I’m impressed by the PBS Teachers site I discovered through Ypulse! They have an outstanding collection of lesson plans to teach students civic engagement. The site is called Access, Analyze, Act: A Blueprint for 21st Century Civic Engagement. PBS provides a fantastic resource — particularly for an election year! Modeling civic engagement and teaching kids the process is one of the greatest ways to produce students prepare to be agents of positive change in their communities.
Presidents from several top colleges and universities have joined together to form the Amethyst Initiative to prompt a debate about the national drinking age. While the Amethyst Initiative never specifically calls for the drinking age to be lowered, it is an assumed suggestion by most parties involved. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is vehemently opposed to the initiative and turns to research supporting that raising the drinking age has saved lives. 
What both sides of the debate agree on, is that college drinking is a huge problem.
As a fairly recent college graduate, I’m clearly aware of the pervasive binge drinking culture on college campuses and the often debilitating celebrations associated with turning 21. I also understand that saying “21″ is drawing a line in the sand, and it is fairly ridiculous to be considered an “adult” and not allowed to purchase alcohol.
I’ve also lost two family members to reckless drunk drivers, in separate accidents. I don’t think that lowering the drinking age to 18 is going to improve the safety of anyone, regardless of age, and if anything it shirks the problem down to the high school level. However, I also know that getting alcohol in high school is currently no problem for most students, so proponents of the lowered drinking age could say, “so what does it matter?”
It’s interesting to see the picture of college drinking on the Amethyst Initiative’s website vs. the one used in the CNN story. The Amethyst Initiative’s photo:
A classy champagne toast vs CNN’s photo:
A beer bonanza on the beach. From my experience, CNN’s photo looks much more like the reality of alcohol use in college.
The answer? I don’t have one. I do know that expectations for alcohol consumption start at home when kids are younger, and modeling responsible drinking (if parents choose to drink) starts with mom and dad as well. I’m interested to know your thoughts.
Anastasia Goodstein of Ypulse has proposed a great panel for this year’s South By Southwest. Ypulse produces top quality research and commentary on teens and youth marketing; we’ve enjoyed working with them over the years. We’d love for you to go vote for Anastasia’s ‘09 panel here to make sure teens get a voice in this year’s festival!
From Mashable: 35 Tools for Teachers. If anyone out there is still unfortunate enough to be managing student grades with a paper grade book, I would make going online with grades priority number one! It will change your life (not to mention give you back hours upon hours of time spent averaging and weighting student grades!)
I really enjoyed this post, The Teen Commandments, up on Teens Today with Vanessa Van Petten. There’s great advice for parents and teens to take to heart in Julie Dolan’s list!
- Nothing good happens after midnight. There is no social. educational, athletic, or spiritual event—at least none that you want your kids participating in—that begins that late at night.
- No sleepovers. Innocent slumber parties in the preteen years become, for teenagers, the equivalent of parent-sanctioned AWOL status for twelve to fourteen hours.
- Just call. No matter how late the hour or how much trouble he or she is in, your teenage should always call you when they get there or when they need a ride. No excuses.
- Only one electronic device—phone, CD player, blow dryer, computer, etc—may be operated at a time. I am not sure of the medical or scientific rationale but I know multiple electronics usage can’t be good for teenagers and it’s murder on parents. My son had the habit of simultaneously playing his electric guitar and answering e-mail.
- No piercing, no tattoos. One of our listeners amended this commandment by adding that corrective surgeries to undo body piercing and tattoos should not be financed with family funds. Let me just say that I am in favor of hair dying. It will wash or wear out and will make a great picture to blow up for his or her fortieth birthday.
- The presence of an older sibling does not make it better. When your fourteen-year-old says, “ Don’t worry, Mom, John’s older brother will pick us up,” just remember that John’s older brother is probably sixteen (see Commandment number 7)
- No sixteen-year-old can actually drive a car. Oh, they have a license, they’re behind the wheel, and they’re on the road but they are not “driving” as we know it. Driving doesn’t happen until seventeen or eighteen. The first year is a total free-for-all.
- Eat dinner with your kids. My son’s high-school principal gave me this piece of advice at the freshman orientation. I thought he was crazy, but making time for this group activity rally pays off.
- Find your son or daughter and adult friend. Face it, you’re the parent, not the friend. So find them an aunt, an uncle, a coach, a teacher, a minister, a neighbor, or some other adult to whom they can talk.
- Don’t forget to laugh. Someday you are going to appreciate how funny it was that your son hosted a graduation party at your house and invited everyone in the world but you.
- Be ready. Conversation, real conversation, between you and your teen usually comes at times when you least expect it.
I’ve been waiting for this.
For four years, to be exact.
As a little girl the Olympics were the only time I ever got to stay up late to watch TV, and about the only thing the entire family watched together. As a teenager, my friend Annie and I exchanged tapes of interviews with the swimmer of our dreams — Gary Hall Jr. pictured on right. In college, my freshman year roommate and I would rush to be done with our work by 8:00pm, so we could watch the reruns from 8pm-2am, since we’d missed them the first time for class. On campus at The University of Texas, I would make mad dashes across campus at the word of an Olympian siting — never to actually talk to my fellow Longhorns, but just to see them in awe. (A little pathetic, I know.)
I’ve been hooked for a long time, and what I think what has kept me engaged all these years, isn’t my love for athletics (as anyone who has ever met me could vouch) but that the Games remind us all of our commonalities. The Olympics are an opportunity for us as Americans, and as global citizens, to put aside our differences, political alliances, theological debates and unite to support our team. I find such hope in the Olympics that good does triumph over bad and our human sameness is much greater than our regional differences. I teared up the first time I saw this Visa commercial because Morgan Freeman’s distinctive narration captivated what I find most intriguing about the Olympic Games.
One of the few units I distinctly remember from the 3rd grade were the weeks we spent studying the Olympics in Mrs. Stouffer’s class. They have a fascinating history, and there is an incredible opportunity for teachers to create lessons about character from the example of Olympic athletes. Nike has produced a fantastic ad entitled “Courage” that could be a great jumping off point for discussion about courage, character, their tag line — “everything you need is already in you,” individual athletes, the song lyics “I’ve got soul, but I”m not a solider” or overcoming obstacles.
If you’ve got a great lesson or idea related to the Olympics, don’t hesitate to share!
At MindOH! we know that life lessons and character lessons come to us a variety of ways. While some lesson are intentionally taught, others just happen, but stick with us for a lifetime. This summer we’ve reached out to some of our friends to share with us a lesson they’ve learned. It’s our hope that these anecdotes will give you an idea for teaching character to the youth in your life, remind you of a lesson you’ve learned or just make you smile. If you have a story you’d be willing to share here, please email Amy (amy.strecker@mindoh.com).
Life Lesson: Take Responsibility for Your Mistakes, But Don’t Let Them Define Who You Are
Guest Post by Nathan Sigler
Allie is one of my very best friends. We go way back. When I was two years old, Allie was the brown-haired, blue-eyed girl in my preschool class. A couple of years later we enrolled in the same elementary school, and Allie and her family moved into a house on my block about the same time. It wasn’t long before we were spending every afternoon playing together with the other neighborhood kids. We grew up together, and by the end of junior high school we were close–we talked often and leaned on each other as best friends. But it was around then life threw me some hurdles.
When I was in eighth grade my dad got sick with cancer and died a few months later. That was hard. I lived with my mom with no brothers or sisters. My friends, family, and church were supportive—especially Allie, even though we were no longer on the same block. Then high school came along. Allie and I had both joined the tennis team. I was trying to have fun and do well in school but I missed my dad and life at home was (expectedly) different. I excelled in some areas, but by my sophomore year I was struggling with my grades.
My personal life got a little better when I got my first car. It was a navy 1990 Ford Bronco, and I loved driving it—but one night I parked it on the street and slept-in that Saturday morning as a rainstorm flooded the street and damaged it badly. I spent most of my savings getting it repaired. (Image found here)
A couple of weeks later I made an awful mistake—more devastating for three of my friends and one complete stranger than for myself. I was driving to a high school dance with three friends and looking forward to an evening of fun. My date was riding shotgun and Allie and her date, B.J., were in the backseat of my Bronco. I was following a friend who was driving her car, and we were approaching the dance. In a rush, I pulled out onto a street without taking a good look—right in front of an oncoming car. Allie and B.J. were badly injured in the wreck. There was a lot of blood. I didn’t know what to do. The paramedics were there quickly to help. Everything was a blur. I felt horrible and lost that night. I was responsible. I felt like the wreck was one more in the string of disasters that was my life—and I was the problem. I was a disaster.
Allie and B.J. spent several days in the hospital. They both suffered head injuries that would be bothersome for years to come, but luckily their lives would go on normally. I went to visit them and apologized to them and to their families. I was fortunate–their parents were gracious and forgave me. But I really felt the healing power of forgiveness when I spoke with Allie. I had brought her so much pain, but all she expressed to me was friendship and mercy. Over the ensuing years, she never made a hurtful or blameful remark about that night. Allie’s forgiveness ended up being the key that unlocked an incredible life lesson: she afforded me the peace necessary to realize that I am not to be defined by my mistakes. Despite what I’d felt, I wasn’t another disaster waiting to happen. I was tempted to label myself a screw-up, a danger to my friends, or a failed person, but I didn’t. With time, Allie and B.J. healed, and our friendships remained. With a renewed focus, I improved my performance in school. I was able to set some lofty goals, and I’ve even exceeded them. I resolved that when I made a mistake I’d take responsibility, forgive myself, learn, and then move on. Most mistakes—even big ones—aren’t a reflection of our worth or potential even though it’s tempting to think so.
These days I’m looking forward to my next accomplishment. My future success isn’t hindered by my mistakes because I learn from them—and, trust me, I still make plenty. I believe you have to create your own destiny. Only if you’re lucky will you have friends involved who will forgive you the way Allie and her family forgave me. You may just have to pull yourself up by your bootstraps.
At MindOH! we know that life lessons and character lessons come to us a variety of ways. While some lesson are intentionally taught, others just happen, but stick with us for a lifetime. This summer we’ve reached out to some of our friends to share with us a lesson they’ve learned. It’s our hope that these anecdotes will give you an idea for teaching character to the youth in your life, remind you of a lesson you’ve learned or just make you smile. If you have a story you’d be willing to share here, please email Amy (amy.strecker@mindoh.com).
Honesty is the Best Policy
Guest Post by Maggie Sayer
Natalie and Stephanie: You guys wanna do pizza and a movie tonight?
Me: I wish I could but I have a lab worksheet to do for Chemistry and I haven’t even started.
Donna: Me too.
Natalie and Stephanie: Oh come on, we won’t be gone THAT long and the lab can’t be that hard, just do it later when we get home.
Angela: Which lab? I took Chemistry last year and might still have the worksheet that you could borrow.
Donna: That would be great, don’t you think?
We had just finished club softball practice and a few teammates were getting together to grab pizza and see a movie. When my roommate Donna and I realized that Angela had the answers to the worksheet we needed, we figured we could change the answers around enough and speed up homework in time to make the pizza and movie.
First I checked out Angela’s worksheet and was embarrassed that I even looked because the lab actually seemed easy. But, nonetheless, I changed her answers a little bit on my paper and passed Angela’s sheet on to Donna and jumped in the shower.
Donna: Hey, how about if we drop these off in the Science building on our way to pizza?
Me: Perfect. That will speed things up too.
Donna: I’ll drop yours in Dr. Paul’s box and put mine in Dr. Smith’s, right?
Me: Great, I’ll be ready in 10 minutes then we can go.
The following evening, I headed to Chemistry lab to find that I was the only person in the class not to get their lab returned. My first thought was that Donna must have put it in the wrong professor’s box. So, I followed along and at the end of the lab, the Professor told me that I needed to go see the Dean of Academics because I was being accused of plagiarism. (Image found here)
I tried to think of a million different excuses. How could they prove I had cheated? I made sure I changed the answers around and even did some of the answers myself. This didn’t make sense.
In the end, instead of trying to make excuses, I decided to walk in and be honest with the Dean. I had only been taking Chemistry for fun as an extra class so if I had to drop out, that wouldn’t be a too big deal. My hope was that I wasn’t going to be thrown out of college for violating the Code of Ethics. When I sat down with the Dean, I found out that Angela’s lab work had been turn in directly behind mine which was how they knew I copied the answers or at least had help. I found myself feeling very angry with Donna, but the truth was, it wasn’t her fault that I cheated, it was mine. Donna wasn’t ever connected to the whole thing, although she felt badly about it. I was able to stay at the college, but had to write a letter to the Ethics Panel, automatically failed my Chemistry lab (which would show up on my transcripts forever) and had to somehow explain to my parents what happened.
As terrible as I felt at the time, I learned some pretty valuable lessons by this experience. The first was that my parents really do love me no matter what I do or how stupid my decisions might be. The second was as I thought I learned years before, I’m one of those people that needs to stay away from trouble because I’m the person that always get caught.
Maggie Sayer is the President and Founder of Family My Way – an online community focused on building support and providing resources for all types of families.
In my local school district, there’s a been a ton of hoopla this summer over the district-wide implementation of uniforms for the upcoming school year. Uniforms are something that private schools have been doing for generations, and in the last decade they’ve become increasingly popular in public schools as well. The local uniform here (at a high level) is very basic: 3 colored pant options, 3 colored shirt options, solid color shoes, no brands on clothing. When I was a high school student, I fought against uniforms from the pages of our school paper, but as a teacher, I would have loved a school wide uniform. Since I’ve heard more about uniforms in the last few months than previously in my lifetime, I’ve collected some of my own thoughts about the issue. (Example photo of uniformed kids in class found here)
Why To Uniform:
Cheaper – Having gone uniform shopping with several friends, outfitting a kid with uniforms is way cheaper than buying the brand name clothes kids want. I think the no-visible brands is a great part of the policy since it eliminates the need for top labels. Granted kids will still need some casual clothes, but they can probably be nicer and last longer since they won’t be getting school day wear and tear.
Safer Schools – No, kids aren’t going to stop joining gangs simply because schools have uniforms, but a uniform policy that limits the affiliations they can display is a step in the right direction. It is also much easier to tell who is a student vs. teacher vs. campus visitor vs. parent. Yes, someone can still dress in the uniform and come on campus, but in reality most campus visitors won’t, and it’s much easier to see who they are.
Fewer Distractions — From belt buckles with scrolling text, body parts hanging out, to pants covered with pictures of drug paraphernalia (and in that case I was STUNNED that the student had made it to my last period class without being sent home — WHAT!?) I know if I’m disgusted/distracted as the teacher, students are going to be too. Teachers trying to enforce a more open dress code also waste lots of time trying to distinguish lines in the sand with administrators, students and parents. That time is much better spent on engaging academic instruction. (I’ve visited dozens upon dozens of schools in the last years, and the most efficiently running ones all had uniformed students). (Example of belt buckle photo found here)
Fairness to Students — The aforementioned “lines in the sand” leave students with lots of “but she wore something this _________ the other day and you didn’t say anything!” Heck, maybe she did, but when dress code is determined on a case by case basis, it’s hard to be fair and consistent. What determines that a garment may be appropriate on one student, and inappropriate on another? Having a solid standard that’s applied to all students is better for the masses and doesn’t leave administrators and teachers in the position of defending their decisions.
Why Not To Uniform:
Limits Physical Expression — Students like to use their dress as a form of self expression. We all get that. It’s part of exploring identity. Different clothes often come with different roles/groups/classifications. However, there’s also plenty of outside-of-school time for the big kid version of pre-school dress up. What’s so bad about forcing students to find alternative means of self expression (words, actions, creations) that require a bit more self reflection to produce?
Requires a Wardrobe Revamp — You can’t just run to your local mall and be set to go. It can better a little bit more challenging to find the specific pieces to fit school uniform codes. However, school districts often want to help and will contact local retailers and ask them to carry these items. Many schools sell the pieces themselves for added convenience. However, once you find a retailer (or combination of several) who carry what you need, it can be simple school shopping for many school years to come. (Image found here)
It’s Not THE Solution to All That’s Wrong — and shouldn’t be presented as such. Uniforms aren’t going to increase school budgets, improve teacher competency, teach kids to read or magically solve a growing number of problems plaguing public schools. However, they do set a more professional and orderly appearance among the students. Dressing for the part is a large piece of adult life — we wouldn’t wear jeans and a t-shirt to a job interview (ok some adults would, but they probably wouldn’t be offered the job). Teaching kids about professionalism and how their appearance often conveys (correctly or other wise) attitude is a valuable life lesson for them to begin learning in school.
Having not attended, taught at, or sent a child to a uniformed school, I’m really interested to hear feedback from others! Feel free to share what you’d add to the list of pros and cons and your experience with uniforms.
