When Guardians and Educators Unite, Everyone Wins

Understanding teens and showing compassion is essential as we are reminded by a famous quote by Theodore Roosevelt,

“They don’t care what you know until they know that you care.”

Retirement leaves extra time in my day. Until now I didn’t understand the concept of EXTRA time. Writing fills that time and often the articles focus on educational topics. A principal once told me that the squeaky wheels get the grease so today, I am making a little noise to let educators know these resources are available and to inform parents from a teacher's point of view.

All hyperlinks in this article share free information because adults who support teens deserve all the support they can get.

The Teen Brain is Under Construction

Understanding how the teen brain works empowers teachers. Teaching teens to understand their brain development empowers teens. This article provides example of how to promote positive decision making.

It provides classroom strategies that includes research articles that can be used in the classroom.

Parents will also find value by increasing understanding of their child's brain development.

Teach Kindness

Adults who incorporate lessons on kindness and model kindness in daily life empower citizenship. Without compassion, reading, writing, and arithmetic lose value. This article shares simple strategies to display and encourage kindness.

It also provides ideas for parent support groups to make positive influences by providing a list of ideas to implement inside the school.

Discipline Requires Follow Through

Discover the 5 steps to effective teaching appropriate behavior. No! This does not involve raised voices or a big stick. The key word here is teaching.

Rules are great but unless they are consistently enforced, they will be ineffective. Both parents and teachers benefit from implementing tested and proven discipline strategies.

The five steps are not a mystery, but implementation is the trick.

• Communicate
• Plan
• Teach
• Practice
• Enforce

For the Love of the Children

Working in public schools allowed me to support youth daily. However there comes a time for retirement and my time arrived. Now, I share stories so adults - parents and teachers - can gain understanding of what occurs inside the school walls.

Educators and guardians working together provide support for the children while impacting the generation of the future.

Seek First to Understand

Seek to Understand is a reminder in the form of a poem. Youth didn't start the problems, but they have to live with them. This poem explains the many situations America's youth face daily. While working with youth, they shared experiences that reminded me teens are affected by the world around them.

Though teenagers do not talk a lot about current events, they do feel the ramifications. As adults, we have the responsibility to support and protect the children - even when we struggle to understand. It reminds readers to be supportive of youth and try to understand what they do not say. No research here, just a realistic read.

School Stress

When teaching English, students wrote about adversities. Some shared stories about divorce, illnesses, and loss. However, many wrote about the stress associated with school.

I believe teachers work hard to create inviting learning environments and parents want their children to be healthy and happy. However, I know each time a student walks through the doors of a school, they confront stress that are beyond their control: peer pressure, conformity, confrontations, self-esteem, academic concerns. The list goes on.

Wondering how to initiate communication with your child? Read a book together and discuss it.

Lockers Speak: Voices of America's Youth

These poems share experiences of the many events that shape the lives of the youth of America. The verses expose both hidden secrets and honest reality. As a reader meets new characters, the lives of the characters become interconnected and at times remain totally isolated. Anybody who truly desires to understand America's youth, check out Lockers Speak. This book is a collection to verse from the mouths of youth who share personal emotions and experiences.

Bedtime Strategies to Eliminate the Fight

This final article is a bonus for parents who wish to implement struggle free bedtime routines. It is from personal experience but works for me.