school

Don’t Stigmatise the ADHD Debate

A few months ago I wrote a piece highlighting the different rates of ADHD diagnosis in Australia compared to those in France. It appeared that ADHD could be something of an “Aussie thing.”   Last weekend, I read an article in the Sydney Morning Herald that highlighted the risks associated with ADHD medication, and rates [...]

5 Signs Your Teen Needs Mental Health Treatment

Below are some ways to tell if your teen may need mental health treatment. Mood swings. How can you decipher a moody teen from a true set of mood swings that indicate mental illness? You know your child better than anyone else. Trust that you can recognize a shift in mood that is out of character [...]

Girlfriend August 2013

Anxiety and sleep: Girlfriend deals with two significant issues for girls Melinda Tankard Reist The two most important articles in this issue are on anxiety and the importance of sleep. Anxiety appears to be a plague on our girls right now. ‘Feeling anxious? How to deal when your worries take over your life’ looks at [...]

School Kids Engagement and Happiness

Children’s interest and engagement in school influences their prospects of educational and occupational success 20 years later, over and above their academic attainment and socioeconomic background, researchers have found. The more children felt connected to their school community and felt engaged, rather than bored, the greater their likelihood of achieving a higher educational qualification and [...]

Why is ADHD an Aussie Issue?

In the US, at least 9% of schoolchildren are on medication for ADHD. In Australia it is estimated that 11% of children and adolescents fulfill the criteria for ADHD. In France the figure is .5%. As in POINT five. Half a percent. Why is this? Well, first of all the way in which French psychiatrists [...]

Online Anti-Racism Resource for young people

            This morning, the Australian Human Rights Commission launched a new online anti-racism resource, What you say matters, to educate and engage young people about racism and to empower them to respond safely when they experience or witness racism.   The resource has been developed after extensive consultation with young [...]

Six myths about vaccination – and why they’re wrong

Recently released government figures show levels of childhood vaccination have fallen to dangerously low levels in some areas of Australia, resulting in some corners of the media claiming re-ignition of “the vaccine debate”. Well, scientifically, there’s no debate. In combination with clean water and sanitation, vaccines are one of the most effective public health measures [...]

Can you do it for me?

I’m currently in Denmark where I gave the keynote address at the Innovation in Education conference.    As well the conference, I’ve been working with different schools and organisations around the concept of student (and staff) engagement.   Whilst working with the Department of Pedagogy at the University of Aarhus, one researcher told me of [...]

Kindergarten Boy Suspended for His Mohawk

When 5-year-old Ethan Clos showed up at school with a short, spiky mohawk last week, his fellow kindergarteners thought it was cool. But administrators at Reid Primary and Middle School in Springfield, Ohio, deemed the edgy cut too disruptive, and ordered him home until he adopted a tamer style. via Kindergarten Boy Suspended for His [...]

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