As mouths shut for GLSEN’s annual Day of Silence on April 15, here is a history of Gay Straight Alliances in high schools in North America.
Tackling the Debate: Is Modern-Day Segregation the Answer?
Guest Author
In Tackling the Debate, Our Kids contributors, parents, students, camp administrators and educators argue their side of the hottest educational, camp, and parenting issues. To raise grades andacademic test scores, a high school in Philadelphia recently raised eyebrows with a new strategy - to separate students by race, gender, and language for a few minutes every day. [...]
Teens and Hugging…the New Hello or Socially Inappropriate?
Susan Lieberman
Are schools doing the right thing by banning hugging? The Globe and Mail recently reported that many schools in the United States and Britain have begun to ban all public displays of affection between students or they have imposed a three-second rule for hugging. Their fear is that this kind of affection will lead to make- outs, sex and lack of focus in school. That leaves the question “why don’t schools ban make-outs and sex instead of friendly hugging?”
A Case for Social Media in the Classroom – Today!
George Briggs
Many journalists and Egyptian citizens were on the ground in Tahrir Square and other parts of Cairo and Alexandria – posting on Twitter. Their view of events was markedly different from that presented by the mainstream media (and far more personal). Imagine the types of lessons that could be crafted if students had unfettered access to Twitter in their schools now. Teachers could ask groups of students to follow a specific Twitter feed, and in a collaborative activity have groups prepare a daily summary of events from their ‘correspondent’ on the ground (e.g. Sandmonkey), and share their reports with the class, or indeed the entire school via a blog.
2011 B.C. Fraser Institute Rankings: Elementary Schools Taking Small Steps Forward
Carly Maga
Recently, Our Kids noticed that interest in private school options in British Columbia is at an all-time high. There were reports of rising private school enrollment continuing since 2009, and attendance at the 2010 Our Kids Vancouver Private School Expo was record-breaking. The private vs. public debate has never been hotter, and this year’s Fraser results shed some valuable light on the choice.
Setting Kids Up for Success: Attachment Parenting and the Tiger Mother Go Head to Head
Penny Paucha
Recently there has been a serious backlash against the idea of attachment parenting. Attachment parenting as popularized by Dr. Sears in The Baby Book is based on the idea that being responsive to your infant’s needs and comforting them when they are distressed is the way to secure well adjusted individuals. At a basic level [...]
