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We are a private elementary school that was founded in 2006 in Anaheim, CA working to provide quality education for grades K-5.
- Ratio of teachers to students: 2:16
- Provide private tutoring
- Provide specialized instructors for special education
- Provide a more rigorous curriculum for giftedness

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Phoebe the Frog

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We strive to have our students reach new heights not only in their education but within themselves. We are proud to take part in Montessori teaching to have our students gain independence and learn themselves.

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As a Montessori parent and advocate, I can honestly say that I fell in love with Montessori at first sight. Over the years, I've watched my son benefit in so many ways because of his educational experiences. His love for learning, academic abilities, compassion and self-motivation are all qualities he's attained from this superb form of learning. Here are five reasons why I think Montessori sets itself apart from other ways of learning:

1. Montessori is not a trend.

So often in education, educators jump from one trend to the next. Districts and schools spend thousands of dollars on a new math or reading program only to find two years later, there's something better out there. Providing the "right" educational curriculum has become a constant challenge of "keeping up with the Jones's". Montessori schools use a philosophy and tools that have been around for over a century. Montessori schools don't flip-flop between programs because they don't need to. Montessori education proves to be effective regardless of whether it is in a private or public school, what country it is taught in or the socio economic status of the students. The philosophy that Maria Montessori developed many years ago still works for our kids today and I know as a parent, it works for my child as well.

2. It fosters independence.

Everything about a Montessori classroom fosters independence. You first start with the classroom that is prepared to allow the child to do for themselves what an adult would often do for a child. Enter a preprimary room and you will watch a three year old sweeping the floor with a child-sized broom, washing the dishes at a sink just their height or folding washcloths that are the right size for their hands. The pride you see in these children who are able to "do it themselves" without asking for help from an adult is incredible. A Montessori classroom provides a prepared environment where children are able to develop independence.

Materials were created to be self-correcting. Students can identify a mistake in their thinking without having an adult point it out to them. Students in a Montessori classroom then have the power to ask for help when they need it, as opposed to an adult telling the child when they need help.

Students begin to realize that they have the intelligence and ability to do things for themselves. This is not only empowering to the child, but gives them such a boost in confidence. I remember waking up many years ago to the sound of a microwave. I remember lying in bed thinking - only my four-year-old son and I are home, who could be using the microwave? I walked into the kitchen to see my son eating a steaming bowl of oatmeal. I asked him what he was doing and he told me that his teacher had taught him how to make instant oatmeal in the microwave. He got up, was hungry and decided to make himself some breakfast. Of course we then discussed how his teacher had also said an adult must supervise this process, but I was so excited that he had already become so independent at four and how confident he must have felt to take on such a task.

3. Kids grasp the idea of "why."

I truly believe that students don't just "lose" information over the summer because the summer is too long, I think they lose information because it's not meaningful to them. Often in math, we expect students to understand operations but never give them the how or why. We come up with acronyms and mnemonic tools to help kids memorize the step without asking why these strategies are even necessary. Montessori allows children to understand the how and the why with materials. Students can actually see a division problem occur as he or she divides each place value. They also have the ability to practice it over and over with the materials until it makes sense to them.

4. It meets kids where they are.

One of the best benefits of Montessori is that it's completely individualized. I never have to worry that my child is bored or frustrated to tears. He's getting what he needs, when he needs it. In order for teachers to teach on an individual level, they must observe, mentor, mold and guide the child to his potential. As a parent, I feel better knowing that my child's teacher knows him as an individual and not as just a second grader.

5. Learning is actually fun. (No really, it is!)

When you get to learn about botany by looking at leaf samples or learn about your favorite historical figure by dressing up as her, learning is engaging and fun. Montessori provides experiences for students to learn from. Learning doesn't just come from lectures or listening, learning comes from doing and experiencing the world around them. Learning is real and relevant and that's the way I want my child to learn.

Picking a school or method of education is one of the most important duties of a parent. My advice to other parents is to make a choice that will not just prepare your child for the next grade level, but will also prepare them to be a global citizen. Make the choice to put your child in a program where they will learn more than just the core subjects but also responsibility, compassion for others and self-motivation. Maria Montessori developed her philosophy because she wanted better for the world and future generations. With a little research and a tour of a Montessori school, you'll see why Montessori works.

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As a Montessori parent and advocate, I can honestly say that I fell in love with Montessori at first sight. Over the years, I've watched my son benefit in so many ways because of his educational experiences. His love for learning, academic abilities, compassion and self-motivation are all qualities he's attained from this superb form [...]

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It is best to provide children with open spaces and areas where they can fully engage in their activities at school. These open style classrooms help the students in a way that they are "learning by doing" (student centered , the open style classrooms also help to bring out the creativity within the students.

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Like automotive models, women's hemlines, and children's toys, pedagogical fads come and go, causing an immediate stir but rarely influencing teaching practice in any significant way. The notion that every innovation dreamed up by reformers inside and outside public schools makes its way into the nation's classrooms is popular among those hunting for reasons to malign the schools. But it is crucial to distinguish between mere intellectual chatter and ideas that provoke substantive change.

Where on this spectrum does the idea of the "open classroom" lie? At first glance, it would seem to be just another fad. It burst onto the American education scene in the late 1960s, only to fade away by the late 1970s. Appearances, however, can be deceiving.
British Invasion
The open-classroom movement originated in British public elementary schools after World War II. The movement, known then as informal education, spread slowly to the United States. In 1967 a parliamentary commission headed by Lady Bridget Plowden published a report, Children and Their Primary Schools, that promoted open education in all British schools. American educators who visited British schools during the late 1960s had read the Plowden report and visited classrooms where informal education dominated teaching and learning. They viewed informal education-or, as they came to call it, open classrooms or open education-as an answer to both the American education system's critics and the problems of U.S. society.

For more than a decade, U.S. schools had been subjected to withering attacks, blamed for everything from the launch of Sputnik to urban decay. They were faulted for not developing enough engineers and scientists; for being racially segregated and hostile to disadvantaged children; and for producing uncreative graduates who seldom questioned authority. Critics thought that the schools could be the vehicle for winning the Cold War, furthering the civil rights struggle, and roiling a 1950s culture of conformity that suffocated imagination.

Open classrooms' focus on students' "learning by doing" resonated with those who believed that America's formal, teacher-led classrooms were crushing students' creativity. In that sense the open-classroom movement mirrored the social, political, and cultural changes of the 1960s and early 1970s. The era saw the rise of a youth-oriented counterculture and various political and social movements-the civil-rights movement, antiwar protests, feminist and environmental activism-that questioned traditional seats of authority, including the way classrooms and schools were organized and students were taught.

In both Britain and the United States, open classrooms contained no whole-class lessons, no standardized tests, and no detailed curriculum. The best of the open classrooms had planned settings where children came in contact with things, books, and one another at "interest centers" and learned at their own pace with the help of the teacher. Teachers structured the classroom and activities for individual students and small work groups. They helped students negotiate each of the reading, math, science, art, and other interest centers on the principle that children learn best when they are interested and see the importance of what they are doing.

Consider the scene from a 3rd-grade open classroom in a New York City elementary school described by two proponents, Walter and Miriam Schneir, in a 1971 New York Times Magazine article:

What is most striking is that there are no desks for pupils or teachers. Instead, the room is arranged as a workshop.

Carelessly draped over the seat, arm, and back of a big old easy chair are three children, each reading to himself. Several other children nearby sprawl comfortably on a covered mattress on the floor, rehearsing a song they have written and copied into a song folio.

One grouping of tables is a science area with . . . magnets, mirrors, a prism, magnifying glasses, a microscope. . . . Several other tables placed together and surrounded by chairs hold a great variety of math materials such as "geo blocks," combination locks, and Cuisenaire rods, rulers, and graph paper. . . . The teacher sits down at a small round table for a few minutes with two boys, and they work together on vocabulary with word cards. . . . Children move in and out of the classroom constantly.

Schools without Walls
As the idea of open education gained momentum, thousands of elementary-school classrooms became home-like settings where young children moved from one attractive learning center for math to another for art. Additional learning centers engaged them in science, reading, and writing lessons. Teams of teachers worked with multiage groups of students and created elementary schools where children were no longer assigned to grade levels. Some school districts started alternative open education programs at the high-school level and gave teachers discretion to create new academic courses where students directed their own learning, worked in the community, and pursued intellectual interests. At both the elementary and secondary levels, open education meant teachers were acting more as coaches in helping students than as bosses directing children in every activity.

Avid promoters of open education commissioned architects to build schools without walls. Teams of teachers worked collaboratively with one another, using movable dividers to reconfigure the open space for large- and small-group projects and individual study.

By the early 1970s, the phrase open classrooms dominated educators' vocabularies. Even though parents and practitioners found it hard to pin down exactly what open education meant, many school boards adopted open-education programs, and open-space schools were built across the country. Few superintendents or principals could risk saying aloud that they had neither heard of the innovation nor found it desirable without risking sneers from peers or criticism from bosses.

So many schools were adopting the physical attributes of open classrooms that some advocates wondered whether the spirit of informal education was truly being followed. In his 1973 book The Open Classroom Reader, Charles Silberman warned enthusiastic teachers and parents:

By itself, dividing a classroom into interest areas does not constitute open education; creating large open spaces does not constitute open education; individualizing instruction does not constitute open education. . . . For the open classroom . . . is not a model or set of techniques, it is an approach to teaching and learning.

The artifacts of the open classroom-interest areas, concrete materials, wall displays-are not ends in themselves but rather means to other ends. . . . In addition, open classrooms are organized to encourage:

* Active learning rather than passive learning;

* Learning and expression in a variety of media, rather than just pencil and paper and the spoken word;
* Self-directed, student-initiated learning more than teacher-directed learning.

Backlash
Just a few years later, however, the ground shifted. In the mid-1970s, with the economy stagnating and the nation deeply divided over the Vietnam War, critics again trained their sights on the public schools. The national crisis gave rise to a perception, amplified by the media, that academic standards had slipped, that the desegregation movement had failed, and that urban schools were becoming violent places. This time the call was not for open education but for a return to the basics, again mirroring general social trends-namely, the conservative backlash against the cultural and political changes of the 1960s and early 1970s.

Traditional schools sprang up in suburbs and cities. Open-space schools rebuilt their walls. States tried to raise academic standards by developing minimum competency tests that high-school students had to pass in order to receive a diploma. Citations in the media and academic journals indicate that interest in open classrooms peaked somewhere around 1974. By the early 1980s, open classrooms had already become a footnote in doctoral dissertations.

But were open classrooms just another fad? Perhaps in the sense that, like hula hoops and pet rocks, they had soared onto the scene and then disappeared without a trace. Considering them merely a fad, however, would miss the deeper meaning of open classrooms as yet another skirmish in the ideological wars that have split educators and the public since the first tax-supported schools opened their doors in the early 1800s.
The School Wars
For at least two centuries, competing traditions of teaching reading, math, citizenship, and morality have fired policy debates and occasionally touched classroom practices. In teacher-centered instruction, knowledge is often (but not always) "presented" to a learner (via lectures, textbooks, and testing) who is-and the metaphors vary-a "blank slate" or a "vessel to fill." In student-centered instruction, by contrast, knowledge is often (but not always) "discovered" by the learner (via individual and small-group work, projects blending different subjects and skills, and inquiry and questioning), who may be described as "rich clay in the hands of an artist" or "a flourishing garden in need of a masterful cultivator." On the whole, different forms of teacher-centered instruction have dominated U.S. classrooms for the past century.

However, major challenges to teacher-centered instruction were mounted at the beginning of the 20th century by "pedagogical progressives," to use Lawrence Cremin's apt phrase; in the 1960s by enthusiasts for open education; and again in the late 1980s and early 1990s by neoprogressives committed to integrated curricula, performance-based assessments (rather than standardized tests), and smaller schools. Nevertheless, a wide gap remained between ideas and actual practice. Among educators, mainstream classroom practices remained teacher-centered, even if substantial numbers of teachers-trained by progressive faculty members-grasped pieces of the student-centered tradition and created hybrid practices.

The present moment in American education, with its emphasis on standards-based curricula and test-based accountability, surely favors the teacher-centered crowd. Nevertheless, many teachers, particularly in elementary schools, continue to prize active student involvement, cross-disciplinary projects completed by small groups, and similar activities. And even full-fledged open education is still thriving in schools across the country, from the Los Angeles Open Charter School to the Irwin Avenue Open Elementary in North Carolina's Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district. Many teachers and principals still embrace the principles of open education, but keep their heads low to avoid incoming fire.

In high schools, most teachers continue to use teacher-centered practices, leavened slightly by informal practices that have crept into their repertoires. Yet activists in the small-schools movement carry the torch of open education and progressive practices from earlier generations.

Why this long-running ideological war over the best ways to teach reading, math, civic engagement, and character building? The short answer is that these enduring pedagogical quarrels are proxies for deeper political divisions between conservatives and liberals on issues ranging from environmental protection to foreign policy. There are, of course, liberals who believe in traditional education and conservatives who embrace progressive ideas, but the lines are fairly well drawn.

So while the open classroom has clearly disappeared from the vocabulary of educators, another variation of open education is likely to reappear in the years ahead. Deep-seated progressive and traditional beliefs about rearing children, classroom teaching and learning, and the values and knowledge that should be instilled in the next generation will continue to reappear because schools historically have been battlegrounds for solving national problems and working out differences in values.

Since children differ in their motivations, interests, and backgrounds, and learn at different speeds in different subjects, there will never be a victory for either traditional or progressive teaching and learning. The fact is that no single best way for teachers to teach and for children to learn can fit all situations. Both traditional and progressive ways of teaching and learning need to be part of a school's approach to children. Smart teachers and principals have carefully constructed hybrid classrooms and schools that reflect the diversities of children. Alas, that lesson remains to be learned by the policymakers, educators, and parents of each generation.
-Larry Cuban is a professor emeritus of education at Stanford University.

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Like automotive models, women's hemlines, and children's toys, pedagogical fads come and go, causing an immediate stir but rarely influencing teaching practice in any significant way. The notion that every innovation dreamed up by reformers inside and outside public schools makes its way into the nation's classrooms is popular among those hunting for reasons to malign the schools.

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Imagination Academy believes in the Montessori teaching that is student centered. The students are taught to teach themselves which then leads to independence. Teachers in classrooms are seen as facilitators, not actually leading the class, but overseeing.

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Imagination Academy does not discriminate and accepts students and stuff from all different races, religions & cultures.

During the school year there will be different cultures that the students will be learning about to help widen their view of others.
For example:
- Every quarter, teachers will be teaching a different culture of their class' interest

The students will also be required to learn a language of their choice during the years at the school.

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By Rebecca M. Solomon, Ph.D

In our increasingly diverse society, there is a growing appreciation of the value of speaking more than one language. Opening one's mind to learning about and embracing other languages and cultures can bring rich rewards. Anyone who speaks a second language can communicate with greater numbers of people, expanding their educational, professional, and social opportunities. Helping our children learn a second language is a great way to prepare them to succeed in every aspect of their adult lives.

There are also many benefits that children can reap when they learn a second language. A number of research studies have shown that children who have learned a second language at a young age demonstrate cognitive advantages, such as increased problem-solving skills and creativity. Children also develop an interest in and curiosity about different cultures and ideas when they have a foundation in other languages. This makes them more comfortable growing up in our increasingly global society, where languages and cultures intersect every day.

While children of every age benefit from learning a second language, research studies particularly support starting bilingual education at the preschool level. Very young children readily learn through play-like activities. They are less self-conscious than older learners, and are willing to try out newly acquired language skills without fear of embarrassment. Children at this age are also better at mimicking new sounds and adopting pronunciation than are older learners. Clearly, students will reap the most benefits when they begin bilingual education early in their lives.

At The Learning Experience, all students at the Preschool level participate in our L.E.A.P. Into Foreign Languages® program. Each of our centers offers either L.E.A.P. into Spanish® or L.E.A.P. into Mandarin®. Each foreign language curriculum balances fun with learning, as children are led on their language learning journeys by an engaging mascot. Language learning is made easier and more interesting by the infusion of the cultural aspects of each language as well.

L.E.A.P. into Spanish features an introduction to the Spanish language and culture through a variety of activities, including games, art, and songs. Students, led by Tito ToroTM, receive a passport that they fill in as they learn about the geography and cultures of several Spanish-speaking countries. A Spanish language environment rich in illustration and print supports their language learning.

In L.E.A.P. into Mandarin, Ping PandaTM is the children's guide through the culture and language of China. She leads students through fun and engaging songs, stories, and games. In addition to vocabulary and print, Ping the Panda also helps teach students about Chinese celebrations throughout the year. Children enjoy celebrating the Moon Festival, the Duanwu Festival, and more as part of their active language learning.

Whether a child at TLE is learning Spanish or Mandarin Chinese, materials are provided to parents to enable them to support their child's foreign language learning at home. There are also a number of things that parents can do at home to promote second language acquisition in their child. Here are a few suggestions:

· Create a casual learning environment. The best way for a child to learn to understand a new language is to hear it being spoken regularly. Find television shows, books, CDs, restaurants, and other means of exposing your child to the second language on a regular, frequent basis. Visit a community where the language is spoken.

· Teach through repetition. Children learn through repetition and active engagement with another language. If you and your child do an activity together, do the same thing next time in the second language. For example, if you are baking a cake together, the first time you would emphasize the names of the ingredients in English (or your home language). Later, you could do the same activity and express the same words in the second language.

· Use physical demonstrations. Pairing nonverbal communication with vocabulary words helps students understand language. An expressive gesture, facial expression, or other physical demonstration can help children comprehend and remember language terms.

· Make it fun! Whether you choose to read books, play music, or travel to another country, keeping children engaged is the key to keeping them interested in learning. If a child has positive experiences he or she can become quite receptive to learning about another language,

It is clear that second language study offers many advantages for students in terms of improved communicative ability, cognitive development, and cultural awareness. Society as a whole also benefits, as these children will grow to become caring global citizens who can communicate with and appreciate people from other countries and cultures. It's never too soon to start your child on the path of second language acquisition, so start today!

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The Benefits of Second Language Acquisition in Early Childhood

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By Rebecca M. Solomon, Ph.D In our increasingly diverse society, there is a growing appreciation of the value of speaking more than one language. Opening one's mind to learning about and embracing other languages and cultures can bring rich rewards. Anyone who speaks a second language can communicate with greater numbers of people, expanding their educational, professional, and social opportunities.

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- A bachelor's degree in early childhood education
- 3 year work experience in any childcare setting
- Patient & kind
- Ability to develop relationships with students
- Must also be certified in CPR & First Aid

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Coinciding with Montessori teaching, Imagination Academy has taken on the constructivist approach, with having the students collaborate with each other and learn from each other. Constructivism encourages students to take control of their own learning process as well as learn to reflect on what they have learned.

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Imagination Academy will provide iPads to help provide students with meaningful activities that will help them throughout their time at the academy such as with motor skills or even up to typing skills. Although there will be iPads in the classrooms, the time using them will be balanced with the amount of time the students are out and about learning through inquiry.

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When I think of the presence of technology in a classroom, whether it be a traditional or Montessori classroom, one requirement comes to mind: Meaningful.

If you watch carefully how public and private schools now market their schools (yes, they now have to market), you often hear things like "We have 1:1 technology!" or "Every child has a tablet." When I see these statements, my overall reaction tends to be "So what?" "What do you do with that technology?" "How is it meaningful?"

There are mixed views on the place of technology in a Montessori school. While there are some Montessori schools that have strict regulations, many schools use technology regularly - but only in a purposeful, meaningful way.

As a Head of School at a Montessori Academy, our students use technology in the form of practical life. We use it as a supplement to our curriculum and not as a substitute for books and materials. The purpose of Practical Life in a Montessori school is not only to teach concentration, increase small motor skills, expose students to new interests and opportunities, but also to prepare the child for real world experiences. As an educator in the 21 st century, I feel like it is my responsibility to prepare children for what they will encounter in the real world and whether I like it or not, the real world functions on technology.

Our students learn typing skills, how to use a word document or spreadsheet, how to submit a paper via email or Google Docs, how to find reliable and helpful research using a search engine and how to put together a persuasive presentation. Our students do not forget about dictionaries and encyclopedias because Googling is easier, learn math concepts on the computer rather than manipulate real materials or disengage from their peers because they are "plugged in."

What scares me most about the increase in technology in schools is the lack of balance in the lives of our children. As a parent, I allow my child to have "screen time" at home knowing that he's only been exposed to a minimal amount at school. Imagine the life of the 21 st century child who eats breakfast while watching cartoons, watches his favorite movie on the way to school, comes home from school and spends a few hours playing video games or playing on his computer and then reads before bed on his tablet. Now mix in the four hours of technology that same child gets at a school. What are the impacts on that child? Does the school have moral responsibility to help limit some of that screen time?

At my son's last pediatrician appointment, the doctor not only reminded him to wear a helmet while on his bike, wear a seat belt in the car, but also to limit his screen time to one hour per day. When I consulted the American Academy of Pediatrics website, they said that the average child is exposed to seven hours on "entertainment media" per day. Entertainment media was defined as "televisions, computers, phones and other electronic devices." What's even scarier is that "Studies have shown that excessive media use can lead to attention problems, school difficulties, sleep and eating disorders, and obesity" (Media and Children).

I have about a million reasons why I chose Montessori for my child and why I chose Montessori for myself as an educator. Montessori isn't always popular or trendy. Sometimes Montessori schools seem to be doing the opposite of what the "21 st century school" is doing. I chose Montessori because we do right by kids. This might not always be appealing to the child who enjoys technology embedded in every aspect of their life, but as the parent, you have the right to decide the kind of education your child is exposed to. I'd advise any parent looking at schools, whether it be Montessori or traditional, to look for balance and meaningful work.

Media and Children. (n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2015.

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A True Balancing Act: Technology and the Montessori Classroom

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When I think of the presence of technology in a classroom, whether it be a traditional or Montessori classroom, one requirement comes to mind: Meaningful. If you watch carefully how public and private schools now market their schools (yes, they now have to market), you often hear things like "We have 1:1 technology!"

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As specified in our 'About Us', Imagination Academy provides 2 teachers in each classroom, with 1 of the teachers specializing in special education to help aide students in the classroom that require special services. These teachers will also be able to oversee special education activities.

For each grade, there will be a group of gifted teachers that will work with the students that are well above the national standards in education.

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"Top 5 Reasons Why Montessori Works"
https://montessorirocks.org/top-5-reasons-why-montessori-works/
"The Open Classroom"
https://www.educationnext.org/theopenclassroom/
"The Benefits of Second Language Acquisition in Early Childhood"
https://www.thelearningexperience.com/bubbles-blog/the-benefits-of-second-language-acquisition-in-early-childhood
"A True Balancing Act: Technology and the Montessori Classroom"
https://montessorirocks.org/a-true-balancing-act-technology-and-the-montessori-classroom/
"Constructivism as a Paradigm"
https://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/constructivism/index_sub2.html
"Teaching Mental Health from K-12"
https://careforyourmind.org/teaching-mental-health-from-k-to-12/

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Imagination Academy strives to educate our students and staff on the importance of Mental Health. We will provide an assembly every school year about the importance of mental health awareness, and we encourage our teachers to provide mental health check-ins for our students.

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Susan Weinstein, Editor in Chief
Care for Your Mind

This year, two state legislatures passed statewide mandates for providing mental health education in public schools. What should kids be learning about mental health, and when, and from whom?

In Virginia, the law directs the state Board of Education to update its Standards of Learning to include mental health material for ninth and tenth grades. New York took this even further, requiring integration of mental health instruction within the health curriculum for all grades from kindergarten through senior year of high school. Health education must "recognize the multiple dimensions of health and include the relationship of physical and mental health."

New York and Virginia have each taken a bold step by mandating inclusion of mental health in the curriculum. In all fairness, though, many states and school districts have already embraced mental health as part of the curriculum from elementary school through high school, even without a legislative mandate. In a state like Massachusetts, where nearly every city and town has its own independent school district, the state education department's authority is limited. A law would be ineffective, unless there was specific funding attached. (Read our archived post about some of Massachusetts' efforts to bring suicide prevention upstream.)

There's also the question of what should be included in such a curriculum. Learning about mental health doesn't need to be learning about various disorders, though that can be valuable. Rather, it can cover practical aspects of self-management and interpersonal relationships that make acceptance of oneself and others easier. It can be aimed at helping our youth be healthier and more successful in all their endeavors. And it can make talking about and seeking help for mental health conditions the norm, not the exception.

To that end, many districts begin their students' mental health education by incorporating social and emotional learning (SEL) in elementary grades. Students develop skills in areas such as problem solving, critical thinking, managing emotions, and making decisions. The foundational lessons kids get through SEL have been shown to lead to better academic performance, self-esteem, employability, and engagement in society. These aspects of children's development are so important that more than a dozen states have considered or adopted legislation involving SEL in schools.

Understanding that mental health is interconnected with physical health is also important to learn and experience. Embracing positive lifestyle choices - adequate sleep, balanced diet, daily exercise, coping strategies like mindfulness, and avoidance of harmful substances - contributes to a healthier whole person, an important lesson that bears repeating at various stages of development. Also, being able to recognize and address stress in healthy ways supports better mental and physical health in the short- and long-term.

With kids 10 years of age and even younger taking their own lives, suicide prevention can't be a subject only for high school. Kids who have SEL under their belts are better able to recognize emerging issues and to talk with others, particularly trusted adults, about their concerns. But even those whose experience hasn't formally included SEL can learn that talking about feelings and behaviors is more than okay. Creating the environment in which kids, teens, and young adults can ask for help is something that every school can and should accomplish.

Bullying, substance abuse, academic failure, self-injury, and suicide are problems that strongly correlate with mental health conditions, particularly depression. The benefits of bringing conversations about mental health and tools for managing emotions and behaviors are justification enough for every school district to be proactive in weaving mental health into education from kindergarten (or earlier) through high school graduation. While kudos are due to New York and Virginia, we really shouldn't need a legislative cudgel to give kids the education for life that they deserve.
What do you think?

How is mental health taught in your local schools?

What should be in a mental health curriculum and why?

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Susan Weinstein, Editor in ChiefCare for Your Mind This year, two state legislatures passed statewide mandates for providing mental health education in public schools. What should kids be learning about mental health, and when, and from whom? In Virginia, the law directs the state Board of Education to update its Standards of Learning to include mental health material for ninth and tenth grades.