Violin virtuoso, Joshua Bell, recently took part in an experiment at a bustling Washington D.C. Metro station during morning rush hour. He played (incognito)on a priceless Stradivarius violin for 45 minutes as people hurried to catch their morning trains. Take a guess at how many folks stopped to listen..... This Washington Post article is a must read (includes video clips of the performance as well) GO  and sets the stage for the purpose of this newsletter: rekindling the flame within us.

If you didn't stop to read the Post article, or if you feel you just don't have time to stop for anything these days, then do yourself a favor and STOP here anyway.... Step away from the pack of millions of Americans who hustle through their days, perhaps missing the most sublime experiences happening all around them...

Let's take a collective deep breath this spring/summer and dedicate our precious time to re-kindling whatever it is that gives us life (in and out of the classroom!). This newsletter is dedicated to helping us do just that.

• Feature Article: Shared Stories
• Q & A - Getting re-energized
• Book Review- Arthur Chickering (author of the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education) has co-authored a new book that fits well with the rekindling theme: Encouraging Authenticity and Spirituality in Higher Education
• WHAT'S NEW - Online tutorial, ANGEL 7 updates
• Upcoming Workshops - Summer Workshop Schedule, Conversations in Teaching Series returns

Special thanks to Ann Fetterman who offered to share with us her recent presentation on Asperger's Syndrome (May 23, 2007 at 12:05 -1:00 in MCB 113). This syndrome is increasingly being recognized and diagnosed in students. Find out more about it and strategies you can use to help students in your classes who have the syndrome.

Sometimes I get into a funk and know I need to somehow rekindle the flame of enthusiasm within me. It's been especially bad lately - it's cold outside and I can't get in my garden. They changed the clocks and it's dark again in the mornings when I get up. I love to have my coffee out on the porch and listen to the birds, but that hasn't happened yet with 20 degree temps lingering stubbornly on. Spring just doesn't seem to want to get here this year, and I'm grumpy about it!! The spring in my step is gone and my usual optimistic demeanor has turned into an old curmudgeon, grumbling at life and looking for things to kick.

So what to do? When I get this way, I usually look for a new hobby, or decide to take a class, or look for silly things on the Internet that make me laugh, or take out my garden books and plan for when it finally warms up. This time, I still felt stuck, so it was time to pull out the big guns - the stories... I sit quietly and think about a few special stories from my past that continue to give the gifts of warmth and inspiration each time I put myself in their presence. This article shares some of those stories. I hope you'll share your stories, too.

Read the article HERE