Tags for "Youth Adult Relationships"
Prisoners or Students?
"Hey! Where's your pass?"
"Where are you going? Get to class!"
"Who let you in this copy room?"
"Get to the back of the line!"
All of these are greetings given to... Smart, funny and slightly disruptive
- Minna D., San Francisco, CA, 9th grade teacher
This is a classic situation. The pace and structure of school carries with it expectations of what young people are and should be like. We expect our children to be able to "shut up and pay attention." But what do we really mean by that? In this situation it's not only that you want him to pay attention, it's that you want him to pay attention to what you... Worry is an expression of love
I've come to love the worry parents feel and often express (including my own). I didn't start there, but as my kids got older and I found my own anxieties arrive at how my son spent his day, I found myself needing to rethink my responses to worry.
The way I see it, the worry a so called... Teacher and Student Roles
The teacher calls the shots, runs the show, sets the agenda and the deadlines, informs students of how things will go on in their classroom, and is the person who has the knowledge -- which is to be passed on from his or her mind to the students of the classroom. And this is all usually done through teacher-led discourse and method, within the constraints of school curriculum of course.
The students (in theory) are to absorb all of the knowledge being offered to them, respond diligently and respectfully to the teacher's commands and direction, raise... Lightening the Load
Erika M., Chicago IL - High School Teacher and Adviser
I have a few initial thoughts and also... Suffer the Little Children
But it often leads to negativity, from what I've witnessed. Though I used to politely murmur, "Fine, thanks," I have been either entertained or horrified (or a combination of the two, really) by plenty of sad stories. "I hate it!" or "Gym is okay, I guess," or "My teacher sucks" are all phrases that I've... Reverse Pressure: The Pressure to Fail
Meeting the status quo. That's what it's all about. Don't do too well, don't stand out. Kids use the term “rebel” fairly often in my school. In dictionary terms, this means someone or a group of people who rise up against the government. In my school, it's someone who fails. Someone who steals. Someone who is not in a good place... Thoughts on Bullying
In public school, it is wrong to bully. Often times when a bully is discovered in a class of children, there will be some sort of sit-down talk. The bully might be told that it is not okay to do what he or she is doing to other children, and that if bullying is being used to achieve some goal, then there are surely other ways one can go about meeting that goal without harming others. Most times some sort of further repercussion is dealt to the... Nobody Told Me I Was Unschooling
I first heard about unschooling when I was doing research on homeschooling my daughter. I received The Unschooling Handbook for Christmas (yes, I ordered it myself) and as I make my way through it, I'm quickly realizing that I've been pretty much unschooling my little girl since...well, birth.
Don't we all use our kids' cues to play what they want to play with, talk about what they want to talk about, and that sort of thing? How many times have you switched a toy when your ten-month-old refused to play with the one you've given her? How many times have you let your child pick out his or her own books, or craft projects to work on, or games to play,... Resistance, Hope & Democracy
- Redwood City, CA
I have a few thoughts regarding your situation but first I must say: Kudos... Colin Wants To Go To South Africa
The article revolves around Colin's university prohibiting him from enrolling in a class that would take place in South Africa over the summer, due to his young age. The University reasons that a boy at such a young age may be at higher risk of something undesirable happening while in South Africa than a typical... Celebrating Alice Miller: Pioneering Psychologist
Miller showed how the “poisonous pedagogy” of repression and fear will lead to severe psychological problems, even if parents and other adults think they are acting in the child's best interest. Here is a powerful quote from Miller's For Your Own... Spark’s Answer to the Dropout Crisis
Like so many students, Tania was in danger of lowering her aspirations at a very early age. It's a classic path to dropping out - as a 2006 Gates Foundation study pointed out, 47% of... The School Reform Initiative
Posted on Oct 20, 2009 - 01:14 AM by Ammerah Saidi in The Learning Curve
I'm 5'2" and about 105 lbs. I'm small--so walking through the hallways of the new school in which I just got a teaching position, I get mistaken all the time as a student, by students and teachers alike. This gives my students the impression that I'm a pushover, and staff the idea that I won't last in this school past a couple of months. But what my misleading physique grants me is a world into the daily feelings of my students inside a building they will spend four of their formative years in--if they make it through four."Hey! Where's your pass?"
"Where are you going? Get to class!"
"Who let you in this copy room?"
"Get to the back of the line!"
All of these are greetings given to... Smart, funny and slightly disruptive
Posted on Nov 04, 2009 - 11:27 PM by Jonah Canner in Got Questions?
I have one kid I can't get to shut up and pay attention. He's smart, funny, and cute and is just always playing and being slightly disruptive. It's like being quiet for one minute is impossible. I don't want to totally shut him down, but I want to be able to work with him. What do I do?- Minna D., San Francisco, CA, 9th grade teacher
This is a classic situation. The pace and structure of school carries with it expectations of what young people are and should be like. We expect our children to be able to "shut up and pay attention." But what do we really mean by that? In this situation it's not only that you want him to pay attention, it's that you want him to pay attention to what you... Worry is an expression of love
Posted on Nov 05, 2009 - 03:32 PM by Scott Nine in Uncharted Parenting
As a parent of a ten- and two-year old, I continue to be awed and humbled by what parenting asks of me. Whoever said that raising children is like watching your heart move around outside your body was spot on. As an educator who spends my day with other people's kids, I'm also deeply aware of the ways parents and educators can work and grow together as well as the potential impact when we don't.I've come to love the worry parents feel and often express (including my own). I didn't start there, but as my kids got older and I found my own anxieties arrive at how my son spent his day, I found myself needing to rethink my responses to worry.
The way I see it, the worry a so called... Teacher and Student Roles
Posted on Nov 20, 2009 - 02:52 PM by Shawn Strader in Op-Education
Just about anybody who has attended public school has experienced the distinction that seems to often exist between student and teacher.The teacher calls the shots, runs the show, sets the agenda and the deadlines, informs students of how things will go on in their classroom, and is the person who has the knowledge -- which is to be passed on from his or her mind to the students of the classroom. And this is all usually done through teacher-led discourse and method, within the constraints of school curriculum of course.
The students (in theory) are to absorb all of the knowledge being offered to them, respond diligently and respectfully to the teacher's commands and direction, raise... Lightening the Load
Posted on Nov 25, 2009 - 10:03 AM by Jonah Canner in Got Questions?
I am a high school teacher and adviser and lately the students seem to be pulling away, into smaller groups or individually. Many of them are pretty stressed with college applications and some realities setting in. Some of them are also bringing a lot of negativity into our meetings. We want to get everyone back together, and more bonded together as a group, so that we can bring each other up and support each other more than spreading negativity. We tried the human knot activity at our last meeting for an hour and weren't able to get it done. I am open to any and all suggestions that you have.Erika M., Chicago IL - High School Teacher and Adviser
I have a few initial thoughts and also... Suffer the Little Children
Posted on Jan 08, 2010 - 12:09 AM by Sara Schmidt in Uncharted Parenting
Do you ever notice how the first thing that pops out of most people's mouths when they speak to a young child is, "So how's school?" It's as if school is the only common denominator people can come up with to address these "little people." I guess that can be an okay way to begin a conversation; sometimes an opener like that could lead into favorite things to do, hobbies, interests, etc.But it often leads to negativity, from what I've witnessed. Though I used to politely murmur, "Fine, thanks," I have been either entertained or horrified (or a combination of the two, really) by plenty of sad stories. "I hate it!" or "Gym is okay, I guess," or "My teacher sucks" are all phrases that I've... Reverse Pressure: The Pressure to Fail
Posted on Jan 10, 2010 - 05:20 PM by Claire Russell in Pulse
In schools across America, young teens walk their halls with the heavy burden of perfection always upon them. Whoever instills this need for being flawless is often the one pushing young people. Their parents, their teachers, their family. However, at my school there is a new kind of pressure that is exceedingly different from the classic one: The pressure to fail.Meeting the status quo. That's what it's all about. Don't do too well, don't stand out. Kids use the term “rebel” fairly often in my school. In dictionary terms, this means someone or a group of people who rise up against the government. In my school, it's someone who fails. Someone who steals. Someone who is not in a good place... Thoughts on Bullying
Posted on Jan 19, 2010 - 07:55 PM by Shawn Strader in Op-Education
Recently I listened to a discussion on the Diane Rehm show that centered on bullying in school and showcased some of Carl Pickhardt's theory on why bullying takes place and how it is possible. It was fascinating. You can listen to this segment here.In public school, it is wrong to bully. Often times when a bully is discovered in a class of children, there will be some sort of sit-down talk. The bully might be told that it is not okay to do what he or she is doing to other children, and that if bullying is being used to achieve some goal, then there are surely other ways one can go about meeting that goal without harming others. Most times some sort of further repercussion is dealt to the... Nobody Told Me I Was Unschooling
Posted on Jan 21, 2010 - 01:31 AM by Sara Schmidt in Uncharted Parenting
Have I really been doing it all along?I first heard about unschooling when I was doing research on homeschooling my daughter. I received The Unschooling Handbook for Christmas (yes, I ordered it myself) and as I make my way through it, I'm quickly realizing that I've been pretty much unschooling my little girl since...well, birth.
Don't we all use our kids' cues to play what they want to play with, talk about what they want to talk about, and that sort of thing? How many times have you switched a toy when your ten-month-old refused to play with the one you've given her? How many times have you let your child pick out his or her own books, or craft projects to work on, or games to play,... Resistance, Hope & Democracy
Posted on Feb 24, 2010 - 02:46 PM by Jonah Canner in Got Questions?
I used to direct an after-school program, which was housed in a public school classroom, and I tried to implement a democratic meeting with my middle school students (a diverse group in terms of race and family income). As well-intentioned as I was, the students didn't respect me as a leader because I was offering them decision-making power. They seemed so used to an authoritarian school day that they didn't know what to do with an unexpected dose of freedom. It was also just a drop in the bucket compared to the way they spent the majority of their time. How would you have handled this situation?- Redwood City, CA
I have a few thoughts regarding your situation but first I must say: Kudos... Colin Wants To Go To South Africa
Posted on Mar 31, 2010 - 12:18 PM by Shawn Strader in Op-Education
Recently I stumbled upon an interesting article on NPR's website entitled, Age May Be Barrier For 13-Year-Old College Student. The story tells about a 13-year-old boy who maintains a 3.9 GPA at the University of Connecticut. The boy, named Colin Carlson, is a double major and seems to be deeply motivated in his studies, which include environmental studies and evolutionary biology.The article revolves around Colin's university prohibiting him from enrolling in a class that would take place in South Africa over the summer, due to his young age. The University reasons that a boy at such a young age may be at higher risk of something undesirable happening while in South Africa than a typical... Celebrating Alice Miller: Pioneering Psychologist
Posted on Apr 26, 2010 - 11:59 AM by Dana Bennis in The Landscape
Alice Miller, a leading psychologist whose work and books revealed the dangerous effects on children of corporal punishment and more subtle forms of physical and emotional coercion, passed away this past month in France at the age of 87. Her books are essential reading for parents and anyone who works with young people, including the The Drama of the Gifted Child, and For Your Own Good: Hidden Cruelty in Child-Rearing and the Roots of Violence.Miller showed how the “poisonous pedagogy” of repression and fear will lead to severe psychological problems, even if parents and other adults think they are acting in the child's best interest. Here is a powerful quote from Miller's For Your Own... Spark’s Answer to the Dropout Crisis
Posted on Mar 09, 2011 - 09:28 PM by Chris Balme in The Landscape
Meet Tania*, 14 years old. Her story is typical of many students in urban public schools across the United States. No one in her family had completed high school. In seventh grade, she was struggling academically, and assumed that she would follow in her mother's footsteps and become a cashier at Wal-Mart. At school, Tania had not been asked much about her aspirations -- as it turns out, she dreamed of becoming an attorney -- and as a result she was not clear on how school could ever get her to that goal.Like so many students, Tania was in danger of lowering her aspirations at a very early age. It's a classic path to dropping out - as a 2006 Gates Foundation study pointed out, 47% of... The School Reform Initiative
Posted on Jul 12, 2011 - 02:54 PM by Shawn Strader in Resources