Life Is The Future

Motivation: the desire and action towards a life goal. This week's 8th grade hosts, Salil and Shauna, are joined once again by Makenzi and Sathvik. The group discusses life motivation and more, focusing on wrapping up first semester of the school year, hopes for heading into winter break, and even potential topics that would be fun for students to discuss for future podcasts. RESOURCES: What is Motivation? from Psychology Today. The Scientific Guide on How to Get and Stay Motivated by James Clear. Managing the Seemingly Inevitable Holiday Season Stress from Elizabeth Scott. Tune in next year as we continue in 2020 with Season 2 of our podcast! Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout the remainder of the school year. Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

Student voice: the values, opinions, and other perspectives of students in a school, which can lead to the development of student choices, interests, passions, and ambitions. This week our hosts Lauren and Rhys have a conversation with Josh and Karshin about their new school project we have launched: "A Middle School Minute." The four 8th graders discuss student voice in education, focusing on this new creative outlet of journalism as another platform for students to practice life skills like communication, decision making, and advocacy. RESOURCESEdutopia - Students' input and expertise can help shape their own learning and growth.VCU - Student Voice: A growing movement within education that benefits students and teachers.Education Week - Raising Student 'Voice and Choice' Is the Mantra. But Is It a Good Idea? Tune in next week as our other two hosts, Salil and Shauna, take the lead with a new topic and a new set of guests. Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout the school year. Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

Homework... the dread, the procrastination, the necessary evil? This week's 8th grade hosts, Salil and Shauna, take on the topic of homework and discuss the merits and downfalls of work outside of the school day. They interview classmates Drew and Ryan and all four talk through whether homework is worthwhile and what makes class projects fun and engaging. RESOURCES Homework or No Homework? Wrong Question. from Getting Smart. Homework Done Right from ASCD. What’s the Right Amount of Homework? from Edutopia. Down with Homework from Alfie Kohn. Should Kids Have Homework? The Great Debate. from Chicago Tribune. Tune in next week as our other two hosts, Lauren and Rhys, take over with a new topic and a new set of guests. Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout the school year. Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

What is the influence of drugs on teenage life? How do middle school students perceive vaping, alcohol, and marijuana use? This week our hosts Lauren and Rhys have another conversation about drug use, focusing on media influence on teenagers, legalization, and other perceptions surrounding the topic. This week's guests, Aarushi and Nick, help process things with their own thoughts, and the four 8th graders leave younger listeners with some basic recommendations for handling the decisions that lay ahead. RESOURCES Youth Risk Behavior Survey CDC - E-Cigarettes Tobacco Free Kids Stanford Tobacco Toolkit NIH - Underage Drinking Illinois Policy - Marijuana Legalization Tune in next week as our other two hosts, Salil and Shauna, take the lead with a new topic and a new set of guests. Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout the school year. Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

Popularity... What a loaded word. This week's 8th grade hosts, Salil and Shauna, discuss the concepts of popularity and social health in middle school life. They interview classmates Dhruv and Nina and all four talk through the positive and negative impact of popularity, how it matters in school and later in life, and recommendations for younger students looking ahead to middle and high school. RESOURCES: Popularity: Why It Consumes Teens & Affects Adults from MindShift. Does Being in the Popular Crowd Matter? from Newsweek. Does Our High School Popularity Affect Us Today? A Mitch Prinstein TEDx Talk. Tune in next week as our other two hosts, Lauren and Rhys, take over with a new topic and a new set of guests. Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout the school year. Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

What are the current trends with teens and drugs? How do middle school students perceive vaping, alcohol, and marijuana use? This week our hosts Lauren and Rhys have a conversation with their guests, Dani and Inara. All four 8th graders examine drug use, focusing on perceptions surrounding the topic, influences on teenagers, and coping with related pressures. RESOURCES Youth Risk Behavior Survey CDC - E-Cigarettes Tobacco Free Kids Stanford Tobacco Toolkit NIH - Underage Drinking Illinois Policy - Marijuana Legalization Tune in next week as our other two hosts, Salil and Shauna, take the lead with a new topic and a new set of guests. Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout the school year. Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

Stereotypes: generalizations based on a group in which a person belongs. (Ex: race, age, gender, income, neighborhood, etc.) This week's 8th grade hosts, Salil and Shauna, take on the topic of stereotypes in middle school and in life. They discuss topics like gender, race, and age with classmates Danielle and Sathvik. All four talk through unfair perceptions of people, the influence of generalizations on school and social life, and they even dive a little into the -isms of prejudice: racism, sexism, and ageism. RESOURCES: Gender Stereotypes from Teaching Tolerance Racial Stereotypes from Simply Psychology Breaking Stereotypes from National Women's Law Center How Middle School Kids Reject Stereotypes from MiddleWeb Talking About Race & Stereotypes in School from Edutopia Tune in next week as our other two hosts, Lauren and Rhys, take over with a new topic and a new set of guests. Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout the school year. Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

Almost 90% of American teens now have their own smartphones, and some 70% use social media multiple times per day. This week we hear thoughts about phones and social media from five 8th graders, including our hosts Lauren and Rhys. The group discusses both the positive and negative aspects of phone use, the messages teens get from social media, and how to handle screen stress to maintain a healthy life balance. RESOURCES Pew Research Study: Teens & Social Media Common Sense Media: Teens on Social Media & How Much Screen Time is Okay? Adam Alter: TED Talk & "Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology" Tune in next week as our other two hosts, Salil and Shauna, take the lead with a new topic and a new set of guests. Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout the school year. Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

School is more than just an academic experience. This week's 8th grade hosts, Salil and Shauna, discuss extra-curricular activities in middle school with classmates Makenzi and Nico. All four work through some nerves and awkward pauses to practice communication skills and healthy dialogue surrounding the place that sports and other after-school commitments have in teenage life. RESOURCES: The Impact of Sports on Middle School Students from Livestrong.com Sports and Education Work Well Together from the New York Times Benefits of Extra-Curriculars by High School from Crimson Education Middle Schoolers May Benefit Academically from Extra-Curriculars from New York University Tune in next week as our other two hosts, Lauren and Rhys, take over with a new topic and a new set of guests. Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout the school year. Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

Stress: The body's response to change. Distress is a negative pressure or threat; the "bad" stress. Eustress is beneficial challenge; the "good" stress. We continue our student-led podcasts this school year with our first offering from our second set of hosts, Lauren and Rhys. Like last week with our other two leaders for this season, Lauren and Rhys find their footing during live recordings and work to figure out the interview and discussion process with guests Sara and Avery. All four talk about starting 8th grade and the place that stress and stress management have in teenage life. RESOURCES Students: Teens Talk About Stress. A resource from Teens Health. Parents: Stress Management & Teens. Tips from the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Teachers: Health.Moves.Minds. An SEL program from SHAPE America. Continue to tune in each week as our hosts flip-flop leadership from Lauren and Rhys, to Salil and Shauna, and back again. Subscribe and check back for new topics and new guests, and listen as our 8th graders grow in their communication abilities in the process. Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com