Emotional Training Helps Kids Fight Depression : NPR.

This is a brilliant effort at nipping the downward spiral in the bud when children are at their most formative, and it is definitely running parallel to what I am trying to work on with my son.

» Continue reading “Emotional Training Helps Kids Fight Depression : NPR”

I was daydreaming just now, thinking about a conversation I had earlier with another parent. We were discussing the issues his son was having in school, how amotivated his child was and their struggle to get him to make an effort. It got me to thinking about what motivates our children to achieve and then mentally, automatically rephrased it as what motivates our children to make an effort.

» Continue reading “An Open Letter to My Children”

A Push For Colleges To Prioritize Mental Health : NPR.

When I was diagnosed as bipolar in 1997, I was diagnosed by a college psychiatrist. My first real experience with a psychiatrist and navigating the ins and outs of having a diagnosis and trying to find a treatment plan that would allow me to function was a key defining moment in my life. Reducing these services will only result in more students dropping out or opting out of college as an option. At this stage in life, at this age, university mental health services are often the only option students have for ever-increasing emotional problems.

» Continue reading “A Push For Colleges To Prioritize Mental Health : NPR”

Idaho Teacher Sells Advertising Space On Tests : NPR.

I am bothered by this on many levels. First, I go out of my way not to subject my child to the consumerism that is so rampant in our society. He watches TV and as much as possible it is TV with no commercials; I want him to understand American culture and not be picked on in school, but I also don’t want him being indoctrinated into the gimme culture that exists all around us.

» Continue reading “Idaho Teacher Sells Advertising Space On Tests : NPR”

http://www.esrnational.org/otc/index.php

“Educators for Social Responsibility’s ONLINE TEACHER CENTER.

As a leading national center for teaching about conflict and social responsibility, ESR has been providing effective and credible resources for teaching important current issues for over 20 years. Our Online Teacher Center provides teaching resources on a range of issues related to international security, conflict resolution, peacemaking, violence prevention, and social responsibility.”

http://www.archive.org/index.php

The Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, we provide free access to researchers, historians, scholars, and the general public.

» Continue reading “Link of the Day”

I am currently reading a book called “Cross-X: The Amazing True Story of How the Most Unlikely Team from the Most Unlikely of Places Overcame Staggering Obstacles at Home and at School to Challenge the Debate Community on Race, Power, and Education.” I kid you not, that is the name on the cover. Cross-X is what adorns the title page inside the book, so we will go with that for the remainder of this post.

» Continue reading “Book of the Day”

When I first read the headline for this article, I assumed they were clicker training these kids.

In Search Of Answers, Teachers Turn To Clickers

Now, I think this idea is a better one than my idea for clicker training. A lot of classroom participation is hindered by issues with confidence. Providing a way for students to posit an opinion or respond to a question, removing the judgment from the process, and providing an anonymous way to navigate a classroom of people with different abilities is a great, non-confrontational way to increase participation, improve student comprehension, and build student confidence. The process is both real-time and offline, allowing teachers a way to direct their attention to the subject areas requiring the most clarity for the class as well as direct their attention to specific areas where individual students are struggling. It cuts through the guess work to pinpoint areas that need improvement and does so in a way that is immediate and valuable. This idea is particularly appropriate, given the prevalence of the use of handheld devices and video games in this generation. By including a connection between hands and heads, this teaching method is instantly more engaging.

» Continue reading “Signs You Spend Too Much Time with Your Dogs and Dog Friends”