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Posts Tagged ‘
school ’
Introduction
Traditionally, homework time as been a time when parents and children become adversaries. Parents cajole and coax children into doing homework while children resist and complain. There are, however, some tricks that parents can use to help make the homework experience more tolerable and productive. Following these suggestions may not make homework fun all the time, but it may lessen the sting of this necessary part of the educational experience.
- Be the parent, not the teacher. Support, encourage, and assist if needed, but keep job descriptions clear. Parents can reinforce the learning process by helping with homework when needed.
- Make homework an event and fun when possible. Give rewards (M&Ms, pretzels, pennies, etc.) for work well done. Take short breaks between subjects or sets of problems. Do something physical, such as calisthenics or a run around the house, pet the dog, and then back to work. Breaks should be short, so as not to get distracted by other things.
- Give lots of positive reinforcement. Play down negative behaviors. Use non-emotional, matter-of-fact responses to failure. Don't tell the child what to do, but rather lead them to their own solutions. Good, probing questions might be:
- What makes math easier for you?
- Can you think of what helps you when math goes ok?
- What would you say that you do differently when that happens?
- What do you have to do to make that happen more often?
- Set a pattern of doing homework in the same place and at about the same time each day. This should be in a well-lit, comfortable place with as few distractions as possible. No TV or loud music. Parents can play soft background music if they wish.
- Build rituals and routines into the homework schedule – drinks, snacks, regular times, same place, rewards, etc. Children gain security from consistent and predictable patterns. It teaches them self-discipline and gives them comfortable, yet flexible structures.
- Negotiate the homework schedule. Let the child have some input into the schedule, but keep it consistent as much as possible.
- Each child and each family has different needs. Some children need to unwind after school, so for them, playtime should come first. Homework can be after dinner or at least after some relaxation time.
Teach the child that being a student is a job just like the parent is an accountant, secretary, homemaker, salesperson, etc. Once the work is done they can have fun.
- Use a sign-off plan for completed homework. Children must show parents their finished assignments and parents either sign the work or a notebook that both keep. This can sometimes be a cooperative venture with the child's teacher if homework has been a special problem for this child. This holds the child accountable for their work.
- If parents and the child fight often, get a tutor or a homework helper before homework becomes World War III. Recognize when parents may be as much a part of the problem as the child and change the relationship.
- Listen to the children—don’t preach! If they come home in a miserable mood saying they hate the teacher, this is not the time to talk them out of it. Listen to what went wrong today, reflect their feelings, and empathize with them. Parents can put themselves in the child's place.…Remember bad days at school or work and being told not to feel that way? Home should be a place where the child can safely express their feelings without repercussions. Allow them to get the feelings out before they have to return to school.
- Parents do not have to agree with teachers all the time. Some teachers do make mistakes and some teachers are unfair. However, this is a life lesson. Help children realize that even when the teacher is in the wrong, they are in authority. In life we all must deal with people who have authority over us. We don't have to like it, but we have to cope with it. Remember, however, that teachers need the support of parents to effectively educate.
- Do not punish a second time for the same crime. If a child gets in trouble at school, there are consequences. Support those consequences and do not interfere by adding more punishment at home. This will encourage the child to be honest with parents about what happens at school and not fearful that it will be worse at home. However, if the behavior becomes too repetitive or disruptive, then additional home consequences may be indicated to reinforce. Use this only under extreme circumstances and confer with the teacher and/or administrators.
- Communicate and cooperate with the teacher and other school staff, but don't assume responsibilities that belong to the child. Help them handle situations on their own as much as possible.
- How well the child does in school is not an evaluation of parenting skills. What matters is how open, loving, and affirming parents are with children while teaching them how to live life effectively. Many times, students who struggle through school grow up to be talented, charming, and successful adults…even Nobel Prize winners or presidents. Avoid letting a difficult school experience diminish anyone's self-esteem.
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Tags: children, communities, Glenna P. Wilson, helping, homework, parents, pattern, school
Posted in
Schools and Communities, Tip Sheets |
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Introduction
When you get too little sleep on a regular basis, a condition known as sleep deprivation can occur, causing you to shortchange yourself on a very important aspect of life.
Everyone knows that food and water are essential to life. Getting enough sleep is just as important. Yes, life is hectic and juggling time and schedules can be extremely difficult. The responsibilities of going to school, working, recreating and enjoying a satisfying social life all cut into the time you have to sleep. Interestingly enough, without the proper amount of sleep, each category mentioned will suffer.
Most Teens Need Nine Hours of Sleep
According to Mary Carskadon, a sleep physiologist at Brown University’s Bradley Hospital sleep lab, most teens need nine hours and 15 minutes of sleep a night.
This may be because the hormones essential to growth and sexual maturation are released mostly during sleep. In addition, Carskadon has found that teens who get the least sleep earn grades of Cs and Ds, while those getting more sleep tend to get As and Bs.
Carskadon and her colleagues have discovered that without enough sleep, judgment and memory are impaired, and performance is poor on reaction time. This translates into not remembering the information you need to retain for exams and organizing your thoughts to finish in the time given. In the workforce, this might translate into not remembering assigned tasks or the ability to get work done in a specific time frame.
Feeling moody? Feeling a little fuzzy? This may be caused by not getting enough sleep. Mood is one of the first things affected by inadequate sleep. Unfortunately, what goes along with this is a lowered threshold for containing anger. This may contribute to tension with family members, friends, co-workers or that special someone.
Impaired Driving Skills
Sleep deprivation can impair your driving skills. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 100,000 automobile accidents a year are caused by driver fatigue. It can have the same effect as alcohol. Falling asleep at the wheel can have devastating consequences to you and others.
Peer pressure is not an alien concept to teens. The ability to “just say no” in many dangerous and social situations may be impaired due to sleep deprivation. When one feels fuzzy and concentration is hard to come by, the effects of one’s actions are not thought through carefully. Bad choices may have lasting effects.
We live in a 24-hour world. A whole range of nighttime activities are available. Television and phones never close down. The Internet allows us to shop, work, gamble and socialize at all hours. Most of us sleep less then people did a century ago, or even 50 years ago. The National Sleep Foundation’s 2005 poll showed adult Americans average 6.8 hours of sleep on weeknights – more than an hour less than they need.
In the United States, six to eight million people work at night. Many people get only five hours of sleep during the week and try to catch up by logging nine hours nightly on weekends. David P. White, professor of sleep medicine and director of the sleep disorders program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said, “You can make up for acute sleep deprivation, but we don’t know what happens when people are chronically sleep-deprived over years.”
Emotional Stress and Sleep Patterns
Emotional stress or excitement can interfere with sleep patterns. Medical conditions and even some medications can also interfere with sleep. Talking with a physician about loss of sleep for medical reasons may be necessary. Talking with a mental health professional may be advisable when emotional stress continues to rob you of sleep.
Marsha Goldstein, licensed clinical social worker, board-certified diplomate, writes from Pahrump. She can be reached at (775) 751-9579.
Reprinted with permission of the Pahrump Valley Times.
Tags: communities, effects, performance, real life, real world story, school, sleep, sleep deprivation, work
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Schools and Communities |
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Tags: deprivation, development, driving, lack of sleep, Marsha Goldstein, Pahrump Valley Times, performance, school, sleep, social work, social worker, stress, teens, work, youth
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Youth Development |
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Introduction
The SOS Signs of Suicide® Program for secondary schools, co-sponsored by the National Association of Social Workers, is a cost-effective program of mental health screening and suicide prevention, which can be easily implemented by school social workers during one or two school periods.
A widely studied, evidence-based program, SOS is the first suicide prevention program to be selected by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Adminstration SAMHSA for its Registry of Effective Programs. It is the only school-based suicide prevention program that has been shown to reduce suicidality in a randomized, controlled study American Journal of Public Health, March 2004 .
The main teaching tool of the program is a video that teaches students how to identify symptoms of depression and suicidality in themselves or their friends and encourages help-seeking. The program's primary objectives are to educate teens that depression is a treatable illness and to equip them to respond to a potential suicide in a friend or family member using the SOS technique. SOS is an action-oriented approach instructing students how to ACT Acknowledge, Care and Tell in the face of this mental health emergency.
How to Obtain a Kit
A kit of materials is available that includes a staff procedure manual and training video, student screening forms, an educational video and discussion guide, and brochures on suicide and depression for students and parents. Since 2000, more than 1,500 schools have implemented the program.
To learn more about the program or to obtain a kit, go to www.MentalHealthScreening.org or call 781-239-0071.
Tags: mental health, NASW, prevention, program, school, screening, secondary schools, social workers, suicide, The SOS Signs of Suicide
Posted in
Suicide Prevention |
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From her inability to pay attention for more than a few minutes at a time to her constant restlessness, you strongly suspect your daughter has Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). But how can you be certain? An assessment by her school's social worker is an excellent starting point.
The social worker will begin by asking you, the child's parents, to complete a behavioral checklist to determine exactly what areas your child is experiencing difficulty. After arranging for psychological as well as physiological testing the social worker will also coordinate with your family physician to determine if medication is need to relieve some of the extreme symptoms.
Think of the social worker as a long-term coordinator, creating a plan that's appropriate for your child, a plan that will likely need modification over time as the situation changes. This plan, which may last for your child's entire school career, will involve educational, medical, emotional, and practical issues. Working with your child on a regular basis, a social worker can also help to establish a self-monitoring behavioral system, which has been known to change classroom behavior over time.
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Tags: ADHD, assessment, Attention-Deficit, Disorder, help, Hyperactivity, school, social worker
Posted in
Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, How Social Workers Help, Mind And Spirit |
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Buell Central High School social worker Olivia Benford sits Thursday in the library of the school. Benford works with students who have behavorial problems at the alternative school.
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While enjoying an unusual break in the beauty parlor five years ago, school social worker Olivia Benford had a mysterious note placed in her hand by one of the stylists.
“It said, ‘Do you remember me? You helped me with my medical problem.' And I did remember her. I asked the girl why her friend didn't come over herself, and she said the woman would be embarrassed if I didn't remember her,” Benford remembers.
The woman was working at the parlor as a beautician, but she had been a student at Buell Central High School, where Benford works to help students with behavioral problems and those simply moving at a slower pace than regular high schools allow for.
Years earlier, the woman had suffered from a cleft palate, a genetic deformity that a botched surgery had failed to correct in her childhood. After watching the girl endure endless teasing, Benford had located a foundation willing to pay for the girl's surgery. The procedure was a success, and the girl went on to graduate and get married, eventually having children, before she ran into Benford at the beauty parlor.
“It was nice for me, because we don't have too many successes in this business,” Benford said.
While the success stories might be few and far between, Benford's accomplishments were enough to earn her the “2005 School Social Worker of the Year” award at a banquet in Austin on Feb. 17. That day marked the first time a social worker from the Rio Grande Valley had earned the award, she said.
For the past 15 years, Benford has worked with the school district's troubled students, who are sent to Buell on a temporary leave of absence from their regular schools due to disciplinary problems. Students caught with weapons or who have committed an aggravated assault will spend a year; students with gang affiliations or who are caught under the influence of drugs or alcohol will most likely spend around three months at the school.
“What I usually tell (the teachers) is treat the students with dignity and respect and they'll respect you. Once you have that, they're easier to work with,” Benford said.
“They have barriers there since childhood, and we have to try and lower those barriers.”
A self-described workaholic, Benford not only helps train the teachers, but counsels the students and their parents and runs the school's social programs, including drug interventions and food and clothing drives for needy students.
She's responsible for approximately 220 students at any one time, including those enrolled in the School of Options for mature students, the majority of whom will eventually return to their regular schools. But most will be back, she said.
“It's a revolving door, unfortunately,” she said.
“They go back to school and get into trouble and they're back here … But I believe that everyone has good in them. You just have to try and bring it out of them.”
Tags: Buell Central High School, communities, James Osborne, Olivia Benford, real life story, school, school social worker, social worker, student, teachers, troubled students
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Schools and Communities |
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