vary […]
September 7, 2017 Slowing down time. (Yeah, right!) It’s September 7 and I just sent out my first newsletter in 8 months. I also just realized that the last time I updated my home page was in February, and I didn’t even have a post created for what I’ve been up to this year. How does this […]
A guide for beginning teachers The following material is adapted from Chapter 6 of Becoming a Win-Win Teacher, a book written especially for new teachers, returning teachers, and anyone needing a shot in the arm during (or after) a challenging year. Teaching became easier when I started seeing myself as a teacher and no longer a college […]
And why I write books for beginning educators This excerpt was pulled from the introduction of the final draft of Becoming a Win-Win Teacher, a book I wrote to help prepare beginning teachers enter—and STAY—in the field. The piece has been revised somewhat to refer to resources available on this website. In retrospect, I was one of the […]
License to use materials from Dr. Jane Bluestein’s presentation Below you will find links to the PDF version of the slides from Dr. Bluestein’s keynote presentations of “Perfectionism: What’s it Costing Our Kids?” The links below also offer handout materials referring to the topics Dr. Bluestein explored in her presentation. These materials are offered here for […]
With best wishes for a better year There is a series of memes going around on social media showing side-by-side pictures showing “how I looked at the beginning of 2016” versus an exhausted, bedraggled, worn out end-of-year version of the same subject. I get it. This has been a tough one, and I’m certainly finding the holiday […]
Tips for joyful giving (and staying sane) The hints start dropping early. Visions of sugarplums give way to images of the hottest toys, trends, and technology. Lists, links, and spreadsheets are emailed, tweeted, and texted. I want. I want. I want. Our inboxes overflow with gift ideas. We get wound up by the promises of glittery commercials […]
How to disagree and still maintain contact The following offers additional resource material related to the conversation with Dr. Jared Scherz, (audio file/podcast) recorded on Dec. 14, 2011. The main points include: One of the most stress-producing obstacles in any relationship is the need to be right when it requires others to be wrong. Differences […]
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Beyond damage control… Here are some tips to reduce the stress and anxiety you children may experience during and after your divorce. • Maintain a civil relationship with your spouse* during the divorce and afterwards. Treat each other with tolerance and respect. • Don’t badmouth your spouse to your kids regardless of your feelings for him […]
Do’s and don’ts of effective parenting by Dr. Jane Bluestein Special offer for newsletter subscribers and social media friends: 50% off retail price. Thousands of simple, practical, kid-tested ideas to help you build character, avoid power struggles, increase school success, motivate cooperation, reduce conflict, solve problems and create safe, loving relationships with (more…)
The high cost of the pressure to be perfect What’s wrong with perfectionism? Everything! Here are the causes and consequences of perfectionism—plus a few suggestions for potential “cures.” Some young people continually strive for excellence, trying to do their best, willing to make mistakes and learn from them, and take on challenges to grow their interests. Others chase perfection, […]
Getting past defenses, disinterest, and disengagement Presentation by Dr. Jane Bluestein Of all the challenges teachers face, the one mentioned most consistently over the years has been, “How do I engage kids who aren’t motivated and just don’t care?” Few things are more frustrated that having your planning and enthusiasm met with groans, shrugs, or eye […]
The art of resiliency Excerpt from “Emotional Safety: Personal and Character Development,” from chapter 15 of Creating Emotionally Safe Schools by Dr. Jane Bluestein © 2001, Health Communications, Inc., Deerfield Beach, FL. This excerpt was extracted from the manuscript for this book and may be slightly different from the actual printed copy. The entire bibliography of Creating Emotionally Safe Schools is […]
August 21, 2016 Bouncing back. Again. In my last post (below), I noted that by early this spring, things had slowed down considerably work-wise and that I was taking advantage of the “break” to get on top of a lot of loose ends. I spent a good bit of time trying to come to terms with the possibility of not […]
Patterns to avoid Want to reduce conflict, pain, and alienation in relationships with the important people in your life? Here are some of the patterns that make connecting difficult. (Some suggestions for resolution below.) • Needing to be in charge or in control, especially when it depends on disempowering or controlling others, or when it disregards […]
Beginning a new year. Or a new day. Note: I started this post on Feb. 8, 2014 and, like many things I started during the time I was working on the perfectionism book, lost track of it before I finished. I think the idea of coming back more than 2 years later to complete this […]
Strategies for changing or maintaining the students’ level of alertness and attentiveness There will be times when your students are starting to drift off or glaze over but you need their attention for a few more minutes before the bell rings. Or they come in all wound up and you need them to settle down […]