ML Interest Tag: context

SAT Will Now Give Students “Adversity Scores” Based on Social & Economic Background

by Shahrzad Warkentin

There are a lot of factors that go into a student’s success. Now the College Board wants universities to consider the socioeconomic background of a prospective student by implementing an SAT adversity score.

As the Wall Street Journal is repotting, the College Board is launching the “Environmental Context Dashboard,” which would measure factors like the crime rate and poverty levels of a student’s neighborhood, to provide a more well-rounded picture of their “resourcefulness to overcome challenges and achieve more with less.”

The score will not take into account a student’s race, but it will look at things like average class size and the percentage of students eligible for free and reduced lunch. Colleges will be able to see this new score in addition to the standard SAT score, but students will only be given the standard number.

The change comes in light of the recent scandal over wealthy families allegedly paying bribes to have the SAT taken by others in order to get their kids into high-profile universities.

“There is talent and potential waiting to be discovered in every community — the children of poor rural families, kids navigating the challenges of life in the inner city, and military dependents who face the daily difficulties of low income and frequent deployments as part of their family’s service to our country,” David Coleman, chief executive officer of the College Board said in a statement sent to CNN, adding, “No single test score should ever be examined without paying attention to this critical context.”

—Shahrzad Warkentin

Featured photo: F1Digitals via Pixabay

 

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What Our Kids Are Trying to Tell Us—by How They Treat Their Siblings

By Cindy Price

A while back, I was talking to a friend and she brought up her concerns about her 8-year-old daughter. This 8-year old has begun displaying bullying behaviors, pushing her younger siblings and taking things from them.

My friend was devastated and couldn’t understand why her daughter was behaving this way. But I had some my own thoughts about why her daughter had begun treating her siblings poorly.

Investigating the Source of the Behavior

Personally, I don’t believe that there are any truly “bad” kids. There are definitely children who make bad decisions and I fully stand behind efforts to curb things like teen violence—but I believe all children can learn to manage and overcome negative behaviors.

In the case of my friend’s daughter, I was acquainted with the girl and my own daughters had often been babysitters. My girls had never reported signs of bullying to me, so I asked my friend when her daughter started to act out, which was about a month after school started.

Since my children had attended the same school my friend’s daughter was currently at, I had a pretty good idea of what was happening. At this K-5 school, recess was held in two waves, with the kindergarteners, first graders and second graders being released to play at the same time. (The kindergarteners had their own area.) After that, the third graders up to the fifth graders were released for recess.

While for us adults, a couple of years difference isn’t much, but for children, one to three years of age difference can be an unimaginable chasm that can result in bullying.

Talking about Bullying

When I explained to my friend that I suspected that her daughter was being bullied at school and that was why she was being aggressive to her siblings, my friend wasn’t sure what to do. Here’s what I recommended she take as next steps:

Talk to her daughter.

If there is ever going to be a behavioral change, it was critical that my friend talk to her daughter about her actions. However, with the context that her daughter might also be bullied at school, my friend was able to approach the conversation more receptive to her daughter’s reasoning and feelings.

Contact her teacher and principal.

With much of the problem originating from her daughter’s time at school, it was essential that my friend talk to her daughter’s teacher and the principal. One of the solutions reached was to add two more lunch monitors to curb any bullying on the playground.

Sit down with her other kids.

Taking time to reassure her two other children and help them feel heard can do a lot toward not creating another pair of bullies who take their frustrations out on others.

It’s been a few years since my friend first spoke to me and her daughter, with plenty of parental and school support as well as work with a child psychologist to learn better coping strategies, has really turned a corner in how she treats others.

Cindy Price would like to say she's a parenting expert but she knows better than to do that. As a parent educator and writer for over 15 years, she's well-aware how quickly parenting practices evolve. Family is her greatest joy and she hopes her writing can help make families stronger. 

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Kate Hudson Respond to Claims She’s Raising Rani Rose “Genderless”

by Erica Loop

Is Kate Hudson raising her daughter “genderless?” Despite rumors that the celeb mama is all in for raising daughter Rani Rose without using a boy/girl context, Hudson herself took to Instagram to answer this question with a resounding no.

During a recent interview with AOL, Hudson was asked, “Does having a baby girl make you do anything differently or change your approach at all?” Husdon responded at the time, “It doesn’t really change my approach, but there’s definitely a difference. I think you just raise your kids individually regardless—like a genderless [approach].” Hudson went on to add, “We still don’t know what she’s going to identify as. I will say that, right now, she is incredibly feminine in her energy, her sounds and her way.”

So does her response really mean Hudson is raising Rani Rose with a totally genderless approach? According to an IG post that Hudson wrote in response to the interview, it looks like these rumors just aren’t true—just mischaracterized.

Hudson wrote, “Recently someone asked me something along the lines of, if having and raising a girl is different from boys. My response was simple. Not really.” The celeb mama went on to write, “This whole click bait tactic of saying I’m raising my daughter to be ‘genderless’ is silly and frankly doesn’t even make sense.”

For Hudson’s full response—which incidentally is a totally rad view of raising kiddos—check out her IG post here.

—Erica Loop

Featured Photo: Kate Hudson via Instagram 

 

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These Daddy-Daughter Dance Photos Went Viral for the Sweetest Reason

by Erica Loop

A super-sweet and now viral daddy-daughter dance photo is everything a blended family could or should be. The absolutely aww-dorable pic of David, Dylan and daughter Willow shows how love can turn a potentially troubled time into something beautiful.

So who are the two men in the pic with little Willow? David is Willow’s biological father and Dylan is her “bonus dad”—her mom’s fiancé. When mom and professional photographer Sarah took the fab photos, bonus dad Dylan decided to post the pics on Facebook.

Along with the photos, Dylan added some context for the post writing, “Our daughter Willow. You may never know how your love has changed us all.”

He went on to add, “We have molded ourselves into one unique family, of only for the sake of our children to know the power of love. Not only did I gain a daughter, I gained a brother and best friend. Thank you Sarah for letting this all happen.”

Dylan offered these words about how families of all shapes, sizes and configuration are each beautiful and awesome in their own way:

“When we care more about our children (on both sides of the party) than the way society has taught us to be towards (ex’s/baby mommas/daddy’s) then walls will fall, life will be free of hatred and remorse, and out children will conquer the foolish ‘norms’ that media has shoved in our faces.”

—Erica Loop

Featured Photo: Myriams-Fotos via Pixabay

 

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Screen Time Physically Changes Your Kid’s Brain, New Study Reveals

by Shahrzad Warkentin

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) revealed the initial data from an ongoing longterm study on screen time’s effect on kids’ brains—and the findings are pretty eye-opening. Dr. Gaya Dowling of the NIH spoke with 60 Minutes about the study’s initial findings, which revealed that excessive screen time was linked to changes the brain pattern of young kids.

According to the study, nine and 10-year-olds who spent seven hours or more using smartphones and tablets or playing video games had signs of premature thinning of the cortex, the outer layer of the brain that processes sensory information. Kids who spent more than two hours a day using the same devices scored worse on language and thinking tests.

Photo: Rawpixel

Before you panic, Dowling puts initial findings study into some context. “We don’t know if it’s being caused by the screen time. We don’t know yet if it’s a bad thing,” Dowling told 60 Minutes.

“It won’t be until we follow them over time that we will see if there are outcomes that are associated with the differences that we’re seeing in this single snapshot.” These findings came from brain scans taken on 4,500 nine- and 10-year-olds. The longitudinal study will follow a total of 11,000 kids to understand adolescent brain development and the impact of screens.

While it will be several years before the study is completed, you can look to the American Academy of Pediatrics and its guidelines on screen time for kids, namely that parents should skip screens for babies younger than 18 to 24 months, limit screens to no more than one hour per day for kids ages two to five and no screens for at least one hour before bed for kids of all ages.

—Shahrzad Warkentin

 

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LeBron James Says He Lets His Kids Drink Wine & the Internet Has Some Thoughts

by Erica Loop

So here’s something you probably never thought anyone would ask, “Does LeBron James let his kids drink wine?” During a recent interview, James told reporters that his 14- and 11-year-old sons do, in fact, drink wine—with mom and dad. The internet had some thoughts about his confession—because of course it did.

Okay, okay, before any parent-shaming begins, first let’s put James’ statement in context. When asked about what pop culture he has picked up on from his younger Los Angeles Lakers teammates, James admitted that his teen and tween sons, LeBron Jr. and Bryce, are into the same types of things.

James followed up by adding, “I’ve got very mature 14- and 11-year-olds. My 14- and 11-year-olds drink wine.” When a reporter questioned him, asking, “Really?” James joked, “Yeah that’s how mature they are. They’ll be driving next week.”

The obvious driving joke left fans wondering if James was also joking about the wine thing, too. But then again, when the reporter asked James if his kiddos had a preference for white or red, James replied. “Whatever dad or mom is having. Put it on me though, don’t put it on mom. Put it on dad, put it on dad.”

Here’s what Twitter had to say.

https://twitter.com/EmmaSantillan4/status/1050053253113597952

While the legal drinking age in America is 21, this isn’t the worldwide norm. The U.S. Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) is recommended by a number of expert organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, National Prevention Council and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. But in the United Kingdom, the magic minimum age is 18, and in Italy it’s 16, where it’s very much culturally accepted for children under this age to have a few sips—with their parents.

Hmm. Maybe James is just taking a cue from parents across the pond?

—Erica Loop

Featured Photo: LeBron James via Instagram

 

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5 Tips for Successful Parent-Teacher Conferences

By Joan Lowell


Whether you are the parent or the teacher, conferences can be stressful. I should know. I am a mom of six and have sat through my fair share of meetings with teachers, not all of them showers of glowing praise. I am also a teacher with over twenty years of classroom experiences, including probably hundreds of meetings with parents. Not all meetings happen for the same reasons, but there are some general rules for how to make the conference a success for everyone.

Remove preconceived notions or prejudices. 

Yes, we all have them (admit it!). Maybe your child has told you something (potentially out of context) or you think you know something about the teacher with whom you plan to meet. Maybe you already have a feeling this won’t go well, or you have previous experience with the same teacher. To the best of your ability, try to go into any meeting with an open mind; after all, each party ultimately wants what is best for your child to meet or exceed his or her potential.

Lead with something positive.

The best way to break the ice is not necessarily with a joke unless you’ve got a really good one. I find telling a teacher something my kid loves about his or her class helps, or if I can speak intelligently, something I love about their classroom or my kid’s reaction to the teacher’s class. Maybe all the teacher has are positive comments, but at least if there are any negative ones, he or she will know my kid (or me) doesn’t hate them. And this is not schmoozing…think of it as rapport-building.

Remain focused on the issue at hand, if one exists.

Sometimes, the meeting is just a meet-and-greet or a general open house. In that case, get your information and get out of there. Other times, it is a simple report of current performance and a chance to tell the teacher something personal about your kid. I don’t mean life-story, but his or her interests so the teacher gets to know your child.

If the issue is performance or behavior, stick to what is happening or has happened and what to do moving forward. Kids do act differently at school, or away from their parents, so don’t be shocked or think the teacher is a liar. I have always been the kind of parent to recognize my kids aren’t perfect and sometimes do and say terrible things. If that happens, you gotta deal with it.

Make a plan for moving forward.

If your child is performing up to standards, as they say, plan to encourage your child and continue to support him or her at home with time and space to do homework. If your child is not performing well, plan to work with your child and his or her teacher to address the problem immediately, starting that day, with specifics, like checking the agenda or online class page for homework assignments and ensuring that your child completes them.

Decide how you will communicate with the teacher about how the plan is going, whether it be a short note in the agenda, an email or phone call. If the issue is classroom behavior, talk to your child about expectations you have for him or her and possible consequences if they are not met (yes, I do think kids should have consequences at home for bad behavior at school).

Above all, keep calm and choose your words carefully.
Obviously, you are attending a meeting and that shows your commitment and dedication to working together for your child’s benefit. Sometimes, this is where the common ground ends, but just like the rest of life, you have to deal with it and move on. Your child won’t have this teacher forever, but that doesn’t mean you should tell him or her off today! Seriously, you never know when you or your child may encounter this person in the future, so it is best to stay positive, even in the worst of situations.

Parent-teacher conferences are great opportunities to hear about our kids’ academic performance and potential, and also share what is great about our kids. It isn’t always academics. Teachers sometimes need reminding of this fact. If your conference doesn’t go as planned, hopefully the teacher will try to include you in some way as the year closes. Otherwise, you’ll get to try again next year. If it goes really poorly, you might want to involve an administrator if the issue is serious enough. Just follow my five tips and you’ll be enjoying summer vacation before you know it!

Featured Photo Courtesy: NeONBRAND via Unsplash

Go Au Pair representative, cultural childcare advocate, Mom to six great kids, I earned my BS at RI College and MEd at Providence College. My hats: educator, tutor and writer of local blog for Go Au Pair families and Au Pairs. Baking, gardening, reading and relaxing on the porch are hobbies.

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11 Major First Year Milestones & When to Expect Them

by Kelley Gardiner

Can’t wait for baby to wave hello or pull up to stand on her own two feet? Milestones are as exciting for you as they are for the little ones who are learning to explore their worlds in new ways. Here you’ll discover 11 of the big ones that’ll happen in Baby’s first year. Remember, no two children are alike – your child might reach milestones at different times and that’s okay. Talk to your baby’s doctor if you have any questions or concerns.

photo: Brian via flickr

Smiling: 2 Months
Is that a gas pain? No, it’s a real social smile! At about two months, baby will start to flash you that not-so-toothy grin when she’s happy. Soak it up – you’ve earned it. Now you’ll probably be doing anything to see that smile. It won’t be too long until they bust out the laughs and giggles.

photo: Thomas via flickr

Voluntary Grasping: 3-4 months
Around three to four months, your little one will be able to grasp objects like blocks. She still can’t pick up smaller objects like peas – that comes later with the pincer grasp. Anything she picks up will probably go into the mouth for taste testing so now is the time to pay attention to what’s in Baby’s reach.

photo: Ian Grove-Stephensen via flickr

Rolling Over: 4-5 Months
Watch out! Baby is on the move. By about four months, most babies can roll themselves over from belly to back. By six months, they’ll probably be able to roll from back to belly, too, and you might have your first “Where did he go?!” moment.

photo: Lars Plougmann via flickr

Laughing: 4 Months
Someone’s got the giggles! Time to ramp up your peekaboo programs, because this is about the time you’ll start to hear those sweet baby laughs.

photo: Pedro Serapio via flickr

Sleeping Through the Night: 4 to 6 Months
At this point, sleeping through the night means six hours at a time. And not all babies get there. Or if they do, as soon as you start bragging to your friends, they’ll start waking up again. Still, baby is capable of sleeping through the night now, and you should be getting a little relief from that newborn exhaustion.

photo: Emergency Brake via flickr

Sitting Up: 5-6 Months
By now, your baby should be strong enough to sit on your lap or assisted with a pillow, allowing for a whole new worldview and new games. He should be able to play and enjoy peekaboo around six months, too. And by seven to nine months, baby can sit up unassisted; first for a minute or two at a time, and then longer and longer.

photo: Donnie Ray Jones via flickr

Crawling: 6-10 Months
Some babies never crawl; they scoot, roll and scooch until it’s time to walk. Others never learn to crawl with their bellies off the floor. Others crawl for months and take their time learning to walk. No matter how your little one moves, you’re probably going to be doing a lot of moving, too! It’s time to start expanding your baby-proofing operations.

photo: Sean Freese via flickr

Pulling Up: 8 Months
Put the crib mattress at the lowest setting: baby can pull up! Soon, she’ll learn to cruise – take small steps while holding on to furniture. Then, you can encourage her to take some small steps in between the couch and you, and you’ll have a walker on your hands.

photo: Dean Wissing via flickr

Waving: 9 Months
Bye bye, Baby! Some babies wave much earlier, but by about nine months, they’ll be using their “hello” and “bye bye” waves in context. Be ready for your heart to melt the first time you leave your little nugget and get a little wave.

photo: Ly Thien Hoang (Lee) via flickr

Walking: 10-18 Months
Walking is a huge milestone that Baby has to work up to slowly, so there’s a wide range of when kids start moving on two feet. Most will take their first shaky steps by thirteen months or so. Some kids start out wobbly and stay wobbly for a while, and others prefer to wait until they feel a little more sure. It all depends on their personality, development and motivation.

photo: Philippe Put via flickr

Talking: One Year & Beyond
By the year mark, you’ll probably be hearing those golden “mamas” and “dadas” that you’ve been longing for. As the second year develops, baby will add more and more vocabulary, and by his second birthday, grammar will develop enough for two-word sentences like “Mama read” or “Me eat.”

What milestone are you looking forward to most? Let us know in the Comments!

—Kelley Gardiner

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