| While
teaching junior high, I was convinced that the girls I worked with
after school - practicing for teams, rehearsing for dance recitals,
getting ready for gym shows - were not the type to use drugs. They
were happy and adjusted, so why on earth would they need them?
It took years to learn how wrong I was. Then, my administration
only communicated with parents about a problem when forced to, and
where drugs were concerned that was only if one of us caught a child
in possession of an illegal substance while using it. The trouble
was, while they were keeping their collective heads in the mud,
our kids were being removed from school on stretchers, a situation
- if you care to get into it in TOO
DANGEROUS TO TEACH - that I felt was scary for them and scary
for the future, and something we shouldn’t wait to see. Well,
if I thought it was scary then, it is scarier now.
For one thing, legal substances can be mixed, cheaply creating
"designer drugs" that are liberally used at teenage gatherings
with a variety of ill effects. Appalling too, is the common belief
that what's "natural" can't be bad. That attitude, along
with the desire for performance enhancers, has the potential to
motivate our athletes to take on some dangerous habits.
Back in the days of the Mark McQuire and Sammy Sousa homerun duel,
I heard of creatine. Asked to research it, I was troubled enough
with my findings to write and submit an article
to several magazines for parents and coaches. What surprised me
was that parenting magazines, not the coaches magazines, were the
ones interested.
And here is my point. I hope that coaches, the real ones, the ones
working with kids, don’t wait to talk about these issues until
something bad happens, or until the school makes it a policy. In
the 70's, I dealt with my fears by reaching out to the parents I
thought should be vigilant. It was difficult. None of us wanted
to believe that their kids might use drugs. What could I say without
having caught their kids red handed?
I told them that their kids’ behavior was changing, that
their kids were great before but that suddenly they were unenthusiastic,
apathetic, and underachieving, and that I thought they should know.
Then I explained what those changes might mean. Some kids got very
angry at me for interfering. It hurt, but I kept up the calls, feeling
that I was doing the right thing. And I was.
The happy ending is the, "thank-you, you saved me" you
will hear years later. I know. A student, now a Phys Ed teacher,
told me that things didn't go well for her friends. Their partying
led to terrible times, but my call alerted her mom. Once alerted,
her mom kept her in check. And though she was mad as hell at the
time, now she is determined to do the same for her students. You
should too.
Remember, parents don’t know what their kids are doing in
school, or with friends unless someone tells them. Professionals
should take it upon themselves to be that someone.
Isobel
Kleinman
Secondary Section Editor |
| Resources for Mature Teens |
| AADAC
Zoot2 [ Teens/Mature Teens ] - Offering information
for youth age 13-17 on alcohol, drugs, gambling, personal development
and recovery. Interactive features include surveys, quizzes, and
forums showcasing youth views and talents.
Drugs
[ Kids/Teens ] - A Thinkquest junior site offering facts, consequences,
and options to drug use. Includes discussion of marijuana, heroin,
cocaine, tobacco, and alcohol.
EPeer
Voices [ Teens/Mature Teens ] - Voluntary, national
cyber community of teens and tweens, empowered to spread the word
to their subscribing friends of factual anti-drug information, tips,
self tests, competitions and events.
Kids
Against Drugs: Just for Teens [ Teens/Mature Teens
] - Presents facts, humour, promotional items, and advice on how
to talk to parents about drug use and similar topics.
The
Science Behind Drug Abuse [ Teens ] - The National
Institute on Drug Abuse educates adolescents ( as well as their
parents and teachers ) through animated illustrations, quizzes,
and games.
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|
 |
| Have
you suspected a student(s) of drug use (and/or abuse), whether
that use involves legal or over-the-counter substances?
If so, have you gotten involved? Please tell
us how. |
|
My
Addicted Son: A father's story.
David Sheff (NY Times Magazine Section 12/19/04)
If you have any doubt that teachers should be active in helping
parents avoid seeing their sons and daughters become drug users
you must read this story in the New York Times. See what it feels
like to be inside the problem when you are a bright, caring parent
who has tried to stay vigilant.
More on the Value of Exercise:
A study conducted by Dr. Andrea Dunn of Cooper Institute, CO, and
reported in the American
Journal of Preventive Medicine, concluded that the more a depressed
group of subjects worked out, the less depressed they reported feeling.
However, when the group participated in too little aerobic activity,
subjects reported feeling much the same as the group who were instructed
to simply stretch.
The researchers point out that the aerobic activity was done in
a group. As a result, they are not certain that the positive effects
were the result of the activity alone, or because of the social
support of the group. Clearly though, the benefits achieved "were
comparable to the benefits reached from medication or therapy."
(NYTimes,
2/2/05)
Heart Rate
Monitors That Measure Calories:
Is there a better way to teach kids about the correlation of exercise
with weight control than having them see not only their heart rate,
but the calories they burned? I can’t think of anything right
now.
So, how about a heart rate monitor that also gives caloric readouts
while exercising, while sitting, even while sleeping? Got your attention?
Be aware that in addition to these useful measures, the EKHO monitor
comes with a healthy warranty, and is designed so that when batteries
need replacing it doesn’t require the help of the manufacturer
to do it.
Another Look at Pedometers
Central CT State University's Dr. Kimberly Tower and Dr. Victoria
Morley presented research at the Eastern District AAHPERD that focused
on the value of pedometers in challenging student participation,
raising enthusiasm, settings individual goals, improving attitudes
and behaviors, and helping with class management. Take a look. It
might be worthwhile. |
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|
| A
New Designer Steroid
First we found the previous undetectable steroid THG, (tetrahydrogestrinone)
used by athletes. Now it appears that DMT (desoxymethyltestosterone),
another steroid of a more complex variety, has been developed to
help athletes elude detection. What worries authorities is the risk.
People distributing it have some chemical sophistication. There
in lies the danger. What they distribute may suffer impurities.
(NYTimes, 2/2/05).
Hooray!
The National Education Association is finally talking about the
obesity in our kids and putting, in writing, that "research
shows that sedentary kids who eat high-sugar, high-fat meals may
have poorer cognitive skills, higher anxiety levels, and problems
with hyperactivity." Also, "it hasn’t helped that
kids are getting less physical activity - at home and at school."
They point out that "researchers have found that just one
additional hour of P.E. per week is significant in addressing obesity
in 5 and 6 year-olds, especially girls," yet that "50%
of the nation's schools have eliminated physical education classes
altogether." They acknowledge that not just physical educators
should get involved. The article gives helpful hints for of all
of us to try. (NEAToday, March, 2005).
BOO!
E-mail is wonderful except for all those unwanted advertisements.
Ever get the one that promises "increased muscle mass without
exercise?" Think of the kids who want to look like a man, be
the best football player, hit the furthest, run the fastest, or
just look like California's governor. Bet those e-mails get a lot
of them to buy! But what did they buy - health or hazard?
TALK to your kids about the dangers, please.
Injuries
and Alcohol Often Mix (NYTimes 2/2/05)
Moderate drinking is not totally safe, not if serious injuries occur
just as often when the party has been drinking moderately as they
have when they have been heavy drinkers. The explanation might be
simply that society worries more about the problem drinker and stops
them from doing risky things. Still, the truth is that moderate
drinkers show up in emergency rooms at the same level of injury
incidence as do heavier drinkers. Dr. Vinson suggests that moderate
drinkers restrict themselves to one or two drinks and not mix drinking
with leisure activities "like sports, where there is a chance
of injury."
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| Robbed
in the womb
As alcohol seeped through his mother's womb, Jordan Wyatt's growing
brain shriveled. Before he drew his first breath, he was robbed
of his ability to make good decisions and function normally. Read
the rest of this article.
Prosecutors
targeting pregnant drug users
Stacey Gilligan is accused of drinking so much vodka during her
eighth month of pregnancy that her baby was born drunk.
Tayshea Aiwohi is charged with consuming such huge amounts of crystal
meth while she was pregnant that her son died of methamphetamine
poisoning two days after his birth.
Regina McKnight was convicted of using so much cocaine during her
pregnancy that her baby was stillborn. Read the rest of this article.
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| If you have
ideas, comments, letters to share, or questions about particular
topics, please email one of the following Secondary Section
Editors: |
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