Teach Different

How should we act when we are angry? Anger is one of those emotions that we say is inherently dangerous and unpredictable. When we're angry, we are told to walk away or breathe to allow the intense feelings to pass. Yet, sometimes getting angry is actually a wise strategy, especially if we feel that we or our loved ones are in danger. Quick action is the better remedy. Our students should learn ho...

How do you know when you should stand up for yourself? Children are taught from a young age that when they want something they should wait their turn until they are granted permission. Waiting cultivates patience. It shows good manners. This attitude works in some settings but when it comes to gaining respect from others, the whole idea of waiting becomes burdensome and futile, especially when oth...

Does power reveal our true character? Being a good person is hard enough. It's even harder when we occupy positions of authority. Authority gives us leeway to deal with others in whatever way we want, and carry through with punishments of our design. How we execute our power reveals our true values, because we have the power to choose otherwise. Yet, adversity and hardship test our values too, and...

Can our imagination make us happy? Happiness is something that everyone wants. Sometimes, though, our imaginations create anxiety and actually prevent us from experiencing happiness. We make things worse than they actually are because of what we create in our minds. Yet, at other times, it is our actual experiences that create our suffering and our imaginations play no role. The power of the imagi...

Do you need to fail to learn? From a young age we are taught the value of learning from our mistakes. The logic goes something like this, when we make mistakes we see opportunities for improvement and learning. Failure makes us wise. Yet, we also learn through our successes. It is through them that we discover what we did right and what we should continue to do next time. Failure and success are b...

How do we know when the cautious approach is the right one? Students sometimes rush into decision-making without forethought. They do it with term papers, for class projects, and even in their relationships. This approach may cause more heartache and work in the long run. There is much to be said about careful, slow planning to avoid mistakes, but there's also an inherent danger in taking the caut...

How do you know when hard work is worth it? Students are always being told to do their best and that there is intrinsic value to putting in a hard day of work, regardless of whether they achieve what they set out to do. Students are also expected to achieve results from their work. After all, there seems to be little value in working so hard if goals aren't met in the end. All students must balanc...

How do we know when self-discipline is in our best interest? Self-discipline is hard for students. It requires that they shut out distractions, develop routines and exercise impulse control. Authority figures tell students that self-discipline is worth it, that at the end of the day their work will be rewarded. But it doesn’t feel that way sometimes because the pay off is way down the road. Join S...

Is failure necessary for success? Student success is often determined by achievements, like getting a job, acing a test, or winning a competition. Failure is seen as the opposite of success, and something to avoid at all costs. What if failure is necessary for success? Is it possible that without failure we can't achieve greatness? The relationship between success and failure is a complicated one...

Should you ever use anger to solve problems? Students must learn how to solve all kinds of problems. Some problems are academic; others are emotional. Perhaps the hardest problems involve communication and the navigation of complex human relationships. What makes these types of problems even more difficult is that anger often intervenes. Anger is a wild variable that can either diminish or enhance...

How do you know when you should change your values? Of the many elements of a strong character, none is more important than a person having a strong system of values. A person who has strong values stands for something, has a stable guide for behavior, and prevents him/herself from being taken advantage of. But, if a person is too rigid in their values, then that person becomes resistant to new id...

How do we know when to give up on change? We're always telling children that it's important not to complain about things and that it's always better to be part of the solution, rather than the problem. If you don't like your situation, then change it. We also tell children that it's important to know when you can't change things and to accept the world the way it is. In those situations it is our...

What’s the best way to lead a happy life? When kids talk about strategies for living a happy life, they often talk about goals, like getting a great job or becoming famous. If they reach that goal, then that's clear evidence of success and deep satisfaction for having pursued something to completion. But, what about the relationships we build? They also shape our happiness in a meaningful way. Sor...

Can we decide to be free? Freedom is an often used yet really complex concept. Many consider freedom something that is granted to them, something they don't have to work for. Others see freedom as something denied, and something that must be fought for. These different conceptions of freedom spring from different life experiences which are in turn shaped by a person's gender, race, and ethnicity....

What makes one person more powerful than another? We constantly compare ourselves to others, often concluding that they have it much better than we do. We spend much of life idolizing people, and in the process, give them power over us. Yet, what's lost here is the stark truth that other people have just as many insecurities and problems as we do and we probably would do better to focus on ourselv...

What is the best way to overcome your enemies? Enemies have a way of bringing out the worst in us. They make us act and think in mean ways. When we mimic the behaviors of our enemies we get revenge on them and feel a fleeting sense of accomplishment. But, maybe resisting anger is a better way to respond. That way we maintain self-control and draw attention to our enemies' negative behavior, and in...

Is fighting the best way to get what you want? Conflict consumes people of all ages. What makes conflict so taxing is the uncertainty in knowing how to deal with it in healthy ways. The simplest way to think about resolving conflict with other people is to choose domination through force and confrontation and, in dramatic cases, violence. That action carries dramatic consequences. Then, there's th...

Do we control our own happiness? Teachers and parents alike espouse the value of focus. With focus, children appreciate the value of the moment and can learn to control their mind. Yet, phones and social media conspire to make focus difficult. The undisciplined mind, split from its foundation, shifts and drifts in different directions leaving tasks undone, leaving students feeling inadequate and p...

How do you stay happy in a cruel world? When bad things happen, students have to make choices about how they'll protect themselves. Some choose to fight back against the people or events which caused them pain, thinking that they have the power to change the world into something better. Others recoil and focus on changing their internal attitude, hoping that by doing that they can maintain happine...

Do humble people make good leaders? To most students leadership is about confidence, being in front of the crowd, setting the example, and showing the way. Some assume that to be good leader you have to act the part, maintain that confident edge and undying belief in your own abilities. Another way to secure that edge is to be humble, and convince yourself that you haven't succeeded yet, there's m...

Should we worry about our future? It’s no secret that most kids tend to ‘live for the moment’ rather than planning for their futures. Living in the now has its benefits; instant gratification, less anxiety, and a sense of freedom. Worrying about what happens tomorrow ruins the present. But, maybe a little worry over the future is a good thing and makes people carefully consider their options in th...

What is the purpose of school? Most teachers agree that skills and content are important components for a quality education. Debate erupts over which is more important. Some argue that teaching a person how to think should be the primary focus. Others argue that teaching content knowledge is more worthwhile. In the middle of this debate are the students who have very passionate ideas of what the p...

When is going against the crowd the right thing to do? Peer pressure is real. Many students choose to follow the crowd to avoid the repercussions of not following. They feel safer, less alone. It doesn’t mean the followers fully "buy in" to the crowd beliefs or actions, but the act of standing outside the crowd feels scary. Is there a good time to face that fear and go against the crowd? How...

Are role models healthy for us? The old adage "Just be yourself" looks good on paper, but gets pretty scary in the real world when we must rely on our own instincts to make decisions. Dangers abound. What if we make a mistake and hurt somebody? These fears - fueled by lack of confidence - cause us to look to other people to do the thinking and acting for us. Our role models inspire us to be better...

What in life is actually in our control? The power of self-awareness isn't obvious to us. We may feel ourselves at the mercy of life, that life just happens to us. When things don't go our way, we may throw our energies into changing other people and events to make things right. But, maybe our efforts to change the world are futile. Maybe what we need to do is change our attitude about what happen...