K-12 - On Balance Parenting

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K-12

A collection of 11 posts

Neuqua Valley HS Students Share Mental Health Struggles with U.S. Surgeon General—It won't resolve 'core issues'

Neuqua Valley HS Students Share Mental Health Struggles with U.S. Surgeon General—It won't resolve 'core issues'

Thank you to Neuqua Valley High School (Naperville, Il) students for their honesty and vulnerability in sharing their mental health struggles in a virtual call with the U.S. Surgeon General attended by U.S. Representative Lauren Underwood. And while additional funds for more school counselors are absolutely needed, they

Boredom is Essential

Boredom is Essential

This opinion piece, A Packed Schedule Doesn’t Really ‘Enrich’ Your Child, by Dr. Shalini Shankar, professor of anthropology and Asian American studies at Northwestern University makes many excellent observations, including that “there are good reasons to give children time to be bored.” Ms. Shankar invites parents to pause “before

The U.S. Educational System is not Sustainable

Just before the holidays, on a snowy, blustery cold day in Chicago, Peter Hostrawser of Disrupt Education invited me to come on his podcast to chat about On Balance Parenting, education, teaching and the state of our children’s well-being. Many thanks for the invitation and the rich conversation. I

Colleges, Choices and Character

Colleges, Choices and Character

It’s that time of year. College applications and essays are being written and submitted. Students and parents are inundated with an overwhelming number of e-mails and informational brochures from colleges and universities. E-mails with catchy subject lines and four-color glossy brochures in inboxes and mailboxes. Information overload! University selection

Study finds Students at High-Achieving Schools are at Greater Risk of Addiction

A 2017 research study led by Dr. Suniya S. Luthar, psychology professor at Arizona State University and professor emerita at Columbia University’s Teachers College, and others, present evidence that students in affluent communities who attend high-achieving schools are at significantly higher risk of substance misuse and addiction relative to

Our Kids Carry a Hole in their Hearts

In a conversation with a friend about the recent college admissions fiasco, we talked about perfectionism. The fear of not being good enough is pervasive in our community and has left our kids feeling stressed, anxious and depressed.* Our kids look great on paper, and they carry a hole in

Reclaiming Naperville Students' Humanity

Another school year is settling into a rhythm. Nearby, the middle school band has taken up practice, and depending on the direction of the wind, music drifts across the field to my study. Friday night lights at the high school down the street flood across the field to our house.

The Vital Role of Social Connection in our Lives

The Vital Role of Social Connection in our Lives

Work and the Loneliness Epidemic The above article, written by former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy in the Harvard Business Review, focuses on loneliness, the lack of social connection, as a “growing health epidemic.” Dr. Murthy reports that over 40 percent of Americans report feeling lonely, with research indicating

Strive for Perfection is Making Our Kids Sick. Time for Reform.

Strive for Perfection is Making Our Kids Sick. Time for Reform.

Is the Drive for Success Making our Children Sick? This is an excellent article by Vicki Abeles, filmmaker and author of Beyond Measure. We have a nationwide epidemic of school-related stress, anxiety and depression. Students’ average days consist of 7 hours of school, plus sports, clubs, music activities followed by

Naperville 'State of the Kids' Town Hall: Examine Our Environment, Achievement Culture

(This post was originally published on LinkedIN on July 12, 2017.) Naperville City Councilwoman Rebecca Boyd-Obarski’s call for a town-hall meeting to assess the “State of Kids” in our community is a timely one. Alongside a review of student alcohol and drug use data, we need to take a

Survey: 70% of Naperville Students are Stressed, 50% don't talk about it

The Chicago Tribune/Naperville Sun reports: Naperville Student Survey: 70% of Teens are stressed, 50% don’t talk about it. “Seven of 10 seventh-graders and nearly eight in 10 high school sophomores say they experience moderate or high levels of daily stress. About half of both groups say the stress