https://padlet.com/jamielombardo16/58ao6vdy8fw7yqt1 Made with good vibes en-us 2022-01-11 00:42:57 UTC 2022-01-14 02:31:25 UTC hello@padlet.com jamielombardo16 https://padlet.com/jamielombardo16/58ao6vdy8fw7yqt1/wish/1985015851
This informative article by The Cleveland Clinic explores student mental health related to social media usage. The article shares studies stating the impact social media has on kids, the dangers of social media, and what adults can do to help combat these effects. Although most apps require users to be 13 years and older, a recent poll found that 50% of children 10 to 12 years old and 33% of children 7 to 9 years old use social media apps. With the increasing number of children on social media, studies report increased irritability, increased anxiety, lack of self-esteem, and more in young users. The article gives a number of tips to help parents/guardians navigate the world of social media with their children by establishing boundaries and limits as well as having open communication with children. 

It is important to include these conversations in the PreK- 4 classroom with students! Teaching students what social media is and how it doesn’t always show an accurate picture of someone’s life can help mitigate some of the effects listed in the article. It is important to teach students mindfulness when using such apps. ]]> 2022-01-11 01:17:57 UTC https://padlet.com/jamielombardo16/58ao6vdy8fw7yqt1/wish/1985015851 jamielombardo16 https://padlet.com/jamielombardo16/58ao6vdy8fw7yqt1/wish/1985056464 This article by Fraser Health discusses student gender and sexual identity in the classroom. The article clearly distinguishes the difference between gender orientation and sexual identity as well as why both are important to teach in the elementary gen ed classroom. Besides offering a number of resources, the article lists a number of ways teachers can help create inclusive environments in schools. Using inclusive language for all people and families, creating an inclusion policy, and being visually welcoming and inclusive are a few of the recommended steps teachers can make in their classroom.

As the article stated, teaching students about gender orientation and sexual orientation at a young age will help stop discrimination and bullying in the classroom. I think introducing inclusive language everyday while also using children's literature to educate students about LGBTQ experiences is vital in the classroom. ]]> 2022-01-11 01:50:14 UTC https://padlet.com/jamielombardo16/58ao6vdy8fw7yqt1/wish/1985056464 jamielombardo16 https://padlet.com/jamielombardo16/58ao6vdy8fw7yqt1/wish/1987352728 This article by the editorial team at Resilient Educator talks about the importance of trauma-informed teaching. Topics such as the impact of trauma, the guiding approach to trauma-informed care, best practices in the classroom, and self-care for trauma-informed teachers are a few topics discussed in the article. The article states that being trauma-informed recognizes that student undesirable behaviors are attempts to soothe emotional dysregulation, and this is often done unconsciously on the part of the trauma-impacted individual. Teachers learn not only how to recognize trauma, but implement trauma-informed pedagogy in their classes. 

The idea of trauma-informed teaching is vital in the pre-k -4 classroom for the health, safety, and success of our students. Being able to recognize trauma and how to react and handle situations is pertinent to a well-functioning classroom. Discussing the topic of trauma is an opportunity open students' eyes to different perspectives of the world leading to a more empathetic classroom. We never know what a person has or is going through in their life. ]]> 2022-01-12 02:52:16 UTC https://padlet.com/jamielombardo16/58ao6vdy8fw7yqt1/wish/1987352728 jamielombardo16 https://padlet.com/jamielombardo16/58ao6vdy8fw7yqt1/wish/1987374326 This article from CNN is about physical activity's association with increased longevity. As discussed in the article, sedentary behavior has become the new normal for many folks during the pandemic. With the myriad of studies stating the health risks of prolonged sitting, getting active daily is of the utmost importance after long zoom meetings. According to the article, a recent study has shown that with as little as 11 minutes of movement a day, you can increase your life span! The article goes on to state 3 easy ways to get active including bodyweight exercise sequences, yoga, and fun dancing sessions! 

Physical activity can be incorporated daily in the pre-k-4 gen ed classroom! Through simple dance sessions on go noodle, to mindful chair yoga exercises, students are given a break from constantly sitting down all day. Discussions about the importance of staying physically active can be included in these brain break movement sessions. A healthy mind has been linked to a healthy body!]]> 2022-01-12 03:08:44 UTC https://padlet.com/jamielombardo16/58ao6vdy8fw7yqt1/wish/1987374326 jamielombardo16 https://padlet.com/jamielombardo16/58ao6vdy8fw7yqt1/wish/1987387295 This New York Times article about children dealing with death/grief/ loss during the pandemic calls upon political leaders to make a greater effort to help our struggling youth. The article mentions the extreme need for mental health services for the hundreds of thousands of children who have lost loved ones during the pandemic. Researchers found across collaborative studies that Black and Hispanic children were roughly two and a half times as likely as whites to be bereaved as a result of the pandemic, while Native American children were nearly four times as likely. The article states multiple mentions of allocating funds for children's mental health such as the $14.2 million, allocated by Congress through the American Rescue Plan, to expand access to pediatric mental health care. More needs to be done.

Grief and loss in unfortunately unavoidable in life, especially during the pandemic. In a pre K-4 class it is vital for us to have open and honest communication with our students to determine how they are coping with such unprecedented times. By having group discussions about loss in the classroom, students can feel a greater sense of connection to classmates while feeling less alone in their own situations.]]> 2022-01-12 03:20:21 UTC https://padlet.com/jamielombardo16/58ao6vdy8fw7yqt1/wish/1987387295 jamielombardo16 https://padlet.com/jamielombardo16/58ao6vdy8fw7yqt1/wish/1991541942 To my complete surprise, this news article by U.S. News states that alcohol/drug use has decreased during the pandemic. According to U.S. health officials, there has been an "unprecedented" decline in teens' use of alcohol, marijuana, other illegal drugs and vaping. These results remain true amongst a variety of age groups including high schoolers and middle schoolers. An even more dramatic decrease was shown in vaping usage in youth populations. 

This news is fantastic and honestly unexpected. Maybe alcohol and drug use is linked to a social environment/usage rather than personal. That being said, it is important to talk about the damaging effects of drug and alcohol use(especially on developing brains). ]]> 2022-01-14 02:30:56 UTC https://padlet.com/jamielombardo16/58ao6vdy8fw7yqt1/wish/1991541942