Teens are impulsive. That spontaneity is part of their charm. And it’s part of the problem, too.
Picture this: Nick sees a cute girl downstairs by the lockers. He thinks that he can impress her if he jumps over the stair rail from the upstairs landing to the commons below.
Not impressive, Nick, when the paramedics have to haul you to the clinic for a cast.
Like it or not, what happens in cyberspace doesn’t stay in cyberspace. According to a recent Pew Research Center report, 15 percent of our students have received a nude or nearly nude photo or video of someone they know. Four percent are sending sexual photos or videos of themselves.
As teachers we know that the schoolhouse gate doesn’t serve as a barrier to information from the real world. The sexual text messages and instant messages (sexting) our teens send to one another during their online evenings can create a lot of trouble during the offline school day.
Your students are spending a lot of their free time online. Think of the number of hours you estimate they spend online. Double it. The doubled number is probably closer to the truth.
According to the Norton Online Living Report 2009, parents believe their children spend 21 hours online. The reality is that students in twelve countries reported spending 39 hours online. Don’t tell me these kids don’t have time to finish their assignments or clean their rooms.
Social aggression among girls includes behaviors such as social ostracism, gossip, talking behind backs, verbal attacks, glaring and eye-rolling, and manipulating relationships. Victimization is related to a number of mental health outcomes such as depression, loneliness, and poor self-concept (Crick & Bigbee, 1998; Crick & Gropeter, 1996; Paquette & Underwood, 1999). Teachers are all too familiar with the impact that outcomes such as these can have on students’ school performance and attendance.
Brad was a pill in fourth period. You talked with him, you moved his seat, and you kept him after the bell rang. That was yesterday. And today. It was last week, too. Brad’s behavior is disrupting learning in your classroom and you need to call home. Now.
No one wants this phone call, not you and Brad’s mom. The longer you wait, the worse the situation becomes, though, so don’t postpone parent contact.
Should we publicly praise students?
Many teachers believe that if they publicly praise a student that is doing very well, it will motivate others to be like that student.
In fact, often the opposite is true.
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