The Latest in Youth Issues
The Dynamic Dozen: 12 Tips for Helping Students with Test Taking
Test anxiety is a common occurrence among students. It is natural for young learners to feel anxious and stressed about exams as they are developing academic skills and learning how to cope with pressure. However, test anxiety can be detrimental to their performance, leading to poor grades and negative self-esteem. Therefore, it is crucial to help students ease test anxiety…
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Why Social-Emotional Learning Belongs in School Curriculums
COVID-19 undoubtedly caused a mental health crisis. Young people, especially Black and Hispanic youth, were hit particularly hard during the pandemic, with reports having showed increased levels of depression, anxiety, stress, distress, and substance use. Despite this, young people have historically shown that they feel they are leaving high school without the tools needed to experience success in college. Sixty percent…
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Teacher Burnout: A Growing Problem in Schools
Teacher Burnout: A Growing Problem in Schools The expectations of American teachers are at an all-time high. They’re expected to adapt to a wide range of student learning styles, accommodate special needs students with IEPs and 504s, juggle attendance, plan curriculum, manage parents, and now, deal with the aftermath of lost time with students due to the pandemic. In a 2022…
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Six Activities that Inspire a Goal-Setting Mindset in Students
Six Activities that Inspire a Goal-Setting Mindset in Students When researchers from the University of Scranton tracked 200 people who had made New Year’s resolutions, they found that close to 80 percent kept their pledges for one week—but just 19 percent managed to stick to them for a period of two years. There are plenty of reasons resolutions fall flat. We tend…
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Self-Care During the Holidays
Self-Care During the Holidays The Holidays are meant to prompt joy, but reality is they may evoke stress as well. The most wonderful time of the year is known to prompt joy, but the reality is that it may evoke stress as well. While this season is often associated with splendid sentiments of love and happiness, for many others, unpleasant feelings may be…
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Strategies to Improve Listening Skills in Students
Strategies to Improve Listening Skills in Students Listening is a skill like any other—it can be improved with practice. It often ends with a sigh of relief. The feeling of knowing—they got it. You explained it, offered time to process, and asked for clarification—you know the cliché question “Does everyone understand?” As you peered into the crowd, youngsters nodded with…
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Learning The Flip Side of Emotions
Learning The Flip Side of Emotions How to not run from anxiety but embrace it. Beat, beat, thump. Beat, beat, thump. Those were the sounds pounding in my head as I waited for my plane to take off. I had always loved to fly. The thought of boarding a plane made me feel energized. For years, I had happily walked…
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Learning from Mistakes
Learning from Mistakes Helping Kids See the Good Side of Getting Things Wrong Learning from mistakes and errors is an important part of child and adolescent development. Most adults understand this concept. Yet, we have failed to teach our children that there is a positive side to getting things wrong. Many children grow up in a society that pressures them…
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A Formula for Healthy Coping Strategies
A Formula for Healthy Coping Strategies Written by Kate Bartlein, author of Felix and the Feelings Formulas Perhaps you are familiar with “coping strategies” or “coping skills,” but what exactly are they? Coping strategies are our thoughts and behaviors in response to a big emotion or challenging situation. They can look and sound different for each person. One person may…
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Helping Kids When They Worry
Helping Kids When They Worry Adults can help kids and teens face new things without letting worry hold them back. As kids grow, they face many new things. Starting school. Meeting new friends. Learning to swim. Competing in sports. Learning to drive. Each new thing can feel like a big step forward. When kids and teens face new things, they…
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How to Help Kids Overcome Fear of Failure
How to Help Kids Overcome Fear of Failure According to the research on failure, students may need more than just grit to succeed. A couple of weeks ago, a New York Times op-ed asked the question, “Are kids too coddled?” In other words, shouldn’t we let them fail once in awhile so they develop some backbone? Or don’t they just…
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Hello, Anger
Hello, Anger By: Jessica Sinarski Anger is everywhere. From a brain perspective, it makes sense. Stress has been high these past couple of years. Our brains and bodies don’t automatically recognize the difference between physical danger and feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, or anxious. Maybe that’s why signs like this have been popping up, a gentle reminder not to let our…