the environment that you cultivate around you is grown by planting seeds that will remind you who you want to be and what you want to do. if your social media and friends, family and journals, phone and pictures and notebooks and sticky notes are all positive and motivated, they will carry you always. we all need reminders, you cannot force yourself to make the right decisions at all times, so grow your garden of positive reminders so that you are surrounding yourself with an environment that will make you happy, proud, productive

on the last test i asked students "how would you like to feel about your grades by the end of the school year?" and as i read through the answers i got HELLA inspired: everyone wants to feel proud. by improving and working hard we end up feeling less stressed, more calm, and happier when we know we did our best. #workpride

when you are in the place, things just happen. missing school sucks and everyone knows it. i'm not telling you because i think so, i know being absent sucks because everyone complains about it, and hates catching up. So most of the battle is won by simply choosing to go to school (the way society was designed) but then what if you aren't actually HERE to HEAR what's happening in class/life? the second battle to win the war is actually listening, paying attention, and SHOWING UP TO PLAY. it's not enough for an athlete to just go to practice or a game, you have to actually PLAY TO WIN. uh oh... another idea for a podcast :)

SOS HELP, we need to get the message out: help is GOOD. asking for help, seeking help, recognizing when you need help and GETTING help is the smartest thing you can do for yourself. people who isolate themselves and take on too much by themselves are almost always struggling worse, and not in a good way... you like helping other people, so why not help yourself? you like helping other people, they will like helping you too!! asking for help doesn't make you weak, it makes you SMART.

no really, what is it? I am no master of mindfulness, but i have been practicing and studying for a while and wanted to answer the question as best as i could for a curious 5th period kid. if you're curious, try it, and go looking for more answers and experiences yourself. trust me- it's the way to go

some days i feel exhausted, some days i feel energized. Some kids make amazing changes and improvements, some are still lost in frustrating refusal and negativity. I AM HERE FOR IT. ALL OF IT. this career is not for money, it is my contribution to the world, and the fact that I stumbled into this job where i get to inspire students to find as much purpose and happiness as i have teaching is UN. REAL. AND i get to teach you all about how life started on this freakin PLANET and your life and how your bodies work and how to rewire your brain to be positive and motivated. WOW. YES. PLZ.

recorded this one at home 2 days before a mind blowing podcast by a PhD researcher who wrote a book by the SAME TITLE. I'm not making this stuff up, there are clinical studies proving how to rewire your brain and make unbelievable changes to your mind, your life, your perspective. but it's only unbelievable if you don't believe it... if you try to make changes you will actually feel that it works. this is my mission in life as a teacher

after a long day with a few students who are not making the right choices, here's one who's completely turned around. what's COOLEST is that he is now happier, more motivated, productive, focused, inspired, and did i mention HAPPIER?!? This kid and all the others who make changes is the reason i love teaching so much, to see students make amazing changes for the better. This gives me hope and a positive focus for all those struggles I am engaged in because EVERY student is worth it. EVERY student can make a change. 

Inspired by a 1st period discussion I had recently where we argued over the usefulness of money, but the ultimate disconnect between deep, true, long lasting happiness. listen in to hear what I think is actually your source of true happiness, and reflect on your own life to see where yours lies

Javi is trying to get his grades up for basketball... or maybe for his mom, or maybe for college so he can study something he doesn't even know yet! His mom taught him to work hard and always improve, and he has been doing that all year. I push him a lot, and I'm really proud of the changes he's made.