Tag Archives: listening

(Issue #650) Fahrenheit 451

Posted on June 1, 2025 by Steve Piscitelli

What lessons or warnings did Bradbury present? Re-reading Fahrenheit 451  left me shaking my head. Was this book really written in 1953? (Rhetorical question. It was.) Bradbury wrote about censorship, interactive TV, people connected to technology rather than each other, … Continue reading →

Posted in bullies, censorship, Critical Thinking, curiosity, Education, education reform, ethics, fear, ideologies, Personal growth, question skills, Teaching, teaching and learning, truth, wellbeing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

(Issue #558) Curiosity As A Literacy Skill

Posted on January 31, 2021 by Steve Piscitelli

Curiosity stimulates basic literacy skills, nurtures conversations, builds collaboration, and opens our minds to what could be. This past week, Atlantic Beach Elementary School (Florida) celebrated its annual literacy week. The principal reached out to a few people in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Life lessons | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

(Issue #547) Standing With Empathy

Posted on November 15, 2020 by Steve Piscitelli

“Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another.” ~Alfred Adler Notice the common and critical word in each clause above? With. When we empathize we are with … Continue reading →

Posted in Life lessons | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

(Issue #544) Themie

Posted on October 25, 2020 by Steve Piscitelli

When we empower a person, group, or community to tell their story in their voice we help them share and add to their legacy. An online statistic caught my attention: 93 million times per day people snap a selfie. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Life lessons | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

(Issue #510) The Third Grader In The Room

Posted on March 1, 2020 by Steve Piscitelli

Posing questions sets up a vulnerability of sorts. Publicly admitting, “I don’t understand. I need you to help me.” Why? Simple question. Why? Seeking additional information to explain a situation. Why? We have heard young children ask that question as … Continue reading →

Posted in Life lessons | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

(Issue #485) Human Beings with Human Challenges

Posted on September 8, 2019 by Steve Piscitelli

Benefiting from human connections. Effective teachers understand that they never know what questions or dilemmas a student will bring through the door. In addition to academic issues, students (just like the rest of us) always have a bag full of … Continue reading →

Posted in assumptions, awareness, Communication, Community, Connection-Disconnection, curiosity, empathy, leadership, Life lessons, problem solving, Reflection, resilience | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

(Issue #475) Purposeful Relationships Require Deliberative Efforts

Posted on June 30, 2019 by Steve Piscitelli

Consider how you can incorporate deliberative efforts for deeper organizational relationships—one person at a time. I often stressed to my students that strategies for student success would prepare them for life success. My words came back to me as I … Continue reading →

Posted in assumptions, authenticity, awareness, collaboration, collegiality, Communication, Community, community development, emotional intelligence, generativity, growth, Life lessons, resilience | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

(Issue #473) Legacy

Posted on June 16, 2019 by Steve Piscitelli

What is your hope for your community? What do you want to see, and more importantly, what will you do to make it happen? What legacy will you help build and contribute to for the coming generations? Last week, as … Continue reading →

Posted in action, amplifying, assumptions, awareness, collaboration, Community, community development, intentionality, leadership, Life lessons, resilience | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

(Issue #467) Listen. Learn. Lead.

Posted on May 5, 2019 by Steve Piscitelli

To lead, you must first listen (hear; respect; ask authentic questions). Then learn from the exchange (willingness to change). Two experiences. One message. First experience. I helped organize a candidate forum for our beaches in Duval County (Florida). The candidates … Continue reading →

Posted in collegiality, Communication, Community, leadership, learning, listening | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

(#442) Community Building: Beyond Why to How

Posted on November 11, 2018 by Steve Piscitelli

The question, in my mind, moves beyond why we need community to how we go about building and sustaining it. While dichotomies can be simplistic, they can also help frame a conversation. When you seek a community, toward which end … Continue reading →

Posted in acceptance, accountability, action, amplifying, assumptions, authenticity, awareness, change management, Communication, Community, community development, confirmation bias, Critical Thinking, leadership | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment