With Children, Life Is A Daring Adventure!

The latest trend to hit high schools is supervised teenage gambling at the Post Prom School Party. Over the past few months I have received numerous emails from parents, students and school faculty expressing concern about the new alternative entertainment. In all cases these people believe it would do more harm then good.

The concept became reality for students once the Post Prom Committee voted to accept this new alternative entertainment.
This Post Prom Committee believes this is safe night party for the High School prom. The students who are taking part are between the ages of sixteen and eighteen years old. Each student is able to purchase fake money to gamble with and at the end of the night they can trade this money in for prizes with at the end of the night. Some parents believe this is a safe wonderful event for their children. While others believe this

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So, there is a bully that you just can’t catch! You have been trying for years and no luck!

Well, I have learned with good documentation, anything is possible - even building a great case for catching that hardcore bully.

1. I keep a large file card on each student that I speak with, and the bullies are usually referred to me at some point.

On this card, I make note of the date of the conference and generally what the student and I spoke about. If the student is referred to guidance for peer mediation, that is documented also.

2. If this bully is tormenting tons of kids, I put out a memo to the team of teachers who have the bully in class, and ask them to jot down any bully or teasing behavior they see or hear from the bully.

3. The students who are reporting that the bully is bothering them

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Starting college is a big milestone in anyone’s life. In some families, starting college is almost like getting married - it’s a big step, a giant move towards independence. Everything that happens during college counts towards the future - that’s why it’s so important for students to start college on the right footing.

First of all, see if you have everything all pinned down before you start college. If your college is going to be quite a distance away from home, you’ll need to find a place to stay. And if you’ve already found a place to stay, you’ll need to find roommates who can share the rent with you. You’re only starting college and finances are going to be tight - with someone sharing the place with you, you can bring the expenses down.

The next thing that you have to decide on before starting college is the mode of transportation.

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Parents now realize if their teenager develops a compulsive gambling addiction their future course of action and time involvement is unknown. This isn’t something that is here today and gone tomorrow.

Compulsive teenagers with a gambling addiction have one or more of the following in common:

1. School grades drop
2. Social development decreases
3. Low self esteem
4. Self destructive behavior
5. Asking you why this happened to them?
6. Thinking suicide is the only way out.
7. Stealing
8. Pawning personal possessions
9. Negative Attitude
10. Cutting School
11. Disappearing for long periods of time
12. Blaming the parent because they gamble too.
13. Working a part time job to pay off debts
14. Stopped after school activities
15. Watched poker tournaments on cable and television
16. I tried to stop but I couldn’t

Parents have been forced to educate themselves on the above when confronted with their teenager’s gambling addiction. From there they try to find answers instead they have more questions. They are not

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As a mindfulness trainer, I’m a big fan of promoting greater mindfulness in the classroom. However, it’s interesting to me that those who seem to be the most thoughtful and passionate proponents of mindfulness in education are the ones most likely to be trapped by their limited thinking.

Now, don’t get me wrong.

I praise those who introduce silence, stillness and contemplation among students. I applaud those who explain the concept of mindfulness and invite their charges to explore the wonder of watching the mind in action. I celebrate the teachers who use “mindfulness” as an everyday word in their lessons.

But why stop there?

In the name of recess, field trips, and all that kids hold holy in school, can’t we make mindfulness FUN?

By using bells to signal silence and having kids close their eyes in order to be mindful, we’re sticking to the tried-and-true meditation model.

Must we?

Could kids settle peacefully in their

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You have had so many meetings on these bullies, but none of them ever seem to be effective.

You waste time and energy, and the bullies keep bullying.

Follow these 5 steps and have a meeting that produces results.

1. Be sure you have the decision makers at the meeting. It is fine to meet with the team of teachers, psychologists, social workers in attendance. But, in order to get anything accomplished, you need the staff members present that can make the decisions.

Be sure you have the principal or vice-principal of the building present, so decisions can be made and carried out.

If the bully is a hardcore bully, you will need the Pupil Services Supervisor or Alternative School Principal from the Board of Education present. If your plans are to remove the bully from the school, be sure to have the appropriate staff members present.

2. Be sure to invite the parent(s) or guardian

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As aunt of a preschooler and an aspiring voiceover actress (I knew all those hours of watching Bugs Bunny would come in handy), I know all the kids‘ shows as well as every kids’ DVD out there.

In my opinion, there’s no better way celebrities can recoup their outrageous salaries than entertaining and sometimes educating kids. And They Might Be Giants get the “cooler than Elvis” vote for singing the theme song to one of Playhouse Disney’s newest hits, “Higglytown Heroes,” which is also on their CD/DVD for kids, “Here Come the ABCs.”

For those of you not familiar with all things Higgly (an adjective used as much as “Smurfy” but not, thank Higgles, as a verb), the series centers on a small town and four tots named Eubie, Kip, and siblings Wayne and Twinkle. Think “South Park” with better art and no foul mouths. The strongest language is, “Aw, pickles,” usually

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Kids often start using the Internet at about the same age they go to primary school, or perhaps a bit later. If your son or daughter is new to the Web it means he or she is relatively young — and you, a parent, are an indisputable authority. Your kid tries to imitate you, bombards you with questions, listens to your advice (and sometimes even follows them), asks you for help, appreciates your tutoring him. It’s the best time to tutor your child how to avoid various online dangers.

Kids and young teens can freely access the Internet from computers at school, at their friends’ homes and in public places such as libraries and even from cell phones and video game consoles. Internet is everywhere, that is why kids and teenagers (and their parents, too) should be well aware of its perils and know how to avoid them.

Searching and Surfing

Kids

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Nothing touches the heartstrings of a parent or teacher more than the plaintive cry “nobody likes me” or “I don’t have any friends.” We wish there were something we could do to insure the child will be, if not the most popular, at least included in the games on the playground. Actually, there is something we can do to increase their acceptance by the group and become more approachable to others.

New research shows that all likeable children behave in certain ways. These skills are not in-born but can be taught by parents, teachers and other caring adults. There is a language of likeability that some children cannot pick up by osmosis, but must learn. It has been called a “shorthand” to making friends. Not only does fitting in and having friends feel good, it has numerous other advantages including better grades, healthier bodies, less stress, and more opportunities to learn

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As we pack our K-12 kids up and get them ready for another school year, we need to be constantly thinking about their safety. This applies both to their travel to and from school and their safety while on school grounds.

Parent drivers must remain watchful. Children dart unexpectedly into traffic, often from between parked cars. And young pedestrians face a variety of dangers while walking to and from school. Here are a few basic safety tips to follow:

Mind all traffic signals and the crossing guard.

Walk your bike through intersections.
Walk with a buddy.

Wear reflective material. It makes you more visible to street traffic.

The US Dep’t. of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration suggests the following safe bicycling practices:

Always wear a helmet.

Always ride on the right side of the road. Never ride against traffic.
Ride single file. When passing other bikers or pedestrians,

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