Who's antsy for the school year to end? For some, your summer has begun. Others are in that frenetic final stretch where everyone -- parents, kids, teachers -- are like, "Aaaand why are we still doing this?" Despite our exhaustion and brittle patience, the end of the year is great for anchoring positive emotions to school and reflecting on our real influence on students' lives. I'm not talking about the growth or benchmark scores of our assessments, though those matter. I'm talking about the...

We instituted a new bed time rule for my 10 year old that is effective, yet incredibly counter-intuitive. For months, bed time has been a disaster -- a near-nightly carousel of meltdowns and fits and frustrated outbursts (for both parties). But I finally stepped out of my "ineffective dad-thinking" and into "Affective Teacher thinking." If this were a student, how would I apply my understanding of emotions (like anger) to this bedtime routine? With that, a new rule: No physical play outside...

One of my weirdest behaviors these days revolves around Instagram. I have a like/hate relationship with social media. On one hand, social media allows me to connect with folks like you and share ideas I nerd out about, like the science of positive emotions. My wife and I lie in bed on Sunday mornings and show each other funny reels until we are giddy laughing. But I despise how these apps are designed for addiction: I find myself compulsively and mindlessly checking, refreshing, and jumping...