https://youtu.be/vP62qSLi9Wo If you grew up in the ’70s or ’80s, you probably remember the one big “console” TV in the living room. Maybe your parents warned you that watching too much would “rot your brain.” Fast forward to today, and that single screen has multiplied by ten. Between smartphones, tablets, and the laptops used all […]
https://youtu.be/Zg-kj6kxwlo Eighteen years ago, I was living a double life. By day, I was an elementary band teacher with the Racine Unified School District, teaching a room full of beginner trumpet players. By night, I was the head instructor at my newly opened martial arts school. I had one student who was a star in […]
https://youtube.com/shorts/qxWL8xR0ARg Do you want your child to quit their favorite activity? I can tell you exactly how to make it happen: Spend the entire car ride home telling them everything they did wrong. I call this the Backseat Coach Sport Killer. As a former public school teacher with a Master’s in Education, I’ve seen this […]
https://youtu.be/okgmhaoU_K8 I remember exactly where I was in 4th grade. I was sitting at a small group of tables in math class. There was a big window at a 45-degree angle to my left, and the chalkboard (this was way before dry-erase boards, folks) was straight ahead. Outside that window, the next recess block was […]
https://youtu.be/00ucPXpUq5M It’s the phone call no Kenosha parent wants to get. Your child’s teacher is on the line reporting “disruptive behavior.” You’re confused because you know your child is a good kid at heart, but in the classroom, something isn’t clicking. As a former elementary school teacher with a Master’s in Education, I’ve been on […]
https://youtu.be/2qATGVJOSY8 Did you know the number one place where kids decide to quit an activity isn’t on the field or the mat? It’s in the backseat of your car. It’s a natural parental instinct to go into “Fix-It Mode.” We see our kids struggle at a tournament or miss a tackle at a football game, […]
https://youtu.be/bck6VPojnLk As a Master of Education with over 25 years of experience in the classroom and on the karate mat, I often hear parents ask, “Why can’t my child just focus?” It’s easy to blame the child, but we have to look at the math. In the 1980s—what some might call “prehistoric caveman times”—the average […]
https://youtu.be/-tvmla9zwE8 I’m old enough to remember when getting an Atari was the height of technology. But I’ll never forget the first time I played Super Mario Brothers at a friend’s house. The very first thing you do as Mario is walk across the screen and hit that brick with the question mark. BOOM. A mushroom […]
https://youtu.be/IrtGgU5_vg0 I remember being a young teacher in my early 20s when the “Self-Esteem Movement” really took flight. The idea was simple: we wanted to build up every child’s confidence by making sure nobody ever felt like a “loser.” We started giving medals for 4th, 5th, and 6th place. We started giving trophies just for […]
https://youtu.be/clYFjtCIIgAv I’ll never forget when my son was seven. He really wanted to play baseball. I thought, “Great, seven is the perfect age to start.” What I didn’t realize was that in the Kenosha youth sports world, most of the other kids had been playing T-ball since they were three. Watching a seven-year-old throw a […]
Categories
Recent Posts
- The Dopamine Debt: Why Kenosha Kids Have “Too Much Energy” After School
- The “All-Day Plug-In”: Why Kenosha Kids are Cranky, Tired, and Dopamine-Depleted
- Why “Just Ignore the Bully” is Failing Kenosha Kids
- The “Batting Average” of Confidence: Why Karate Rejects the Participation Trophy
- From “Leg Hugger” to Leader: Why Shy Kids Struggle on the Bench