Knoxville Parent Magazine - October 2014 by Knoxville Parent

October 2014

Fr e e

THEY’RE SMART. LET’S MAKE THEM EVEN SMARTER.

STEM Scouts puts boys and girls, grades 3–12, in labs led by volunteers and mentored by STEM professionals for fun, hands-on experiments. Kids will learn, play and lead, and they’ll do it in an environment that fosters teamwork and creativity.

START LEARNING:

STEMSCOUTS.ORG 865-243-8057

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In This Issue... The Creative Role Of Reading Fiction “Reading fiction can actually increase empathy and help develop social skills.”

October 2014 Volume III • Issue 9 Michael Kull and Eva Nations, Publishers Advisory Board

Contributing Writers

Sr. Mary Marta Abbott, RSM The Diocese of Knoxville

David Floyd Tracey Matthews Jim McIntyre, Ph.D. April McMillan Erin Nguyen Trent Nichols Eliza Norrell Mike O’Hern Kathryn Rea Smith, Ph.D. Michael K. Smith, Ph.D

Marie Alcorn United Way of Greater Knoxville Mike Bailey Small Business Representative Paul Parson East Tennessee Children’s Hospital Tracey Matthews Knox County Schools Family and Community Engagement

PAGE 4

Creating Problems “...if some of the problems presented at school were instead presented at home as ‘a puzzle,’ I think you’d be amazed at how different the outcome would be.” PAGE 6

Contributing Photographers

STEM Scouts: Innovative Leaders Of The Future “The program is designed to be hands-on and focused on the needs of the students, so community involvement is key to its success.”

PopFizz TM Web Master / Graphic Assistant / Distribution Adam Kalwas

Elizabeth Pooley Marketing Professional Lee Tramel Knox County Sheriff ’s Department Liza Zenni The Arts and Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville

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Contents 4

The Creative Role Of Reading Fiction

Fostering Pro-Social Adolescent Development

Creating Problems

What Does It Take To Educate A Child Now-ADays

8-9

PAGE 8-9

11 Could Desensitization Treatment Help Local Kids

With Peanut Allergies 12 A Message From The Superintendent 13 The Independent Child: Tips On How To Teach

Your Child To Be Self-Reliant

14 10 Terrific Books: Creativity And The Arts

STEM Scouts: Innovative Leaders Of The Future

On The Cover:

STEM Scouts Labs are grouped into elementary, middle and high school age groups, then follow 4- to 6-week modules that focus on either science, technology, engineering or math. Photo by PopFizz TM

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Knoxville Parent Magazine 3

Knoxville Parent • October 2014

The Creative Role Of Reading Fiction by Michael K. Smith, Ph.D.

hen I was a senior at West, my English teacher, Mrs. Hooper, had us read and study a book by Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren entitled Understanding Fiction. This text presented examples of well-known short stories with detailed critical commentaries. Brooks and Warren wanted a student to develop a deeper comprehension of fiction, so that the process of reading would change the student. Otherwise, there was little merit in offering an English course: “…if the views remain substantially unchanged, if the interests which [the student] brings to fiction in the first place are not broadened and refined, the course has scarcely fulfilled its purpose: the student has merely grown more glib and complacent in his limitations.” Current social science research extends Brooks and Warren’s vision: Reading fiction can actually increase empathy and help develop social skills. In a review article for the Association of Psychological Science (APS), Scott Sleek summarizes the findings of recent research: “…a number of studies suggest that books—and specifically literary fiction—can also affect social skills, emotional intelligence, and behavior throughout life. As Canadian novelist and psychological scientist Keith Oatley, an APS Fellow, has written, stories appear to offer a deeply

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“Reading fiction can actually increase empathy and help develop social skills.” felt simulation of social experience, expanding our understanding of ourselves and others.” For example, Dan Johnson and his colleagues had students read either a fictional excerpt from a current novel or a non-fiction summary of this excerpt. The novel was Saffron Dreams by Shaila Abdullah. The protagonist, Arissa, is a Muslim woman living in America whose husband was killed in the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center. Arissa is walking alone at night in Manhattan, wearing her veil. She is threatened by a group of teenagers, who do not believe the story about her deceased husband. Here is part of this fictional excerpt: “I heard heavy breathing behind me. Angry, smoky, scared. I could tell there were several of them, probably four. Not pros, probably in their teens…They walked like boys wanting to be men. They fell short. Why was there no fear in my heart? Probably because there was no more room in my heart for terror. When horror comes face-to-face with you and causes a loved one’s death, fear leaves your heart.” Here is part of the non-fiction summary: The scene starts with Arissa getting off the subway train. She is being followed…Four people are walking behind her. Initially confused by the lack of fear in her heart, she realizes that it is the consequence of losing someone so close to her. After reading one of the two selections, students were presented with 18 male faces generated by special software. The faces were an ambiguous mixture of Caucasian or Arab characteristics. Students had to categorize the faces as Arab, Caucasian, or a mixture of the two. Students who read the fiction excerpt tended to judge faces as a mixture of characteristics. Students who read the non-fiction excerpt tended to characterize the faces as Arab. Johnson and his colleagues concluded that literary fiction has the possibility of changing racial perceptions. Literary fiction, in other words, can help us understand how different cultures can co-exist and perhaps prevent us from automatically stereotyping others by outward appearance. Brooks and Warren felt that reading fiction satisfied “the demand for imagination” and “the impulse to enlarge experience.” Reading fiction, whether in school or as adult, becomes a creative endeavor that helps us understand and empathize with characters and cultures different from us. I will always be grateful to Mrs. Hooper for helping me first understand and appreciate the role that reading fiction would play in my life. Michael K. Smith, Ph.D., is owner of TESTPREP EXPERTS (www.testprepexperts.com ) which prepares students for standardized tests such as the ACT and SAT. He is also a consultant to Discovery Education Assessment. He can reached at mike@testprepexperts.com.

Knoxville Parent • October 2014

Fostering Pro-Social Adolescent Development by Kathryn Rea Smith, Ph.D.

n my role as a forensic psychologist, I evaluate adolescents with legal problems. Sometimes these evaluations are in anticipation of a transfer hearing, in which the prosecutor will argue that the adolescent offender should be tried as an adult in criminal court, and the juvenile court judge must decide whether to transfer the case. In such instances, I am called upon to describe to the court the ways in which the adolescent’s development was derailed and the circumstances that contributed to the development of criminal behaviors. I am also asked to recommend interventions for rehabilitating the adolescent. In order to know what help these troubled adolescents need, it is first necessary to understand the factors that contribute to successful adolescent development. In their book Rethinking juvenile justice, Elizabeth Scott and Laurence Steinberg describe three conditions during adolescence that have been shown to foster social and emotional maturity: (1) authoritative parenting; (2) participation in pro-social peer groups; and (3) involvement in activities that allow for autonomous decision-making and critical thinking. An authoritative parenting style is one that strikes a balance between being loving and firm. Such parents establish developmentally appropriate limits and expectations and encourage independence and differentiation. Authoritative parenting can be contrasted with other styles of parenting: authoritarian (extremely strict, rigid, and controlling), permissive (overly accepting with insufficient limits), and neglectful (disengaged and emotionally uninvolved). For adolescents, being the recipient of authoritative parenting from at least one adult is associated with numerous positive outcomes. According to Scott and Steinberg, “Countless studies…show unequivocally that adolescents who have been raised by authoritative parents are less impulsive, more self-reliant, less vulnerable to peer pressure, and more successful in school than are their age-mates who were raised in other ways. Not surprisingly, adolescents with authoritative parents are also less likely to commit antisocial or criminal acts, less likely to have drug and alcohol problems, and less likely to develop significant mental health problems.” In addition to authoritative parenting, positive outcomes during adolescence are also associated with involvement in a peer group “that models and values pro-social behavior and academic success.” Adolescents are more susceptible to peer pressure than adults, and this is true for both negative and positive peer pressure. Many

“In order to be prepared for adulthood, adolescents must learn to think for themselves and solve reallife problems independently.” adolescents start getting in trouble due to associating with delinquent peers from whom they seek to obtain respect and acceptance by engaging in antisocial acts. The key, then, is to identify options for participation in groups whose members encourage emulation of law-abiding and growth-enhancing behaviors. Some possibilities include religiously affiliated youth groups, scouts, team sports, marching band, and school clubs. If peer groups are not available to a particular adolescent, close involvement with a mentor could produce similar positive outcomes. A third factor associated with successful social and emotional development in adolescence is involvement in activities that provide opportunities for autonomous decision-making and critical thinking. In order to be prepared for adulthood, adolescents must learn to think for themselves and solve real-life problems independently. Opportunities for doing so can be built into the school curriculum and are also available in part time jobs, internships, and community service projects. When an adolescent makes a decision that is misguided or regrettable, parents and teachers can be available to assist with non-judgmental debriefing, allowing the adolescent to learn from the mistake. For example, the adolescent could be asked “if you could make the decision again, what would you do differently this time?” By highlighting the factors associated with successful social and emotional development for adolescents, Scott and Steinberg provide a road map for parents and policy makers who are interested in prevention of adolescent developmental derailment and rehabilitation of adolescents who have gone off track. Kathryn Rea Smith, Ph.D. is a private practice psychologist specializing in psychological assessment and parenting consultation. Dr. Smith can be reached at kerea@aol.com.

Knoxville Parent • October 2014

Creating Problems

By Mike O’Hern, Center Director of Mathnasium of West Knoxville

s this month’s Knoxville Parent theme is creativity I thought it might be a good idea to be creative about how we get our children to think about math. Or perhaps it’s better to think of it being about when we think about math. In the classroom math is that dreaded subject – “I can’t do math!” But outside the classroom the intimidation factor is gone, so some things that are math just don’t seem like it, so suddenly math isn’t that big problem we have at school. In fact, if some of the problems presented at school were instead presented at home as “a puzzle,” I think you’d be amazed at how different the outcome would be. Most children love to “figure stuff out,” but in the classroom too often they are taught “the way” to do “this kind of problem.” That’s not a knock on the classroom at all – it’s just the reality of the difference between teaching a crowd versus teaching an individual. Here’s an example of what I mean. Something simple like, “You are six years old, right? How old will you be four years from now?” can be amped up a bit by changing it to, “Since you are eight years old in 2014, how old will you be in 2020?” (Hint: if your child responds, “during what month of 2020?” you can start amping up your problems immediately!) To make the same issue even more interesting, try, “Okay, you’re eight and I’m 34. How old will I be when you’re twelve?” Even more tricky? “You’re eight

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“...if some of the problems presented at school were instead presented at d a home as “a puzzle,” I think you’d t be amazed at how different the b b outcome would be.”

w n and I’m 34. How old will you be when I’m twice your age?” b This last one, of course, could be done using some pretty simple algebra, but an eight- h year-old would do well to figure out how old you were when she was born, and that’s s C that! C Here’s another riddle. A boy and a girl went to a movie. They spend half of their money on tickets to get in, then half of what was left on popcorn and drinks. They had $10 left over. How much did they have to start with? (Maybe it would be more s s realistic to say they had $200 left over, but movie theater prices aren’t the point.) Riddle me this. I have an aquarium that is half full. After I add another 5 gallons of c water it is now three quarters full. What is the capacity of the aquarium? This riddle a is pretty simple for us older, experienced fishermen, but it will take some figuring for o a little land-lubber to see that five gallons is equal to one quarter of the tank, so four t

quarters would be 20 gallons. Want a little more challenge for your little math genius? How about this one? On your bike, the pedal sprocket has twelve teeth on it. The sprocket on the 24” wheel has 36 teeth. At what angular velocity must you pedal to achieve a ground speed of 15 miles per hour? Okay, maybe I’m taking it a little far. But this really is the kind of problem your problem-solver will be able to handle if you start early with math – I mean solving riddles – outside of the classroom! As owner and director at Mathnasium (a math learning center with locations in West Knoxville and Chattanooga (www.mathnasium.com/westknoxville) for the past five years, Mike has extensive experience teaching children and young adults the foundations of math concepts that are crucial to building their confidence and engagement with math throughout life.

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Knoxville Parent • October 2014

What Does It Take To Educate A Child Now-A-Days? By SSG James Miller, Assistant Center Commander US Army Recruiting Center Knoxville

s a parent I am deeply involved in my children’s education, and like other involved parents, I am concerned about the direction our education system is going. The big talk these days is about the Common Core State Standards. I am a proponent of the these standards, so long as they are implemented in a way that truly benefits the child. Let me explain why: We are a military family, and so, we tend to relocate on a regular basis. We have lived in several states, and each time we move, we struggle to adjust to new educational requirements. Without naming any states, my children have gone from being at the top of their class to the bottom simply by moving to a new home. I have also seen the reverse; my children have actually had to repeat the previous year’s curriculum when relocating to another state. It is because of these reasons that I can support the concept of the Common Core State Standards, and I am extremely hopeful, as a parent, that when Common Core is implemented we will have learned from past mistakes like these. If Common Core is implemented to benefit the student and not the school, then I support it one hundred percent. Unfortunately, like state testing, I fear our education system could become focused on simply passing these tests and not teaching our children. Here is where it is important for us as parents to take responsibility and action. No matter what is decided on the Common Core, we need to get involved in our children’s education. The schools can only teach so much. So, we, as parents, must teach our children to reach out and learn more on their own, and we must also provide

them with the additional education they require. There is a phrase, “Knowledge is Power.” In order for us parents to empower our children, we need to provide them with all the knowledge we can. Even everyday tasks can become learning experiences. Take, for example, simple chores around the home. In my previous article I talked about my children working on gardening. The wonderful thing about everyday tasks is that they can easily be connected to more involved ideas and lessons. While my children are working on gardening, they are also learning about plant science. If they are cooking, they can also learn about health and good eating habits. The possibilities are infinite. For me, the most important take-a-way from all this is the need to be fully involved as a parent in the development of our children. The proverbial saying goes, “the children are our future,” and if we do not participate along with our educational system, then our future could become bleak. It is time to step up and not only be a parent but also be a source of learning for our children. SSG James Miller is a 24 year veteran of the U.S. Army currently serving as an Army recruiter in Knoxville Most importantly, the father of two wonderful children and husband to a great wife.

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Knoxville Parent • October 2014

STEM Scouts: Innovative Leaders Of The Future By Co-National Directors April McMillan and Trent Nichols. Photos by PopFizz

“ It is designed to be fast-paced, thought-provoking and most importantly – FUN!”

e are very fortunate here in East Tennessee to be the first in the nation to test a new after-school program that focuses on fun and exciting opportunities for elementary through high school students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). This values-based, character development program places emphasis on showing youth how to apply STEM in their everyday lives, develop their leadership skills, and encourages them to expand those experiences into a future career by giving them the opportunity to connect with STEM professionals. It is designed to be fast-paced, thought-provoking and most importantly – FUN!

as early as 1913 with the creation of Sea Scouting. We’re optimistic this will take off and have positive outcomes for youth everywhere.” STEM Scouts are grouped into “Laboratories”, and the first pilot Laboratories began in March STEM District Executive Sarah Barnett and a student What is STEM Scouts? at the Clayton-Bradley STEM Academy in work on a chemistry activity together A coed program of the Boy Scouts of America Maryville followed by Oak Ridge High School. (BSA), STEM Scouts offers a Scouting experience with less focus on the Currently, Clayton-Bradley Academy, Oak Ridge High School, Karns Middle outdoors. STEM Scouts follows the BSA Scout Oath and Law with the goal of School, Robertsville Middle School and Stanford Eisenberg Knoxville Jewish producing young men and women who are leaders, display confidence, realize Day School have Labs. Labs are on the way at Farragut Intermediate, St. John their skills and limitations, are respectful of others’ opinions, are problem Neumann Catholic School, Woodland Elementary, Powell Elementary, and solvers in all aspects of life, look for opportunities to serve others, are good more. citizens, and demonstrate integrity in all phases of their lives. If you would like to bring STEM Scouts to your school, church, after“Specialized programs are not new to the Boy Scouts,” said Michael school program, or homeschool group, just let us know. A STEM Scouts Ramsey, marketing director for BSA. “In fact, the concept dates back staff person will be happy to come talk to your group.

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Knoxville Parent • October 2014

“The program is designed to be hands-on and focused on the needs of the students, so community involvement is key to its success.”

How Can You Be Involved with STEM Scouts? In addition to needing participants, the STEM Scouts program relies on interested community members to serve as Lab Adult Volunteers and STEP (short-term, experience professionals) volunteers. The program is designed to be hands-on and focused on the needs of the students, so community involvement is key to its success. It’s also a great way get to know some terrific students, spend time with your child, or help make a STEM Scouts Labs are grouped into elementary, professional organizations, parent-teacher difference in someone’s life—today and tomorrow. middle and high school age groups, then follow organizations, homeschool networks, and any The curriculum for each Lab is created by educators 4- to 6-week modules that focus on either other group that wants to help provide a Lab and STEM professionals and designed to be easy to science, technology, engineering or math. use. If you can follow a recipe book, you can lead a for students. Lab. We need STEP volunteers to help Lab volunteers keep things interesting. • Find out more about volunteering or chartering a Lab unit at www. Opportunities for Involvement: • Become a Lab Volunteer: Each Lab must have two adult volunteers for every 15 students. For the middle and high school levels, one of these volunteers should have STEM experience. • Be a STEP Volunteer: STEP volunteers can participate as much or as little as time allows. Help throughout an entire 4- or 6-week module, do a presentation at a meeting, host a field trip, or assist a Lab volunteers on certain modules. • Charter a Lab unit: STEM Scouts relies on chartered organizations to start Lab units. Chartered organizations can include businesses,

STEMScouts.org.

Where Can I Find More Information? Please visit our website, www.STEMScouts.org, for more information. From the website you can register for Labs, learn more about the curriculum, see STEM Scouts updates and current news via our blog, watch a video about STEM Scouts, sign up to be an adult volunteer, register to get our E-Newsletter, or connect with STEM Scouts on social media. You can also call 865-588-6514 or email info@stemscouts.org to speak to a staff member.

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Knoxville Parent • October 2014

Could Desensitization Treatment Help Local Kids With Peanut Allergies? By David Floyd, Staff Writer for the Johnson City Press. Reprinted by permission.

r. Marek Pienkowski says he is the only allergist in Tennessee practicing a game-changing countermeasure against peanut allergies: peanut desensitization, a process that attempts to minimize the immune system’s violent reaction to peanut allergens. “The prevalence and intensity of allergic reactions by people with peanut allergies is currently increasing,” Pienkowski said. “About 71 percent of the allergic reactions experienced by children are moderately severe, meaning they require epinephrine or a trip to the emergency room.”Avoidance is typically considered the best method of living with a peanut allergy. However, incidental exposure still accounts annually for 12 percent of the allergic reactions by people with peanut allergies. This has led allergists to seek out a more progressive approach to the problem. The procedure Pienkowski practices, desensitization, gradually accustoms his patients’ immune systems to the presence of peanut proteins. During the initial phase, called the build-up phase, the physician administers small dosages of peanut proteins, starting with a minute dose of approximately 0.1 milligrams and gradually increasing every 30 minutes. The process continues until the patient has ingested 50 milligrams worth of peanut proteins. The initial phase takes about 6 to 8 hours to complete. After the build-up phase, patients are sent home and given small daily doses of peanut allergens in capsules. Patients return to the clinic periodically so their condition can be evaluated. The dosage is increased every two weeks until the subject has eaten up to 300 milligrams of peanut proteins. This process takes about six months. “Once a peanut allergy sufferer has eaten 300 milligrams of peanut proteins, they generally react well to incidental exposures,” Pienkowski said. Then the patient enters the maintenance phase and, depending on the patient’s tolerance, they will ingest a grand total of 4,000 milligrams of peanut proteins. “Four thousand milligrams is about the equivalent of a dozen peanuts,” Pienkowski said. The process Pienkowski Dr. Pienkowski is using has an estimated 70 percent success rate. maintains five allergy Most of the patients who undergo this procedure can clinics in East TN, tolerate an incidental exposure to peanuts. including one in Approximately 5 percent of children suffer from Knoxville. peanut allergies. In a school setting, complete avoidance is generally difficult to accomplish. The practice can also isolate children, separating them from their friends during lunch or snack time. “Children with peanut allergies are typically told to eat lunch in an isolated area and that tends to ostracize them from their peers,” Pienkowski said. “It’s also hard to isolate yourself from these allergens. I had a girl come into my clinic with a peanut reaction because she had kissed her boyfriend recently after he ate a peanut product.” These problems emphasize the need to confront the problem at its source. Pienkowski is attempting to establish a dialogue with local elementary schools, familiarizing them with the procedure he’s offering. “The people in the school systems engaged in this process are mainly nurses,” Pienkowski said. “I delivered

“It’s clear that we need to find a new method of treating peanut allergies, preferably one that makes patients more resistant to peanut allergens.” a lecture in Sullivan County on peanut allergies in early September, but it seems like there isn’t as much interest in this problem as one would expect.” Recently, doctors have found that the customary treatments for anaphylactic shock, epinephrine in particular, are becoming increasingly ineffective. “There was a physician in California whose daughter went into anaphylactic shock and died in his arms despite receiving several shots of epinephrine from an Epipen,” Pienkowski said. “It’s clear that we need to find a new method of treating peanut allergies, preferably one that makes patients more resistant to peanut allergens.”

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Knoxville Parent • October 2014

Dear Knox County Schools’ Families

he Knox County Schools just finished celebrating those who play an integral role in educating the whole child – our remarkable teachers who work tirelessly to make learning engaging and exciting for our students. For the third consecutive year, the Knox County Schools once again collaborated with Great Schools Partnership, Knox County Education Association, Knox County Council PTA, Knoxville Chamber and a host of community and business organizations to embrace Thank a Teacher Week, a time to remind us to say “thank you” to our teachers in meaningful ways for the job they do all year long. Although Thank a Teacher Week is five days, the good work our teachers do takes place throughout the year—and for their students, lasts a lifetime. As I visit classrooms and talk with teachers across our school system, I continue to be impressed by the unwavering focus on high quality education for all of our students. I want to convey my sincere appreciation for our teachers’ role in ensuring that every child has the opportunity to successfully reach their full potential. Our desire to deepen our focus on every child—the whole child—is leading us to increase our effort to personalize learning, guarantee excellence in the classroom and facilitate high quality student supports through several key objectives: Community Schools, identification of barriers to learning and implementation of interventions, employment of early-learning opportunities and the provision of intensive support to our high needs schools. Through this work, we are focusing on the specific learning and support needs of every one of our students to ensure they are academically successful, college and career ready, economically competitive and personally fulfilled in an increasingly complex world. It’s that complex world—our students’ future—that drives us to work diligently to provide them with the best education possible, and it’s exciting for me to see evidence of our hard work. Just last month, I spoke with many

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“...I continue to be impressed by the unwavering focus on high quality education for all of our students.” students at the Knox County Schools’ annual College and Career Fair. As I walked through the fair and stopped to speak with students, I witnessed their excitement and anticipation (and yes, some trepidation) about their futures. They shared their future plans, and some shared with me their hopes and aspirations—aspirations that they see as possibilities, in part, because of the incredible education that is taking place in our classrooms every day and because of the support these future leaders of our world receive at home. We know that to educate the whole child, education in the classroom must be supported and embraced in communities and at home. The Knox County Schools has numerous services that can help parents and caregivers provide a supportive learning environment at home. Visit our web site at knoxschools. org and click on “Community” for more information. Other tools for parents to support their students’ academic progress are the parent portal at knoxschools.org and TutorTN. TutorTN is a free online tutoring service for students of the Knox County Schools and others in the community. To access this free service, students should visit Tutor.com and log in using their Knox County Public Library card number. For information about obtaining a Knox County Public Library card, please visit knoxlib.org. Our magnet schools provide yet another pathway to a challenging and engaging education that prepares students for their futures. These schools are incredibly diverse and rich with unique opportunities. Parents and students who are interested in transferring to a magnet school (or any school) can take advantage of the transfer window that is available now through February 17, 2015. To learn more about our magnet programs, parents can visit knoxschools.org, and click on “Departments,” and for more information about the transfer window, parents can contact our Enrollment and Transfers Office at 594-1506. Additionally, we must be ever-mindful that providing students with rigorous experiences also means providing diverse learning opportunities such as art, music, foreign language, career technical education, service learning and much more to enrich learning beyond core academic courses. As parents support their children’s education at home, our teachers and principals are continuing to keep their focus on their students in the classroom, and I applaud you all for that dedication. I will also continue to extend that focus on what we do in the Knox County Schools: Provide an excellent education for every child, and I sincerely thank parents and community members who support our important mission to provide Excellence for Every Child. Sincerely, Dr. Jim McIntyre Superintendent, Knox County Schools

Knoxville Parent • October 2014

The Independent Child:

Tips On How To Teach Your Child To Be Self-Reliant by Tracey Matthews, Knox County Schools Family and Community Engagement Supervisor Contributing Writer: Eliza Norrell, Communications Intern, University of Tennessee

any parents know that resiliency builds confidence in M children. One of the best ways to prepare our children for many of life’s circumstances is to help them practice self-

reliance and the ability to help themselves. Developing your child’s ability to handle situations will make your life easier as a parent, and also better prepare your son or daughter for adulthood. Allowing your children at a young age to begin making independent decisions, solve their own problems and encourage themselves can result in confident children who will likely grow up to become successfully independent adults. Consider these resilience-building exercises as a start: Thorns and Roses On the ride home from school or at dinner, ask your child to share the best (roses) and worst (thorns) parts of his or her day. A good tip is to remind them to mention two roses for every thorn. This will encourage the practice of placing more focus on positive events than negative ones. Also, try having them consider the bright side of a thorn (or the rose attached to the thorn). For example, earning a low grade on a spelling test may be a thorn, but the fact that it was a better grade than the last time might be the rose. This daily activity teaches young people to articulate their feelings and put day-to-day events into perspective. Don’t forget to share the highs and lows of your day so that your children learn to listen and remember that adults face challenges in their daily lives, too. “Yellow Light” Your Advice When your child comes to you with a problem—he is struggling in math, or her friendship is eroding—slow down your impulse to offer advice. Instead, ask questions that encourage discussion and brainstorming, and guide them toward developing their own problem solving. By directing children toward independent thinking, confidence in his or her ability to take care of things without constant parental intervention is a lifetime “gift.” The “What If ” Game Another way to build your child’s ability to solve problems independently and build resiliency while using their imagination is by asking lots of “what if ” questions. This exercise can be fun, serious and thought provoking, depending on the type of questions you ask. Demonstrate the importance of “thinking on your feet” by asking questions like, “What if we got separated in a store or other building?” or “What would you do if you lost your cell phone and couldn’t remember my cell number?” For younger children, you want to ensure they know their address, phone number and when to call 911. For older children, we should include questions that involve being in compromising positions. “What if all of your friends were drinking or smoking, and they insisted that you try it, too?” These answers might require additional parental guidance and assistance. Child-Adult Conversations and Exchanges Teach your children the importance of appropriate assertiveness when dealing with adults. Remind your child that while they should always be respectful, they should not be afraid to ask other adults questions or to respectfully question adult responses. This can be particularly important for children when asking questions in class. Interacting with authority figures like teachers, coaches, friends of parents, older relatives and other adults in public teaches children how to be assertive without being aggressive and how to “be heard.” Young people should not be intimidated by the thought of verbally interacting with adults, and their confidence will soar when they experience successful outcomes through adult conversations or exchanges.

Talk Logistics As your child matures, require him or her to assume the responsibility of decision making and accomplishing tasks that are traditionally completed by an adult. These tasks could include scheduling and recording his/her appointments with limited assistance, researching and planning the use of public transportation to the mall, or comparing price and quality/features of a desired purchase. When birthdays roll around, how about your child outline the plans, discuss them with you and assume much of the responsibility for executing the pre-party preparation? These exercises teach children practical skills that will help them in so many other facets of life. We encourage you to begin teaching children skills of independence and resiliency starting at a very early age. These simple, everyday activities should help start the process. We invite you to share your great ideas with us! If we can be of any assistance to you and your family, please contact the Knox County Schools Family and Community Engagement Department at 594-9525 or the Family Resource Center at 594-1192.

For more information or to read past articles, visit knoxschools.org/fce and knoxschools.org/frc.

Knoxville Parent • October 2014

10 Terrific Books: Creativity And Learning Compiled by Erin Nguyen

Children’s Department, Knox County Public Library

The Line by Paula Bossio PreK-2nd A little girl draws a line and starts playing imaginatively with the shapes she can make with it in this wordless picture book reminiscent of Harold and the Purple Crayon.

Going Places by Peter and Paul Reynolds PreK-2nd When Rafael’s teacher gives his class kits to build go-carts, only classmate Maya uses her creativity to make something different.

The 14 Fibs of Gregory K. by Greg Pincus 4th-7th Sixth-grader Gregory has always fibbed to make sure that his math-loving family doesn’t discover that he actually loves writing more than math, but his lies begin to catch up with him when he struggles in math class.

3-D Art Lab for Kids: 32 Hands-On Adventures in Sculpture and Mixed Media by Susan Schwake 4rd-8th This hands-on guide to art focuses on working with paper, clay, textiles, sculpture, and jewelry through specific projects accompanied by interviews with professional artists in each area.

The Poem That Will Not End: Fun with Poetic Forms and Voices by Joan Bransfield Graham K-3rd This picture book about a boy who can’t stop writing poetry is also a fun introduction to various types of poems.

The Scraps Book by Lois Ehlert K-4th In this beautifully illustrated picture book memoir, author and illustrator Lois Ehlert describes how she became an artist and how she creates her art.

The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy by Kate Hattemer 7th-11th When a reality show begins filming at their high school for the arts, a few students rebel by writing a long poem and working to expose how fake the show really is in this funny novel where life meets art.

Creative Creatures: Make-andDo Crafty Creatures for Kids by Donna Wilson 4th-8th Kids can create these cute animal-themed crafts using easy-to-find materials and a little creativity.

For library information in your area visit: www.knoxlib.org/

See What I See by Gloria Whelan 7th-12th Even though she hasn’t seen her famous painter father in over ten years, aspiring artist Kate goes to live with him when she is accepted into a prestigious art school and soon finds out that this will be more difficult than she imagined.

This Is Not a Writing Manual by Kerri Majors 8th-12th Rather than write a how-to guide for aspiring teen writers, author Majors gives them a look at the challenges and opportunities that face writers in the real world.

Jessica’s New Future A few years ago, Jessica Demby was struggling. After graduating from high school Jessica tried college, but soon realized it wasn’t for her. Jessica did not know what to do and felt she had run out of options. All she knew was that living at home and making minimum wage was not what she wanted. Now, in less than two years she’s doubled her salary, has paid vacations and holidays, and is truly enjoying her work every day.

What did she do?

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Jessica enrolled in the Dental Staff School, run by Janet Waldron and her husband, Dr. Jon Waldron, practicing dentist. Today, the Dental Staff School offers students the same great opportunity to build a career Jessica has enjoyed. In just ten weeks, students learn professional dental assisting in a real-ofﬁce setting. Each Saturday, the school hosts the current class of students and offers state-of-the art dental equipment for students’ lessons. From working on models to practicing with the dentists and fellow students, Jessica really enjoyed the hands-on learning. “It wasn’t boring,” she says, “it was a whole lot of fun!” Dental Staff School (www.DentalStaffSchool.com) is a ten-week dental assisting school in Pelham, AL; Marietta, GA; Knoxville, TN and Franklin, TN. Classes are held on Saturdays at local working dental ofﬁces. The program is accredited through National Accreditation for Colleges and Schools, Non-public Postsecondary Commission in Georgia, and the Alabama and Tennessee Higher Education Commission.

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