Best Video Explaining the Teenage Brain

  I have used this video in the coaching classes I teach through Drake and AEA in order to better help adult coaches understand what is going on inside the brain of a teenager. And the part I find the most fascinating is that we are just now learning all of this and are continuing to learn more. The brain is nowhere near fully understood but we have learned a lot the past decade or more. This guy talks fast and the video is fast-paced, but if you listen closely, you will be fascinated by what you learned. And you will begin to understand your teenager a lot better. Enjoy!

Great Links from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America

Well, summer is here and I finally have time to catch up on my blog reading and blog writing. After skim reading about 100 blog posts from the Partnership fro a Drug-Free America, here are some of the articles and links that I thought were the best and the most important for parents and teens in our community. Take a moment today or this week and read these articles. Great information for parents and our teens. Thanks!

 Kids at Risk of Overdose due to Parent Medications
---Very important read for all of us. I take 2 medications daily and try my best to keep these away from my own little 4 children. But as they get older, I need to protect this medication even more to keep them away from possible danger.

Social Hosting Laws:
  ---Although Iowa apparently has no statewide Social Hosting laws according to this interactive website, it reminds you that local communities may. Not to mention the emotional damage that can occur if you were to allow underage teens to drink at your house, especially if they drive after that drinking.

Smoking continues to decline among teens, but drinking and binge drinking gets worse
---Good news on smoking, but bad news on drinking and binge drinking.

Myths BUSTED when it comes to parents who think letting their kids drink at home is safe and OK!
---This is a great article that shows all the myths of letting your kids drink at home as a safe way for them to learn about alcohol.

Did you know teens are using ADHD drugs to study? Most parents don't.
---10% of high school kids are doing this, but only 1% of parents think it is their child. Interesting....

Starting to drink at young age makes for heavy drinking later.
--Last article, but it is an important one.

Have a great summer and check back here often for many other updates I find as I read up on my blogs and studies on the Internet.

Colin Powell's TED Talk has Some Great Advice for Parents and Kids

 I love TED talk videos and check back each week to see what new videos are being shared and passed around the country. This time, Colin Powell's video is one of the most watched of the week. And now I see why, he has some great advice about kids and the structure they need. See the video below. Have a great weekend!

Apps for Education

   If you, your family, or your child got an IPad this Christmas or have recently acquired an IPad, this link might be a useful link for you to check out sometime. A blogger that I follow as an educator has posted a great resource of IPad apps that he has personally tested and used and thinks could be good for other people. Not all would be great for kids, but many are good apps that your child could use to improve or practice their educational skills at home or away from the classroom. Take a look and try some of them out.

Richard Byrne Free Technology for Teachers blog post about Apps click here!

Mindsets: New Research Shows What Parents and Educators SHOULD Say When a Child Does Well

  My wife and I are talking to our kids a little bit differently these days. Many families are. Many schools are. All of this is due to some interesting research on Mindsets, specifically the difference between "Fixed" mindsets and "Growth" mindsets. What we are learning is that we should be telling our kids that we are proud of their hard work and notice their hard work when they work hard and are successful instead of telling them that they are smart and brilliant and have amazing talent. Doesn't seem like it should make much of a difference, but watch these two videos below and then read the article and you will likely think about your words as well. Pretty impressive research and I am hoping our words will be making a positive difference in our kids lives and the lives of my students.





NY Times article on Mindsets and how we talk to our children click here!

Great Video on Power of Belief and Positive Mindset

   This video shows you the science and studies behind having a positive and hard working mindset as opposed to just being good at something. Fascinating stuff and makes me think of the words I say to my own kids and my own students and how much power they truly have. I hope in 2013 I can empower students and my own kids to continue to get better instead of becoming fixed in their current mindset.

Parents Information Site About Teens, Technology, and the Online World

I came across this website hunting for a technology video and after looking around I realized that it is a pretty good resource for parents. I did not look at everything on the site, but I thought the videos had lots of good topics and were pretty straight forward. Very informative for a parent who may not know what exactly their child is doing with technology or why they are doing it. Then, there is a blog attached to the site where general interest stories are posted. The site really wants to connect teens with parents and bridge the technology gap between the two. Also has some information on bullying and cyberbullying, which is always great! Please click on the two links below, the parts of the website I liked the most!

Teach Parents Technology! (TPT): Videos to teach parents about the technology their teens are using. Click here!

Home page for the parent portion of the website. Great articles and videos here too. Click here!


Website is called A Platform for Good.Org

Middle School Kids and Smartphones, a Recent Survey

Catching up on my blog reading, I came across a recent national survey questioning middle schoolers and their cell phone, or more specificially, smart phone use in and outside of school. Personally, I am noticing more and more students pulling out cell phones after the school day is done and more and more of these phones are smart phones. Even my own 8th graders have told me they sometimes complete my email assignments on their phones. We currently do not allow cell phone use in school and during the school day, but I know some middle schools do. With data like this in this survey, smart phone use in schools will only continue to be debated as to whether it should be allowed or not. Please see the survey at the link below.

Middle School Smart Phone Use survey

This Week is National Suicide Prevention Week

 

       This week is National Suicide Prevention Week in our country. Our recent local data on the Iowa Youth Survey shows that we have anywhere from 5-12% or our middle school students thinking about suicide, making a plan to commit suicide, or even attempting suicide. At the high school, those numbers rise to near 19% in some cases. That means 1 in 5 of our high school age students have had suicidal thoughts! If that is not scary enough, state and national averages are very similar. As a counselor, it is sad and downright scary to think that a handful of kids that walk into my classroom every class period could be contemplating suicide. This is a problem affecting our teens today. But it is not just affecting teens, it is affecting adults. Adults who have lost their job, going through family splits, and especially adults returning from active duty in combat. This is a great week for all of us to re-focus on each other and reach out to someone who is in need. People who are contemplating suicide typically do not reach out for help. They feel hopeless (Hopelessness is the #1 cause/symptom of suicidal ideation) so they will not seek help. We need to seek them. We need to help them. We need to give them hope. Only then can we start lowering those scary percentages listed earlier in this post. So please keep your eyes, ears, and hearts open this week and every week for those who need a lift. And please try to provide that lift or help them find the help they need. I have placed a link below with TONS of resources and information about suicide such as warning signs, support numbers and groups, and what the common person can do to help. Please click the link and educate yourself so that you can be part of the solution. Thank you!

Suicide prevention Week information and resources

----Lots of information on the website above, but I did want to copy/paste information from one part of the website showing you just how severe the problem is and why we need to work to prevent this from happening. See information below.

Scope of the problem

Suicide occurs when a person ends his or her life. It is the 10th leading cause of death among Americans. But suicide deaths are only part of the problem.  Suicide attempts impact a larger population—more individuals survive suicide attempts than die. And they are often seriously injured and in need of medical care.

Suicide Deaths in the United States

• There are far more suicides each year than homicides. In fact, in 2009, the number of suicides was  about twice that of homicides.
• More than  36,000 people kill themselves each year.

Suicide Attempts in the United States

• There are an estimated 12 attempted suicides for every one suicide death.
• More than 374,500 people with self-inflicted injuries are treated in emergency rooms each year.
• More than 163,000 people are hospitalized each year due to self-inflicted injury.

Age Group Differences

• Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 25- to 34-year olds and the third leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year olds.
• Suicide among 45- to 54-year-olds is a growing problem; the rate of suicide is higher in this age group than in any other.
• Although older adults engage in suicide attempts less than those in other age groups, they have a higher rate of death by suicide.  Over the age of 65, there is one estimated suicide for every 4 attempted suicides compared to 1 suicide for every 100-200 attempts among youth and young adults ages 15-24.

Gender Disparities

• Men die by suicide four times as often as women and represent 78.8% of all U.S. suicides.
• Women attempt suicide two to three times as often as men.
• Suicide rates for males are highest among those aged 75 and older.
• Suicide rates for females are highest among those aged 45-54.
• Firearms are the most commonly used method of suicide among males.
• Poisoning is the most common method of suicide for females.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities

• The highest suicide rates are among American Indian/Alaskan Natives and Non-Hispanic Whites.
• Asian/Pacific Islanders have the lowest suicide rates among males while Non-Hispanic Blacks have the lowest suicide rate among females.

Infographic Showing Our World if Just 100 People...

  I see these infographics and videos every year that take the world averages and numbers and boil them down to the idea of  "what if we were just a world of 100 people?" This infographic has all sorts of interesting information that will make you think and lead to discussions. I think you can make it bigger by clicking on it too.

Browse more infographics.

Big Cats/Little Cats Carlisle Mentoring Program WANTS YOU!

   We are entering our 3rd year of a program our counseling team calls "Big Cats, Little Cats". It is our in-house mentoring program. Most of our mentors are high school students and they mentor students between Kindergarten and 8th grade. It has been a great and successful program, but one of the downsides is that we don't have enough mentors to meet with all the students who have asked for a mentor each year. A program called Kid's Hope also provides adult mentors, but that is only up until 6th grade. Which means our middle school is usually very short of mentors, sometimes we have none! Between Kid's Hope ending and our middle school being a bit of a drive for high school students, we need to look for other options for mentors. That is where I hope you come in. I am looking for about 8 adult mentors for our middle school students, maybe more or less as student need arises. I already have about 3-4 adults paired up with a middle school student, but I know some students will ask as the year begins. I copy/pasted a letter we have used in the past when recruiting high school students. I thought it explained pretty well what you would be asked to do. But it basically boils down to our middle school students needing some homework help, but also needing just a positive adult role model outside of their family to play games with, chat with, learn about life with, and to spend time with. Unlike Big Brothers/Big Sisters, our program is totally in house and on-site....no weekends/weeknight activities outside of the school needed or wanted. Just about 30-45 minutes a week to visit with your Little Cat and see how things are going and help them where you can. If you have interest or think you can help, please call or email me and we can start the process of helping you become a mentor. 

Carlisle Big Cats/ little cats

Mentoring program

Volunteers must:

Ø  Be able to commit 30 minutes- same day and time each week

Ø  Be available for the entire school year

Ø  Provide assistance with school work

Ø  Be a positive role model

Ø  Be able to meet at the Middle School during school hours

Volunteers will mentor children to help them develop academically, socially, and behaviorally.  Studies show that spending one-on-one time with a child greatly enhances his/her self-esteem, relationships with others, avoidance of substance abuse, and academic performance.

Volunteers will have meeting with the building counselor at the beginning of each school year and will be monitored on a consistent basis by the Carlisle School Counseling Department.

If you have additional questions, please contact:

Benjamin Barry, Counselor

Carlisle Middle School

515-989-5413

Ben.barry@carlisle.k12.ia.us

Common Sense Media's Summer Guide for Learning Activities for Kids and Teens

Common Sense Media's Summer Guide for Learning Activities for Kids and Teens

   Thanks to Richard Byrne of Free Technology for Teachers for alerting me to another great thing one of my favorite sites, Common Sense Media, is offering. If you remember, Common Sense Media is a great place for parents and children to go to find accurate and detailed reviews about the newest movies, books, TV shows, and now games and apps. Now they have added a summer guide to learning apps you could download to a device or games that can be played on certain video game systems. They are broken down into 3 age categories and into 5 learning areas. I noticed that I have already downloaded some of the apps for my own kids. And of course, each app or game is rated by Common Sense Media so you can see how educational or applicable it is for your child. Enjoy!

Common Sense Media 50+ activities for summer click here!

This brief blogpost was copy/pasted from another blog I write and operate, Wildcat Websites. Figured it was good info for both parents and educators who use technology. Enjoy!

Great Story on CNN and Many Other Sites Right Now: From Homeless to Harvard

    Stories like this one that I just read on CNN.com right now always make me proud to be in education and help me understand how important educators are in a young person's life. But even more than that, how important any adult influences can be in a young person's life. This girl lived and survived through many difficult issues and events in her life. And despite those obstacles, or maybe even because of them, she will soon be enrolled at Harvard University and likely on to even bigger and better things. And just a year ago, she was homeless. Take a free 10 minutes in the next few days to read this article (a little long, but well worth it) and realize that we have students and young people like this girl in our community who need our support, guidance, or friendly and loving spirit. Even during the summer. And I hope your summers are going well!

From Homeless to Harvard click here!

Common Sense Media Now to Review Educational Gaming

Just a quick heads up about a great new route that Common Sense Media is going taking. While they will continue to give very detailed reviews of movies, tv shows, video games, and books for parents and kids so that we all know exactly what positive and negative messages are in these media options, they will now work to do the same with the many educational games and apps your kids get exposed to. As a parent of 3 young kids (soon to be 4!), I love the fact that I can use Common Sense Media for this purpose as well. My kids use our Ipod Touch and IPad a lot and I put many educational games on there. I also direct them to several online educational games. As a teacher, I think I know the quality of each game, but I also like knowing someone is researching them for me as well. To learn more, click on this link and please continue to use Common Sense Media to check out the media your child is consuming.

Common Sense Media's New Learning Reviews

High School Teacher Jill Hathaway Launches Her Book "Slide" Worldwide!

  Since my blog posts today seems to be media focused (books and movies), here is one more very special book debuting this month right here in Iowa and all over the world. Our very own Jill Hathaway, a literacy teacher at the high school, has had her Teen Fiction novel published and it is getting great reviews. In speaking with Jill, she wasn't so sure this book was age appropriate for our young middle school kids, but thought 14 and up might be a good age range for her target readers. CommonSenseMedia.org has not reviewed it yet as they do not review a lot of books, but many other sites and reviewers have. In fact, just today the teen magazine "Seventeen" published an online review of her book. You can read it here!

   Mrs. Hathaway will be at the West Des Moines Barnes and Noble on March 31st from 2-4 p.m. for her book launch. You can read about the details here! on the Barnes and Noble website of events.

   I am so excited for Mrs. Hathaway as I know she worked very hard for this, all while balancing her growing family and her job as an educator. Carlisle is honored to have her working with our students every day, many of them hoping to be published authors themselves. Now they get to watch a teacher of theirs reach her dreams and go through the process and continue to inspire teens she comes into contact with to do the same. Congrats Jill and I am looking forward to your book launch and all the success that comes with it. Parents and teens who read this blog....look for "Slide" on your local bookshelf and give it a read and enjoy the ride!

Final Quarter Begins!

   The final quarter of the school year begins and it is a 9-week quarter with no days off, so it will go quickly. Grades for the 3rd quarter are due early next week so that report cards can be sent out by mid-week. The 4th quarter can be challenging as the work is likely at its toughest level of the year and the fact the weather gets warmer and the days count down to summer. This means students may start to lose focus, especially our 8th graders who will be thinking about high school already. The ironic part is that this quarter is the most important as it really tells a lot about a student and a person when you look at how they finish. Teachers will be engaging students and helping them work on key projects and assignments down the stretch and hopefully you can help them stay focused at home too. Remember to check the online grades often and contact their classroom teachers at the first sign of problems. When you catch a problem early and especially by May, it is much easier to solve. With all of this said, I hope you all have a great final weekend of Spring Break and look forward to seeing all of the students back this next week.

Parenting Practices and Tips to Help Your Child Avoid Drugs and Alcohol

One final resource tonight, but a good one. If you get a moment to read about some ways you can help your child avoid drugs and alcohol as they grow, please do so. A little bit of a long read, but some really good stuff. You might even just print it off and read it when you get some downtime and keep it for later to review or even discuss it with your child. Lots of good, basic parenting tips in there that many parents are already doing, but good to hear you are doing the right thing and likely still a tip or two that we can all learn from. Take a look!


Click here for 6 Parenting Practices to help reduce the chances your child will develop a drug or alcohol problem

Quick Q&A on K2 and Bath Salts

  Ran across these Q&A blog posts from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America blog. Good, quick information. Please visit their blog (Click here!) or follow their blog to stay up to date on the latest information and battles to keep our teens and even adults drug-free!

K2 – Spice

What are the street names/slang terms?

The most common names for synthetic marijuana are K2 and Spice, but it is also sold as Bliss, Black Mamba, Bombay Blue, Blaze, Genie, Spice, Zohai, JWH -018, -073, -250, Yucatan Fire, Skunk and Moon Rocks.

What is synthetic marijuana?

K2 or Spice is a mixture of herbs, spices or shredded plant material that is typically sprayed with a synthetic compound chemically similar to THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

What does it look like?

K2 is typically sold in small, silvery plastic bags of dried leaves and marketed as incense that can be smoked. It is said to resemble potpourri.

How is it used?

K2 products are usually smoked in joints or pipes, but some users make it into a tea.

What are its short term effects?

Short term effects include loss of control, lack of pain response, increased agitation, pale skin, seizures, vomiting, profuse sweating, uncontrolled / spastic body movements, elevated blood pressure, heart rate and palpitations. The onset of this drug is 3-5 minutes, and the duration of the high is 1-8 hours.
In addition to physical signs of use, users may experience: dysphoria, severe paranoia, delusions, hallucinations and increased agitation.

What are its long term effects?

Unknown

What is its federal classification?

On March 1, 2011, DEA published a final order in the Federal Register temporarily placing five synthetic cannabinoids into Schedule I of the CSA. As a result of this order, the full effect of the CSA and its implementing regulations including criminal, civil and administrative penalties, sanctions, and regulatory controls of Schedule I substances will be imposed on the manufacture, distribution, possession, importation and exportation of these synthetic cannabinoids.

Source: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), National Institute on Drug Abuse, American Association of Poison Control Centers

Bath Salts

What are the street names/slang terms?

Bath Salts are sold under a number of different “brand” names, and as different products, such as plant feeder or insect repellent. Brand names include: Bliss, Blue Silk, Cloud Nine, Drone, Energy-1, Ivory Wave, Lunar Wave, Meow Meow, Ocean Burst, Pure Ivory, Purple Wave, Red Dove, Snow Leopard, Stardust, Vanilla Sky, White Dove, White Knight, and White Lightning.

What arebath salts?

Bath Salts are substituted cathinones, which are synthetic, concentrated versions of the stimulant chemical in Khat. Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), mephedrone and methylone are the chemicals most often found in Bath Salts.

What does it look like?

Bath Salt products are sold in powder form in small plastic or foil packages of 200 and 500 milligrams under various brand names. Mephedrone is a fine white, off-white or slightly yellow-colored powder. It can also be found in tablet and capsule form. MDPV is a fine white or off-white powder.

K2 is typically sold in small, silvery plastic bags of dried leaves and marketed as incense that can be smoked. It is said to resemble potpourri.

How is it used?

Bath Salts are usually ingested by sniffing/snorting. They can also be taken orally, smoked, or put into a solution and injected into veins.

What are its short term effects?

Short-term effects include very severe paranoia that can sometimes cause users to harm themselves or others. Effects reported to Poison Control Centers include suicidal thoughts, agitation, combative/violent behavior, confusion, hallucinations/psychosis, increased heart rate, hypertension, chest pain, death or serious injury. The speed of onset is 15 minutes, while the length of the high from these drugs is 4-6 hours.

What are its long term effects?

Unknown

What is its federal classification?

On October 21, 2011, DEA published a final order in the Federal Register exercising its emergency scheduling authority to control three of the synthetic stimulants that are used to make bath salts. As a result of this order, these synthetic stimulants are designated as Schedule I substances under the Controlled Substances Act.

Source: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), American Association of Poison Control Centers

8th Grade Orientation and Middle School Conferences coming up!

Parents....just a heads up on some "parent/student" events coming up in the next 3 weeks!!

Thursday, Feb. 23rd from 6-8 p.m.: 9th Grade Orientation night at the high school for 8th graders and their parents who have a last name that starts with the letters A-K. The first 30 minutes are an Activities Fair featuring all of the activities that high school has to offer outside of the daily curriculum. The presentation will start at 6:30 and the night will finish with a sit down meeting and work session with your child's high school advisor for the next 4 years.

Monday, Feb. 27th from 6-8 p.m.: 9th grade orientation again at the high school, but this time for 8th graders and their parents if their last name is between L-Z.

Thursday, March 1st from 4-8 p.m.: Parent/Teacher conferences at the middle school for all middle school students and parents/guardians. Please attend....this is a great time to touch base with a teacher(s) or class where your child has struggled or may need extra support. Or maybe just to hear lots of praise!

Monday, March 5th from 4-8 p.m.: Parent/Teacher conferences night #2! If you missed the March 1st night, come on this night. We would love to have everyone attend!

Wow...busy 2-3 weeks. Hope we see lots of parents at these events. Spring Break is near.... :)

"Girls in Science" Event at the Science Center

As a former science teacher, I really, really like science. And I watch my wife excel everyday as a physician's assistant, once thought to be a "man's job". But the world is changing and more and more women are getting involved in science careers. Schools are changing too and encouraging girls to take more science classes. Now the Science Center is getting involved by hosting a "Girls in Science" event at the Des Moines Science Center. Here are the details of the event, but you can also click on this link to see the same details and explore this opportunity more.

Click here to learn more!

So, if you have a daughter who is even remotely interested in science, please consider this great opportunity. It might really inspire her and let her meet and hear about many great women in science and maybe even become a great "woman of science" someday as well!

Details:

Girls in Science

Through our new Girls in Science Initiative, the Science Center of Iowa aims to empower and equip girls in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in order to promote girls’ early engagement in STEM, encourage pursuit of these careers and develop a diverse workforce for the 21st century.

The Girls in Science series will include informal learning opportunities to meet successful women scientists and learn about careers in STEM fields.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Girls In Science Event
Saturday, February 18 – 11:00 am - 4:00 pm

Join us as we explore the many careers and opportunities for girls in science, technology, engineering and math and celebrate the many women scientists in our own community! Programming is targeted for girls ages 7-14, but all are welcome. Event is free with SCI admission.

Schedule of Events:

• 11:00 am - 4:00 pm – Girls in Science "Fair"
  Learn about careers in STEM as we showcase local organizations and women scientists
• 11:00 am – Presentations from local women in science
  -Ann Staudt - Iowa State University Chemical Engineering/Enviromental
  -Erin Ginkens - Entrepreneurial Technologies
  -Ethnobotanist- Drake University
  -Megan Salois - WHO-HD Channel 13
  
• 1:00 pm – Keynote Presentation: Ana Tavares, joint-field director, Ancient Egypt Research Associates (AERA)
  Archaeologists piece together information about the past from clues they find in their excavations. They use a variety of techniques that range from very physical (working with a pick axe and pushing wheel barrows full of dirt) to very meticulous (drawing, photographing and recording in great detail) to very sophisticated (interpreting data, researching and writing results). But most of all, archaeology is a passionate quest for a glimpse of ancient peoples and cultures. Join Ana Tavares to learn about the career she loves!
  
• 2:00 pm – Presentations from local women in science
  -Kimi Evans - Red Rock Wildlife
  -Kim Glenn - ISU College of Engineering
  -ISU EDGE
• -IPTV

• -Gina Francis - John Deere

• The Science Center of Iowa is an official SciGirls® museum. Based on the best practices in STEM education for girls,SciGirls’ videos, online resources, hands-on activities and professional development work together to address a singular but powerful goal: to inspire, enable and maximize STEM learning and participation for all girls, encouraging greater interest in these careers.

  SciGirls is produced for PBS by National Productions and is made possible by the National Science Foundation. Additional support by ExxonMobil.