Back in Time

When giving advice to students, you might find yourself frozen and lost as to what advice to give them. If that is the case at anytime, just think, "WWID." What would I do? What would I have done if this was me, at that very age. It works. Trust me. Think about it. Rather than telling the student, "I don't know," and having them lose all hope of finding help, tell them "When I was your age, I would have done this." Maybe you had a similar situation or knew of someone with a similar situation that you could bring up to the student. When it comes to honesty, it is much better than just giving the student an answer of you not knowing. Your story might cheer them up. I had countless times where students would tell me that so and so was bothering them because of how they looked or who their friends were and I would constantly find myself telling them stories about when I was their age and what I would do in those situations. You would find within a few days the students attitude has completely changed and they have a new outlook on life.

Useful Websites for the Teaching Mind!

Please find below a useful list of websites that I believe to be helpful when dealing with adolescents.

Teen Health FX: This is a great site that gives you everything from your health to your body, to your relationships and sexuality.

Focus: This website focuses greatly on Alcohol and Teen drinking. It is mainly used for parents, but I believe that teachers can use it as well to help out the parents in situations like these.

Help Guide: This site takes you directly to Teen Depression and gives help for parents and teachers. However, looking further into the site you can find many more topics that you might deal with on an everyday business.

These sites are beneficial to both teachers and parents. As well, teachers can give some of these links to students in order to give the students another source for their benefit.

Self-Esteem: What defines Middle School

Students in Middle School are the most vulnerable to spoiling their self esteem. These students get affected quickly because they are changing to a new school environment. They are adjusting to the physical and emotional changes going throughout their bodies. Their feeling of being accepted comes from their friends and not adults, which was the case at a younger age.

According to Mary Pat McCartney, a counselor and former vice president of the American School Counselors Association, “no matter how much students have been swamped with praise by well-meaning parents, what their friends think of them is most important. Early on, it’s parents who affirm the young person’s worth, then it’s the teacher. In middle school, peer esteem is a powerful source of one’s sense of self.”

Michelle Borba, who is an author on self-esteem and achievement in children gives a list of things educators can do to improve the self esteem in students. The list, taken from this website , says:

"1)Mentor a child. Find one student who looks as though he or she needs a connection and just take a little more time (even one minute a day) to find a positive moment.

2)Connect with your team about a student. Pass on concerns to at least one other staff member so you’re both on the same page. You can then reinforce the same positive traits about a student together and optimize the effort.

3)Reframe children’s images of themselves. Find one positive trait that is earned and deserved—artistic, great smile, kind heart—and let the student be aware of it. Reframing an image generally takes 21 days, so reinforce the same trait 10 seconds a day for 21 days.

4)Turn students on to a great book, Web site, hobby, or a club that might capitalize on their natural interests or strengths.

5)Make yourself available. Give students your e-mail address and let them know special times you can be reached."