Parents Sharing Careers in Class

A teacher mentioned to me that her class was about to invite parents into speak to students about what they do at work. I couldn't help it, but I immediately thought of the movie City Slickers. 

I can't resist offering you the clip from the movie that came to mind. (Warning: Rated PG-13).

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More on Happiness

"A Formula for Happiness" is the title of a recent front page article in the NYTimes Sunday Review section. Written by Arthur Brooks, the article presents many important points; here are a few that might interest you:

• "After 40 years of research, they attribute happiness to three major sources: genes, events, and values. Armed with this knowledge and a few simple rules, (click on the link for a video of Brooks explaining his work) we can improve our lives and the lives of those around us.
• Every other year for four decades, roughly a third of Americans have said they’re 'very happy,' and about half report being 'pretty happy.' Only about 10 to 15 percent typically say they’re 'not too happy.' 
• For many years, researchers found that women were happier than men, although recent studies contend that the gap has narrowed or may even have been reversed."

For more good information on happiness, positive psychology, and well being, click over to Shawn Achor and Martin Seligman.

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Wisdom on Health and Happiness From a 13-year Old

From the eloquent perspective of a middle school kid, this video is priceless. Logan has the right idea about what is important in life. 

He quotes Dr. Roger Walsh "Much of education is oriented, for better or for worse, towards making a living rather than making a life."

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Common Sense We Need to Hear Anyway

A good reminder I came across in an ASCD SmartBrief - David L. Hough’s article, "Students' happiness at school goes a long way in learning.”

“My research team discovered that classrooms could be new, old, high tech, low tech, large, small, near the principal’s office or far away. It didn’t matter. What mattered was (and is) the teacher. The teacher’s attitude toward students (in research lingo) accounted for most of the variance in students’ perceptions of safety, enjoyment and happiness”. . . MORE

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