As I round out 2014, I have been in deep reflection–especially in regards to my memoir–and how I want to further deepen and enhance my message. My mission is to continue making a positive impact in the lives of public school teachers, administrators, students, and parents.

I have thought long and hard about where my place is in this whole education reform movement. I am not one to “go after” others, or to constantly write pieces about what is happening in the news, or to debate policy with policy makers who haven’t a clue about what is really happening in the classroom. This just isn’t me—and the good news is that I have tons of education-writer colleagues who are awesome at doing just this type of important work!

So, after much thought and reflection, and rereading my own book and really thinking about how I want to show up and the message I want to convey in making public education a better place…I have come to this conclusion: I will be focusing on public education reform through the lens of love.

I know this is a radical idea—someone talking about love and mindfulness in the realm of public education policy and reform. Gasp!

But, I believe this is the missing link. I think that if we would just stop for a moment, and ask ourselves about the decisions we are making, even at the very local school level, and measure those decisions through the lens of love, many, many problems would be solved, rather quickly.

For example, many of my student teachers at Brooklyn College have spoken to me about their first round of parent-teacher conferences. Would you believe that several of their cooperating teachers were allotted 5 minutes per parent on conference night? Does that seem loving to you? What kind of message are we sending to parents and students when they are scheduled for 5 minute conference appointments, and then ushered out the door, so the next parent and child can be herded in? And really, what kind of relationship and valuable information can a teacher convey with only 5 minutes per parent?

This is upsetting, to say the least, and just one example of how making decisions from a place of love, at the very local school level, would produce vastly different results!

So, I am happy to announce that in 2015 I will be launching a podcast which will focus on love and mindfulness as an answer to many of the issues we are currently seeing in public education. 

I do hope you will join me as I work hard to advocate for local, school-based reform, through the lens of love.