I often hear teachers justifiably lamenting about how overwhelmed they can become with the amount of responsibilities and obligations that get heaped on them by The Powers That Be. And I can certainly relate.  It seems like there's always a new tech program to learn, student club to advise, or "duty free" lunch to cover.  Most recently, a teacher told me about how responsibilities increased when the number of faculty went down, so now less people were doing more of the things. That can be crazymaking, for sure. So how do we stay sane when we feel overhwhelmed? How do we hang on to ..read more

I want to take you on a journey.   A journey toward peace, mindfulness, and self-care.   This particular journey started in last week’s 4 Day Zen Teacher No Book “Book” study, where nearly 300 teachers from around the world participated in exercises on gratitude, mindfulness, developing your Zen Practice, and The 5 S’s (Stillness, Silence, Space, Subtraction, and Simplicity).   We got to know each other and made new friends.   We learned new tools and created new habits.   We learned and grew and worked on our self-care practices.   But the truth is, we barely scratched the surface.   An ..read more

When it comes to choosing a life path, I often tell my daughters to ask themselves this question:   “Where do you want your stress?”   Here’s what I mean:   If I’m a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or CEO, chances are pretty good that I’m probably doing okay financially.  So my stress may come in the form of deadlines, or making sure designs or plans are mathematically accurate, or selling my life to the firm at 80 or more hours a week, or hovering over a patient in the operating room wondering if they’re going to make it.   But when I choose teaching as a life path and career, I did not choo ..read more