Drugged up Generation

I have been noticing a new trend that has been gaining momentum. It seems every other kid I meet is on some type of drug to aid them with attention.This is a major concern of mine that doctors are pushing to put children on drugs even as early as five.

I watched a news item on Global television and there was a mom of four with all her children on drugs. I am wondering when does a parent ask him or herself what's wrong with this picture? In the very near future we are going to have a generation of zombies with all the side effects from these drugs.

The problem is no one wants to be bothered anymore with taking time out to let children just be children. No it takes too much work. They would rather have kids on drugs and screens. It makes life easier and the doctors get richer.

Who is going to clean up the mess that will be left behind from this 'Drugged up Generation'? We are in problems as a country and it is not until a few years when the present generation gets older that we will realise it.

Let's talk about this and not sweep it under the carpet. Share your views as I would love to hear them.

Generation in Crisis

 I am quite concerned about our preasent generation but more so the parents raising them. It becomes more and more blatant as we move further into the 21st century that parents themself need parenting. Let me share with you two incidents I experienced all in one week. I tutor with an agency twice per week after school. One of my parent's student suggested she wanted another tutor for her child. She told me not because I had done anything wrong in fact her daughter has done very well under my instruction,however her daughter finds me too strict. Now I have no problem with this.But are parents giving in to their children too easily. I am strict because this student wants to put her feet up on the desk,chew gum and do as she pleases. I will not allow it. Here is an 11 year old who can neither read or write properly but moms interested in her having her own way.

My next experience was at the small private school that I teach. I took the students to gym on Friday and had to speak to a particular student on the way to gym. At gym this same student continued to trip other students and clown around,so I told him to sit out gym for ten minutes and when he got back he was going to the principal.When we got back to the school this same student saw his mom outside and ran to her in tears, he had none when he was being repremanded at gym. His mom ran up to me screaming why did I have her son sit out gym for tripping on his lace. I quietly told her to follow me to the principal's office where it will be discussed further.

We all went to the principal and the principal also asked a few students what happened. The student in question at first said he couldn't remember,when the principal got firm he then said he was scared so he lied. I saw the mother's face change colour but she never apologised.
What sort of generation are we growing? A generation that is not being allowed to take resposibility for their actions. A generation where parents seem too afarid to stand up to their children and tell them when they are wrong.
How then will this generation take over leadership roles?

I would further like to hear others comment on this especially parents and teachers.

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The Children's Book Bank

The Children’s Book Bank
By virtue of my work with Today’s Parent, and my own mail order children’s book company Neverending Stories, I get LOTS of review copy books in the door every day … sometimes overwhelming! I’ve donated these books to school and local libraries who are grateful, but at the same time also overwhelmed somewhat as they have

Our Children in Crisis

 I visited with a friend of mine on the weekend,she was very heart broken. She had just found out that her 14 year old son has been smoking weeds. This was given to him by a so called friend which in her words ,she thought came from a well respectable family. The shocker of it all was when she contacted the mother of the boy,hoping to get some support as to how to get both youngsters back on track; the mother was quite nonchalent.

She said that everyone at some point everyone experiments. Shocking isn;t it? Now when did we get here? What might  these two boys be engaged in rather than finding all this time on their hands. My friend's son has all the latest gadgets and vedio games. I asked if this money might not have been well spent on books and educational materials. All these gadgets open our children to a ruthless world as everyone want to experiment with what is seen on television and vedios.

We are fighting a serious battle with literacy in our children and we are slowly losing. Many parents seem oblivious and live in the now.Who is to lead us in the next few years?

Think about it. I would love to hear from you.

Summer Readers

 Summer has come and gone. I wonder how many of our children picked up a good book during the summer. Reading more and more is becoming a thing of the past.As educators,parents and adults we should try and bring back the wonderful days of reading.

How many of you as adults remember reading your favourite book or novel during the summer. I can recall many long and lazy days of summer curled up with a great book. Continuous reading during  the summer never hurt either as you went back to school with a wealth of vocabulary and a sharp mind.

Summer may have come and gone but reading remains and will always be here. Let's keep our kid's mind alert with continued reading.

Keep our children reading....

 

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Reading is Power,Let's get the children High On Reading

I’m sure it’s not surprising to hear a teacher say this, but I absolutely love books. Some of my earliest and fondest memories of childhood involve reading: being read to by my parents and teachers, cuddling with a book while the weather was too bad to play outside (or even when it wasn’t!), sharing a book with my sister or a friend. I still enjoy those things today, and feel a little rush of endorphins whenever I step into a library or smell fresh pages as I enter a bookstore. 
When I first started teaching reading two and a half years ago, I began with some questions: Why do we read? Why is reading important?
I was so depressed when I heard my students’ first responses. “Because that’s what we’re supposed to do in school.” “To get a good grade.” “Because we’re told to.” “To pass a test.” Clearly, reading had become a “have to” instead of a “want to”—which isn’t surprising given how hard it is for working families to find time to read together these days (when the parents can themselves read, which isn’t always the case), and the resurgence of boring, often humiliating, drill-(and-time-and-graph!)and-kill methods of reading instruction.
It was clear I had my work cut out for me—we needed some positive, fulfilling experiences with books!
After lots of read alouds (one of my favorite things to do!), Readers Theater, buddy reading, and book clubs, here are some of the better answers we discovered.
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