All students have strong opinions about friends. They are in the process of making friendships and ending them. Students have different perspectives on how many friends they should have. Some believe that friends should come in large numbers. Others believe the word ‘friend’ should be reserved for the very few. Forming healthy friendships is an important part of human development which requires thoughtful reflection and ethical decision-making.
The Langston Hughes’ poem “Dreams” provides students with a great opportunity to contemplate a person’s ability to pursue their own happiness. Without dreams, the poet states, our existence is merely “a broken-winged bird” or “a barren field.” If one just …
I like to have my students read an informative text about the 2010 happiness research from Princeton University, first shared by National Public Radio, which states that money can buy happiness, but only up to a certain income level– about …
Students think and talk about happiness all of the time. Some believe happiness is something we control and that if we just do the right things we will become happy. There are others who think of happiness as a byproduct of a good environment and not something we can control. The issue of whether we control our happiness is an important one because it determines whether or not a student develops a healthy capacity for self-motivation and goal-setting.
During my unit on the Revolutionary War, students always enjoy learning about the treasonous history of Benedict Arnold. After walking students through the actions that made Benedict Arnold a household name synonymous with “traitor,” I would present the Aristotle conversation …
When reading Aesop’s Fables with my students, I would use the fable, “The Donkey, The Fox, and The Lion” to teach my students about friendship and betrayal. Before reading the fable, I would introduce this concept by having a discussion …
