Nearly one in five high school age boys in the United States and 11 percent of school-age children over all have received a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (A.D.H.D.), according to new data from the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention compiled by the New York Times and reported in a recent article found here. The data [...]
The Summer Camp search season, which began in January, is well underway. If you haven't made any camp decisions yet, don't worry, but know that it is really time to focus on this, as programs are filling up. Lots of issues to consider: Sleep away or Day Camp? Sports, arts, or academically focused, or some combination of all three? [...]
Let me start by stating the obvious: the sexual assault of the inebriated young woman in Steubenville, Ohio by two high school athletes was a heinous act for which punishment is just and proper. This is a tragic case in which everybody lost. A young woman will be haunted by the sexual assault itself, by the knowledge that online [...]
Two recent news items give us food for thought with respect to the development of a young person's self-esteem. Yesterday's New York Times features an article found here about Joel Baumann, a young African-American sophomore on the University of Minnesota's wrestling team who is also an aspiring singer and rapper. His latest video, "One's in the Sky", which urges [...]
Today's New York Times has two articles in its sports section, each featuring a talented young Black male basketball player with NBA dreams. Jahlil Okafor, a 17 year old high school junior at Whitney Young High School in Chicago who stands at 6 feet 11 inches, is considered the top high school player in national rankings. He was offered [...]
Today's post comes courtesy of GCP Dad Michael Mayfield, who lives in North Carolina and has two college-aged children. I never envisioned myself married to an incredible woman and having two amazing children. It seemed like too much responsibility. Seems so even now - so much to teach and instill. Too many mistakes were made, and maybe that's why [...]
It is the end of January, the time of year when the winter blahs can settle in for parents as well as children. Especially this year, when the monster flu season is upon us, taking out entire families for days, even weeks at a time. Even if your family has avoided the flu (and congrats if you have), you [...]
Public School 163, an elementary school on the Upper West Side of NYC, has a general student body that is 63 percent Black and Hispanic, 27 percent white and 6 percent Asian. But the demographics are quite different in the school's Gifted and Talented ("G&T") program: 47 percent of the children enrolled in the nine G&T classes are white; [...]
A recent NY Times online article, "The Dicey Parent-Teacher Duet" provides thoughtful commentary from Sara Mosle, a parent who is also a teacher, about how parents and teachers both approach these relationships with trepidation. While everyone agrees that parent involvement is a critical component of a child's success in school, overly involved parents risk interfering with their child's maturation [...]
We are inundated with media coverage of the horrific events in Newtown, Connecticut. A parent's worst nightmare, that a monster is terrorizing and potentially killing their child, has become a reality. We have stared unbelieving at the images of terrified children being led to safety; we have shuddered to try to imagine being one of the parents, one of [...]