A writer's Random ramblings
“Really?,” you ask. “Can television news seriously be good for the children?” Educationally speaking, yes, the good, the bad, even weather and sports reports provide important lessons.
On the easiest front, where reports are most young-child friendly, weather and sports assist parents in teaching math, science, and geography. Both types of reporting allow for basic math practice. The parent can show the child how to compare sports scores or changes in temperature as he or she learns the concepts of greater than and less than. Calculating team statistics shows how addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division work. Weather patterns show both the concept of pattern itself and some basic science principles for elementary children. Maps show in weather introduce geography, which spills over into where sports teams play and other news stories happen as the scope broadens. Many news stories stream in from the world over. After strengthening geography skills by finding the setting of that story on a map, the family can discuss why a witness at the scene may need linguistic interpretation for others to hear what happened. Children gain skills in the language of the broadcast as parents define words in the news for them. This, especially in “bad news” stories, can lead to dialogue about why the event occurred. The “why” factor behind bad news can show how children should feel safe with trusted adults. It also lets them know how some people react badly to others out of fear when it would make more sense to walk the other way or talk out differences. Use these times to teach children what to look out for and report to trusted adults. Of course, while watching news with children, highlight any good stories that come up. Call them into the room if they have left before a good citizen is honored. Such stories as getting emergency help when someone needs it or serving the community well show that good people still exist and fear does not need to take over. Always discuss what makes these news accounts so good for society. Tell the child how the person being reported shows that anyone can improve the world. Add in anything else you may have seen around your own community of people making it better. When the child is receptive, talk about how he or she can serve. Although reports tend to have too many bad stories, television news can still teach society. Curious young folks benefit most from this approach watching with people who explain things to them. They can then learn many subjects and prepare for school.
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Whether we identify as introverts or extroverts, anyone identifying as alive survives traumatic events. Death, divorce, chronic disease, miscarriage, and accidents name several such circumstances. If you hear of one and the survivor you want to help is an introvert, how do you decide the best way to assist? Here are five ways to at least begin:
Using these hints can make consoling a grieving introvert and his or her family much easier on all involved. The introvert may grow to trust the offers of help more. As always, everyone understanding each other, but especially others learning about introverts, becomes the cardinal rule in making peace on earth. The dementia patient’s final weeks bring anxiety to the entire family. The soon to be survivors worry whether a call announcing the patient’s death will come in the middle of the night. More uncertainty piles up on top of this. Who should visit the patient in his or her final days? Who needs to be present at any funeral or memorial services the family may hold? Should children be of a certain age in order to do these things? Which family members need to handle what parts of telling those who need to know and the services that happen? When do any children in the family picture need to know what is happening and how much of it? How does the patient’s in-law handle his or her own murky feelings while supporting others through this time? How much grieving needs to be done at this time and in what way after so many years of team suffering on the family’s part?
Chances are, shortly after the patient’s death, the whole family will feel a “brain fog” where nothing appears to make sense. It will seem as if the rest of the world goes by too quickly to catch up with it. These feelings plus trying to help family and friends process my mother-in-law’s death about 8 years after her diagnosis led to my taking an extra week in chronicling this part of the experience. Anger and sadness naturally follow the patient’s death. When these come, the person feeling them needs to take a deep breath and figure out how to discuss them civilly to avoid more hurt feelings among others in the room. For some who have had a long road of dementia before the patient dies, less negative emotions may surface, or they may take longer to process. Reminding one another in the family of good times with the patient will always help with grieving. Each person there will handle the experience differently as an individual, so be ready to adjust for each one. Some, as I have, seem to handle things quickly after a years-long process where they were the first left out of the patient’s memory bank. Others need longer amounts of time, while for many, different parts of the grieving process may come and go as triggers arrive reminding them of their relationship to the patient. Houses with children have many considerations after a death, as they did during the patient’s disease. First, for any school age children, inform counselors and teachers at the start of each school year so they can be ready to help. This helps the professionals know which children to watch more closely, especially as families mention the patient’s death and the children need help in coping. Always keep the children informed by answering questions they may have in ways appropriate to their developmental level. Let younger ones ask the questions, especially if they were born after the patient’s diagnosis. Those who never got to know that grandparent may not have much to ask, or may need extra time to process events before asking about them. However, when the patient dies, do not let the children know. They will be better served to hear this news from the patient’s son or daughter. Hearing it from another person will make the youngster wonder why he or she received secondhand news and possibly question if it is real. Once the children know that the patient has passed away, discuss with them how they feel about the death and attending any services being planned. Be sure to let them know that attending services, especially for those who knew the grandparent, will help bring closure and peace. Being there to say a final good-bye can also help shorten the grieving cycle for the youngster as well as the family. The hardest thing, if services must happen on a school day during those hours will be making up the work. If the timing of such services versus the school day does not permit the child to attend school, be sure to explain that as well and send a note to the school before the services happen. Above all, tempting as though it may be, do not hide your own feelings. It will not seem in many cases like “just the in-law” can get away with grieving or hurting, but this is necessary to helping yourself in order to bolster the family. Explain to the family and friends that you do feel these ways, probably more sad than anything after any amount of good years with the patient before the disease came along. If the family plans a service of remembrance, ask your spouse how you can help. If you know of any, list music or readings the patient enjoyed and shared with you. Help find recordings of or someone to read, play or sing those pieces at the service. Keep up with your own support system or hobbies that brought comfort during the course of the patient’s decline. Whenever possible, take the time to process your thoughts and feelings so you do not fixate on them and hurt even more. *This post relates back to my book of essays Don't Forget the In-Laws: The Other Side of Dementia's Fence. It can be found at http://booklocker.com/books/7719.html Dementia, Alzheimer and Parkinson’s Disease
Eat away at the souls of patients’ families as Medicine searches for cures and answers Ensuring that policy can be made Nearer to here and now, in humane Timely ways before we lose too many Illuminators of society Alongside the grandmas and grandpas of our citizenry. As youngsters return following summer break for a new year of school, adults debate over how school schedules should look. What’s better, more time off in the summer or winter? More national or religious holidays off? Fast or slow track for various students and courses? How do we tell which way to answer each question? Each school and system has many considerations in resolving these questions.
On the system wide level, two concerns require the most thought. One, how does the weather in the area affect learning and transportation? Two, what demographics prevail in the area to determine what holidays need to be days off from school, and which would children be better off learning the origins of on that day? Schools in areas with hot weather at either end of the school year and no air conditioning benefit the most from starting school later in the year. These places could give a shorter winter or spring break than their neighbors to make up the time. Colder areas where more snow typically falls in winter could easily reverse this, taking time off during the snowiest season when travel becomes too difficult and starting and ending school later than other places. In either case, once the school year begins, schools only need to close during treacherous travel weather, not at the time of its forecast, or in cases of power outages. Naturally, these considerations, as well as the demographic concerns of an area, will result in varied school calendars within the same state or region. In terms of religious versus national holidays and which to take off, population rules. First, national holidays affect the whole citizenry, so need to be considered first. This supports beginning school after Labor Day and ending around Memorial Day wherever possible since those comprise two large travel times for American families. In each area, survey the people to find out the predominant religious tendencies. The ones with the most followers should have their main feast days programmed as off days from school. Always, however, allow minority religion families an excused absence and make-up assignments when their children go back to school after a feast that does not align on the calendar with other days the education community designated as off days. Also, students would be better served by attending school on President’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, and other such days to learn about why they are celebrated and how the subjects of those days tie into all courses of study. Besides Labor Day and Memorial Day, allow students time off for Thanksgiving and New Year celebrations under the category of national holidays, teaching their significance before the day off. Setting calendars so the first semester ends in December and students start fresh in January may give a better chance of finishing around Memorial Day. On the individual level, especially for young elementary students, we need ways other than standardized tests to measure learning. At this level, when deciding what level or program to place a child in, watch him or her carefully in the years preceding a given program. Children who demonstrate knowledge of at least a year ahead of recommended benchmarks need the accelerated programs. Also, pay attention to the children’s interests and aptitudes outside reading and math to help then find appropriate reading material about those subjects so they stay interested in learning. Middle school and older students trying for specialized programs should receive placement based upon a portfolio of previous work in the subject with an interview, and an audition if they seek high level arts courses. This would better prepare them for the adult world, since many do not take exams after certification in a work field. Take into account at all levels which students learn what subjects more quickly or slowly. Use this information along with the courses offered in the school to tailor individual tracks of study to keep interest in education high. Exploratory classes as early as middle school can help students begin deciding what they may like to do after graduation. These courses can then lead into specialized academies or combinations of the courses therein to help focus the student. Once a student does this, have alternative ways of taking required courses. Consider allowing Marching Band members to exempt Physical Education once they demonstrate how much activity they do in a log. Non- arts folks could exempt that by portfolio or performance, while health education or some other credits could be taken by examination. Perhaps a student not planning a career in STEM could show mastery of computer programming to waive a technology literacy course. The sooner school can tailor education to the students, the higher graduation rates will go. Making the school year fit the style of education laid out here will result in more focus on education as students stay interested. Society will eventually have more productive workers and less dead-end jobs. The citizens will be happier as their purposes in life become apparent and they fulfill them with meaningful work. |
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