${loserAccounts} been merged into ${winnerAccount}.
A recent audit found these accounts to be duplicative. Addresses, order history and Q-global ordering for both accounts are now accessible via the ${winnerAccount} account. If something isn’t right, please contact us.
${loserAccounts} been merged into ${winnerAccount}.
A recent audit found these accounts to be duplicative. Addresses, qualified users, order history and Q-global ordering for both organizations are now accessible via the ${winnerAccount} account. If something isn’t right, contact us.
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How do you stay up to date in your field? Our team of experts, authors, and specialists contribute regularly to our profession-specific blogs, keeping you informed of the latest industry trends, news, and innovations. Dive in below and check back often, as new content is added weekly.
Educators always remember those leaders who made a difference — those who encouraged, motivated and appreciated them. Before I joined Pearson as an assessment consultant, I spent 17 years in public education, and I know I remember those stellar leaders.
One of my favorite principals knew we would all perform better when we recognized we had a voice, so he made sure we did. He assembled a leadership team to provide input, but he didn’t stop there: He also asked each of us to seek input from our departments to gain more robust insight. It was a concrete way for him to demonstrate that everyone’s opinion was sought-after and valid. He also had an open-door policy, literally, where he would welcome any of us into his office for a conversation.
As we all know, administrators deal with some rough stuff, but he never let that infiltrate his demeanor with staff — or students and families. He was always positive and always welcoming. To me, he was the epitome of the type of leader I think most educators strive to be.
Ask most educators about recent changes they’ve seen in the classroom, and one that is sure to come up is an increase in disruptive behavior, the type commonly attributed to ADHD. Yet a key challenge educators currently face is how to determine whether a student has ADHD or if they are behaviorally appearing as such for reasons that may be related to other issues, such as those tied to the lingering effects of the school closures and routine disruption caused by the pandemic.
That’s where conversations with caregivers should take center stage. After all, they might just think their child is acting out and be unaware of how to help them. When educators and caregivers align around strategies and work collaboratively, they can help a student successfully navigate the ADHD-related challenges they may be facing at home and at school.
Here are some actionable strategies you can implement to help students operate more successfully in both the school and home environments.
No matter how long they’ve been in the K–12 space, many a professional gets a dose of anxiety on Sundays. Do you spend the day worrying that you’re not truly ready for the week? Maybe you’ve got emails, intervention plans, and IEP reports hanging over your head. Perhaps it’s the fear of the unknown that really sends you into a tailspin. Whatever it is that has you sweating over Monday morning, these tips can help you tame the “Sunday Scaries”!
You don’t have to look far to find an article detailing the state of student achievement these days. Math and reading scores are down from where they were pre-pandemic and educators and parents alike are scrambling to find ways to close the gap. Unfortunately, academic scores aren’t the only concern in need of attention; an extraordinary percentage of our students are facing mental health challenges — many of them dire.
School psychologists are well aware of the toll social media can take on students’ mental health. Yet educators often wonder how much to get involved with issues that might seem like “parenting,” and certainly social media use could fall under that umbrella. The good news is that our input is likely to be appreciated, as confirmed by a recent study from The Pew Research Center, in which nearly half of parent respondents said they’ve looked to teachers for advice on managing screen time.
Everyone gets the back-to-school jitters — even educators. There’s a reason the “Sunday Scaries” is a thing, whether you’re returning from a long vacation or a typical weekend. And of course, this apprehension is not reserved for you and your colleagues. Students and their families likely also feel angst during transitions back to school and work.
“Not enough hours in the day.” That's a lament of most educators — and most moms and caregivers. As a result, caregivers who are also educators are especially familiar with this struggle. It’s one I can relate to, as a former school psychologist and current mother of two, with another on the way. The truth is, it’s common to feel as though there's not enough of you to go around.
Do you ever find yourself jumping to the worst possible conclusions in everyday situations? When you’re facing an upsetting scenario, do you find yourself preparing for negative outcomes as if they’ll inevitably come true? If so, you’re “catastrophizing” — and you’re not alone. Catastrophizing is a distorted way of thinking that causes people to assume the most destructive outcomes, typically without much justification, sending them spiraling into a loop of fearful thoughts. It’s a behavior that can be easy to fall into and hard to overcome.
Clinical Licensed Psychologist, Patrick Moran, PhD explains, “Catastrophizing takes an often-minor true experience and projects the probability of it being a reality in the future without sufficient and reliable evidence, usually in larger proportions than the original experience. It’s often comprised of ‘Fortune Teller Error,’ and ‘Mind Reading’ where people believe in their accuracy in predicting future outcomes and/or what others are thinking. It can make people very anxious when catastrophic thinking habits are not balanced by contradictory facts, or if the facts are dismissed or minimized.”
The mind-body connection of catastrophizing
Beyond the effects on your mental health, this kind of fearful thinking can trigger strong physical reactions in your body. The amygdala, located in the center of the brain, is activated by fear and alerts the nervous system. This causes a release of adrenaline and the stress hormone, cortisol, which can trigger your “fight or flight” instinct. This instinct results in elevated heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration as well as increased blood flow to your limbs to help you “fight” or “run for your life”.
While this “fight or flight” response is meant to prepare us for danger, the increased adrenaline affects our cerebral cortex, the area of the brain that controls judgment and reasoning, cognitive functioning, and ability to think clearly — ultimately coloring our decision making.
How can I stop catastrophizing?
If this is a common experience for you, you may want to try cognitive reframing, a psychological method that involves identifying and changing the way you view experiences, events, or emotions in order to stop yourself from “making a mountain out of a molehill”. The technique allows you to shift your mindset so you're able to look at a situation, person, or relationship from a slightly different perspective and replace your negative thoughts.
For example, if you find yourself catastrophizing frequently at work, consider some of the situations that may trigger those thoughts. Is it conversations with specific people or working on specific projects? If you identify those potential triggers, you can practice reframing your thinking in advance of the situation to help avoid fearful thoughts. Before facing the triggers you’ve identified, envision positive scenarios and ideal outcomes. Expect the best instead of preparing yourself for negative results or failure. Be specific and walk yourself through an ideal experience. Include details like positive conversations and outcomes. Envisioning these scenarios with a positive mindset can help you avoid fearful thinking and the effects that come with it.
What strategies or tips do you find helpful to promote positive thinking?
If you've found this article helpful, please feel free to share it! Be sure to read the other articles in this series, including The End Of The Mental Health Care Stigma.
