Internationally recognized author & educator for professionals, parents, and kids
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3 Ways that Kids' Anger Bites Back
515 years
by admin
in Uncategorized
How many of you were told as a child, “Don’t be mad at your friend. She was just kidding,” or even “It’s not nice to be angry with your parents?” How many of you–gulp–have even uttered messages like these to your own children? Don’t worry; my hand is raised also. Despite the fact that I just wrote a book about helping kids accept and manage angry feelings, sometimes these knee-jerk responses just fly out of my mouth–as they do everyone else’s.
Are they the worst things to say to a child? Well, having worked for several years with abused children, I can definitively say (more…)
New York State Lawmakers Approve Gay Marriage
80215 years
by signewhitson
in Uncategorized
Mayor Michael Bloomberg called it a “historic triumph for equality and freedom.” I couldn’t agree more.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110625/ts_nm/us_gaymarriage_newyork
I remember thinking as a child that it was so strange that my parents ever knew a time when black people had to sit at the back of a bus or couldn’t share a bathroom with whites. To me, it made my parents seem instantly old–part of a crazy, mixed up world. (more…)
Rosalind Wiseman, The WWE & the NEA
415 years
by admin
in Uncategorized
I just love a good debate…especially when I get to listen in on a conversation that is so well-stated by Rosalind Wiseman. Check out her most recent article, The Smackdown on Common Sense: How the Anti-Bullying Movement is Hurting Itself, a rebuttal of sorts and follow up to her article about the dubious partnership between the NEA, the Creative Coalition, and the WWE.
The New Partnership Between the WWE and the NEA: I See How It's Good for the Companies, but How Do the Kids Benefit?
415 years
by admin
in Uncategorized
This is an interesting & compelling article by Rosalind Wiseman on the partnership between the WWE and the National Education Association. She talks about the irony of the anti-bullying message that the WWE purports to deliver and the political & business agenda that motivates their efforts to become more “family-friendly.”
It is clear how the WWE benefits from a partnership with the NEA. And I even “get” how the NEA thought this partnership might be a good idea. But I can’t for the life of me figure out how kids are supposed to benefit. Isn’t that the group that both say they are aiming to reach? Seems like a whole lot of exploitation to me…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rosalind-wiseman/devils-advocacy-the-nea-a_b_876366.html
"Today I Said I'm Not Doing Anything…"
715 years
by admin
in Uncategorized
Stay at Home Moms
by Jennifer Johnson on Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at 1:09am
A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard. The door of his wife’s car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog. Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a Cartoon channel, and the (more…)
Seeing Isn't Believing: Helping Young Girls De-Bunk Media Myths
215 years
by admin
in Uncategorized
Check out this great video for sharing with daughters and talking about beauty pressures. As adults, we know that seeing isn’t necessarily believing, but it’s amazing (read: sad) how much kids buy in to what they see in the media.
Passive Aggressive Behavior in Schools: One Teacher's Learning Experience
915 years
by admin
in Uncategorized
I just received this great bit of feedback from a teacher in Alaska who recently completed the one-day training on The Angry Smile. The feedback I’d like to return to her: don’t beat yourself up about the “could’ve, should’ve, and would’ve.” We all make mistakes with the kids we are trying to help and we all wish we could do even more for them. It’s an incredibly difficult profession!
Learning new strategies and applying them is something to feel proud of and excited about. So, no more “Shame on me’s!” Feel good about all of your hard work–it’s tiring and often thankless, but the rewards in lives-changed and hearts-touched are endless.
Participant’s Feedback:
For years I’ve referred to many of the behaviors on the
“Recognizing the Warning Signs” page as self-destructive. I suppose they are, but I had never viewed
them from the viewpoint of how they might be symptoms of passive-aggressive
patterns. Often knowing why a student is
acting a particular way is the one piece of information we lack, yet it’s the
most crucial one. Now I understand that
Elijah turned in poor quality work with appalling penmanship as a strategy to
deal with his anger. I can even begin to
formulate a theory as to what his anger might be about, but alas this student
has moved on from my class. I think I
will forever remember him as the student I was able to help too late. For future students, however, the Angry Smile
class has provided me with a great introduction to what I would like to learn
about passive-aggressive behavior.
I wish I could go back and say to this student, “I’m
thinking you must find this work to be a waste of your time. I think we should forget about this
assignment and work together to find some tasks that you will feel good about
doing.” Or, “I see that you might have
completed your work, but once again I am not able to clearly read your
handwriting. I really wish I could
accurately read your story, because I know you have a vivid imagination. I sometimes feel like I might be missing the
most important parts.” Did I ever tell
him in a positive way that his handwriting stunk? Never, not once in three years. Shame on me!
This is another class that I would love to explore in
greater depth. I can see myself in the fall better equipped to recognize those warning signs
and patterns, and I think that is a good first step.
