The Questions I Wish I Had Asked

I recently attended a training on Youth Mental Health First Aid.  The training was excellent, and I highly recommended it for anyone who interacts with adolescents - not just educators, but parents, grandparents, volunteers, anyone.  Seriously, if this training is offered near you, please go.

I have always considered myself to be a good listener, but this course moved beyond that.  It taught me not only how to listen, but also how to find help for those struggling with mental health challenges.  Too often people do not want to talk about mental health but we should.  Whether it is depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance abuse or bipolar disorder, there is a good chance that someone around you is impacted.  I learned that 22% of kids age 13-18 have a mental or addictive disorder.* That is one in five.  Think about your own circle of family and friends.  Do you have someone that might fit in this category?  I do.

For me, the hardest part of the day was when we moved to the discussion of suicide.  The discussion was good and productive.  I learned the signs I should look for and the questions I should ask.  I have a dear friend that took her own life a little over a year ago.  The loss of my friend is still raw, so I will admit I had to leave the room for a bit during these discussions.  As we were asked to role play how to talk to someone that might be considering suicide, all I could think of was how much I wish I had taken this training earlier.  Perhaps then I would have known what to ask.  Getting teary eyed in front of my colleagues was not in my plan for the day, but hey principals have emotions too.  I know you are shocked to hear that, right? 

Moving forward, I feel like I am now better prepared to help someone in need.  Whether that someone is a member of my family, a friend or a student, I feel like I have a better understanding of how to listen and how to provide nonjudgemental help.

If you have a moment, check out the Mental Health First Aid Website.  If you have more than a moment, attend a training.  I bet you will learn something and maybe even save a friend.

http://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/cs/

*Kitchner, B. (2012). Youth mental health first aid USA: For adults assisting young people. Baltimore, MD: Mental Health Association of Maryland.

Advice to Job Hunters

Looking for a job in education?  Whether it is a teaching job, classified position, or substitute position the job market is very competitive.  As someone who interviews and hires staff, I have some advice.  I am not an expert, but you never know it just might help.  :)

1. Proofread your application.  Even better, have someone else give it a second glance for you.  Typos are not the first impression you want to give. Please, please capitalize your name and other proper nouns.
2. Sell yourself as much as possible in your application.  Tell me all about the responsibilities you held in your previous and current positions.  Your application needs to stand out from the crowd.
3. If you get an interview, do some research on possible interview questions ahead of time.  You want to go into the interview confident.  Know your stuff, sell yourself and once again stand out from the crowd.
4. If you know you are going to be job hunting, you need to do some leg work ahead of time.  Participate in professional development activities.  Do some reading.  Learn from other educators through social media.  Do what you can so you can speak about what's going on in education.
5. Be prepared to talk about technology.  Think beyond using word processing.  How do you have students use technology to engage, learn, and create?  
6. Be positive and show your enthusiasm!

The hardest thing about interviews is that really you only get about 20 to 30 minutes to demonstrate why you would be a good asset to the team.  That is no easy task, but you can do it, especially if you do some prep work ahead of time!

I will remain calm, I will remain calm, I will remain calm ...

The past few days, I was able to attend trainings on two different crisis related topics.  Last week, our entire school district was trained in ALICE. The information we received was both informative and overwhelming.  It's not easy to think about how you would react in a dangerous situation.  

For two days this week, I also received training in CPI - Crisis Prevention.  This training dealt with how to prevent and/or de-escalate a crisis, as well as how to handle a student that poses a risk to themselves or others.  Once again this training was really informative but also hard to hear at times.

When I look back on these trainings, one of the biggest messages I received was the vital role that we as adults can play in a situation.  Our reactions can make a big difference.  In our CPI training, the instructor gave us the example of the child with the bloody knee.  If we as adults look at the bloody knee and start freaking out, then the child isn't going to react well either.  If we calmly clean the knee, bandage them up and get them ready to play again, then the child will be calmer too.  (I need to remember this when my daughter is riding her bike with no training wheels.)  We can be the example of calm and strength, or we can let our emotions take over and basically make the situation worse.  The thing I need to remember is to practice modeling this calmness on a daily basis, not just in potential crisis situations.  Whether it is the student that is being rude or my own daughter throwing a temper tantrum, I need to be calm.  If I get mad and yell it will usually just escalate the situation.  The crazy thing is I'm pretty good at this at school, but I need to work on it more at home.  Those temper tantrums can really put me over the edge!

Our roles as parents and educators mean that we are faced with difficult situations on a regular basis.  The important things for me to remember is that my role is to stay calm, and as my dad, the sailor, would say - steer us all to calmer waters.

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Baby Teeth and Constant Change

Do you know how much time my husband and I spent waiting for those little teeth to pop through on our baby girls?  I remember being so excited when the first tooth appeared.  Afterwards, we spent years helping to teach our oldest daughter to care for those teeth.  Brushing, flossing, healthy snacks.  And now what's happening? Those teeth are falling out and the tooth fairy is taking care of business.  I wasn't ready for that, or was I?

Often I think we don't realize that we are more ready for change than we think.  Whether it be my role as mom or educator, change is a constant.  No day is like the last, but as long as I face each day with a positive outlook, I can meet those changes.  As educators we continue to learn and grow.  As a result, we are often much more prepared to face a change than we would have thought.

As a mom, I prepare for changes by reading parenting articles, talking to other parents, and picking the brain of my own mother.  As an educator, I prepare for changes by reading about education initiatives (many of which I first hear about on Twitter), talking to other educators, and picking the brain of my colleagues.  Different resources for my different roles, but the same result... preparing me for what lies ahead.  Preparing me for those inevitable changes.