February 2020 - The Brick Magazine

IS THERE A SAFE VAPE?

Julie Palmer2020-02-01T16:02:50-05:00

Photo from Unsplash By Lisa Profera MD For many years, vaping has been touted as a safer alternative to smoking cigarettes. In the fall of 2019, the “vape crisis” hit the media when a significant number of people experienced serious and (sometimes deadly) lung damage due to vaping. “Vaping” is slang for the practice of inhaling tobacco or other plant-based substances via a portable device (e-cigarette) that produces an inhalable vapor or aerosol by heating it up. The problem is that most of the liquid oils (e-liquids) that are vaporized also contain additives, flavorings, and/or other solvents that are potentially harmful. Everyone [...]

IS THERE A SAFE VAPE?Julie Palmer2020-02-01T16:02:50-05:00

LEARNING IS THE GOAL

Julie Palmer2020-02-01T16:03:20-05:00

Photo from Unsplash By Kellie Mox As far as I’m concerned, my eleven-year-old daughter has two assignments for sixth grade: learn how to ask for (and accept) help, and learn how to tolerate frustration. While she’s focused on getting the right answer on fractions or in physics, I’m focused on life lessons. Of course, I want her to master the material she must know to comfortably navigate seventh grade. But I also believe that when we focus solely on an end result, we miss out on powerful lessons along the way. In general, I find that the opportunities for learning that [...]

LEARNING IS THE GOALJulie Palmer2020-02-01T16:03:20-05:00

BE THAT PERSON

Julie Palmer2020-02-01T16:03:13-05:00

Photo from Unsplash By Maria Sylvester, MSW, CPC “What if you were to be the person you needed when you were younger?” I’ll occasionally wonder this out loud to a coaching client who is experiencing emotional distress. I wait and watch. Typically, I witness a subtle shift — a moment of quiet, yet profound, transformation. The anxiety, angst, emotional struggle, defensiveness, or blaming ceases. There is a pause. Then comes a smile of deep recognition and knowing. A smile of relief. This relief manifests because my question reminds the person sitting across from me that they are not powerless, but rather powerful. [...]

BE THAT PERSONJulie Palmer2020-02-01T16:03:13-05:00

TRAVEL IS THE BEST EDUCATION

Julie Palmer2020-02-01T16:03:28-05:00

Photo from Unsplash By Beth Johnston “I haven’t been everywhere but it’s on my list.” – Susan Sontag I am a firm believer in learning and education. Both of my parents were educators, and I followed in their footsteps. I always wanted to be a teacher, and I loved children; I was the kid who played school growing up. It was only natural that I began my college education at Michigan State in elementary education. Some of my college professors at the time (in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s) told me there were no teaching jobs available. The industry was [...]

TRAVEL IS THE BEST EDUCATIONJulie Palmer2020-02-01T16:03:28-05:00

GROWING BIGGER MINDS AT STEINER SCHOOL

Julie Palmer2020-04-03T12:49:03-04:00

By Kristin Domingue Photo by Jessica Gliesman When we spoke with the teachers at the Rudolf Steiner School, we were pleasantly surprised to meet teachers who were deeply nourished by their work instead of burned out by overwhelming bureaucracy. The love and joy they possess for what they do showed so vibrantly in the conversation—it was contagious. This interview left us inspired and hopeful about the future of education and the possibilities for Steiner graduates as one of the largest independent school movements in the world. In a moment when America’s school systems are so deeply challenged by problems such as [...]

GROWING BIGGER MINDS AT STEINER SCHOOLJulie Palmer2020-04-03T12:49:03-04:00

IS IT LOVE? OR IS IT THE BOURBON?

Julie Palmer2020-02-01T16:03:43-05:00

Photo by Thomas Park on Unsplash By Liz Crowe Ah bourbon…there you are. Come here. Let me hold you. We’re socked into one of my least favorite months, when the nights last forever, the sun hides more than it shines, the holidays are totally over, and taxes are almost due. Or, as I like to refer to it: brown liquor season. When the bourbon comes out, drinking means business. Tequila might make your clothes fall off, but bourbon only does that after you’ve been mistaken for a diva at some nightclub and you’ve danced on at least one table. You might be [...]

IS IT LOVE? OR IS IT THE BOURBON?Julie Palmer2020-02-01T16:03:43-05:00