TOMORROW: November 4GPS Event featuring Dr. Laurence Steinbergy, Ph.D.

Age of Opportunity: A Practical Workshop for Parents

Please join us on Tuesday, November 4, 2014,  for a GPS presentation by Dr. Laurence Steinberg, Age of Opportunity : A Practical Workshop for Parents, from noon  until 2:00 p.m. at GLENBARD SOUTH.

When parents are asked to name the most difficult periods in their child’s development, the teen years usually are at the top of the list. But with a better understanding of how and why your child is changing during the transition into and through adolescence, you can become a more effective parent, reduce the amount of conflict you and your teenager have, help your teenager develop in positive ways, and maintain your own equanimity. 

In this workshop, Laurence Steinberg, Ph.D., one of the world’s leading authorities on adolescence, will provide an overview of the major physical, intellectual, social, and emotional changes that take place as children move into and through adolescence. You will gain an understanding of how your teenager thinks, why his or her behavior is changing, how your relationship is being transformed, and how all of this is affecting parents’ own well-being.

Links for Dr. Laurence Steinberg:

NPR: Q&A: Plumbing The Mysteries Of The Teenage Brain 

Time Magazine: Injuries. Stress. Divided Attention. Are Coaches Damaging Our Kids?

Getting Smart:  Changes in the Student Brain: A Review of Age of Opportunity

Website:  Dr. Laurence Steinberg

The Homestretch

“A compelling take on a heartbreaking issue."

 Youth Homelessness in Chicago

Please come to a screening of one of this year’s MUST SEE FILMS.

The Homestretch follows the lives of three young people - two of whom are clients of  Chicago's Teen Living Program (TLP) - as they persevere in the of face extraordinary challenges and defy the odds to create hopeful futures for themselves.

Date:  Sunday November 16, 2014

Time:  4 – 6 PM   

            (Doors open at 3:30, and show will begin promptly at 4:00)

Location:   The Glen Art Theatre

                    540 Crescent Blvd.

                    Glen Ellyn, IL 60137

                    630-469-1976

RSVP to Nicole at nmeunier@teenliving.org or 312-568-5700 ext. 226 

Please bring socks or snacks for TLP’s holiday drive!

 November is Homeless Youth Awareness Month!

THE HOMESTRETCH, a 90 minute documentary film is premiering at The Glen Art Theatre.   This documentary will help put faces on those trying to overcome youth homelessness in our area… so please take advantage of this documentary screening to learn more!

Trailer for this documentary can be found at:  http://vimeo.com/77430311

 

For more information on ending Youth Homelessness in Chicago please check out:  Teen Living Programs www.tlpchicago.org.

Community Event on Heroin Addiction

HGNA Presents 

Coach Joe Ehrmann

HGNA is hosting Joe Ehrmann, a former NFL player and author, this Sunday from 7-8 p.m. at Downers Grove North. The presentation will be a  very inspirational message for anyone who works with youth (especially coaches) – to ensure we are building people for the future and not just focusing on the win. 

As a part of its parenting series, HGNA is honored to host Coach Joe Ehrmann for this one-time event while he is in town working with the Chicago Bears!  Whether you are a coach, parent, teacher or director of a student activity, Coach Joe Ehrmann has an important message for you. 

A former NFL player, founder of Coach for America, and named by Parade Magazine as "The Most Important Coach in America," Coach Ehrmann travels the globe to share his inspirational message of instructing and mentoring with empathy and integrity -- and the very important role of coaches and influential adults in the lives of young people.

REGISTRATION NOTE: High school students are FREE.  Send an email to info@hgna.org with student's name to reserve a seat. Student ID required.

HGNA challenges the negative images and information bombarding girls today, while offering support 

and education to their parents.  For more information, please go to:  http://www.hgna.org/

Former GPS speaker Dr. Christine Carter shares a Happiness Tip and reminds us to

"Find Something to Love About the Moment You Are In Right Now"

  

 When I drop my kids off at school in the morning, I ask them one question: "What are you going to 

do today?" They always answer, usually without rolling their eyes and sometimes with actual enthusiasm: "HAVE FUN!!" 

Having fun, to me, is the most important thing. Yes, I want them to learn and be respectful and kind and everything else, and no, I don't want them to have fun at the expense of other people or by breaking school rules -- obviously. But when it comes down to it, I know that if they are having fun, they will learn better, and make better friends, and in general, be a delight to their teachers. 

And there is always fun to be had, even in the more boring or trying aspects of school, or, as the case may be, work. Or life. Finding something to love in every situation isn't about complacency, it's about accepting the full truth of the present moment. It's about focusing our minds on the positive aspects of a situation, and then reaping the benefits of doing so. 

A friend recently faced a nerve-wracking medical procedure for a serious illness. She was terrified, and having a hard time finding something to love about the situation, which included the possibility that she might not recover. But here are some things we came up with:

She felt love and gratitude for the people supporting her -- her doctors and nurses, her husband, her friends.She felt hope and gratitude because there are treatments for her illness (and super thankful she has health insurance).She felt deep gratitude (again) just to be alive. She came to see her fear as a part of her profound will to live.Finding something to love even in very difficult situations involves acceptance of (and even surrender to) things that we didn't choose and perhaps didn't want. But instead of just pointing to the ways that a situation is hard or wrong or bad, or focusing on the things that we'd like to change, we can transform a situation by also acknowledging the positive aspects of a situation. The key: seeing that we would not get to experience these positive aspects, at least in the same way, without the difficult bits. 

Seeing this fuller picture -- accepting both the good and the bad in a situation -- is a solid tactic for feeling happier and more more fulfilled. The positive emotions that arise when we identify what we love are tremendously functional. Gratitude, love, hope, optimism, compassion, awe -- these emotions all make us healthier, happier, and more satisfied with our lives. 

  

Take action: Have fun today. If not that, find something to love about the situation you are in. 

Link to Dr. Christine Carter's blog

HOW THE SMARTEST KIDS IN THE WORLD GOT THAT WAY

A summary of GPS event with Amanda Ripley on Tuesday, October 14, 2014. 

         How did the smartest kids in the world get that way? Amanda Ripley knows. This highly acclaimed investigative journalist spent a year following foreign exchange high school students in the United States and U.S. foreign exchange students in other counties.

         Ripley shared some of her revealing findings on October 14^th at the Glenbard Parents Series held at Glenbard East High School to an audience comprised primarily of parents whose children aren’t even in high school yet. Glenbard Staff heard Ripley as their Institute Day keynote.

          Ripley explains that educators can no longer look at the last twenty years to predict education trends for the next twenty years because technology is changing too quickly. What can be predicted is that there will be a need for students to fill “non-routine” jobs like analysts. Students will need to be more motivated and have deeper critical thinking skills. Employees will need to continually prove their expertise in their professions.

          Using PISA results, a test given in seventy countries every three years that measures the knowledge and skills students currently have in reading, science and math, Ripley was able to compare Americans scores to those in several other developed countries. American scores were average in reading and science and below average in math. Canada, Finland, and New Zealand, to name just a few countries, all did better that the U.S.

        U.S. students in foreign high schools found the courses to be harder and foreign students in U.S. high schools found the courses to be easier.

        Ripley explains that in the U.S. we protect students from failing, but this is not true in other countries. “You cannot learn at a deeper or more aggressive pace unless you fail on a regular basis.” She further explains that students learn from “productive failure.”

         The biggest difference is that foreign schools employ much more “rigor” than U.S. schools. Ripley explains that there is no tracking in foreign schools. All students are held to the same standard. Also, teachers and administrators in other countries are trained much more extensively that in the U.S. Ripley explains,  “Getting into a teacher college in Finland is as hard as getting into MIT in the U.S.”

          

          What is very important are the signals we send as parents that education is a top priority. ~Read to them when they are young, talk to them about books, movies and the news of the day when they get older and let them see you read for pleasure. Kids notice what parents value and those lessons matter more than what parents say they value.

        

Suzanne Burdett is a freelance writer and Glenbard parent

Dr Christine Carter a former GPS speaker shares this tip- "DON'T take a picture"

Happiness Tip: Don't Take a Picture   This last weekend was my nephew's first birthday party, and because he is absolutely the most adorable  baby EVER and I love him so much, I'd planned on widely documenting the occasion, in HD video and still photography. You know, just so we'll never ever forget the adorableness of it all.  I forgot my big camera, but that didn't really matter because every adult and teenager there was snapping away with their phone cameras like crazy paparazzi (myself included). In the middle of all this, I remembered a study which showed that photographing objects in a museum impaired   person's ability to recall much about the object they photographed -- and also impaired their ability to remember that they'd seen the object at all. So I stopped madly photographing the big event and started trying to just be present.  Then I remembered a follow-up study. The "photo-taking impairment effect," as researchers call it, didn't occur when people were asked to zoom in on a detail of the object they were photographing. And so I went back to photographing, this time zooming in on my nephew's messy face (did I mention that he is adorable?). Here is what researchers think is happening: When we take a picture, we delegate memory-making to our camera, and our brain stops trying to make the memory itself. But when people photograph a specific part of an object, their memory is not impaired, presumably because their brains still need to make sense of the whole picture in order to photograph the detail. Take Action: We tend to feel happiest when we give the people we love our full attention. It is hard to be fully present at the same time that we are photographing something. So whether we are after a happy moment or a happy memory, often the best thing we can do is just put our camera down. Link to original post: Dr. Christine Carter's Happiness Tips

Elmhurst COMMISSION ON YOUTH TO PRESENT HEROIN FORUM NOVEMBER 10

Heroin addiction and related deaths are increasing to epidemic levels, with usage trajectories spanning all ages, races and socio-economic backgrounds. In response to this growing scourge, the City of Elmhurst’s Commission on Youth will present a community education forum, “The New Face of Heroin, It’s Not What You Think,” on Monday, November 10, from 7-9 p.m. at Superior Air-Ground Ambulance Service, 395 Lake Street, Elmhurst.

DuPage County Coroner Dr. Richard Jorgensen, a former trauma surgeon for 20 years, took office in late 2012 and quickly became alarmed at the number of heroin-related deaths. There were 38 such deaths in 2012 and 46 in 2013, with victims ranging in age from their 20s through their 60s.

“Heroin is a totally different drug than all of the other illegal drugs. It is highly addictive and highly destructive - and that occurs in every person who’s addicted to heroin. There are no casual users or abusers. It takes over your life and destroys your life,” Dr. Jorgensen recently told the Daily Herald. He is on a mission to spread the word that this epidemic spans all ages, all races and all socio-economic backgrounds.

Featured speakers will be DuPage County Coroner Dr. Richard Jorgensen, along with Matt Quinn, MA, LCPC, CADC, of the new Elmhurst Hospital Adolescent Mental Health Outpatient Program and Corey Worden, MA, LCPC, CADC, of Linden Oaks at Edward.

Learn what’s driving the heroin epidemic and what you can do about it. Discussion will focus on:

·         The production, distribution and demographics of heroin use and abuse in DuPage County

·         The physiology, short- and long-term effects of heroin addiction

·         Narcan treatment protocols and how they have saved lives

·         What lies beneath this growing problem - a substance abuse epidemic

·         Practical things that YOU can do - tips, ideas, resources for help

This program is free and open to the public. Walk-ins are welcome, but reservations are appreciated, so that adequate seating is available for all. To make a reservation, please call (630) 530-3010 or visit http://tinyurl.com/HeroinForum111014 by Friday, November 7.

Newly added GPS Special Event:

 "Age of Opportunity: Lessons from the New Science of Adolescence" with Laurence Steinberg Ph.D. 

The Glenbard Parent Series:  Navigating Healthy Families is excited to present "Age of Opportunity: Lessons from the New Science of Adolescence" with Laurence Steinberg Ph.D. 12:00 p.m. -- 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4 at Glenbard South, 23W200 Butterfield Rd. in Glen Ellyn.

Adolescence now start early, lasts longer and new discoveries about brain development make this time of life crucial in determining a person's ultimate success.  Dr Laurence Steinberg draws on a trove of fresh evidence-including his own groundbreaking research-and offers new strategies for instilling resilience, self-control and motivation.  Offering clear, specific insights this talk is essential for all those that work with and care for teens.  Learn about their need for risk taking, their decision making and how to reverse the troubling trends that befall this age group.  Discover the concrete steps we must adapt to and embrace as we nourish their tremendous possibilities and support them on their way.

Laurence Steinberg Ph.D. is one of the world's leading experts on adolescence and is a Distinguished University Professor of Psychology at Temple University in Philadelphia. He is credited with hundreds of articles on development during the teenage years and is the author or editor of 17 books. He has been featured on CBS, Today, Good Morning America, 20/20, Dateline, PBS, and the Oprah Winfrey Show, and is a frequent contributor to the NY Times, NPR, Wall Street Journal and Psychology Today. Dr Steinberg has been cited by the Supreme Court in several cases, including the one that abolished the juvenile death penalty and was named by Reuters as "one of the most influential scientific minds" in April 2014. His latest book "Age of Opportunity", has been universally endorsed by respected leaders in the field as a must read! Don't miss this just added important GPS presentation which is free and open to the public.

CIRCLE THE CALENDAR- MORE INFORMATION TO FOLLOW

Linden Oaks at Edward Psychiatrists

Steven Prinz, MD and Fatima Ali, MD: “Really Understanding Eating Disorders”

Wed, Nov. 12 from 12 p.m. to 12 p.m. at CCSD District #93 Admin. Center

Katie Davis Ph.D : : "The App Generation: How Today's Youth Navigate Identity, Imagination, and Intimacy in a Digital World"

Wed. Nov. 19 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at District #15 Marquardt Administration Center

and also at 7:00 p.m. at Glenbard West

Positively, Disruptively Happy! 

a blog by Jane S. Anderson, a former Glenbard Parent

In our culture, we believe that hard work and sacrifice lead to happiness. But according to the latest science from Positive Psychology, we may have that backwards. In her blog Positively, Disruptively Happy! Jane S Anderson, former Glenbard West parent, explores the research. She provides proven tools and principles useful for everyone who influences how people think, act, and live – leaders, managers, parents, school teachers, social workers, students, coaches, health professionals – and shows how these tools offer pathways to flourishing in key life domains like work, relationships, and well-being

To read her latest blog post 24 Invigorating Paths To Well-Being, go to http://positivelydisruptivelyhappy.com/24-paths-to-well-being/