One of her aliases is CupcakePuppy44. That's parent, author, and former teacher Sharon Duke Estroff's Instagram handle. She created a join account with her 10-year-old after some stonewalling and some external investigation (with kids, fellow parents, and psychologists), not to mention a certain amount of hounding by her daughter, who – not unlike other 4th- and 5th-graders – indicated she was … [Read more...] about Undercover mom on Instagram
Exploring what parenting & social media are teaching us
NetFamilyNews is less and less about tech parenting and more and more about just parenting (and in every other way working with) children and young people in this networked world. That's because – over the 15 years I've been on this beat, this exploration – it has become clearer and clearer that this time of discontinuity (and how we're dealing with it) is so much more about our humanity than our … [Read more...] about Exploring what parenting & social media are teaching us
Wisdom about bullying from a former target
There's probably no better testimony to the power of social-emotional learning than this UK student's poem about what happens to the "bully" when victimizing someone else (don't miss this 1:25 min. video of Garrett reading his poem). Garrett was a student at New Line Learning Academy in Maidstone, Kent, UK, when he read this poem in 2011 (he may still be, since it's a school for students aged … [Read more...] about Wisdom about bullying from a former target
Social literacy up, social problems down in Chicago Schools
More than 50 Chicago schools were recommended for closure this year, but one of the four schools that won't close isn't closing because of its strong, successful social-emotional learning program, Education Week reports. Marcus Garvey Elementary School "is recognized for helping children develop empathy and problem-solving skills." SEL is "problem-solving with dignity," as teacher-songwriter … [Read more...] about Social literacy up, social problems down in Chicago Schools
Stop using the word ‘bullying’ in school, researchers say
"Bullying" is a loaded term to say the very least, and not using it could not only defuse a lot of fear and harmful overreaction when it happens, it could save lives. I'll get to the life-saving part in a minute, but first the problem with using the word. Because of all the (certainly well-intended) awareness-raising and media attention lately, "bullying" has come to mean every imaginable mean … [Read more...] about Stop using the word ‘bullying’ in school, researchers say