HALLOWEEN FACTS AND FICTION

Soon, ghost and goblins will be playing tricks and eating treats, prancing down neighborhood streets and causing chaotic fun with family and friends. Parents may have some apprehension about letting their little witches and warlocks roam the night because of the continual retelling of myths and urban legends surrounding Halloween.

Reports of razor blades hidden in apples and candy have been haunting parents for decades. These ridiculous and malicious rumors have caused many people to ban trick-or-treating and stop handing out candy treats altogether. The sad fact is the only cases of tampered-candy killing children on Halloween were of relatives poisoning family members on purpose.

I remember my own mom dumping our pillowcases of candy on the kitchen floor, putting on her gardening gloves and meticulously fanning the loot across the tile. She knelt over mini candy bars and popcorn balls, searching for evidence of tampered treats. Inevitably she threw out two or three pieces. I suspect now it was to assure herself that her efforts were not in vain.

Another common and misguided belief is that excess consumption of sugar-laden candy will make kids hyperactive. We can all agree that devouring mounds of sugar is not good for any of us. Candy is nothing but empty calories and eating too much can lead to bad eating habits, dental cavities and health issues. However, after countless studies, the American Medical Association has found that sugar in the diet does not affect children’s behavior. Most likely it’s not the sweets but the situation that causes kids to throw caution and parental imperatives to the wind.

While the sadistic tales of evil people poisoning our sugar-crazed kids are false, there are some real dangers that can easily be avoided.

We should be concerned about motor vehicle accidents. Roughly four times as many children aged 5-14 are killed while walking on Halloween evening compared with other evenings of the year.

Make sure drivers can see your child and vice versa. Give kids flashlights and glow sticks. Also, use makeup rather than masks so children have a clear, unobstructed view of their surroundings. Young trick-or-treaters should be accompanied by an adult and all should know to only cross at the crosswalks and stay on the sidewalk.

Nearly 6 million or 8% of children have food allergies. To be safe, hand out treats that are free of dairy, wheat and eggs - the most common food allergens. Some options include: Smarties, gum, mints, hard candy or jellybeans. Consider handing out trinkets such as stickers, pencils or coins. Enforce a ‘no eating while trick-or-treating’ policy and pass on candy and treats that do not have ingredients labeled.

To avoid eye injuries, cuts and bruises, use costume knives and swords that are flexible, not rigid or sharp and make sure children can walk comfortably in their costume.

 

Don’t worry about unknown or unfounded dangers. Instead, eat, drink and be scary while taking a few precautions to protect your children from the easily averted hazards.

           

Contact Margaret Lavin at elementarydays@gmail.com.

A HAPPY NEW YEAR FOR THE KIDS

Trying to maintain happiness isn’t something new. Socrates attempted to define it, linking happiness to knowledge. Our Declaration of Independence gives us the right to pursue it and thousands of books have been written on how to obtain it, like, “The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living” by Dalai Lama and, “Climb Your Stairway to Heaven: The 9 Habits of Maximum Happiness” by David Leonhardt. We are obsessed with it, and it’s not a coincidence.

 

Researchers have found that happy people are more likely to have stronger immune systems, live longer, have better relationships, are more satisfied with work, have less depression and greater copying skills. 

Seems like a no-brainer to encourage our children to be happy, but how? I have found that happy students directly correlate to my own happiness as a teacher, so I have tried very hard over the years to keep my class in high spirits. Here are three sure-fire ways that have worked in my classroom and may work for you at home.

Praise

My teaching motto is “praise early and often.” I find if I give compliments generously and specifically, I have better management and many more smiles. Kids, even in middle school, adore gold stars for good behavior, happy face stickers on their homework and pats on their back for work well done. Many of my colleagues have adapted a similar creed, giving  “two compliments for every criticism.” You may want to up that ratio.

I also praise everyday accomplishments as well as the exceptional ones and scaffold my praise depending on student’s demeanor and academic standing. For example, some students receive praise for doing extra credit; others receive a commendation for making it to class on time.

Role Model

There are days I don’t feel like cheerily welcoming my students, but I fake it. I fake it for their sake as well as my own. When I’m happy, my students are happier, and when I’m cranky, for whatever reason, class can become a management nightmare. Students quickly become unresponsive and/or disruptive. So, if you’ve had a miserable day, conjure up a wonderful memory, plaster on a smile and try to fake your way to a harmonious night with the kids.

Eat and Sleep Well

Sleep, proper nourishment and happiness are highly connected. I know if I’m hungry, nothing else matters. Making sure kids eat something for breakfast and go to bed at a decent hour will help them focus in school which will lead to better grades, higher self-esteem and, you guessed it, more happiness.

Benjamin Franklin quipped, “The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.”  Let this year’s resolution be catching some happiness and radiating it to the kids!

Contact Margaret Lavin at elementarydays@gmail.com.

SLEEP IS ESSENTIAL

Over the lazy summer months it was easy to slack off on bedtime rituals. I am certainly guilty of postponing my tweens bedtime in hopes of thwarting her inevitable grumblings. Since school has started, however, I have become a drill sergeant at bedtime, barking orders of, “brush, book, and bed!” 

 

As difficult as it is to ignore my drowsy darling’s protests as she marches toward inevitable slumber, I feel justified knowing that poor sleep is among the most definitive causes of poor academic achievements. Children’s brains are still developing until the age of 21 and much of that development is done while they sleep. Research by the National Sleep Foundation shows that children who don’t get enough sleep get lower grades and have difficulty paying attention in class. The good news is the converse is also true. Getting a good night’s sleep improves memory, grades and athletic ability. It spurs creativity and lowers stress.

One significant deterrent to sleep is electronic devices. There are a plethora of studies concluding that electronic devices negatively affect sleep. Specifically, evening exposure to bright light, inherent in most electronic media devices, delays the circadian rhythm, your body’s internal clock, and suppresses melatonin, the chemical that helps regulate your sleep patterns – a good reason to get kids out of cyberspace and get them into bed!

 

If you’re having a tough time convincing your tweens and teens to go to bed at a decent hour, appeal to their developing self awareness. Let them know that too little sleep wreaks havoc on appearances. When young adults miss out on valuable and regenerative sleep, their blood vessels dilate which is why they may notice puffy dark circles under their eyes. Even one late night can actually increase pimples and acne breakouts.

Sleep deprivation can also cause weight gain. Sleep-deprived people have higher levels of ghrelin - a hormone that drives appetite. According to Dr. Plamen D. Penev, an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago “If [people] are not getting enough sleep as they diet, they may have higher levels of hunger and be struggling to adhere to the regimen.”

 

Now that everyone is convinced of the importance of a good night’s sleep, it’s time to put our good intentions to action. Try to wind up homework, extra-curricular activities and dinner by early evening. It’s really smart to remove computers, cell phones, and video games from the bedroom when it’s time to hit the hay. Figure out bedtimes by counting backwards at least 10 hours from when the kids need to wakeup. According to The American Academy of Sleep Medicine, school aged kids need 10 to 11 hours of sleep a day.

Modeling good bedtime routines are a win for kids and parents alike. Perhaps American author and Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck said it best. “It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it.

Let’s face it, getting a good night’s sleep is a no- brainer!

Contact Margaret Lavin at elementarydays@gmail.com.

GET TO KNOW THE GAMING COMMUNITY

The virtual world of online gaming has never been a part of my world, but I’m very aware that for kids, gaming communities are omnipresent and parents would be remiss to ignore their benefits as well as their potential hazards. On the bright side, children can exercise important life skills while gaming. They employ their imaginations and use problem-solving strategies while practicing social skills. However, there can be a dark side. Cyber-bullying is very real and very dangerous. Children can also have interactions with strangers, or even real-world predators.

Parent involvement is critical. So, if your children are running amuck in cyber-space, it’s time to grab the cyber-bull by the horns and get engaged with the gaming community. Here’s one way to get started close to home.

Its important to know which gaming communities your child plays in and which safety features are available on the gaming equipment. For example, some headsets have voice-masking features. Keep gaming consoles in an easy-to-supervise location and know that your child may have access to games in other places. Most cell phones today have Internet access. Tell your children and continually remind them never to give out personal information while gaming or agree to meet anyone outside of the game. You can research games’ ratings and content on the Entertainment Software Rating Board website, www.esrb.org.

Once you feel more comfortable in your knowledge of gaming and gamers, start a discussion with your children. The more often you talk with them about online safety, the more responsive they will become. Find out what kinds of people they play with and how much do other online gamers know about them. The best way to find out exactly what’s going on in your child’s cyber-world is to play the games with them. While playing, you can role-play how to respond if someone bothers you and get to know the type of players who are online and ways in which they interact.

Parenting tech-savvy kids can be intimidating, especially if, like me, you didn’t grow up with the same technologies. However, with a little hands-on learning and safety resources, you can protect your children from the potential dangers of online gaming communities. You may even find you like being a resident!

Contact Margaret Lavin at elementarydays@gmail.com.

WHY CHARTER SCHOOLS DON'T WORK

Educational historian and former assistant secretary of education, Diane Ravitch,  was once a proponent of charter schools and wrote books and articles making their case. However, in her book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education,  she explained why she has changed her mind. “Given the weight of the studies, evaluations and federal test data, I concluded that deregulations and privately managed charter schools were not the answer to the deep-seated problems of America education…Charter schools, privately run but publicly funded, cherry-pick a neighborhood’s best students and kick out under-performers, forcing surrounding public schools to teach a depleted talent pool.”

Charter schools, for the most part, are publicly funded schools that are annulled from the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to traditional public schools. They operate under a written contract, or charter. These contracts specify how the school will be held accountable for improved achievement. Their design suggests that if they improve students’ achievement, their contracts will be renewed. Those that do not will be closed. Sounds great, however, as it stands, only a tiny percentage of charters have been shut down, and those overwhelmingly had their charter terminated based on misspent money, not student performance. According to a study for the U.S. Dept of Education, “Charter schools rarely face sanctions.”

The movement toward charter schools is expanding despite the absence of accountability. There is no strong or convincing evidence that charter schools have improved student achievement or that they are being held more accountable for academic outcomes than regular public schools. Charter school proponents point to a 2003 study by the RAND Corporation as evidence of success. It concluded that charter school students in California “…are keeping pace with comparable students in conventional schools.” This is not an endorsement. Indeed, given the promise to raise achievement, this statistic reflects failure.

In fact, a national study conducted by Stanford University economist Margaret Raymond found that 37% of charter schools got worse results than comparable neighborhood public schools, 46% did about the same and only 17% were superior to public schools. Raymond surmised, “if this study shows anything, it shows we’ve got a 2 to 1 margin of bad charters to good charters.”

California Charter School Association claims that California charter schools “get results because they are highly responsive to students needs, do a better job increasing student achievement and demonstrate commitment to quality standards.” This type of propaganda is nothing but a marketing tool. As consumers we are bombarded daily with astonishing declarations about products and services. We are weary from deciphering the snake oils from the real McCoys. Marketing schools in this way is turning education into a commercial transaction, rather than a democratic ideal.

I understand the public’s frustration with traditional public schools, and as an education and a mother I strongly seek better results from our educational system. Charter schools, however, are not the answer. They have been a costly venture on an unproven alternative while cutting public school resources - resources we have paid for.

Contact Margaret Lavin at elementarydays@gmail.com.

UNDERSTANDING CALIFORNIA’S NEW EDUCATION FUNDING FORMULA

In 2013, California adopted the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). LCFF decides how much money each school district gets. It also mandates that district officials solicit input from school employers, parents, and community groups. As a result, school districts across California are actively gathering information from and giving information to various stakeholder groups. However, many parents are still scratching their heads on how the new funding code affects their children, school, and community. 

 

Under the fairly new system, districts must develop and adopt a three-year Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) articulating how they will support all students to achieve academically, with specific focus on English Learners, Socio-economically Disadvantaged Youth and Foster Youth.

The law is in response to years of disinvestment in California’s public school system. California is ranked one of the lowest states in per pupil spending, 48th in teacher to student ratio, and at or near the bottom for funding of other adult staff such as custodians and office personnel. This translates into larger class sizes, fewer teacher aides, outdated facilities, inadequate technology, and few or no music, art, library, physical education or counseling programs.

According to former Redwood City Superintendent Jan Christensen. “Some of the inequity faced by  students stems from our state’s arcane school-funding system,” she said. “In California, some school districts are funded by the state, and others are funded by local property tax. Districts with the highest property values and the lowest number of students end up with many more dollars per student per year. Voters in these higher-funded communities also tend to approve ballot initiatives that bring further resources to local schools.”

These funding discrepancies impact every realm of education, from English language acquisition and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) proficiency to college and career readiness.

It’s important to note that LCFF changes how money is distributed, but does very little to change the actual amount of money that is going toward schools. Even with its implementation, California’s education funding will fall far short of other states and the chasm of educational inequity will continue to expand.

LCFF is a step in the right direction, but it cannot be the last. We must address the bigger issue of restoring justice to California’s education finances, including the devastating effects of Proposition 13. 

For more information on California’s new education formula, including whom it benefits and what does it mean for students, go to California’s PTA website, http://www.capta.org and search LCFF, or check out what the California Department Education has to say, https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/lc/lcfffaq.asp#FC

Contact Margaret Lavin at elementarydays@gmail.com.

REMEMBERING OUR TROOPS

On November 11, 2017, we honor and thank the men and women who serve our country. Veterans Day was instituted three years after the end of World War I. It ended at the 11^th hour on the 11^th day of the 11th month in 1918.

For most people, this is a much appreciated day off. Not so for our troops. They work diligently through holidays and weekends, twenty-four-seven, securing our safety and freedom.

America has been fighting two of the longest wars in our history. However, we may finally have a reason to be optimistic. President Obama vowed to pull the remaining 40,000 U.S. troops from Iraq this year, symbolically ending the 9-year war.

In May, an elite team of U.S. Navy seals killed the mastermind of 9/11, Osama Bin Laden, in Pakistan, initiating the dismantling of Al Qaeda and the beginning of the end of the 10-year old war in Afghanistan. The president also promises to bring 33,000 American troops home by the summer of 2012, and continuing withdrawal at a steady pace allowing Afghans to take over their own security by 2014.

One way we can all show our appreciation to American military heroes who are stationed around the world is to write them letters. If you have a family member or friend serving, this is the perfect opportunity to say, “We miss you and thank you.” Have the kids participate and they will develop a deeper meaning of service and sacrifice. Pictures drawn are very popular and photos are a nice personal touch. If you want to make it easier for a soldier to respond to your letter, enclose a self- addressed return envelope with a blank piece of paper inside it.

Visit www.packagesfromhome.org or www.amillionthanks.org for recommended guidelines and more ideas, such as things to donate, drop off locations and much more.

There are also books appropriate for children that reveal more about the war on terrorism and past wars.

The War on Terrorism series, by DianeYancey traces the day-to-day efforts of American armed service personnel in a nation that many of them hardly knew of prior to their deployment. The book describes the soldiers' daily routine, including the problems of hygiene, diet, shelter, and climate.

The Wall by Eve Bunting is a richly illustrated story about a father and his young son who visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to find the name of the grandfather the boy never met.

In Going Solo, children’s author Roald Dahl writes of his own experiences as a pilot during World War II.

However you decide to spend Veterans Day, you may enjoy taking a moment to reflect on our incredible fortunes as a free nation and remember who keeps, not only Americans, but millions of people across the globe secure. And then pray for peace. We need our troops home and we can certainly use some of the military budget to stimulate our economy.

Perhaps Charles Sumner said it best, “Give me the money that has been spent in war and I will clothe every man, woman, and child in an attire of which kings and queens will be proud. I will build a schoolhouse in every valley over the whole earth. I will crown every hillside with a place of worship consecrated to peace.”            

Contact Margaret Lavin at elementarydays@gmail.com.