Monthly ArchiveMarch 2015

Another education article, this one from The NewYorker

Another great article about the education system. This one focuses on the New York system, but it is similar to issues in most other states, including Florida.

Our system is broken! Politicians seem to believe that more of the same is what we need. Simply put, they are wrong. We must expect better!

Read the article here: http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/when-a-teachers-job-depends-on-a-childs-test

Interesting article about teachers from The Guardian

This is a very interesting article about teaching in the US and Britain. What does it take to be a good teacher and what impact does it have on the students? The article is a little long, but it is well written.

Accountability schemes certainly have not been effective here in the US. High stakes testing is ineffective in identifying which teachers are doing a good job. Moreover, incentives based upon the results of said testing are not producing substantial changes. In fact, we know that teachers that do the best job are those who have a passion for their work, not those who simply know that they will get more money for doing a good job.

What are your thoughts about how we can improve the education system? Is it reasonable to suggest that we will see student performance increase if we removed the ineffective accountability programs – which only seem to restrict teachers and stress students – and foster teachers’ enthusiasm?

Read the article here: http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/mar/11/revolution-changing-way-your-child-taught?CMP=share_btn_fb

The Ledger: Giving the Right Kind of Help

This week, Dr. Richard and I wrote about a new policy/mandate from the state that, in essence, disallows students from earning a D or F in a class. The decisions our lawmakers continue to make are astonishing.

What are your thoughts about this new State Statute? Is it good for students because it will ensure struggling students can pass, or is it opening the doors for more problems?

Here is the article: http://www.theledger.com/article/20150313/COLUMNISTS0419/150319699/1484/life?Title=Giving-The-Right-Kind-of-Help

Article about the 6 words parents should say to their child athletes.

If you read through this blog or ever hear me talk, you know that I love sports! I am not one of those guys who obsesses over every sporting statistic, I do think that sports are a nice microcosm of life in general: you work hard, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but you always try hard. As the parent of an athlete and as a coach, I found this article to be very insightful. It is short, but very direct.

Leave the coaching to the coaches and just enjoy the game. What do you think?

Here is the original article: https://fulleryouthinstitute.org/blog/the-only-six-words-parents-need-to-say-to-their-kids-about-sportsor-any-per

And the article referenced: http://growingleaders.com/blog/what-parents-should-say-as-their-kids-perform/

Heavy Marijuana Use in Teens–NBC News Report

There are more articles out today about the effects of marijuana on teen brains.  One that caught my attention reported on a study out of Northwestern University co-led by Dr. John Csernansky. Using the latest MRI technology, Csernansky and his research team found that three years of daily marijuana use could affect the shape of the hippocampus . The hippocampus is the part of the brain that we use to make and store new memories. Interestingly, it is same brain region that is destroyed by Alzheimer’s.

I won’t go into all the details of the study. And I don’t wish to start an argument about pot. What struck me about this article is the issue of heavy marijuana use.  As every parent knows, it is impossible to convince teens that smoking marijuana is probably not a good idea.  There are dozens of reasons why, but none will be heard.  What should be heard, however, is that daily use over months or years may due serious harm.

But the issue is not weed. The issue is use, or more accurately, heavy use.  It doesn’t matter what substance we are talking about.  Smoking large amounts of weed every day is a problem.  But so is drinking large amounts of alcohol, or large amounts of coffee, or soda. The problem is that heavy use of anything can be dangerous. Even drinking too much water is dangerous, because you can trigger a fatal condition called hyponatremia (water intoxication).  And it is possible to exercise too much.

So let’s stop arguing about whether weed is harmful.  It is for all kinds of reasons, but the real problems begin when a person uses too much and uses it too often.  This study shows us the consequences of daily marijuana use.  Not if it changes the teen brain, but where the changes are occurring.  The message is pretty simple.  Use too much, use too often and this is going to happen.

Legalized or not, using too much too often is a problem, especially in an adolescent brain.  We welcome your comments and questions.

Check out the original article here:  http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/legal-pot/kids-who-smoke-pot-grow-um-i-forget-n322476