KindSight 101

SHARING MY STORY Growing up on my family's dairy farm in Wayside, Wisconsin, I learned what it meant to work hard and make a living off the land. My parents always welcomed people into our home including foreign exchange students and foster children, so I learned to cook and manage a household at a fairly young age. I also grew to appreciate diversity and culture! These skills have all served me well as an adult. I got my education at a parochial grade school, a public high school and a Big 10 University. I love the challenge of being an educator and staying current as things trend in and out of our field. I especially enjoy working with people as they discover who they are, what they stand for, what motivates them, and what they want and need. Check her out on Corner on Character Blog 

The question we ask ourselves is – how can we make this happen? What exactly is “effective literacy instruction”?Reading Power and Writing Power are meta-cognitive approaches to reading and writing instruction grounded in research and developed to support educators in their quest to provide the very best literacy instruction to their students. They are practical, user friendly guides that provide daily lessons and ongoing assessment combined with the very best in current children’s literature. They are not “scripted programs”, but rather “approaches” which help to build a solid foundation for your literacy program. For over ten years, the Reading and Writing Power approach has been successfully implemented into hundreds of classrooms across Canada, the US, Australia, the UK, China, and Sweden. And now, I hope it finds its way into yours. Welcome!

The question we ask ourselves is – how can we make this happen? What exactly is “effective literacy instruction”?Reading Power and Writing Power are meta-cognitive approaches to reading and writing instruction grounded in research and developed to support educators in their quest to provide the very best literacy instruction to their students. They are practical, user friendly guides that provide daily lessons and ongoing assessment combined with the very best in current children’s literature. They are not “scripted programs”, but rather “approaches” which help to build a solid foundation for your literacy program. For over ten years, the Reading and Writing Power approach has been successfully implemented into hundreds of classrooms across Canada, the US, Australia, the UK, China, and Sweden. And now, I hope it finds its way into yours. Welcome!

Dr. Stuart Shanker Founder & Chief Executive OfficerWe are in the midst of a scientific paradigm-revolution in our understanding of the effects of excessive stress on behaviour, social-emotional development, intelligence, empathy, motivation, and character. The theoretical foundation of the Shanker Self-Reg® framework rests on these recent advances in neuroscience, physiology, psychology and clinical practice. The Shanker Method® explores, explains, and applies these new insights in a way that benefits every child, youth, adult and senior.Self-Reg provides us not just with the why, but also with next steps on “the how”.  How to distinguish between maladaptive and growth-promoting modes of managing stress;  between misbehaviour and stress-behaviour; between laziness and processes deep inside the brain that impede learning or effort. And what to do about it.With Self-Reg we learn how to transform the dream of a Just Society into a reality, one mind at a time. 

Dr. Kang is passionate about providing science-based tools that optimize the power of the human brain. She is the founder of Dolphin Kids: Future-Ready Leaders, CEO of Spark Mindset App, and host of the YouTube show; “Mental Wealth with Dr. Shimi Kang”.She is the author of The Dolphin Parent: A Guide to Raising Healthy, Happy, and Self-Motivated Kids (Penguin Random House 2014) and The Self Motivated Kid (Penguin Tarcher 2015). The Dolphin Parent is a #1 National Bestseller and The Self-Motivated Kid won the 2015 US News International Book Award in the Parenting and Family Category. Her books have been released in 12 countries around the world and her newest title, The Tech Solution: Creating Healthy Habits for Kids Growing up in a Digital World is now available for pre-order!

Listen as I speak with Stephen Shedletsky, one of the primary speakers from Simon Sinek's Start With Why company. He talks about motivation, starting with why, and clarifies the difference between "nice" and kind. 

What does it mean to be kind? How do we show up for one another in authentic ways? Why is kindness so challenging? Join me as I speak with Houston Kraft about kindness and how to bring it to the forefront. Check in with me at smallactbigimpact.com or @smallactbigimpact on the socials. 

Listen in as I interview Gender Inclusion Specialist, Kingsley Strudwick about the ways that we can create more inclusive workspaces and learning places. 

What does it mean to be resilient? How can some of our experiences give us anchors to survive and bounce forward in the face of adversity? Join me as I speak to Dr. Jacqueline McAdam about the topic of resilience. 

One of my proud moments when I interviewed the one-and-only Seth Godin. Although I interviewed him before Covid-19 hit, so much of his wisdom can inform the choices we make and the approaches we take around what school is for and some of the practices we choose to incorporate into our classrooms.  Say hi on Instagram @smallactbigimpact or check in on my website smallactbigimpact.com

It's simple but not always easy to practice self-care. I've outlined some of the easy ways that you can create your own self-care bucket list. I've even included my own list. You'll probably be surprised by some of the things on my list. I can't wait to hear about your ideas, too! Please feel free to share with me online.