A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
There are still a couple of weeks before most teachers in Australia will be returning to work. Many will not have given it a second thought as yet, and hopefully most will be looking forward to it, but some teachers will be dreading the return to the classroom. Burnout and other mental health related issues [...]
PISA panic and politics could really damage our schools. In the aftermath of the OECD releasing the 2012 results from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), the Federal Education Minister, Christopher Pyne’s declared that, “PISA shows us that our education system is high-equity where socio-economic status matters less when compared to other OECD countries” Anyone [...]
Girls Mag Review December Melinda Tankard Reist In 147 pages of beauty and fashion shopping, advice and advertising , along with tips on catching your “crush” this summer, there are, fortunately, a few articles that will actually help girls. As you know, I always search for the personal stories which convey the reality of girls’ [...]
Friends of ADCA, the Alcohol and Other Drugs Council of Australia, has launched a petition http://chn.ge/1b9KBCx to the Prime Minister to reinstate the organisation's funding. ADCA, the national peak body representing organisations and workers in the sector for nearly half a century, learned in late November that the Assistant Minister for Health, Senator Fiona Nash had cut [...]
The recent SMH article outlining author Mem Fox's genuine concern about the increasing use of technology as a replacement for parental interaction with their kids was spot-on, and should raise alarm bells - but will it? I know I'm not Gen X, Y or Z - happy to admit I am a Baby Boomer - [...]
You may have read my column a couple of weeks ago about how schools are banning playground games because students lacked the resilience or social skills to handle losing. This week I came across research from Deakin University and VicHealth that supported the idea that younger Australian kids are “bubble wrapped” more than their UK [...]
Melinda Tankard Reist Girlfriend and Dolly can be commended this year for taking strong stands on alcohol and drugs. This issue of GF is no exception, with ‘The High Life’ exploring the harms of smoking marijuana. When celebs boast about it – such as Miley Cyrus posting a photo of herself smoking pot with the [...]
An article in The Age recently opened up, yet again, the discussion around education and the pros and cons of a conservative approach to teaching and learning or a more innovative, creative approach. It made for thought-provoking reading. I make no apology for being a huge fan of Sir Ken Robinson and his ideals of [...]
Why do kids like playing video games so much? Is it because they’re violent, misogynistic or just plain mind-numbing? Generation Next speaker Dr Wayne Warburton has conducted research that shows the impact of violent games on the adolescent brain has both short and long term effects. None of them good. Let’s leave violent [...]
A year 12 student, with a significant dyslexic disability, has had his second appeal for EXTRA TIME denied in his exams by SACE. To protect his identity, let’s call him Tom. Tom has been formally identified as a classically dyslexic student. His disability is genuine and significant. His long-term, dyslexic impairment has been comprehensively [...]
