Hinck and Brandell quoting another source suggesting that " ‘...students who engage in service may develop greater complexity in their thinking; ethical commitments regarding themselves, their lifestyles, and what they know and believe; movement toward higher levels of moral reasoning; and development and clarity about their... [personal self]’ (McEwen, 1996, p. 87). Several students have found the connections that McEwen suggests to be true.” (Hinck and Brandell, 1999)

 Hinck and Brandell’s research states that “ ‘...in a study of more than 2,000 K-12 students from 24 schools, University of Wisconsin researchers found improved student performance resulted from service learning experiences. The study found service learning had a positive effect on students' grades and attendance’ (Shumer, 1994). In addition to academic growth and increased community connection, engagement in service learning experiences has been linked with a variety of positive developmental o

Email me at strongheart@mercerislandmartialarts.com;  or call 206 230 9050.   we can set it up for your group, team, or just your girl.   Good idea before heading off to college.  

This is a class for 1st and 2nd Dan black belts who are working toward becoming a Kyo Sa Nim (certified Instructor),  AND for adults/teens interested on getting a jump on their leadership training.   It will be Mondays from 6:15-7:45pm.   (junior Black Belts are also invited to participate on Mondays, any other kids interested in this kind of training can enroll for a Friday leadership class like this one)

subjects we will be covering:

1.  Meditation traianing, and KiPoomsae  (Korean style tae chi

  1. Eat MINDFULLY. Eating without paying attention causes you to eat the wrong things and/or too much food. Doing either (or both) could, as they say, “take the shine off your shoes.” Heart disease, diabetes, and all sorts of ailments await the person who doesn’t practice mindful eating. Look to the video, below, for for some mindful eating basics (it’s Harvard Professor, Dr. Lilian Cheung, co-author of Savor, Mindful Eating, Mindful Life): The video is here:

As we are turning the corner from spring to summer, and this weekend it may even be 80 degrees, I'm refreshing my goals, and wondering about yours!   We are seriously interested in hearing, knowing, and helping you reach your goals.  So, for this Five Friday --  list five of your goals.   big, or small.   Lets be bold.   Make a statement, hold ourselves to the fire, dream bigger, and help each other achieve!

I'll start:

1.  continue my Shrinking Master quest --(recently at a bit of a stall as I

Maya Angelou says:   courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently.  You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.  Being a leader takes a certain kind of courage, that requires a person to wear many hats, to achieve many goals personally and especially with helping others reach their goals.  This person accompasses that challenge everyday, and as a side note has been known to physic

This post is as a congratulations to two of my living heroes for their recent recognitions of their breakthrough work in the detection of blood cancers.   Denise Wells M.D. and Mike Loken PhD --  your work has changed medicine, and your lives have changed mine.   Bravo! 

this is a video that is so great -- and I know the reason that they work so hard, is for these kids, and so many others.

As I am working to recover from a pretty serious back injury, have been doing some research on stretching, and wanted to share this article (citation at the end).

More pro and amateur athletes are discovering resistance stretching – and finding that it’s an excellent workout in itself.

By Dan Duane, Photographs by John Loomis

I had a single goal when i took up resistance stretching: to prevent myself from getting hurt. For about a year I’d been obsessed with running hills in

  I just need to confess.   I am getting so excited about the Olympics, and especially TaeKwonDo competition this year in London.   So we are going to be working on a lot of Olympic style sparring, the rules, and how it works.   Here is a really fun video to check out with some outrageously cool techniques.

- Always wear a helmet and make sure it fits comfortably and does not block your vision or hearing.
- Wear shoes that fit properly and cover your feet completely.
- Protect yourself with wrist braces, elbow/knee pads and gloves.
- Never ride on busy streets.
- Never hitch a ride with a car, truck, or moving vehicle.
- Look over your play area for hazards like rocks, gravel, holes, or bumps.
- If you lose balance, try to crouch and roll instead of sticking your hands out to stop your fall.
- Nev

My dear older brother, we’ve watched each other grow up since… well the day we were born! Although we had our bumps growing up with our seven year age difference, you have always watched over me. When you came back from college, both of us were a bit older and a bit wiser, and we practically became friends, and not the bickering little boys that we once were. Even though we’re almost exact opposites of each other, I could not ask for a better brother. You can teach me what you know, and I can te

Date Rape Tips.pdf

I have spent a good deal of time and study regarding the problem of, and prevention of date rape. I really thought this article did an outstanding job summing up and covering the subject in a consice, non paranoid way.

 I’d like to share that Nicholas Kristof, op-ed columnist for the New York Times, is sponsoring a teen essay contest about bullying and how teens think we should address it. See the details here.

(photo by Hayley Beitman)

What Can You Do If You Are Sexually Harassed?

There is no one way to respond to harassment. Every situation is different and only you can evaluate the problem and decide on the best response.

Friends, affirmative action officers, human resource professionals and women's groups can offer information, advice and support, but only you can decide what is right for you. The only thing you can be absolutely certain of is that ignoring the situation will not cause it to go away. Above all, DO NOT BLAME

I have always been intrigued with the world of martial arts.  I remember as a kid watching Hong Kong Phooey and dreaming of being a super hero when I grew up, kicking away the bad guys and fighting for justice with my trusty sidekick!  Needless to say, the family cat did not always enjoy practicing this with me (sorry TIG). 

Thanks to the influence of Paula Abdul, I spent my childhood in tap dance class and in junior high, my shot at super herodome finally presented itself!  During a slumber part

During the past few weeks the words inspire/inspiration have been appearing in my life, more than usual.  So, I looked it up, the definition of inspire/inspiration, it is stimulation of the mind, feelings, influence to motivate, to affect or touch, to spark something special or unusual activity or creativity.
After looking up the definition, I proceeded to get lost in thoughts about amazing individuals who have inspired me and one particular individual, has been on my list for years.  She has se

While recovering from my little knee accident, I've been popping in to the family classes to watch and say HI to everybody. I thought I could help out by updating some of the video's of the forms. I personally have found the video's created in the past a HUGE help in learning the forms, so I hope these help others as well. I also have the high belt form recorded and will post it tonight.

I also want to thank Master Wells and everybody in the class last week for running through the form one additi