By: Heather O’Neill I am Grateful. Throughout this time that Covid has touched our lives, I haven’t been writing. I just can’t seem to find the word to describe how I have been feeling. The world shut down. Schools, workplaces, sports, activities, everything. To say it has been hard for all of us is an … More I Am Grateful
By: Heather O’Neill There’s an old tale about a carrot, an egg and a coffee bean. If you haven’t heard it, it’s basically this: There are 3 pots on a stove filled with boiling water. Each pot contains a different item. The first pot contains carrots. The second pot contains eggs. The third pot contains … More How Does Your Child Handle Adversity?
By: Heather O’Neill We don’t own a dog. But my 9-year old son desperately wants one. When he was 4 he said: JD: “Mama, do you know who wants a dog for Christmas?” Me: “Who?” JD: (with both thumbs he points to himself) “This Guy.” Our family is never home. Between work, school, sports, etc., … More The Pain of Losing a Pet
By: Heather O’Neill The end of the school semester brings lots of “stuff.” Stuff scribbled on notepads or random pieces of paper. Stuff in backpacks. Stuff in the car (usually wrappings from snacks and empty water bottles) Stuff littered around the house. I can understand and appreciate the need for a break for students, teachers … More How Middle and High School Students Can Prepare for the Upcoming Semester
By: Heather O’Neill Last month I wrote about how we shared the magic of Santa with my oldest son who was 10 at the time. When he 9, in the 4th grade, there seemed to be lots and lots of questions and I had the sense that this was going to be the last year … More Santa Scavenger Hunt
By: Heather O’Neill My 10-year-old son was in 5th grade, and still carried the magic of Christmas with him. I knew that his friends were questioning. There seemed to be lots of chatter during 4th grade—the last year of elementary school. He had so many questions and wanted factual responses from me. He was adamant … More How My 5th-Grader Became a Santa
By: Heather O’Neill A lifetime ago I was a dance teacher. I would teach dance 5 to 6 days a week. I was around young people all the time. As a hip hop instructor, I could pretty much do whatever I wanted, making movement fit the music, and dancers would make it happen. There were … More I Can’t …. The Importance of Good Coaches
By: Heather O’Neill I have spent most of my adult life working with adolescents. Mostly in areas of supporting them academically. We’re not talking actually teaching content like the Civil War, Pythagorean Theorem or Darwin’s Principles of Evolution – but teaching them how to organize their notebooks, manage their time and make sure they are … More How to Keep Track of Homework Assignments
By: Heather O’Neill End of summer—tis the season to visit the barber and hair salon to make sure your kids look stellar as they meet their new teachers for the new school year. At the end of every school year my boys like to get “summer haircuts.” For the past few years this has meant … More Back to School Haircuts
By: Heather O’Neill Graduation. It’s a time for reflection for students, parents, and teachers. How did these very long years fly by so quickly? Remember the first day of Kindergarten when the big yellow bus took them to a place they loved? Or the first field trip to the Science or Children’s Museum? How about … More Graduation Is a Time for Reflection
Community Voices for Health 