I just led a “Uke 101” training inside my membership, and we had a blast. I taught the basics of playing the ukulele to a group of wonderful educators, many of whom had never picked up an instrument before, but…

I hope you were able to take good care of yourself this past weekend. It finally feels like summer’s around the corner, and for those of us working in schools, or with school-age children, we’re ALMOST there! 😀 

I don’t…

Photo by Hilary Murphy

We’ve all been there: a young student (or your own child!) starts to melt down. Their Big Feelings come up, the volume goes up, our heart rates go up…it’s upsetting and disruptive, and we want it…

On top of the Things That Make Me Crazy list: withholding recess and movement from children as a form of “discipline.” 

HOW is this still happening?  

“On any given day, an untold number of children in elementary schools nationwide have…

How are your children?  

Whether we’re talking about your own little ones or students you work with, I’m going to guess you’ve observed at least one not-so-great effect of the past two (crazy) years.  

In a 2020 survey of 1,000…

Photo by Hilary Murphy

The most important job in the world? 

Teaching. No question in my mind. 💫 

Teachers are literally spending all the hours with all the children who will (soon) grow up to inherit all the craziness going…

The only thing I like better than making music is sending it out into the world for you and the children in your lives. It makes me HAPPY. 💫 

It’s release day for my sixth children’s album: Songs for Peaceful…

“Self-care” has become quite the buzzword in recent years, and I confess that I used to be one of those who scoffed a bit at it…”I’m too busy. I don’t have time to REST!” etc…😂 

Well, I’m fully on board…

Art by Anni Betts from Breathe Like a Bear

It’s Earth Day this week! And as it’s really starting to warm up where I live, I’m all about spending as much time as I can outside, and trying to make…

Art by Anni Betts

My new song, Shine Like the Sun, is out now! It’s from my upcoming album, Songs for Peaceful Pandas, Volume 1. ☀️🎶

This new album is the first of two musical collections that complement…

Last week, for the first time in more than TWO YEARS, my band and I got to go back into a big ol’ elementary school gym and rock out with hundreds of children. (Good news - we remembered how to…

Nothing pushes my buttons more than my kids behaving disrespectfully.  Luckily they’re older now, and they generally have their act together (at least most of the time). 😀 But with young children, backtalk and similar behavior can be a real…