I have spent a good amount of time helping build strengths among well-adjusted adolescents – young people who are at a “plus” level in their lives. Recently, I had the opportunity to work with high risk youth, ages 12-20, who are members of a residential treatment center. These boys/young men grew up in […]

I am currently enjoying working with several of The Culver Academies’ humanities instructors who are teaching the nuances of John Knowles’ A Separate Peace, the coming of age story of young men at a boarding school set in mid-World War II. The main characters, Gene and Finny are good friends who look at life from […]

le�ver�age Pronunciation: ‘le-v&-rij, ‘lE-; ‘lev-rij
1: the action of a lever or the mechanical advantage gained by it
2: an agent through which vital powers are exercised
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition (2007)
The genesis of knowing, valuing, and acting on one’s character strengths is founded in the timeless and enduring virtues that Aristotle […]

It’s September 11, 2007, and for many it can feel just like that tragic day in 2001. Many of us will reflect through different lenses and filters the events that happened six years ago in New York City, Washington, DC and in Pennsylvania. Just ask a person where they were at the moment they heard or saw the news, and they will, most likely, evoke some level of emotion. The first images on the television screen were so graphic I was in a state of denial: “This is just another advertisement for a Tom Cruise or Kurt Russell “Save the World” from destruction movie.” Going through the stages of loss was quite a challenge for many of us. Fortunately, loss can eventually lead to a type of rebirth or reconnection with self and others – a type of shared identity. […]

I was blessed to have the opportunity to attend a two-day seminar on “Caring in Education” led by Nel Noddings, professor emeritus from Stanford University. I had known of her work for many years, and was excited to hear her thoughts in person.
To care for young people and to be cared for should not […]

Morality is an essential part of human nature. Morality is also a central element […]

One of the goals in life is to achieve “authentic happiness”, to aspire to feeling genuinely complete. As part of the balance of life, we constantly go through a loss and rebirth process in our quest for well-being. Several years ago, one of our students was killed in an automobile accident. Richard (name has been changed) was a very special young man who was loved by all who knew him in our school community. He was in a student in my Foundations of Health Behavior class and we had just completed an exercise on “character strengths observations” several days before his passing. His parents asked me to say a few words at his memorial service …

Sleep Deprivation is rapidly becoming a major health issue for many adolescents. The adolescent sleep research is now telling us that teens ought to be getting 8-9 hours of sleep, while we know that many have habituated themselves into 4-6 hour bouts of shut-eye. There are a variety of factors responsible for this behavior. […]

The following is a brief excerpt from an interview I conducted with Ed Kelley, a humanities teacher and coach at the Culver Academies. He chats about integrating positive psychology in the good work he does with our students.
I am always looking for ways to measure what is happening in the classroom. As I […]

The Culver Academies – a rigorous co-educational, college-preparatory boarding school in Indiana – is committed to integrating a systemic strengths-based approach to broadening and building character strengths and positive emotions in its academic, athletic, wellness, leadership, arts, and spiritual life programs….