GPS speakers quoted again, in NYT  

Two of our favorites: Carter and Levine

After a Spa Day, Looking Years Younger (O.K., They?re Only 7)   By JULIE TURKEWITZ The spa industry is going way beyond mother-daughter manicures to offer a range of massages, facials and other treatments for young girls (and sometimes boys).

Check out the experts quoted in this NYT article. 

 All are past GPS presenters!! 

White House Memo President’s Test: Family Vacation With Teenage Girls By AMY CHOZICK As president, Barack Obama must contend with challenges of global importance. As a father, he potentially faces a home test: A two-week family vacation with teenage daughters.

National Drug Facts Week

GPS is a co-sponsor of Robert Crown Center's (RCC) Community Open House for National Drug Facts Week Celebration, Saturday January 31, 2015 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. The event will be a great opportunity for you, your child, your students, your business and your community to build awareness of substance abuse risks and the disease of addiction.

RCC will be hosting:

•  In My Shoes, an art installation by teens in recovery at Rosecrance.In My Shoes will be joined by area middle school artists who add their own shoe stories to the exhibit. For background on the traveling exhibit In My Shoes please click here.

•  Hidden in Plain Sight, a mock teenage bedroom by LEAD that contains over 100 items that may indicate a child at risk. For more information about LEAD, please click here.

• Free mini prevention presentations from professional health educators, combating addiction to tobacco, alcohol, prescription pain pills, and heroin.

• Health Risks for Athletes: The 3-Point Advantage for Athletes room, sponsored by the American Medical Association. Injury and pain management are a reality in athletics. Learn the scientific facts and risks associated with the use of prescription pain pills.

• Video screening room to feature cutting edge documentaries for and by teens about substance abuse prevention.

For more information about this event, please call 630-325-1900 or visit robertcrown.org. 

Notes from Sian Beilock, GPS December 4 2014 Event

HOW TO AVOID “CHOKING” WITHOUT

THE HEIMLICH MANEUVER

            We have all done this. Practiced and prepared for the big exam, speech, presentation or performance. But in the moment we forget, flounder and fail. Why? Sian Beilock, Ph. D. can tell us.

            An Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago, Beilock (http://sianbeilock.com/)  is an expert on performance and brain science and the author of a new book,  Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal about Getting it Right When You Have To. December 4^th she gave her insights and tips at the Glenbard Parent Series at Glenbard South. 

            Research has indicated that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert at an activity. Beilock explains that “deliberate practice” or practicing something correctly is most important, as is “varied” practice which means people should try different activities instead of just focusing on one.

            Why do people “choke” under pressure? Beilock calls it “paralysis analysis.” A malfunction occurs in the pre-frontal cortex, the large area of the brain that governs thoughts and emotions. Stress causes worry, which causes people to start thinking too much about performance details. Too much analysis of the details causes “brain paralysis” and results in “messing up.” Actually, it is stress that causes the pre-frontal cortex to fail to connect well with the rest of the brain’s functions.

            To get the connections back, Beilock recommends:  1) taking a break from the activity, even for a few minutes; 2) talking the problem over with someone; 3) getting some rest; or 4) take a walk in nature. Even looking at pictures of nature can help.

            What can we do about negativity?  If you haven’t done well at an activity, Beilock suggests that you think about how you can do things differently next time. People also need to think about why they are going to succeed. When people think of themselves in negative terms they will do worse on a task. Mindset matters.

            Other strategies Beilock offered to avoid “choking” included: 1) closing the time gap between training and competition; 2) “Fake it ‘til you make it.” Believe that you are capable and make sure your body posture is reflective of that attitude; and 3) journaling before the big task helps to minimize anxiety.

            All in all, success is more than simply what you know. Attitudes, motivation and anxiety all affect performance.

Suzanne Burdett is a freelance writer and a Glenbard parent.

Why do some children succeed while others fail?

Important New GPS Program in the New Year

Mark your calendars NOW!

Flyer for Paul Tough GPS Event

January 21 might seem words away today but we all know it will be here in no time. Please place the date on your calendars and websites-as all are welcome to this free and important program which will be of interest to all.  And warm wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season.  

The Glenbard Parent Series : (GPS) Navigating Healthy Families presents "How Children Succeed! Beyond Smart -- How Grit, Curiosity, and Character Help Kids Thrive" at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 21 at the College of DuPage McAninch Arts Center (MAC) 425 Fawell Blvd. Glen Ellyn.

Why do some children succeed while others fail?  Can character, rather than IQ,  be the secret to real and lasting success?

The story that is often told about childhood and success , stresses intelligence over all:  with the greatest success coming to those children who score the highest on tests -- from preschool admissions ‘exams’ to high school SATs. In this provocative program, New York Times best-selling author Paul Tough cogently argues that the qualities that matter most for life-long success in our children have much more to do with personality skills such as  curiosity, optimism, perseverance, and self-control.

Tough’s GPS workshop will introduce parents to a new generation of researchers and educators who are using science to uncover the mysteries that help to mold ‘character.’ Through their stories, Tough reveals how these newly discovered insights can be used to transform young peoples’ lives. By showing how nature and nurture are intertwined, Tough demonstrates the surprising ways in which parents do—and sometimes do not—prepare their children for successful adulthood,  providing a blueprint into how to improve the lives of all children.

Tough's book "How Children Succeed' has spent years on the best-seller lists. A contributing writer /editor to the New York Times Magazine, Paul Tough is also the author of  "Whatever it Takes", a compelling look at the groundbreaking work of the Harlem Children's Zone and its leader Geoffrey Canada, named Best Book-2008 by the Wall Street Journal.Tough has also contributed articles to magazines including This American Life and The New Yorker, where he has honed his focus upon education, poverty, parenting, and politics.

Don't miss this hopeful presentation which will change our understanding of the powerful role parents and other adults must play in nurturing character traits in our children -- traits that both foster resilience and help insure real, lasting life-success.  The public is invited to this free special event at a very special location.  Doors open at 6:30pm.

GPS is generously sponsored by the Cebrin Goodman Center, CASE (Cooperative Association for Special Education), he College of DuPage, the DuPage Medical Group, the Emmy Gaffey Foundation, and the Trust Company of Illinois.

For information on all GPS programming go to www.glenbardgps.org or contact Gilda Ross, Glenbard Student and Community Projects Coordinator, at 630-942-7668 and by email @ gilda_ross@glenbard.org.

The Most Powerful Drunk Driving Ad EVER.

This very powerful and graphic drunk driving video can also be found on the Glenbard West Post Prom facebook page. It needs to be seen.



The Most Powerful Drunk Driving Ad EVER.

Madeline Levine, a frequent GPS presenter, 

is hosted in this important article.

Michael Mulligan 

 Head of School, The Thacher School

The Three Most Important Questions You Can Ask Your Teenager

Posted: 11/20/2014 10:42 am EST Updated: 11/24/2014 7:59 pm EST

GPS has hosted speakers from the Family Instititute in the past.  Here they share tips for a true apology useful for couples AND teens!

http://www.family-institute.org/

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 A True Apology Who among us doesn't sometimes say the wrong thing or act in a way that triggers -- even accidentally -- a spouse's hurt feelings? And who among us, after a misstep, doesn't want to be forgiven? We want our partner to move on without harboring ill will. Research has found that an authentic apology increases the likelihood of being forgiven, and reduces feelings of anger in the "injured" spouse. It seems that we're viewed as a more valuable partner through our acts of apology, and our injured spouse feels less risk of being hurt again if we apologize.1  But a proper apology can be a tricky thing. Many of us say, "I'm sorry if you felt badly" or "I'm sorry if I upset you." Why the "if"? The "if" conveys that we're not sure we believe that our partner's feelings are really hurt. Or the "if" conveys that we're not sure we did anything wrong. Apologies with an "if" usually leave an injured spouse feeling dissatisfied or disappointed.  "I'm sorry that you feel this way" is another common expression that doesn't cut it as an authentic apology. In this wording, too, there's no acknowledgement that we did anything wrong, which is precisely what an injured spouse wants to hear.  A true apology begins with three words: either "I'm sorry I ..." or "I apologize for ..." A true apology acknowledges that something I said,or something I did, was insensitive or unkind or triggered hurt, fear, embarrassment or humiliation. (The fact that the outcome -- our partner's distress -- may have been unintentional on our part doesn't preclude the need for an apology.)  Here are some well-phrased apologies: "I'm sorry I spoke in a hurtful way." "I apologize for shouting and frightening you." "I'm sorry I broke our agreement." "I apologize for losing my patience." "I'm sorry I rolled my eyes in the way you dislike." Without the three words -- "I'm sorry I ..." or "I apologize for ..." -- an apology is unlikely to promote the kind of forgiveness that heals emotional wounds and helps partners move past those tough moments all couples encounter. ____________________________________________ 1McCullough, Michael E. et al. "Conciliatory gestures promote human forgiveness and reduce anger in humans." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Volume 111 Number 30, pages 11211-11216.

Thanksgiving is a time when many teens engage in risky behavior.  Learn what you can do....

Mothers Against Drunk Driving refers to the Wednesday before Thanksgiving as "Black Wednesday" one of the biggest drinking nights of the year.  It may be a time when many teens engage in risky behavior as college age student reunite with friends in bars, house parties and restaurants. Learn what you can do, in the following post by LEAD in Lake Forest, which is collaborating with West Nation.

Choices Matter | A Campaign of LEAD and SpeakUP!

The APP Generation, a follow up...

Please read CyberSafety Consulting's latest blog entry regarding apps that kids can use to hide photos that they don't want parents to see, i.e. sexting.

Did you know that there are apps that hide photos?

				Did you know that there are apps that hide photos? In light of the several sexting incidences in the news, like New Trier, I have been thinking about where kids, on their devices, might keep these pictures. Some kid...
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