Raising a child with ADHD means parents need to adopt different approaches to parenting. Parents must accept the fact that children with ADHD have functionally different brains from those of other children. While children with ADHD can still learn what is acceptable and what isn’t, their disorder does make them more prone to impulsive behavior. Fostering the development of a child with ADHD means that you will have to modify your behavior and learn to…
It is never too early to start teaching the important life skill of goal setting to our children. Learning to set goals teaches kids to take responsibility for themselves, and they learn that their actions can determine whether or not they fail or succeed. Goal setting also builds self confidence, as when children reach their goals, they learn to believe in their abilities and are more likely to set new goals for themselves in the…
Although there is certainly such a thing as too much free choice, especially when it comes to our children and all the learning they still have to do, choice is undeniably an essential part of learning and growing up. As students grow and start to develop their own ideas, we must allow them to incorporate more and more of their own decision making into their lives. Here are some options to offer older students more…
Mental health concerns like anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder can affect a student’s ability to concentrate, form friendships, and thrive in the classroom, among many other things. Educators and school counselors often provide Social and Emotional Learning programs (SEL) in order to help these students, as well as school-based therapeutic support groups. Even in these forums, however, getting teenagers to speak about their problems can be challenging, especially when they feel like outsiders and…
Should childhood trauma be treated like a public health crisis? When public health officials get wind of an outbreak of Hepatitis A or influenza, they spring into action with public awareness campaigns, monitoring and outreach. A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests the response to childhood trauma should be similar. It shows how the effects of childhood trauma persist and are linked to mental illness and addiction in adulthood.…
Choosing the right school for your child can make all the difference in his or her successful academic career. The good news is that there are many options in education beyond the public school down the street today. The bad news is that the abundance of options often leaves parents in a quandary over how to choose the right school for their children. It is important to know what to look for in a school…
There are many ways to encourage a child. For students of any age, honest, authentic, and persistent messages from adults that have credibility in their eyes have the most impact. The National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning has put together a list of 50 Ways To Encourage A Child, from which our recommendations will be coming. It was designed for younger students (around kindergarten age), but most of them are actually useful for K-12 in…
To see the recent educational trend of general competency in action, one need only look to our local state university, UMass Lowell, and their mission statement: “Work Ready, Life Ready, World Ready.” In the past, education has been about teaching people something. Now, it is more about making sure students develop a reliable compass and the navigation skills to find their own way through an increasingly uncertain world. As a result, some schools are now…
You’ve sent in your applications. Now you’re waiting for a letter from each college you applied to, either offering you admission or turning down your application. And there’s another possibility: a college may put you on their wait list. This can happen when you meet the admission requirements, but the college has already accepted the number of applicants it has room for. If a spot becomes available later on, you may be offered a place. The…
We’re finishing up our three-part series on podcasts-radio that is personalized to a topic in which you are especially interested-with a list of some great podcasts for high school students. 1. Serial. Sarah Koenig tells one story, told week by week. The first season covers the true story of Adnan Syed, convicted for the murder of his ex-girlfriend in Baltimore. The problem: Adnan cannot remember what he was doing the day of the murder. And, as…
