By Christine Mason. Last month I suggested that from our knowledge of how the brain works, simply ‘taking a vacation’ does not provide all the benefits of a yoga or meditation break. Sure, we connect with friends, but we also participate in yoga intensives. I just completed the 3rd day of yoga that went from 9 am to 7:30 pm. Hardly a retreat. Yet, I can tell you that I feel healthier, more alert, less stressed, and more connected with those on a similar path to bring about

Why Heart Beaming®? Heart Beaming is a positive thing for youth and adults to do. It is not expensive. It does not take hours of in-service and preparation to learn to teach. The only equipment required is one’s heart, body, and mind. It can be done anywhere, anytime. It is more than reading about change, and it really connects with individuals at a level that is beyond words’” it is one thing to protest, another to role play, and something else to simply sit and project out

by Christine Mason. I believe my focus on compassion has led me on a path to encountering great minds, visionaries, and people committed to making our planet a better place for all. It seems almost as if there is some great universal force at work that puts me straight in the path of someone who has an important message for me. Hungarian-born psychologist Mihaly Csíksazentimihályi coined the term ‘being in the flow’ to describe this. This week I am in the mountains in New M

By Melanie Holland, CEI Intern. Charles Loring Brace founded the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) in 1853 through his Orphan Train Movement. Brace created an organization that focused on rescuing orphaned children from the streets of NYC by connecting them to families across the country. The focus was on providing the children with a family lifestyle, while offering them the opportunity to assist their new families as an ‘extra pair of hands.’ The organization placed over 120,000

by Melanie Holland, CEI Intern. ‘And that’s what ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ is all about — helping more of our young people stay on track, providing the support they need to think more broadly about their future, and building on what works, when it works, in those critical life-changing moments.’ President Obama This past February, President Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum to establish the My Brother’s Keeper Task Force . The President is striving to create a broad coaliti

By Melanie Holland, CEI Intern. “Our levels of gun violence are off the charts. There’s no advanced developed country on earth that would put up with this.” ‘“President Obama, when asked about the most recent school shooting in Troutdale, OR. These numbers lead again to the question’”why the United States? At this point, it is almost impossible to isolate the cause of school violence, or presume that there is one clear cause. Nonetheless, two aspects of our communities and sc

By Ingrid Padgett, CEI’s Strategic Initiatives Associate. We are pleased to report that with input from school administrators, school technology coordinators, tech savvy teachers, and learning specialists in 15 states, CEI is moving the needle forward. We are extremely thankful for our stage 1 respondents who took time during this busy season to support us. The power of the rubric is in the feedback it provides curriculum developers and the productive conversations educators

By Melanie Holland, CEI Intern From Kathleen Odean, a past chair of the prestigious Newbery Award Committee, comes recommendations for how to link award-winning non-fiction literature to the Common Core State Standards. Her website provides middle and high school educators with over 70 Young Adult books with an always engaging and impressive topic range. Not surprisingly, many of these books can be tied back to CEI’s Heart Centered Education philosophy and the 5 Cs: Compass

As CEI mourns the passing of Dr. Maya Angelou, we remain inspired by her passion, dedication, and life accomplishments. Here’s one of our favorite poems by Dr. Angelou. The work moves us to not only be compassionate, but to create compassionate communities. Stay tuned for our June Newsletter where we share more about our special connection to Dr.Angelou’s life and legacy. I note the obvious differences in the human family, some of us are serious, some thrive on comedy. Som

‘If you want others to be happy, practice compassion; if you want to be happy yourself, practice compassion.” The Dalai Lama In July, CEI is hosting a seminar at the NAESP Annual Conference, with a panel of educators and also Mark Weiss of Operation Respect (see paragraph 5 below). In discussing our plans, one of our colleagues suggested that to understood more about how to teach others about compassion, we consider the work of Paul Gilbert. Gilbert referenced the above Dalai