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The pros and cons of online schooling for pre-teens
Ginger Abbot EducationThe pandemic has impacted almost every area of our lives. Work has changed, with many adults now working from home or pursuing freelance options. Many students are learning virtually or doing hybrid classes on alternating weekdays. Each household with working parents and online students has developed differing opinions about whether online schooling should continue after the pandemic is over. Now that they’re adjusted, some parents might wonder whether their kids should keep learning online. Here’s what to consider before making a long-term decision.
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Healthy buildings: Construction’s answer to health crises
Mike Floeck Construction & Building MaterialsAfter 12 months of living under the shadow of a global pandemic, burnout about the topic of health is spreading contagiously. If we’re not actively working to keep others healthy, however, we’re likely to experience future, large-scale outbreaks. The buildings in which we live, work and thrive can be more effective at protecting us from harm and preventing the spread of disease by incorporating intelligent design elements. Check out the infographic in this article to learn more about the features that make healthy buildings so healthy, and about the benefits they offer to those who live and work within them.
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Infographic: 8 tips to defeat work stress
Jennifer Chonillo Mental HealthcareIn today’s world, work often causes us stress. Especially now, with more people working from home, it can be that much harder to stop worrying about work projects and issues and enjoy your home life. If work is starting to stress you out, you might be starting to notice some physical and health-related problems that have been caused by too much stress. You might find yourself getting more headaches, acne, or unable to sleep. This infographic includes eight ways you can use self-care to help combat work-related stress today.
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The Social Security shell game
Dave G. Houser Civil & GovernmentIf you are one of the nine out of 10 individuals age 65 and older receiving monthly Social Security benefits — you are probably a bit ticked off at the paltry 1.3% increase in your monthly remittance for 2021. You and roughly 65 million other Social Security recipients have good reason to be irked at this puny perk from Uncle Sam. According to The Senior Citizens League, the sleight of hand behind it is a formula for calculating the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) that has robbed seniors of 33% of their buying power since 2010.
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Inclusive practices to engage all learners
Savanna Flakes EducationHow do you define student engagement? When you think of student engagement, does a visual of every student raising their hand or every student smiling with their computer screen turned on sound familiar? I’ve been working with many school districts on authentic engagement and what it looks and sounds like. Please consider that if the only way to check whether students are engaged in learning is whether their screens are on, we may be missing a lot of opportunities! Engagement includes excitement, motivation, and students immersed in work that has clear meaning and immediate value to them.
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Meeting your employees’ mental health concerns and needs
Terri Williams Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementThe year 2020 brought anxiety and depression to many workers. The CDC reported that three times as many adults said they felt anxiety and four times as many adults said they felt depressed in the summer of 2020 compared to the summer of 2019. According to a survey commissioned by Spring Health and conducted online by The Harris Poll, 49% of American workers sought mental healthcare in 2020; 38% of those who sought care say they were driven by a desire to manage emotions related to the coronavirus pandemic; and 43% said the mental health benefits in their employer-sponsored health plan did not meet their mental healthcare needs.
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Grade retention: Will it help?
Howard Margolis EducationRetention rarely helps struggling learners, especially those with reading disabilities. I’ll say it again: It rarely helps. It often backfires. Combinations of negative feelings abound: Humiliation, bewilderment, anger, despondency, resentment, despair, and so on. Magnify this by the widespread isolation and anxiety caused by COVID-19 and you have a formula for continued despair, resentment, and turmoil.
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‘Please give me my space:’ A school counselor’s perspective
Sweety Patel EducationI want you to think back to when you were a student and you walked into your school counselor’s office. What do you remember about his/her office? Do you remember the walls, the furniture, the seating arrangement, the atmosphere? Was there something really unique about the counselor’s space that moved you somehow? Oftentimes when we are learning how to be school counselors, we are very focused on the interaction between the student and us. We do not always think about the surroundings, and a lot of times we feel there is not much time to, either.
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Who is checking on the mental health of our school leaders?
Brian Stack EducationRemember when you were a child at the amusement park, and the ride operator said if you want to get off the ride all you have to do is wave? Well, I’ve been waving furiously for several months and yet some days it seems no one is coming to my rescue. I am sure I am not alone. Being a school leader is tough enough but doing so in a pandemic starts to take its toll on us as professionals and as human beings. Who is checking on the mental health of our school leaders during this challenging time? I hope all of you reading this can recognize if and when you need help and know the signs of when to reach out to your fellow school leaders.
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Anxiety’s spiking: Here’s how to help our students
Howard Margolis EducationCOVID-19 has caused untold numbers of America’s students (and family members, teachers, and school support staff) to suffer mild to severe anxiety. Some will be helped by the passage of time and new coping skills. Some won’t. For those who won’t, especially those who suffer from severe anxiety, who intensely fear the future, it’s a crisis. It’s also a crisis for their families, their teachers, and America writ large. We can lament that, "The pandemic’s horrible. Anxiety's a natural outcome. We can't do anything about it. It’s here. We’re all victims." Or, we can face the problem. We can ask and answer this question: How can we help affected students help themselves?
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