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https://thelearningcounsel.com/article/can-tech-fill-gaping-hole-left-teacher-exodus

Can Tech Fill the Gaping Hole Left by Teacher Exodus?

I will be delivering a presentation at the Santa Fe, NM Convention Center for the CloseIt Organization on Wednesday, October 16 from 10:30AM to 11:30AM dealing with my new book, Who Will Teach The Children? Recruiting,Retaining, & Refreshing Highly Effective Educators. Educators are leaving the field almost as quickly as Schools of Education are preparing them. Find out how to slow the educational exodus.

This is part 2 in a series. In case you missed it, you can read part one here.

 

While there is no single cause of youth suicide, research indicates that depression is the leading cause of youth suicide. What causes young people to seek relief from depression by committing suicide? Young people have fragile personalities and many things can trigger their depression. Those causes include:

• Bullying – Students who are bullied frequently feel that suicide is the only way to escape the taunting.
• Being different or being perceived as being different – Students who are gay or made to feel different because they are short or too fat or too skinny or whatever resort to suicide.
• Breakup of a physical relationship
• Failure in school
• Sudden death of a loved one or family member
• Suicide of a loved one or family member
• Family breakup by divorce or separation.
• Copycat suicide –  Copycat suicide frequently occurs because the individual knows or sees  in the media depictions of the original suicide on television and in other media. If you’ve ever been in a school where a student has attempted or been successful in committing suicide, you know how devastating the effects it has on other students, parents, friends of the victim and staff.  Schools report that there are frequently “copycat” attempts after a reported successful attempt.

 

Recognizing the Signs of Depression

Students bring many of their problems into school. For some, they do not haven’t any other place or adults to turn to. School counselors, teachers and parents need to recognize the symptoms of depression in order to deal with it.

 

SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION

• Feeling sad, empty, tired or numb
• Feeling tired all the time
• Feeling hopeless, helpless or worthless
• Feeling angry or moody, excessive crying
• Sleeping more than usual
• Avoiding friends; feeling alone when with friends
• Loss of interest in things that used to be fun
• Eating less or more than usual
• Recurring headaches, backaches or stomachaches
• Alcohol or drug abuse
• Thinking about, planning or attempting suicide.
• Abrupt changes in behavior? such as mood swings, crying spells
• Changes in school performance
• Giving away treasured belongings
• Suicidal threats
• Risk taking behaviors: slashing, drinking and driving, games of risk such as racing with a train.

In dealing with depression, research indicates that depressed students need to share their thoughts with people they trust and respect including counselors, teachers and friends. Schools might consider the establishment of a peer helper system. It is important for these individuals be trained in listening skills, and various responses on what to do in problematic situations.

 

Warning Signs of Suicide

Suicide is preventable with young people – it just requires recognition and resources. Most schools have a written protocol for dealing with students who show signs of suicidal behavior. Unfortunately, many educators and parents do not know the signs of potential suicides nor have they been trained in how to address the problem. Like many of the other social ills that schools are forced to deal with, suicide is something that require schools to be proactive about.

Suicide is preventable but only if parents and educators know the warning signs. The list below lists the most prevalent warning signs of youth suicide. The list is not all-inclusive but should assist educators in identifying the most common warning signs. Not all youngsters who exhibit these signs will commit suicide. However, the greater the number of warning signs, the greater the likelihood of suicide predictors. Youth are most at risk of attempting suicide are those who:

• Made previous suicide attempts
• Talks about committing suicide
• Feels that “it is all my fault”
• Exhibit anger
• Signs of serious depression, moodiness, hopelessness, withdrawal
• Is a loner.
• Increased use of drugs or alcohol
• Changes in the sleeping or eating habits of the student.
• Cries often.
• Chronic or sudden truancy
• Gives away possessions
• Recent suicide of a loved one or family member
• Preoccupied with death and dying
• Loses interest in their personal appearance
• Turmoil within family (divorce, remarriage, separation, merging of two families)
• Have a family history of suicide
• Have had a recent stressful event or loss in their lives
• Have easy access to lethal methods, especially guns
• Show signs of changes in eating and sleeping habits.
• Exhibit rebellious behavior or running away.
• Have difficulty concentrating or decline in quality of schoolwork
• Loss of interest in previously pleasurable activities
• Gives verbal hints, such as “I won’t be a problem for you much longer,” or “Nothing matters.”
• Conflicts around sexual orientation
• Experienced a romantic break-up
• Accessibility of firearms
• Increased pressure to perform, achieve, be responsible
• Taking unnecessary risks

The greater the number of warning signs, the greater the risk.

Schools need to proactively deal with suicide. If a student indicates that they are considering suicide, then schools must take the statement seriously.

Some of the material for this article has been drawn from Creating Safe Schools: A Guide For School Leaders, Teachers, Counselors and Parents (2014) by Franklin P. Schargel © School Success Network Press

This is part one of a series on the causes and prevention of teenage suicide. Part II will appear next week, Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Suicide is now the second-leading cause of death for 10 to 24-year-olds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), after unintended accidents. In June 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that teenage suicide had replaced homicide as the second leading cause of teenage death. Almost as many teens die from suicide as the fourth through the tenth leading causes of death combined. It’s also thought that at least 25 attempts are made for every completed teen suicide.

Why would children so young, with a full life ahead of them, attempt suicide? This series of articles will provide the background, the warning signs, and what schools, parents and students can do.

How Serious is the Problem?

• In the next 24 hours 1,439 teens will attempt suicide. As many as 250,000 adolescents made a serious yet unsuccessful effort to kill themselves last year.
• The fastest-growing group completing suicide is children between the ages of 10 and 14.
• Every 90 minutes a teenager or young adult is successful in killing himself or herself.
• The suicide rate in the past 25 years has been decreasing, yet the rate for those between 15 and 24 has tripled. The adolescent suicide rate is nearly 33 percent higher than that of the overall population.
• The ratio of male to female suicides is four to one. However, young women attempt suicide nine times more frequently. Guns are the most common means of suicide among males. Since males use firearms, there is a 78-90 percent chance of male fatality. Pills (poisoning) are the most commonly used method of suicide for females.
• Half of all children who have made one suicide attempt will make another, sometimes as many as two per year until they succeed.
• According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, seventy-five percent of all suicides give some warning of their intentions to a friend or family member.
• Suicide among lesbian, gay and bisexual (LBG) young people is comparatively higher than among the general population.
• According to a study published in The Journal of Pediatrics (Pediatrics), gay and bisexual teens are 20 percent more likely to attempt suicide in politically conservative areas than in “supportive” environments.  Rolling Stone reported on a rash of teen suicides ““ nine in two years, four of them gay-related in the Minnesota school district.

The risk of suicide increases dramatically when kids and teens have access to firearms at home, and nearly 60 percent of all suicides in the United States are committed with a gun. That’s why any gun in a home should be unloaded, locked, and kept out of the reach of children and teens. Suicide rates differ between boys and girls. Girls think about and attempt suicide about twice as often as boys and tend to attempt suicide by overdosing on drugs or cutting themselves. Yet boys die by suicide about four times as often girls, perhaps because they tend to use more lethal methods, such as firearms, hanging, or jumping from heights.

• In 1996, more teenagers and young adults died of suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia and influenza, and chronic lung disease combined.
• In 1996, suicide was the second-leading cause of death among college students, the second-leading cause of death among those aged 15 to 24 years, and the fourth leading cause of death among those aged 10 to 14 years.
• From 1980 to 1996, the rate of suicide among African-American males aged 15 to 19 years increased by 105 percent.
• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates, four percent of the United States population, estimated at 1.3 million adults, attempted suicide in one year, and 1.1 million had made plans or had suicidal thoughts.
• In the next 24 hours, 1,439 teens will attempt suicide. As many as 250,000 adolescents made a serious yet unsuccessful effort to kill themselves in 2018.
• The fastest-growing group successfully completing a suicide attempt is children between the ages of 10 and 14.
• The suicide rate in the past 25 years has been decreasing, yet the rate for those between 15 and 24 has tripled. The adolescent suicide rate is nearly 33 percent higher than that of the overall population.
• Half of all children who have made one suicide attempt will make another, sometimes as many as two per year until they succeed.
• According to a study published in Pediatrics, gay and bisexual teens are 20 percent more likely to attempt suicide in politically conservative areas than in “supportive” environments.
• The risk of suicide increases dramatically when kids and teens have access to firearms at home, and nearly 60 percent of all suicides in the United States are committed with a gun. That’s why any gun in a home should be unloaded, locked, and kept out of the reach of children and teens.
• Overdose using over-the-counter, prescription and non-prescription medicine is also a very common method for both attempting and completing suicide. It’s important to monitor carefully all medications in your home. Also be aware that teens will “trade” different prescription medications at school and carry them (or store them) in their locker or backpack.

In part-two of this series, we’ll explore the reasons for these alarming suicide rates, and what you can do to help prevent suicide tragedies at school as well as home.

This article was published by Learning Counsel.

No one can predict when or where school violence will take place, but we know it will. For those of you who are concerned with school safety, this FBI documentary explores the issue of school shootings and what schools, parents, and law enforcement can do to help prevent these attacks.

https://www.fbi.gov/video-repository/echoes-of-columbine-2019a.mp4/view

 

The beginning of the school year brings lots of new things ““ new clothes, new friends, new schools to attend and new incidents of bullying.

The Washington Post reported (July 16, 2019) that a report filed by the National Center for Education Statistics, that online bullying and texting is the rise among middle and high school students. So, even though incidents of bullying remained steady, in the 2016-2017 school year, there was a 3.5 percent jump in those who were bullied or by text or online. That was a jump of 15 percent from the 2014-2015 school year.

How do researchers account for the increase in bullying?

According to  techcrunch.com, the average age for a child getting their first smartphone is now 10.3 years. Tablets have surged from 26% to 55% usage as kids’ device of choice during car rides. Smartphones trail at 45% (up from 39% in 2012). I have been in restaurants, like many of you, where children, some very young, were using their cellphones and not engaged in any conversation with the adults at the table. Eighty-eight percent (88) of 13-17-year-olds have access to cellphones. Ninety-one (91) percent have access to computers, tablets or cellphones.

More parents are sending their young children to elementary school with a smartphone. The Washington Post reported (October 8, 2019)  that the percentage of third-graders who had their own cellphones had “more than doubled from 19 percent in 2013 to 45 percent in 2017 About 50 percent of fourth-graders and 70 percent of fifth graders went to school with a phone in 2017.” Parents believe that giving a child a phone is a safety issue. But research indicates that a child with a phone increases the likelihood that the child will either become a victim of bullying or a bully themselves. As the number of children obtaining a cellphone at earlier and earlier ages, the likelihood of bullying increases unless parents and schools take a responsibility to teach young children the responsibility of having a cellphone.

Who gets bullied?

Anyone perceived as being different ““ too tall, too short, too poor, too rich, too good looking, not good looking enough, too fat, too skinny, being the wrong gender, race or grade level, Bullying leads to depression (the leading cause of suicide) and lower academic achievement. The Washington Post reported that high school campuses in Virginia with more reports of bullying reported lower passing scores on Virginia’s standardized tests. Boys are more bullied in person, while girls are more frequently bullied by text or online. More white students, 17 percent reported being bullied on line, compared with 12 percent of other races.

Where in a school does bullying take place?

Forty-two percent say it happens in classrooms. Forty-three percent say it happens in a hallway or stairwell.

What can parents do?

• Your children do not own their cellphone. You do. You always have a right to look at the cellphone. If your child says you don’t explain who pays the bill and stop paying for it. Develop a cellphone use contract with the child outlining their responsibilities. Have them do chores in order to reimburse you for the privilege of having a phone. Include the right to check the phone to check for bullying, cyberbullying, or sexting.
• Ban the use of cellphones at dinnertime. Dinnertime should be family time. Establish a “no electronics policy” at dinnertime including for adults. Discuss the events of the day, politics anything to reestablish family discussions.
• Take away the cellphone at night. Encourage your child to read. Bedtime should not be the time for texting or calling.
• Limit use while doing homework. After homework, is completed to your satisfaction, your child can make phone calls.

What can schools do?

Schools have a responsibility to children and parents but have a larger responsibility to educate. And while parents cite “safety” as a reason for giving their child a phone, there are sufficient phones in school that can be used in cases of emergency.  Develop with parents and faculty a phone use contract. Based on the age appropriateness of the children allow their input. After the contract is developed, uniform enforcement by staff, teachers and the administration, is essential. Violation of the contract voids the contract with the abuser. Carrying a cellphone isn’t a right ““ it’s a responsibility. Part of the educational process is the teaching of responsibility.

 

How old is the school you work in? How old is the school that your children or grandchildren attend?

In 1989, the Education Writers Association reported that nearly half of the public schools in America were obsolete or contained environmental hazards. (Lewis, 1989) – and they have only grown older om the past 30 years. I have been in “temporary buildings” that were over 25 years. They were unheated in the winter and not cooled in the heat of the summer. I recently was in a “temporary building” housing pre-school children without a bathroom. I do not know of any business people who would be willing to work in those conditions. President Clinton remarked in the 1997 State of the Union Address, “We cannot expect our children to raise themselves in schools that are literately falling down”¦ This has become a serious national concern.”

In 1998, the average public-school building in the United States was 42 years old. The mean age ranged from 46 years in the Northeast and Central states. About ¼ of all public schools were built before 1950.

America’s oldest schools house a higher proportion of children in poverty. Of schools with less than 20 percent of children eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches, 20 percent were built before 1950. In contrast, of schools with 20 to 49 percent free or reduced lunch recipients, 29 to 34 percent of schools were built before 1950.

When will state, local and the federal government do something about this? Hopefully before any of these schools collapses and kills or maims children and teachers.

Source: National Center for Educational Statistics,(NCES)

One day, when I was a freshman in high school,

I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school.

His name was Kyle.

It looked like he was carrying all of his books.

I thought to myself, ‘Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday?

He must really be a nerd.’

I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.

As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him.

They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt.

His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him…

He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.

My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye.

As I handed him his glasses, I said, ‘Those guys are jerks.’

They really should get lives.

He looked at me and said, ‘Hey thanks!’

There was a big smile on his face.

It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.

I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived.

As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before.

He said he had gone to private school before now.

I would have never hung out with a private school kid before.

We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books.

He turned out to be a pretty cool kid.

I asked him if he wanted to play a little football    
with my friends  

He said yes.

We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him.

Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again.

I stopped him and said, ‘Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books every day!

He just laughed and handed me half the books.

Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.

When we were seniors we began to think about college.

Kyle decided on Georgetown and I was going to Duke.

I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem.

He was going to be a doctor and I was going for business on a football scholarship.

Kyle turned out to be the valedictorian of our class.

I teased him all the time about being a nerd.

He had to prepare a speech for graduation.

I was so glad it wasn’t me having to get up there and speak.

Graduation day, I saw Kyle.

He looked great.

He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school.

He filled out and actually looked good in glasses.   

He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him.

Boy, sometimes I was jealous!   

Today was one of those days.

I could see that he was nervous about his speech.

So, I smacked him on the back and said, ‘Hey, big guy, you’ll be great!’

He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled…

‘ Thanks,’ he said.

As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began    …

‘Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years.

Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach…but mostly your friends….

I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them.

I am going to tell you a story.’

I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the first day we met.

He had planned to kill himself over the weekend.

He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn’t have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home.

He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile.

‘Thankfully, I was saved.

My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable.’

I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment.

I saw his Mom and Dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile.

Not until that moment did I realize its depth.

Never underestimate the power of your actions.

With one small gesture you can change a person’s life.

For better or for worse.

God puts us all in each other’s lives to impact one another in some way.

Look for God in others.

You now have two choices, you can:

1) Pass this on to your friends or

2) Delete it and act like it didn’t touch your heart.

As you can see, I took choice number 1.

‘Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.’

There is no beginning or end. Yesterday is history.

Tomorrow is a mystery.

Today is a gift.

It’s National Friendship Week. Show your friends how much you care. Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND.

If it comes back to you, then you’ll know you have a circle of friends

WHEN YOU RECEIVE THIS LETTER, IT IS SUGGESTED YOU SEND IT TO AT LEAST 10 PEOPLE, INCLUDING THE PERSON WHO   
SENT IT TO YOU.