Breakfast Club Blog

The BOOST Breakfast Club Blog is a curated space where bloggers from around the world contribute content on a continual basis about a variety of topics relevant to in and out-of-school time. The BOOST Breakfast Club blog is at the heart of an ongoing dialogue where expanded learning and education professionals share their personal thoughts and stories from the in and out-of-school time field. They also tell us what they ate for breakfast!

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer, or company. Enjoy the brain food.

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Remember to THINK

This post originally appeared on the Breakfast Club Blog on November 22, 2013. This year, I had an opportunity to help my sister set up her sixth grade classroom. Outside the door, she had the following poster: T: Is it True? H: Is it Helpful? I: Is it Inspiring? N: Is it Necessary? K: Is it Kind? Although educators, whether they work during in or out-of-school time hours, have many of these mantras in their classrooms, this one struck me as special. It not only encourages students to THINK, but... Read More

The Lost Places

“I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.” Rosalía de Castro I love quotes—they inspire me, they encourage me, they guide me, they offer words when I can find none. I collect them like one might collect coins or shells, and surround myself with them when I feel lost. I’m in a lost place right now. I think so many of us hide that feeling, that lost place, shielding ourselves instead with an “I’m fine!” for the rest o... Read More

What Is The Truth Behind E-Cigarettes?

For well over the past two decades, the cigarette smoking rate among US youth and teens has steadily been decreasing. This is a tremendous win for youth workers, public health workers, youth, and the general population because it took collaboration to help educate our youth about the dangers of cigarettes and to prevent them from ever starting. Unfortunately, the tobacco industry has found a new product to target youth, and it is working. The most popular tobacco product used by middle school an... Read More

Alternative Facts

Does anyone else remember the days when you had to watch the news at 6 pm because dad was home and you only had one TV? I am old enough to remember Walter Cronkite concluding his nightly newscast with the number of US soldiers killed in Vietnam that day. I learned about the world from Harry Reasoner, Chet Huntley, and David Brinkley. Reporting the news was a sober responsibility, entrusted only to the most credible and respected journalists. At least it sure seemed that way to me. During the Wat... Read More

The Rest of the Story

Perhaps you remember as well as I do the Big Hair Bands that dominated the charts during the 1980s. These bands were known for their big hair, big concerts, big displays of pyrotechnics, big guitar solos, and big personalities. One of the bands that exemplified the image of the Big Hair Band was Van Halen. The stories of the antics that occurred off-stage were often as newsworthy as the music they performed onstage. One such story was that the band – get this – demanded that M&Ms be placed b... Read More

Identity Crisis

I was a “drama kid” growing up. Happily participating in every school play offered (except for the musicals—no singing for me!) from the time I was in about third grade until the time I graduated high school. I loved it, and even declared my future career choice was to become an actress. And while we had to audition for every play, I never worried because I always got a part—not always the lead, but always something. Until the time I didn’t. My senior year in high school I audi... Read More