Reframing Thoughts for Teens

Dear Escalante Community,

Have you ever seen the old cartoons where characters have a demon and an angel appear on their shoulders that represents their inner voices? The angel always uses positive self-talk language to inspire positive actions, while the demon voice is filled with self-dread to motivate a negative action. In reality, this comical cartoon feature plays out for all of us. All people at one time or another will have a negative thought about our self-image, and this reality is even more intense for adolescents and pre-teens. Teaching students how to manage negative self talk is often the key to avoiding the depression and anxiety that is plaguing children across the country.

A recent NPR article titled, “For Teens Knee-Deep In Negativity, Reframing Thoughts Can Help,” cites psychological research which “shows that what we think can have a powerful influence on how we feel emotionally and physically, and on how we behave.” More people today are reporting feeling alone, depressed, or anxious in our society than ever before, adults and kids alike. In an age where we are supposedly more “connected” than ever due to social media platforms, it seems that social media actually tends to create feelings of isolation. I highly recommend that you read the NPR article for some tips and strategies on how to support your children and model positive self-talk habits so that they can avoid some of the trappings of our digital era. You can read the article by following this link:

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/09/09/549133027/for-teens-knee-deep-in-negativity-reframing-thoughts-can-help?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20170909

On another note, please be aware that the first round of progress reports are being sent home on September 20th. Several students in our school are currently missing work, which is having a very negative impact on grades. Please take some time this weekend to review the Infinite Campus Parent Portal to check on your child’s work habits. If your child does come home with unsatisfactory grades, the cause most often in middle school is a lack of organizational skills and time management (making time for studying). Organizing time is a learned skill and is a place that parents can really support their child’s education, so I encourage you to help set up those systems if your child’s grades indicate the need. If your child is expressing a lot of confusion about the content or needs additional support, feel free to contact the teacher as well to ensure we have the strong home/school relationships that are integral to middle school success.

It’s hard to believe that we are approaching the halfway mark of the 1st quarter. It’s a great time to adjust habits and systems to ensure that the school year is a great one.

Sincerely,
Jeremy Voss,
Principal
Escalante Middle School

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/09/09/549133027/for-teens-knee-deep-in-negativity-reframing-thoughts-can-help?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20170909

Published September 19, 2017 Print