Parent shares takeaway from "How Children Succeed" Paul Tough on Jauary 21, 2015

West parent Erica Carlson  Last night, West parent Erica Carlson joined hundreds of other parents at the GPS event at the College of DuPage to hear Paul Tough discuss "How Children Succeed Beyond Smart: How Girt, Curiosity and Character Help Kids Thrive." "I am always enlightened when I attend a GPS event," Carlson said.  "My kids worry when I do because I immediately try to implement everything I heard.  Last evening was no different.  Paul Tough delivered a thought-provoking, research-based program stemming from his book, "How Children Succeed." Paul Tough Contrary to conventional wisdom, cognitive skills and IQ are not the best predictors of success in life.  Tough contends that there are character traits that can be learned and practiced that lead to a "growth mindset" and, consequently, long-term success.  The traits he highlighted: zest, grit, self-control, curiosity, optimism, gratitude and social intelligence, are needed when faced with challenges and adversity. Our children at times are so protected that they aren't able to manage failure.  We need to remember and communicate as parents and educators that learning happens during the struggle.  Parents need to step back and allow our children to solve their own problems. Another take-away for me was the idea that effort is more important than ability.  Praise becomes authentic to our children and they become more open to risk-taking when the process rather than the product is the focus of our attention.  And in this busy, high stress world sitting down for a family dinner is one of the best things we can do for our kids."

Dr Christine Carter former GPS speaker offers
this Happiness Tip: Find a Manifesto

Happiness Tip: Find a Manifesto Photo by Jon Jordan   Before I wrote The Sweet Spot, I needed a manifesto--something to organize my passion for the project. I started keeping lists of phrases and pieces of advice that captured my message. When I was done writing the book, it was fun to go back and look at all the little lists and edit them down into this manifesto. I hope you are inspired to download the beautiful printable version my publisher created.   If this manifesto doesn't do it for you, find one that does! Or create your own. Having go-to sources for inspiration and motivation can guide us towards those thoughts and behaviors that bring us the most meaning, fulfillment, and satisfaction.  And...I can't resist exclaiming...TODAY IS BOOK LAUNCH DAY!! TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY MY BOOK IS AVAILABLE!! Undeniably more exciting for me than anyone else, but just the same, I hope you will help me spread the word.  May you be happy today!  Love,

Here is another good tip from the 

Family Institute at Northwestern University.

JANUARY 2015 Violent Gaming  While kids everywhere play violent videogames, parents wonder about negative  effects from all that shooting, maiming and killing. Some scientific research is  worth our attention.  While kids everywhere play violent videogames, parents wonder about negative effects from all that shooting, maiming and killing. Some scientific research is worth our attention. It’s no surprise that research has documented increased physical and psychological arousal in the aftermath of violent gaming. Of particular concern is the finding that such games result in ruder and more insensitive behavior toward others immediately after the game playing.i The effect has been found to last up to nine minutes — long enough to be an issue if your game-playing youngster rejoins family activity immediately upon leaving the game console. Observe your child’s re-entry after violent gaming. Perhaps there would be benefit from a “cooling down” period — chilling out with a book or non-stimulating TV show — so he or she is better positioned to bring courtesy and sensitivity to others, and to exercise self-control. Researchers are concerned that over the long term, violent gaming leads to desensitization — violent images stop having any impact after enough regular exposure. There’s evidence that areas of the brain responsible for empathy in particular, show negative changes among teens exposed to violent images over long periods of time, leading to what some researchers describe as a kind of moral immaturity.ii Speculation is that excessive violent gaming may be replacing traditional, positive social experiences in a youngster’s life — hanging out with friends, participating in extra-curricular clubs and activities, reading or watching TV — allowing the games’ values to carry undue influence when it comes to the development of an accurate sense of right and wrong.iii Parents might be wise to set time limits on violent game play (while endorsing non-violent videogames), and make a point of educating youngsters (through film, television, books and especially conversation) about the suffering that results from even relatively minor violence. The goal is to promote in our sons and daughters the development of empathy and a recognition that senseless violence must never be treated casually or with indifference. ____________________________________________ i Barlett, Christopher, et al. How long do the short-term violent video game effects last? Aggressive Behavior, Volume 35, Issue 3, May/June 2009, pages 225–236.  ii Brock, Bastian et al. Cyber-dehumanization: Violent video game play diminishes our humanity. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Volume 48, Issue 2, March 2012, pages 486–491.  iii Bajovic, Mirjana. Violent video gaming and moral reasoning in adolescents: is there an association? Educational Media International, Volume 50, Issue 3, 2013, pages 177-191. Copyright ©2015. All Rights Reserved. The Family Institute at Northwestern University 618 Library Place, Evanston, IL 60201

Upcoming GPS Program:  Paul Tough - How Children Succeed

January 21, 2015, 7:00 pm at College of DuPage MAC

Each One - Reach One

The Glenbard Students for Students Club works to enhance students' good mental health and is delighted to partner with the Emmy Gaffey Foundation in pursuit of their shared goals.

The Glenbard Parent Series is also grateful to the Emmy Gaffey Memorial Foundation for becoming an annual sponsor of GPS this year. 

SFS students have helped create Emmy Bracelets which are now available for sale. Proceeds from the sale of these beautiful friendship bracelets will be used to help fund GPS programming. For more information contact Gilda Ross at gilda_ross@glenbard.org or at 630 942-7668

Each bracelet $15 Two for $25

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.