Survival

Anger Management… Can I Just Pout About It?

“I’m angry!” Those are two simple words that, ideally, should be relatively easy to say. I’m angry, I’m mad, I don’t like that, please stop. One would think that these sentiments would roll off the tongue and the receiving party could simply say, “I’m sorry, let’s work on this.” Right?! Simply put, no. It is not that easy. Anger is one of the most complex, misunderstood, misinterpreted, and generally mishandled emotion out there.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012 | 3 minutes Read

Anger Management... You Want me to Breathe?!

Okay, you’re happily sitting in your living room watching your two loving, caring, adorable children play together when suddenly BAM, one snatches a toy away from the other and all hell breaks loose. There is screaming, shrieking, and ultimately hitting. Before you know it, everyone is crying and you’ve lost your opportunity to finish you’re cup of coffee. You’re angry, they’re angry; the whole mood of the house has suddenly turned.

Thursday, September 20, 2012 | 4 minutes Read

Anger Management... Talk It Out

“Tell me how that makes you feel…” I can hear men (and many women) cringing all over the world. Why are we like that? What is it about talking about our feelings that makes us all suddenly very quiet? We are willing to share intimate daily details on Facebook, but not share how we feel with our close friends and family members? People talk all the time. Talking is a very important part of life…especially the part about our feelings.

Friday, September 21, 2012 | 7 minutes Read

Anger Management... Walk Away

Sometimes it’s best to walk away. There are times when the best course of action warrants more than a deep breath or a conversation. Sometimes you try to calm down and you simply cannot do it while staring directly at your problem. You need a break, do a chore around the house, a bath, or maybe just a good scream and cry. Whatever it is you need, do it. No problem has been solved by staying in a volatile situation.

Sunday, September 23, 2012 | 7 minutes Read

Grades Don’t Give Me Warm Fuzzies

Grades don’t matter…there, I said it. As a teacher, I am not supposed to tell you this, but it’s true…OK, I will concede that grades are a necessary evil, but I promise you they don’t matter as much as you think they do. Grades, as I said, are a necessary evil. They are a requirement to not only judge a student’s progress, but to help administration and tie wearing number crunchers see how students- and teachers- are performing in the classroom.

Wednesday, September 15, 2021 | 9 minutes Read

You Are Our Glue

“You are our glue.” The words resonated with me unlike any words had before. Glue?! I have to be glue? No pressure, I’m just the substance whose sole purpose is to make things that would normally not go together stick together for all of eternity. Of course, it was a compliment. My family was acknowledging that without me things would simply not be as cohesive. The words were never intended to weigh heavily on my mind.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012 | 4 minutes Read

Summer Survival

Yes! Summertime! I can hear the excited cries of students and teachers everywhere…the hard work has paid off and now it is time to revel in the unstructured laziness of a warm summer. Most of us love the thought of lackadaisical days followed by late nights. However, for many young and differently challenged children (and adults!) the thought of a lazy summer is both overwhelming and frightening! Sure, we all enjoy the occasional day of unplanned excitement, but for Autism Spectrum families, the newness of the routine is a recipe for tantrums, melts downs, and fear of the unknown.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012 | 10 minutes Read

Siblings

Siblings, as I see it, are both the biggest curse and largest blessing that one person can every hope to have. Seriously. I mean, think about it. For a first born: there you are minding your own business, soaking in all the love, affection, and attention your parents can possibly dole out and then, BAM! Suddenly, there is a small, loud, often stinky creature that sucks all the energy and attention out of good ole mom and dad.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012 | 4 minutes Read

Ah Christmas

Ah Christmas, that magical time of year when everyone puts aside their differences and coexist in perfect harmony. Decorations are lovingly placed in just the right spot…food taste better, smiles are brighter, and the serenity of the whole scene rivals that of the nativity crèche itself. That is unless, of course, you live in the real world. In that case, your home is cluttered with gifts, the tree doesn’t quite fit, one light is always burned out, your cookies are smoldering in the oven, and you’ve asked yourself at least six times if the children really need to be out of the school a full two weeks.

Monday, January 2, 2012 | 8 minutes Read