Blog

By Cortney Holles "The best way to predict the future is to create it." – Peter Drucker Hello Teachers with Heart, I have been struggling this semester.  And not just in the usual ways of pushing deadlines or getting behind on grading.  I came into this semester in...

by Roel Snieder In the movie “Our souls at night”, Louis is an elderly widower. One night, his neighbor Addie, who is a widow, comes over with a question that she asks with trepidation. Her nights are long and lonely, and she asks Louis if he wants to come over to...

By Cynthia James In the fast-paced world of education, where the demands on teachers are constant and ever-changing, it's easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of daily tasks. However, by adopting the "Stop, Look, Pause, Listen" approach, educators can bring...

by Roel Snieder Every meeting is held in a particular atmosphere. The tone of a meeting can be relaxed or stressed. The facilitator can have a hierarchical attitude by running the meeting top-down or participants are empowered to actively participate. Those in the...

by Qin Zhu Teaching extends beyond knowledge transmission or co-construction between the teacher and students; it encompasses a process of building relationships. The quality of the teacher-student relationship profoundly shapes students’ learning experiences and...

By Cortney Holles It’s April and little green shoots are popping out of the earth, reminding us about the cycles of growth and renewal as life emerges each spring season.  I love to notice and savor these changes as the season unfolds.  But in higher education, this...

by Cynthia James Mindfulness has gained increasing recognition in education for its numerous benefits for both teachers and students.  It encompasses practices aimed at bringing one’s attention to the present moment in a non-judgmental manner, fostering...

by Roel Snieder US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld propagated the concept of the “unknown unknowns.” There are, obviously, many things that we don’t know. For some of these, we know that we don’t know them. For example, I don’t know how long I will live. There...

by Qin Zhu As educators, we are all concerned about the purposes of education.  There can be many types of purposes for education. In STEM education, a major purpose for education is to help students develop or acquire technical and professional skills, thereby...

Recently, I joined a group of undergraduate students in the class “the jazz ensemble.” This made me nervous because participating in this class confronted me with my insecurity as a not-too-talented saxophone player. I was surprised to learn that in this class I...