Posts Tagged ‘changing your behavior’

Thursday, August 12, 2010. Today I am grateful that I have had more than thirty (30) years of great experience with almost all aspects of education and learning. They call me the “the brain guy.” – Doc Meek

People are always asking me questions about teaching, learning, and how the brain operates. And how the school systems operate.

I am delighted to answer any and all questions! 😮

So this is an open invitation to all of you who are parents, teachers, students, or educational administrators:

“Ask me anything”

I learned that phrase from my internet mentor, Connie Ragen Green. She teaches people how to be a business success on the internet, like she is. She is a great teacher/learner. Kind, considerate, and patiently able to explain answers to all questions, including the “dumb questions” people are almost afraid to ask. That’s Connie.

“There are no dumb questions, ” Connie says, and she practices what she preaches. And she keeps learning. She never stops learning. I think that is one reason she is such a good teacher. She is a good student as well. Thank you Connie! I am grateful for your example.

Same invitation from Doc: “Ask me anything.”

“Ask me anything about education, training, the brain, the mind, behavior, emotion, teaching, teacher training, student learning problems, and so on.”

I have had extensive training and experience with almost all aspects of education and learning, including the administrative and financial aspects. (See my Qualifications Brief by clicking on the date of July 15, 2010, on the calendar on the right-hand side of the screen when you first visit THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE blog at

https://docmeek.com

There is almost nothing about education, learning or the brain that you can ask me, about which I have not had some degree of familiarity.

You can ask me with confidence and I will respond with both knowlege and compassion. If I don’t know the answer I will find it for you.

And even a little humor may go a long way, eh?

Years ago, a Calgary magazine reported:

“Dr. Meek brings a unique blend of warmth, intelligence and humor to everything he does.” Thank you, Calgary!

If you have any questions or comments, just click on the little blue word “comments” at the bottom right-hand side of this article, and a form will appear that you can use to ask any question you wish.

Doc Meek, Thursday, August 12, 2010, at Nose Hill Public Library in Calgary, Alberta, CANADA.

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J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com

For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026

THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095

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I am grateful today [Tuesday, August 10, 2010] for our guest article from Veterans Affairs Canada:  http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/youth/sub.cfm?source=feature/week/pilgrimage/bios/spear

“Thomas Arnott Ballingal Spear, Veteran of the First World War, Calgary, Alberta,” written by Veterans Affairs Canada February 18, 1999.

[Tom Spear, an ordinary man who did ordinary things extraordinarily well]

Tom Spear was born in Galt, Ontario, on October 22, 1896. The son of a pioneer missionary who ministered in the Northwest Territories, Tom grew up in Innisfail, Alberta, and Pipestone, Manitoba. He eventually moved to Emerson, Manitoba, where he got a job, in early 1915, as a telegrapher for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). Tom enlisted in the Canadian Signal Company in Winnipeg on February 25, 1916, and arrived in England aboard the SS Baltea on May 25, 1916. He was sent to Shorncliffe, where he received additional training in communications. Being a professional telegrapher, it didn’t take him long to master the Allies’ Continental Code, which was slightly different from the Morse Code that he was used to using.

While in England, as part of the 5th Canadian Division and waiting to be sent over to France, Mr. Spear remembers the morale amongst the men was excellent, “They were ready and rarin’ to go.” The 5th Division was dispersed when the soldiers finally were called up and transferred as reinforcement troops for the other Canadian Divisions, which had experienced heavy casualties at Vimy, Passchendaele and Amiens. Tom arrived in France on April 11, 1918 and remained there until 1919.

Mr. Spear worked as in the Wireless Section, in “interception”, most of the time he was in France. The wireless radio was very necessary to the advancing troops. It wasn’t subject to the breaks in over-land transmissions that exploding shells caused when they severed cables. Tom also remembers working in a truck that had an antenna on its roof, capable of receiving signals from as far away as the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Despite having experienced a close call during shelling on the Arras front, Tom doesn’t feel it serves any purpose to revisit the horrors of war. He does recall with sadness, however, the loss of his 23-year-old brother, William D. Spear, MM, who was killed in action on September 27, 1918, during the Battle at Canal du Nord while he was repairing damaged lines. They had served in the same Signals Unit with the Canadian Engineers. While on the 80th anniversary pilgrimage, Tom will have the opportunity to visit Will’s grave at the Bourlon Woods Cemetery.

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Tom was once again recruited for signals. He states that the technology had changed so much since his prior service that he was redirected to other duties, in the Air Training Command of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Three times during the war, he was recommended for the Order of the British Empire. Mr. Spear was an Acting Wing Commander by the war’s end, when he returned home to Winnipeg and resumed his work with the CPR, where his career spanned a very successful 50 years.

Tom now  [1999] lives in Calgary and leads a very active life, still enjoying golf, curling, fly fishing, and dancing. He drives his own car, and is proud that his memoirs on “my 102 years of quality living” [will soon be available in bookstores]. ………………………………………………………………………………………..

Thank you, Tom, for your exemplary life! Even though you have doubtless passed on by now [2010], we salute you!

Tom, I am going to read your book!

Parents and teachers can find a rich resource for home and classroom learning in the lives and times of our “Ordinary Elders” and our “Elders of Excellence.”

Doc Meek, Tuesday, August 10, 2010, at the Nose Hill Public Library in Calgary, Alberta, CANADA.

——–

J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com

For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026

THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095

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Monday, August 9, 2010: Spent the night in the Big Horn Motel, at Dead Man’s Flats, near Canmore, Alberta, CANADA. The Rocky Mountains, for me, create humility–in the face of the mighty forces of nature that brought them forth– and gratitude–for their stunning grandeur.

All of us at The Bighorn Motel invite Make yourself at home in the majestic Canadian Rocky Mountains. 1-800-892-9908

For some reason, staying at Dead Man’s Flats brought forth my sense of humor, despite the ghoulish name of the place, eh? 😮 How would you like to live in a place called Dead Man’s Flats? You would probably love it if the scenery was as beautiful and gratifying as it in this lovely place. 😮

This reminded me of how humor and laughter lighten learning, and open new learning channels of the brain. Parents and teachers who learn how to incorporate humor into everyday life at home and in the classroom enhance learning in the moment and help to create long-term interest in learning as well.

“I have seen what a laugh can do. It can transform almost unbearable tears into something bearable, even hopeful. ”  —Bob Hope (1903-2003)

Laughter even helps you have better health.

A healthier body = a healthier brain

“Laugh More To Live Longer,” by Dr. Michael Cutler on 07/04/2010

Laughter has been shown to relax muscles, increase oxygen flow, promote circulation and reduce tension, as well as lower blood pressure, aid in social bonding, ease stress and boost your immune system. It can even help promote a healthier appetite in the elderly or disabled, and may even lower your cholesterol and reduce your heart disease risk.

A recent health report lists the following five benefits of a good sense of humor:

• Most laughs involve exhaling deeply and when you exhale, your blood pressure and heart rate decrease, and you then experience a calmness and sense of relief indicates Dacher Keltner, Ph.D. professor of psychology at the University of California at Berkeley.
• You’ll be better able to bond with your spouse because those who laugh together to ease tension are much more likely to have better marriages according to John Gottman, Ph.D., a psychologist at the Gottman Institute.
• According to researchers from the Loma Linda University in California, even anticipating a good laugh decreases your stress hormones dopac (by 38 percent), cortisol (by 39 percent) and epinephrine (by 70 percent).
• In a study reported in the International Journal of Medical Sciences, those of us who enjoy chuckling as much as 10 to 25 times a day experience fewer diseases than those who laugh less than that amount.
• A survey of close to 600 men shows that 73 percent believed that having a good sense of humor made them better on their jobs.

What better way to promote good health and great happiness than to laugh your way through life? Try it daily and you’ll find that laughter truly is the best medicine.

Article from:  http://www.healthiertalk.com/laugh-more-live-longer-2005

The author of the above guest article on THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE blog is Michael Cutler, M.D. is a board-certified family physician with 18 years experience specializing in chronic degenerative diseases, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. 

A graduate of Brigham Young University, Tulane Medical School and Natividad Medical Center Family Practice Residency in Salinas, Calif., he serves as a medical liaison to alternative and traditional practicing physicians. His practice focuses on an integrative solution to health problems.

Dr. Cutler is a sought-after speaker and lecturer on experiencing optimum health through natural medicines and the Founder and Editor of Easy Health Options™ newsletter—a leading health advisory service on natural healing therapies and nutrients and is Medical Advisor for True Health™—America’s #1 source for doctor-formulated nutrients that heal. For more information visit www.truehealth.com. ……………………………………………………………………

Thanks Michael!

Doc Meek, Monday, August 9, 2010, in the Nose Hill Public Library, at Calgary, Alberta, CANADA

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J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com

For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026

THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095

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Friday, August 6, 2010. We are grateful today for Beth’s guest article about teacher professional development. When teachers actively learn to attend to their own balance as professionals and as human beings, they are better able to help their students to actively learn to attend to their balance as well. – Doc Meek

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Tuesday, August 3, 2010: We are inviting Stacey Grewal as a guest again. We published her encouragement for each of us to keep a “Gratitude Journal” previously, on Sunday, July 25, 2010. If you missed that article, just click on the title here:  Sunday Can be a Day of Gratitude

I am the author of the book Gratitude and Goals, (official release date May 4, 2010). I am also the Founder of The Personal Development Book Club of America (and Canada). I believe everyone has the right to live the life of their dreams….

…….Learn more about me here.

Thank you, Stacey!

Doc Meek, Tuesday, August 3, 2010, at South Jordan, Utah, USA ————————

J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com

For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026

THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095

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We at THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE are so grateful for the Global Hope Network International (GHNI) and their work with the poorest of the poor in rural villages in developing countries worldwide.

At THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE we have always stressed the importance of HOPE, as we have taught that real learning involves the connection of the “4-H’s” of education:  HEAD/HEART/HANDS/HOPE.

The Global Hope people inspire HOPE in the rural village poor by helping to bring transformational community development (local leadership ownership) forward on four fronts:

(1) Agricultural improvements (healthy food for families, and income from good “cash” crops for market)

(2) Clean water

(3) Wellness

(4) Education

Why focus on the village poor?

Hal Jones, President of GHNI, answers this question by letting us know that “75% of the world’s poor live in rural areas of developing countries” [from World Bank report] and that “the most effective way to raise the income of the poor is through agriculture.”

To read all of Hal Jones very short and enlightening letter, click on the following 2 links:

GLOBAL HOPE for village poor part 1

GLOBAL HOPE for village poor part 2

We at THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE are grateful that in Canada and the US we are blessed with so much abundance, and that we are better equipped to help our rural poor, and our urban poor.

To Abundance for All!

Doc Meek, Monday, August 2, 2010, at South Jordan, Utah, USA ————————

J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com

For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026

THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095

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Give Me Shelter video; to view video click on link:  Expeditionary Learning ………………………………………………………………………………………………

In February 2009, President Barack Obama visited Capital City Public Charter School, an Expeditionary Learning School in Washington, DC, and said the school “is an example of how all our schools should be.” – From:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expeditionary_learning_schools

Design Principles of Expeditionary Learning Schools (ELS)

The following design principles serve as a moral and cultural foundation for each Expeditionary Learning School. They express the core values and educational philosophy of Expeditionary Learning.⁴

The Primacy of Self-Discovery states that learning happens best with emotion, challenge and the requisite support. People discover their abilities, values, passions, and responsibilities in situations that offer adventure and the unexpected. The primary task of the teacher is to help students overcome their fears and discover they can do more than they thought they could.

The Having of Wonderful Ideas places emphasis on fostering curiosity about the world by creating learning situations that provide something important to think about, time to experiment, and time to make sense of what is observed.

The Responsibility for Learning argues that learning is both a personal process of discovery and a social activity. Therefore, every aspect of an Expeditionary Learning school encourages both children and adults to become increasingly responsible for directing their own personal and collective learning.

Empathy and Caring believes that learning is fostered best in communities where students’ and teachers’ ideas are respected and where there is mutual trust. Older students often mentor younger ones, and students feel physically and emotionally safe.

Success and Failure states the fact that all students need to be successful if they are to build the confidence and capacity to take risks and meet increasingly difficult challenges. But it is also important for students to learn from their failures, to persevere when things are hard, and to learn to turn disabilities into opportunities.

Collaboration and Competition positions Expeditionary Learning schools as integrating individual development and group development, so that the value of friendship, trust, and group action is clear. Students are encouraged to compete not against each other, but with their own personal best and with rigorous standards of excellence.

Diversity and Inclusion believes that both diversity and inclusion increase the richness of ideas, creative power, problem-solving ability, and respect for others. Schools and learning groups are heterogeneous.

The Natural World helps create a direct and respectful relationship with the natural world, which refreshes the human spirit and teaches the important ideas of recurring cycles and cause and effect. Students learn to become stewards of the earth and of future generations.

Solitude and Reflection argues that students and teachers need time alone to explore their own thoughts, make their own connections, and create their own ideas. They also need time to exchange their reflections with other students and with adults.

Service and Compassion places emphasis on strengthening students and teachers through acts of consequential service to others. One of an Expeditionary Learning school’s primary functions is to prepare students with the attitudes and skills to learn from and be of service. ^[1]

See also

The Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning School, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kurt_Hahn_Expeditionary_Learning_School#cite_ref-0

Outward Bound USA, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outward_Bound_USA#Expeditionary_Learning_Outward_Bound

Notes

1. ^ Expeditionary Learning – Design Principles, http://www.elschools.org/aboutus/principles.html

¹ ELS Website ² Kearns, David T ³ Berends, Mark (2002) ⁴ ELS Website ⁵ Murphy, Josheph F. and Amanda Datnow (2002) ⁶ ELS Website ⁷ The Kauffman Foundation Website ⁸ Borman, Geoffrey, et al. ⁹ Capital City PCS Website

References

Berends, Mark (2002), Facing the Challenges of Whole School Reform: New American Schools After a Decade. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation.

Murphy, Joseph F., and Amanda Datnow (2002), Leadership Lessons from Comprehensive School Reform. Corwin Press.

Kearns, David T, Toward a New Generation of American Schools. The Phi Delta Kappan, Vol. 74, No. 10 (Jun., 1993), pp. 773-776.

Borman, Geoffrey D., Gina M. Hewes, Laura T. Overman, Shelly Brown (2002), Comprehensive School Reform and Student Achievement: A Meta-Analysis. Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk, Report # 59.

Bodilly, Susan (1998), Lessons From New American Schools’ Scale-Up Phase: Prospects for Bringing Designs to Multiple Schools. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation.

The Kauffman Foundation, http://www.kauffman.org/education/expeditionary-learning-schools-outward-bound.aspx

Expeditionary Learning Schools Outward Bound, http://www.elschools.org/index.html

Capital City Public Charter School, http://ccpcs.org/news/54

Mosle, Sara, May 28, 1995. “A City School Experiment that Actually Works”. The New York Times.

Herszenhorn, David M., March 20, 2006. “A New York School That Teaches Teamwork by Camping”. The New York Times.  …………………………………………………………………………………………………

The Pacific Heritage Academy (PHA), a proposed charter school for Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, is using the ELS (Expeditionary Learning Schools) model for its guide. For more information on the Pacific Heritage Academy (PHA), see their Facebook website:  http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=290162105890&topic=12898&post=59598#!/pages/Pacific-Heritage-Schools/290162105890

To the improvement of all schools in all nations!

Doc Meek, Saturday, July 31, 2010, at South Jordan, Utah, USA —————————–

J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com

For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026

THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095

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Lanshan Middle School No. 2 is in an agricultural area in the southern part of Hunan province, China; Hunan province is highlighted in red on the map of China above; image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunan ………………………………………………………………………………………

I am grateful for today’s guest article from the Winnipeg Free Press in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada:  http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/fyi/why-chinas-passing-us-84291977.html

About one-third of the students live in dorms on campus. Many of their parents work in factories in another province or their farms are too far from town to commute to school every day.

The high school students do their own laundry near a cold-water tap beside one of the dorms, using a basin and wringing their clothes by hand before hanging them up to dry.

On Saturday mornings, when classes start later and the school day is shorter, a student clean-up crew armed with straw brooms and garbage bags, pails of cold water and rags cleans the school.

Once a month, students have to take their turn, working in groups of three. They sweep the grounds and wash the windows.

They do it freely, while they talk and joke around.

“It’s our duty,” said Gina, a girl in Grade 10 who wants to join the military. When they had a freak snow storm in Lanshan two years ago, it was the military that rescued people in buses in the ditch and the military that went to help earthquake victims in Sichuan.

She wants to be a soldier so she can travel around China and help people. She’s never seen the military in the bad light of Tiananmen Square or Tibet.

The upbeat optimism of Gina and her schoolmates overshadows a lot of darkness — like when the power goes out. Or the garbage dumpster is filled to overflowing by week’s end.

Or when students fall asleep in class because they’ve stayed up all night studying.

The new boys’ dorm looks like a palace for little princes compared to the grungy, gray girls’ dorm.

In class, there’s a lot of rote learning and memorization, as opposed to creative writing and critical thinking.

And if you’re not up to speed, you get left behind.

Middle School No. 2 is for the smartest and hardest working kids in the region. The less-skilled teachers and students are at Middle School No. 1. There appears to be no place for students with disabilities or behaviour problems.

Self-discipline, hard work and proper deportment are the norm.

Teachers say it only takes one meeting with parents to correct a student’s misbehaviour.

When a Grade 10 girl got caught putting a note on a boy’s back that said “sex monster” she panicked and pleaded with her Canadian English teacher not to tell the principal.

The school doesn’t practice corporal punishment — but parents might. Getting called down to the principal’s office because your kid was acting up is a major disgrace in a culture that intensely values education.

In the last 60 years, China’s illiteracy rate has dropped to 9.1 percent from 80 per cent in 1949, according to the World Bank. The enrollment rate for primary-school children rose to 99.3 per cent from 20 per cent, and high schools and universities are booming.

We can shame China for its human rights record and feel superior, but that’s not going to stop its 1.3 billion people from getting ahead of us, educationally and economically.

The number of Canadians who earn bachelor’s degrees is below the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development average and well behind many other nations, the OECD 2009 report Education at a Glance said. Even the number of PhDs has fallen.

The Chinese have a saying “fu bu guo san dai” which means “wealth does not pass three generations.” The first generation works extremely hard, the second generation reaps the benefits. The third generation arrives — and squanders the wealth.

The forces of globalization aren’t going to give our kids a break. If we don’t equip them to compete with the hundreds of millions of kids schools like Lanshan are turning out, there may not be any wealth to squander when we’re gone.

[This is the 2nd of 2 parts; the 1st part was published in the previous post, dated Tuesday, July 27, 2010]

– Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 13, 2010 H1

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I am writing a book that will encourage Chinese teachers and students to involve themselves more in active learning, so that the school work they do will be more meaningful to each of them personally. I would like them to learn to love active learning, not just rote learning, so that they can enjoy life-long learning, not just factual memorizing. However, it is clear that they will teaching me about active learning too, from their example of self-discipline and hard work. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. – Doc Meek, Calgary, Alberta, CANADA, and South Jordan, Utah, USA  …………………………………………………………………………………………

Doc Meek, Wednesday, July 28, 2010, at South Jordan, Utah, USA

————-

J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com

For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026

THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095

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Lanshan Middle School No. 2 is in an agricultural area in the southern part of Hunan province, China; Hunan province is highlighted in red on the map of China above; image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunan …………………………………………………………………………………………

I am grateful for today’s guest article from the Winnipeg Free Press in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada:  http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/fyi/why-chinas-passing-us-84291977.html

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• E–mail
• Share This
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I am writing a book that will encourage Chinese teachers and students to involve themselves more in active learning, so that the school work they do will be more meaningful to each of them personally. I would like them to learn to love active learning, not just rote learning, so that they can enjoy life-long learning, not just factual memorizing. However, it is clear that they will teaching me about active learning too, from their example of self-discipline and hard work. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. – Doc Meek, Calgary, Alberta, CANADA, and South Jordan, Utah, USA  …………………………………………………………………………………………

Doc Meek, Tuesday, July 27,2010, at South Jordan, Utah, USA ——————-

J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com

For brain health, ensure heart health (short video):
http://www.amiraclemolecule.com/themeekteam
More on heart health http://www.themeekteam.info
Ph (801) 971-1812 (Jeannette); Fax [801] 282-6026

THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.
CANADA: P.O. Box 3105, Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2T1
TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 60, Nuku’alofa
USA: 3688 W 9800 S, #138, South Jordan, UT 84095

Image from:  http://www.amazon.com/Framed-Praying-Religious-Picture-Art/dp/B002RSAJ7C ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

One of the places we can go on Sunday is into our minds. There we can find a place of gratitude that is not only good for us mentally, emotionally, and soulfully, it is also good for us socially and medically, as the research shows. 😮

I have a special place of gratitude for family, especially for my wife Jeannette, and her family and extended family.

I am filled with gratitude for my sons Jim and Robert, and for my daughters Tanya, Seana, Lori, and little Deborah, who died at birth. And for the families of these children. And for their mother Loretta, without whom they would not be the great people that they are.

I am also very grateful for my sisters Anita and Emily,  my brothers Chet, Gary, and Norm, and their families.

I am also filled with great gratitude for my deceased father, “Mr. Integrity,” and my still-living 91-year-old mother, without whom none of the rest of this immediate family would be here. 😮

I am also very grateful for all the members of my extended family. All together, including my 91-year-old mother, I think we number more than 60 now. I guess I should do an exact count one of these days? I’ll have to count 0.7 for the little one Lori is about to have, eh? 😮

And I am very grateful for all my friends who are tried and true, even though I may not keep in good contact with them over the years. ………………………………………………………………………………………

Here is our Sunday Guest Article, for which I am very grateful. From: http://staceygrewal.com/what-is-a-gratitude-journal/

Why You Should Keep a Gratitude Journal

Ever since the release of The Secret in 2007, there has been a lot of talk about gratitude journals (aka gratitude lists).  Even Oprah admitted the many benefits she experienced since starting her a gratitude journal.  But what exactly is a gratitude journal and why should you keep one?

A gratitude journal is a daily inventory of the things for which you’re grateful.

Whether you choose to start your day off on a positive note or end it with deep appreciation, a gratitude journal is guaranteed to get you into the daily practice of being grateful.

A gratitude journal helps you focus on solutions.

A daily gratitude journal will free you from the negative, allowing you to focus on solutions rather than problems. It inspires you to become proactive by setting and achieving new goals.

A gratitude journal creates results.

A daily gratitude journal makes you results-oriented by keeping you focused on your goals and accomplishments, rather than your failings. It helps you visualize outcomes and guides your plan of action.

A gratitude journal is personal.

A daily gratitude journal reveals your loving, adventurous, honest and fearless side. (Don’t stifle your creativity for fear that your journal may be read. Find a secure place to hide it if this is your concern.)

A gratitude journal creates an “attitude of gratitude.”

A gratitude journal is designed to help you get into the daily habit of gratitude. Continually look for things to be grateful for, and then write them down, until gratitude becomes habit.

A gratitude journal raises the vibration of your entire life.

The daily practice of gratitude will do more to raise your overall “life frequency” than just about any practice you can think of. Combine it with prayer and/or meditation to really turbo charge your inner and outer life.

By writing down what you’re grateful for every day, you will begin to …

• Take responsibility for your life, your thoughts and actions
• Radically improve your outlook on your past, present and future
• Be inspired to take action
• Accept and forgive
• Live in the moment
• Shed fear and worry
• Love more; blame less
• Increase your overall confidence and courage
• Grow spiritually

A daily gratitude journal is an ongoing connection with your Higher Power. It’s more than a list of things you are grateful for; it’s the foundation of a beautiful, spiritual journey. The purpose of a gratitude journal is to reshape your way of thinking, and ultimately your life, by replacing old, negative thoughts with a new attitude of gratitude. Once you’ve adopted the habit of gratitude you will know the kind of ongoing serenity, peace, love and joy that you’ve always craved but perhaps never knew how to obtain. And it takes only few minutes each day to achieve.

Excerpt taken from Gratitude and Goals: Create the Life You Would Love to Live: http://staceygrewal.com/gratitude-and-goals/ …………………………………………………………….

Thank you Stacey!

I posted a comment about this article on Stacey’s blogsite:

Hi Stacey, I bought your book, GRATITUDE AND GOALS. Love it!

I am grateful for your reminder here in this article about the importance of keeping a gratitude journal. The brain is certainly susceptible to daily thinking habits, good or not good. I used to keep a daily gratitude journal and I am going to go back to doing that, thanks to you!

I found that my morning gratitude journal was completely different from my evening gratitude journal. Not sure why. My morning gratitude journal tended to contain hope for the day, while my evening gratitude journal tended to be more reflective.

I was determined to keep the journal daily. One day I wrote in my journal: “Too tired to write in my journal.” 😮 …………………………………………………………………………………………………

Blessings, Doc Meek, Sunday, July 25, 2010, at South Jordan, Utah, USA

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J. Collins Meek, Ph.D. (Doc Meek)
“What if you are smarter than you think?”
Learning Specialist https://docmeek.com

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