As much as it is largely ineffective and unprofessional we have all yelled at our students at one time or another. It can be extremely hard to remain calm when students become unruly and uncooperative.
Although intended for parents, this list by Laura Markham, Ph.D. provides sound strategies for maintaining composure around children:
It is my ardent belief that there are far too many children on ADHD medication. Whilst I am clearly no expert, it bothers me when children are prescribed Ritalin and the like, when other factors such as diet, learning difficulties and personal issues have not been properly looked at.
It also bothers me that the amount of children taking prescription medication seems to be escalating markedly. Even the experts are starting to raise doubts about the over prescribing that seems to be taking place.
I sincerely don’t want to end up with the kind of numbers being reported in the US:
One-in-four U.S. teens has misused or abused a prescription drug at least once — a 33 percent increase in the past five years, experts say.
A survey by The Partnership at Drugfree.org and MetLife Foundation also found 1-in-8 U.S. teens reported taking the stimulants Ritalin or Adderall not prescribed for them at least once.
There can be nothing more dispiriting for a parent than to be faced with challenges concerning their children that they can’t intervene in or correct. What do you do if they tell you they hate school? You can’t always change schools. How do you make the school experience palatable for your children when you have no control whatsoever over the day-to-day running of their school?
The following are a list of tips courtesy of parentsconnect.com:
Teachers can’t afford to be stupid and irresponsible. Our carelessness and negligence can cost far too much to be tolerated lightly. Even if we are to believe that this teacher had no idea that the book he bought for his student was for mature readers only, the lack of awareness and due diligence to simply read the front cover (let alone doing basic research on the book’s content) is reason enough to hand him a much more severe penalty than a week off:
Written by Dana Udall-Weiner, Ph.D courtesy of psychcentral.com:
1. Talk to your teen about their time online.
Talking to your kids about how they use social media and technology helps them break out of autopilot and become more mindful of their actions and reactions, Udall-Weiner said. “[This] is an important skill when it comes to developing emotional competence.” It’s important for teens to understand how being online affects them (such as their mood).
She suggested asking your kids these questions: “Which websites do you often visit? How do you feel emotionally, both during and after using these sites? Have you ever had any uncomfortable experiences online, or seen anything upsetting? Do you believe that there are any downsides to viewing the sites you regularly visit, or to using the Internet in general?”
2. Teach your teen to be media literate.
A mistake parents often make, according to Udall-Weiner, is that they don’t teach their kids about media literacy. But it’s vital for kids to understand that what they see isn’t what they get online. For instance, “Parents need to actively remind their children that images are not reality—that no one is as thin, perfectly-muscled, unwrinkled, or flawless as that person in the ad.” She suggested visiting Media Smarts for more information.
3. Set time limits on Internet use.
Teens are still developing their executive functions, which include monitoring behavior, organizing information and setting goals, she said. Plus, spending too much time on sites like Facebook can make teens feel worse. “My clients regularly tell me that they become very upset after looking at Facebook, since everyone looks happier, thinner, or more popular than they feel.” So parents might need to set restrictions on Internet use.
4. Surrender all phones before bedtime.
“This is a way to ensure that kids aren’t up late texting or surfing the web, rather than getting precious sleep,” Udall-Weiner said. This rule also applies to parents’ phones, “since kids emulate what they see.”
5. Know the research about Internet use.
Research has suggested that looking at images of thin models — which are splashed all over the Internet — may be associated with various negative consequences. “After seeing these images, people report things like decreased self-esteem, poor body image, depression, guilt, shame, stress, and an urge to engage in eating-disordered behavior, such as restricting food intake,” said Udall-Weiner. She also specializes in body image and eating disorders and founded ED Educate, a website with resources for parents.
Research also has suggested that the Internet makes us feel more disconnected from others, she said. “It’s important for teens to know the research on Internet use.” Talk to your kids about these findings.
Click on the link to read Monitoring Children’s Social Networking Activities Proving too Difficult for Parents
Click on the link to read Parents and Teachers Should Not Be Facebook Friends
Click on the link to read Introducing the App that will Give Parents Nightmares
Click on the link to read Facebook’s Ugly Little Secret
Click on the link to read Who Needs Real Friends When You Have Facebook Friends?
Let’s not beat around the bush, bulletproof whiteboards is a stunt rather than a genuine idea. It is designed to give parents a false sense of comfort during difficult times. Whilst there is nothing particularly wrong with that, I would rather see them get a real sense of comfort instead.
Schools investing in these whiteboards would be better served in focusing on ways to make their school inviting and relevant to each and every student. This includes making any existing bullying and cyberbullying a issue of first priority. This also includes making every student feel valued, cared for, important and necessary.
Schools which can earn the respect and trust of its students have a lot less to worry about than schools with reinforced whiteboards:
A Minnesota school district where two students were killed in a 2003 shooting unveiled a new device Tuesday aimed at adding a last-ditch layer of safety for teachers and students: bulletproof whiteboards.
The Rocori School District has acquired nearly 200 of the whiteboards, made of a material touted by its manufacturer as stronger than that in police-issue bulletproof vests. The 18-by-20-inch whiteboards can be used by teachers for instruction and used as a shield in an emergency.
Police Chief Phil Jones demonstrated the whiteboards Tuesday in a school gym by leveling a karate kick at one, whacking it with a police baton and stabbing it with a knife – all with no apparent effect.
Jones didn’t fire his gun at the whiteboard, saying it would have been unsafe and inappropriate at the school. But he said he’d tested it earlier by firing several rounds at it.
“We put this board to the test, and quite frankly, that was the day I became a believer,” Jones said.
Click on the link to read My Heart Bleeds for Children Who Are Exploited
Click on the link to read The People Who “Liked” This Should be Struck Off Facebook
Click on the link to read How Giving Your Children a Bath Can Get You on a Sex Offender Registry
Click on the link to read Don’t Look for Rolemodels from Our Sporting Stars
Click on the link to read It is Shameful to Claim that Paedophilia is NOT a Crime
Click on the link to read Dad’s Letter to 13-Year Old Son after Discovering he had been Downloading from Porn Sites
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Courtesy of educator, speaker and blogger, George Couros:
1. Voice – Students should have the opportunity to not only learn from others but also share their learning with others as well. We live in a world where everyone has a voice and if we do not teach our students to use this effectively, they will definitely struggle. To me, this is so simple yet so essential.
2. Choice – This is not only about how students learn, but also what they learn about. How do they further their learning in areas of interests to them? Throughout the first few years of university I did poorly, yet in my final few years my grades were better than they ever had been. What was the difference? I actually cared what I was learning about. Strengths based learning is extremely important.
3. Time for Reflection – Classrooms are an extremely busy place and I understand that many feel that they are rushed through the curriculum, but I think that taking the time to connect and reflect on what is being learned gives learners a better opportunity to really understand what they have learned. I know many classrooms have DEAR time (drop everything and read), so why do we not have time to simply write and reflect? This is not only for students, but for teachers and administrators as well.
4. Opportunities for Innovation– Recently I visited Greystone Centennial Middle School during “Innovation Week” and saw students that created a hovercraft (not kidding) using things that they had around the house. They were able to guide it around the gym and it was able to carry people around. These kids were in grade 9.
When I asked the students about this opportunity, they had told me that they had saw something similar on YouTube but it was missing a few elements that they wanted to add. They made it new and better. I can only imagine what the students will do after they leave school because of this day, not in spite of it.
5. Critical Thinkers – In the “factory model” of education, students were meant to be compliant and basically do “as they were told.” This is not something that sticks with a child only, but goes into adulthood as well and it creates “yes” people who tend to lose all originality. One of my best friends and my first admin partner, told me to never just let him go out on his own with his ideas without questioning them and sharing my thoughts. His reason? He wanted the best ideas, not his ideas. He wanted me to ask questions. He wanted to be successful. It was not his ego that was important, but the success of his staff and students. I have learned to ask the same of all those I work with and although it can turn into spirited conversations, it is was best not only for school but all organizations. We need to have students that are able to ask questions and challenge what they see, but always in a respectful way.
6. Problem Solvers/Finders – Ewan McIntosh has a brilliant Ted Talk discusses the notion of “problem-based learning” and how it is not beneficial to give students problems that aren’t real. Instead, he focuses on the idea that students need to be “problem finders”; being able to find some tough challenges and then being able to solve those problems. Megan Howard shares a wonderful story of how one of her grade six students was able to see that there was a problem with classmates losing their school uniforms and then being able to use QR codes to be able to identify them. Let’s start asking kids to really look into finding what the problems are and giving them some purpose in solving something real.
7. Self-Assessment – I don’t think that I have ever heard a teacher say, “I can’t wait until we get to write report cards!” That being said, I think we spend too much time focusing on being able to tell others what our students can do and know, and not enough time helping students understand those things themselves. Portfolios are a great way to share this knowledge and will actually have students develop their own understanding of what they know. If you can write in a report card that a student can do something in October, yet they can’t do it in January, is that report card still relevant? I think that we should spend more time working with students to teach them how to assess themselves and not just do it for them.
8. Connected Learning – When I first started teaching, I remember really struggling with science. It was a subject that I struggled with as a learner and that continued on as a teacher. I now think that if I was in the classroom, that the best person to teach science wouldn’t be me, but a scientist. With most people that having a computer also having a Skype account, there are many that are willing to share their expertise in different areas. This does not only have to be via technology, but we should also be bring in experts from our community to talk to students. I know many teachers have done this for a long time, but technology opens the doors to people that we could not even imagine being a part of our classroom even ten years ago. Even Shaquille O’neal has made some time to Skype with students in one school.
Click on the link to read Inviting the KKK to Your Classroom is Irresponsible
Click on the link to read Could This be the Most Violent High School Test Question Ever?
Click on the link to read Six Valuable Steps to Making Positive Changes in Your Teaching
Click on the link to read 10 Art Related Games for the Classroom
Click on the link to read 5 Rules for Rewarding Students
Click on the link to read Tips for Engaging the Struggling Learner
It is important to remind your children that there are certain secrets and personal family stories that they shouldn’t be revealing in class. It is very common for students to say things about their mother or father that would cause them much embarrassment.
That is why an assignment calling for students to write one sentence about a family member, and draw a picture of it, was always going to be a bit risky. It is no wonder that one student submitted this:
Click on the link to read Look What This Father Designed for His Son (Photos)
Click on the link to read This New Craze Proves that Adults are Just Bigger Versions of Children
Click on the link to read Parents and Teachers Should Not Be Facebook Friends
Click on the link to read Introducing the App that will Give Parents Nightmares
Click on the link to read Facebook’s Ugly Little Secret
Click on the link to read Who Needs Real Friends When You Have Facebook Friends?
Some helpful tips from usatoday.com:
Tips:
Click on the link to read A Teacher’s Guide to Talking to Students About the Newtown School Shooting
Click on the link to read Explaining the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting to Children
Click on the link to read Helping Kids Cope in the Aftermath of Sandy
Click here to read ‘Helping Our Children Make Sense of Natural Disasters’.
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