peer pressure

For most children it is filled with possibly and optimism. It is a chance to see old friends that they didn't get a chance to see over the summer and an opportunity to meet new friends. The social value of school should not be undervalued. It should be encouraged and supported by adults in the school system and at home. Adults often dismiss the importance of "friends" to stress hard work and grades. Friends are an important part of a child's life, but should not become the main influence when making decisions.

It is important to listen to children and their stories about their friends at school. How you listen is also important. As a parent the number one thing and the hardest thing is to NOT judge. Ask questions and guide indirectly. For example if your child said "friend x went to a party and there were drugs there and she tried it." If you as a parent launch into a lecture about the dangers of drugs the child may stop talking to you about it. Better to say "how do you feel about that?" Some time a week or two later, mention some of the dangers of drugs but not at the time. Or better yet watch a movie or a read an article with your child about the dangers of drugs. Guide their decisions and avoid "telling" them what to do on important issues. It is far more powerful if they think they have made their own decisions.

ADD misdiagnosed

Interesting link as a follow up to the last post.

"As many as one million children in the U.S. may have been misdiagnosed as having an attention deficit disorder because of their age when they started kindergarten, a new study finds."

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/08/17/adhd-children-age.html#ixzz0wtutjRpM

Is mental illness on the rise?

I can't help but question some of the statistics in the article (link at the bottom). I can recall one mother telling me about her sons "ADHD" and how he was not on medication at the time. Our conversation lasted well over 1/2 hour and the boy sat quietly in the desk sipping a drink the entire time. I had doubts that a child with serious ADHD could sit politely for that long period of time listening to adults talk.

I would be willing to guess that the majority of boys and a good number of girls have been on some sort of behavior modification medication by the time they reach high school. So when I hear that record number of college students have depression and mood disorders ... I wonder.

College is a high stress environment and therefore it is to be expected that there will be some emotional response to that in any normal person. Are we over reacting by diagnosing depression and prescribing medication?

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/08/12/mental-illness-college.html

Are awards outdated?

If educators wish to celebrate the achievements of all students as individuals, should they continue to have awards nights that recognize the achievements of a few based on pre-set objectives? Awards collectivize. They force people into pursuing the same achievement rather than their individual achievements.

"As a school, we need to continue to move away from the traditional educational hierarchy that says those students who excel in language arts and maths are more important than those who excel in fine arts. We need to move away from recognizing only those students who have figured out the “game of school” and know how to do school well."

http://www.connectedprincipals.com/archives/71

confidence and knowledge

I always told my students, if you don't know the answer ... still answer with confidence. If you are right people will think that you know what you are doing for sure, if you are wrong people will brush it off as simply a mistake. Unless you are wrong all the time .... people begin to catch on after a while.

If you are completely 100% correct but appear nervous and uncertain, people will often not believe you. When you are proven correct they will believe it was "luck."

This article has some interesting comments about the subject.

"This would be fine if confidence and knowledge go hand in hand, but in fact there is almost an inverse relationship."

Read more: Knoco stories: The illusion of confidence in KM http://www.nickmilton.com/2010/07/illusion-of-confidence-in-km.html#ixzz0va58jgTr