The Chalkboard

The sooner we stop focusing on bullies and start focusing on bullying behaviors, the sooner we will move this social problem out of “kids being kids” and into the same category as racism. Bullying is unacceptable and ugly, and racism is just one ugly form of bullying at its worst. Everyone who has ever lived [...]

Try asking this question tonight at dinner. “An ipod, Mom.” “Summer!” “World peace.” “Whirled peas.” Give that smart aleck some whilred peas, please! It doesn’t really matter what you’re each hoping for, this is a great get-to-know-your-family-better kind of moment. Teach kids that hope is important. Did you know that children who talk about what [...]

Sure! Since children believe that all kids are loved by their parents, they constantly absorb lessons about how to love based on how we treat them. A blessing and a curse, right? Kids of all ages forget that parents are human. First they’re too little to understand this basic concept. Babies and young children see [...]

Now that the craze of winter gift-buying is done, why not think about another (free!) gift we can give our kids? Is there an attribute that you wish your child had in more abundance? We can’t change our children’s fundamental character traits, but we can guide and nurture them in positive directions. For this month, [...]

A Pennsylvania photographer has chosen not to photograph a group of high school girls for their senior portraits after she found evidence of the teens bullying other students on Facebook. Read more.

A growing body of research points to the need for character education in schools, as evidenced by rising rates of juvenile crime  and increased reports of bullying in schools. Read more.