Screen Time & Kids

“So, your kids must love the iPad?” I asked Mr. Jobs, trying to change the subject. The company’s first tablet was just hitting the shelves. “They haven’t used it,” he told me. “We limit how much technology our kids use at home.”

Click on any of the three articles links highlighted in this post.  The first link above about Steve Job's kids is from The New York Times, the second one below is from the AAP, and the final link is from the Mayo Clinic.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents establish "screen-free" zones at home by making sure there are no televisions, computers or video games in children's bedrooms, and by turning off the TV during dinner.  

Research has linked excessive screen time to:  obesity, behavior problems, irregular sleep, violence, impaired academic performance, less time for play...

What can we do as parents??  Click on this link for advice from the experts at the Mayo Clinic.  Poor habits can be difficult to break, but you have to start somewhere for the health of your kids.  Sometimes the hardest place to start is with our own screen time habits!

Raising Caring Kids: Richard Weissbourd
Click on the link above for an interesting video about raising caring, respectful and courageous children. Interesting to think about what our kids would say, if asked "What's most important to your parents?"  Do we value our kids' achievements and their happiness over everything else?  Also, I think that his last comments about asking for feedback are the most challenging.  Have a listen...it's under 4 minutes!

2014-15 Begins!

WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL!

Welcome to TAISM!

And for some...

Welcome to Oman!

It's a very exciting time of year as we welcome back all the returning families, and welcome brand new families to our community.  This week, I started my New Student Groups with all the new TAISM 1st through 5th graders.  I will be meeting with them for the next several weeks.  It's great to meet all of the new students from all over the world, and rewarding to facilitate the development of new friendships between those students.  If you are a new TAISM parent, please feel free to stop by and introduce yourself.  If we have met, you are welcome to stop by as well! My office is two doors down from the main ES Office.  It is pictured above.   If you have any concerns about your child's adjustment to Oman or TAISM, email me, and we can set up a time to meet.

Starting on the rotation of Sep 3-10, I will begin to visit all of the KG-5th classrooms for my lessons.  I'll start by making sure they are familiar with my role in the school, then we'll do some "get to know each other" activities.  After this first rotation, we'll begin to talk about Friendship and how to treat each other.  I'm looking forward to the school year ahead!  

Thanks, TAISM!

Elementary students joined the entire TAISM community last week in the Terry Fox Run.  Our community raised over 4000 Rials for leukemia research at SQU Hospital.  Thanks to all who participated!  In my lessons, I focused on "Perseverance."  The kids were able to grasp what it means to never give up, even when things are difficult.  We read The Little Engine That Could by W. Piper, and the older grades also heard Terry Fox:  A Story of Hope.  Ask your child about telling yourself "I think I can!" when things get tough.  We were also treated to a visit by Terry's sister, Judith, who ran with the EC students on their run, as well as the entire school later that day.  The K-12 pep rally before the run was exciting, with the MS Band playing, teachers dancing, and kids cheering.  It's always inspiring to see our community come together for such a good cause.

During our Discover Oman weeks, I will be teaching my "Personal Safety" lesson in each classroom from Feb 4-10.  They will be learning how to keep their bodies safe, and they will begin to identify the adults in their lives that they can talk to if they have a problem. On the day that I teach your child, I will send home a handout to parents with specifics.  Talking about this lesson with your child will help to reinforce the points I cover.  If you have any questions beforehand, please email me or stop by my office.

Cooperation

KG and 1st graders attempt to stand together on an island that keeps shrinking and shrinking...

Teamwork is essential for kids in school, and learning to work effectively on a team will be a valuable skill for their entire lives.  My most recent unit for kids in EC through 5th grade has been all about cooperation. For 2nd through 5th grades, I break it down into these 5 effective team member behaviors below.  In the early years, I focus on the first three:

1. SHARE IDEAS...being able to articulate your thoughts to your team.
2. LISTEN...making an effort to listen to your teammate's ideas.
3. DO YOUR PART...sticking with the group's task, and doing the jobs assigned to you by the group.
4. ENCOURAGE OTHERS...being positive toward the others in your group, treating your team members kindly, lifting them up.
5. LEAD AND FOLLOW...being aware of your role in a group.  Asking yourself the question, "Do I normally lead or do I normally follow?"  Then, challenging yourself to take the other role occasionally.

I spend the rest of lesson time on experiential activities.  I believe they best learn by practicing teamwork.  Then, during and after each activity, I ask them to compliment each other on the above behaviors.  I also ask them to reflect about how they are doing with these behaviors.    They are quite aware of how others on their team are doing, and are quite reflective about their own roles in a group.

Students using their "octopus" device...made from a rubber band and string...to make a pyramid out of paper cups.  They had several restrictions to overcome in this task, for instance, they were not allowed to touch the cups at all.  They had to accomplish the task using only the "octopus" device.

"You're right! My shirt is very ugly."

Hello Parents!
My lessons are underway this year in all of the ES classrooms, EC-1 all the way up to grade 5.  All of the students should be familiar with "Talk-Walk-Squawk" now, as seen to the right.  This is an overall framework which allows students to solve problems with peers.  In the first step, "Talk" refers to voicing their concerns to their classmate.  For example, "Please stop doing that" or "I don't like it when you do that."  The "Walk" refers to moving away when the classmate does not stop the behavior.  "Squawk" refers to asking an adult for assistance.  I also mention that students can always seek help from an adult, or "squawk," right away if they are not feeling safe, feel hurt, or threatened in any way.

In KG-5th grades, I teach them about the "Bag of Tricks."  Inside the bag of tricks, are strategies for coping with teasing, displayed with an orange background.  (So?, Agree, Stand up for Yourself, Move Away, Make a Joke, Respond with a Compliment, Ignore)  Also, you will see a few strategies with a dark green background.  These strategies are for other kinds of issues they may have with peers, when the problem is not teasing.  (Apologize, Compromise, Take Turns, Flip a Coin/Rock, Paper, Scissors)  Two of the strategies can be used in any situation:  I-Messages & Ask an Adult for Ideas.  One of the rectangles in the bag is blank.  This allows for a discussion about the fact that they may be able to craft a response that is just as effective as the ones I listed. During my lessons, kids have opportunities to act out scenarios and practice using these strategies.  For example, two students would come up to the front, one the teaser, one the teased.  "Your shirt is ugly!" the teaser says.  "Why yes it is!  This is the ugliest shirt I've ever seen! (points to his own shirt.)  I emphasize that it's important to keep your anger or sadness in check when you are teased, because this will only invite more teasing.  I also relay that teasing back undermines the effectiveness of the strategies I list.  The goal of this unit is to empower students to cope with everyday peer situations, and to create an environment where we can talk openly about teasing and aggressive behaviors.  I believe it helps keep TAISM a safe place for kids.  My next unit will be on Cooperation.

Never Give Up!

Elementary students joined the entire TAISM community last week in the Terry Fox Run.  Our community raised over 3000 Rials for leukemia research at SQU Hospital.  Thanks to all who participated!  In my lessons, I focused on "Perseverance."  The kids were able to grasp what it means to never give up, even when things are difficult.  We read The Little Engine That Could by W. Piper, and the older grades also read a biography picture book about Terry Fox.  Ask your child about telling yourself "I think I can!" when things get tough.

From Jan 29-Feb 5, I will be teaching my "Personal Safety" lesson in each classroom.  They will be learning how to keep their bodies safe, and they will begin to identify the adults in their lives that they can talk to if they have a problem. On the day that I teach your child, I will send home a handout to parents with specifics.  Talking about this lesson with your child will help to reinforce the points I cover.  If you have any questions beforehand, please email me or stop by my office.