Life Is The Future

Generation to Generation... This week's hosts, Naomi and Zoie interview middle school teachers Ms. Cushing and Mr. Weis. The 8th graders ask about the adults' adolescent experience, focusing on the major differences between then and now and all the life lessons learned. Specifics include technology, school, family values, news and media, and any recommendations to their younger self. RESOURCES Pew Research Center - What We Know About Gen Z So Far Purdue Global - Generational Differences Infographic Herosmyth - Statistics on How Each Generation Uses Technology Tune in after our spring break for more episodes! Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast throughout the school year. Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

Fame! Is it all it's cracked up to be? This week's 8th grade hosts, Tami and David, interview classmates Katie and Paridhi and all four students discuss celebrity status and topics related to the entertainment industry. Specifics include social media influencers, mental health, fame and childhood, cancel culture, social media balance, and recommendations to young people. RESOURCES How Celebrities Influence Teens and Why it Matters - Newport Academy Social Media & Celebrity Culture is Harming Young People - The Guardian TikTok is Breeding Child stars. Psychologists Say What Comes Next Won't Be Pretty - The Insider Emotional Impact of Online Fame on Child Influencers - UAE Education Tune in next week for 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

From childhood to teen years! This week's hosts, Naomi and Zoie interview classmates Julian and Emanuel and all four 8th graders discuss the middle school experience, focusing on lessons learned from 6th to 8th grade. Specifics include elementary worries about recess, lunch, and homework, physical growth and stress management, social circles and true friendships, and excitement for high school. RESOURCES Students: MindBe Education - 30 Mindfulness Activities for Teens Parents: Parent Learning Center - Expectations That Your Teen Will Appreciate In The Future Teachers: Chicago Tribune - 'No worse fate than failure': How pressure to keep up is overwhelming students Tune in next week for 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

Schoolwork during a pandemic... what should that look like? This week's hosts, Tami and David interview classmates Tanuj and Olivia and all four 8th graders discuss the topic of schoolwork, focusing on remote and hybrid learning, grading, teaching techniques, learning apps, and considerations we should all take during the COVID pandemic. RESOURCES Kids, Teachers Making School Work During COVID-19 from USA Today Should Schools Be Giving Failing Grades This Year? from Education Week I Can’t Believe This, but I Would Rather Be at School from New York Times What Is Homework's Purpose in a Pandemic? from ASCD Pandemic Teaching Is The Hardest Thing We’ve Ever Done from We Are Teachers Tune in next week for 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

Pandemic check-in! Back for the new year... it's 2021! We are a doing these from time to time this school year-- a "temperature check" from our 8th graders on how everything is going in our COVID era of learning and living. This week's hosts, Naomi and Zoie interview classmates MeShauna and Tiffany and all four 8th graders have a conversation to recap all of the events of 2020 before looking ahead to 2021. Specifics include worldwide catastrophes and political events like wildfires, celebrity deaths, Black Lives Matter, murder hornets, Trump & Biden election, storming of the Capitol building, remote learning, hybrid approach, vaccine possibilities, and more. MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES Students: MindBe Education - 30 Mindfulness Activities for Teens Health Mind Platter - Essential Brain Activities Parents: Parent Learning Center - Expectations That Your Teen Will Appreciate In The Future World Health Organization (WHO) - Self-Care and Self-Help Teachers: Time - Teen Depression and Anxiety: Why the Kids Are Not Alright Chicago Tribune - 'No worse fate than failure': How pressure to keep up is overwhelming students Tune in next week for 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

"Would You Rather" & "Never Have I Ever"  This week, all four 8th grade hosts-- Tami, David, Naomi, and Zoie-- take a little break from their weekly interview routine. They've been through some important topics already this school year and decided to have a little fun the day before winter break. Listen in as they debate some great questions and laugh through random scenarios together. It's an entertaining episode and lets the teens speak candidly for a bit. Below are some resources I like to offer at this time of the year during the holidays and upcoming new year. 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 Continue to tune in after the new year as we continue in 2021 with Season 3 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

The crucial meeting point between mental and social health! How does cognitive and emotional wellness influence the interactions with family, friends, and society? And vice versa? This week our hosts Tami and David have a conversation with classmates Aimee and Lucas. Their discussion focuses on coping through the COVID pandemic, what is currently influencing emotional well-being in teens, how students are maintaining social interactions, if schools and Health Classes help, and recommendations to fellow middle schoolers on how to stay mentally healthy going into the new year. RESOURCES Mental Health: MentalHealth.gov Let's Talk About It World Health Organization (WHO) Self-Care and Self-Help National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) Top HelpLine Resources National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255 Health Mind Platter Essential Brain Activities Social Health: Teens and Socializing: Relationships, Coping Skills, Substances from Newport Academy Socially Active Teens are Physically Healthier from Today Social & Emotional Learning Competencies from CASEL Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

Drugs. Teens. Is it inevitable the two will meet? Or is that a stereotype of the past? This week our hosts Naomi and Zoie have a conversation about drug use, focusing on medicine vs. illegal drugs, lacking knowledge and information, media influence on teenagers, peer pressure and social image, and other perceptions surrounding the topic. This week's guests, Sania and Mia, help process things with their own thoughts, and the four 8th graders ponder their own future before leaving younger listeners with recommendations for handling the decisions in middle school. RESOURCES Youth Risk Behavior Survey CDC - E-Cigarettes Tobacco Free Kids Stanford Tobacco Toolkit NIH - Underage Drinking Illinois Policy - Marijuana Legalization 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

Life Is The Future! What influences exist in teenage life? What drives adolescent behavior? What else impacts physical, mental, and social well-being in this thing we call life? Tune in to hear directly from teachers and students as we dive into topics surrounding the lives of adolescents. Health Education teacher Scott Todnem and his middle school students open up conversations that get to the heart of it all. Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

Let's get political! ;) 8th Grade hosts Tami and David invite classmates Sania and Sophie back to the podcast to discuss the 2020 American Presidential election. All four middle schoolers give their thoughts on the state of the nation and provide insight on teenagers' interest and education in politics and activism. This is a must-listen! Hear their mature conversation about the presidential debates, mail-in ballots and potential voter fraud, and recommendations to fellow young people on how to stay informed and involved while growing up. RESOURCES Harvard Institute of Politics: Youth Poll - Election 2020 Common Sense Media: Tips to Steer Kids of All Ages Through the Political Season Your Teen: Red, Blue, or In Between? How To Talk About Politics With Your Teen National Geographic: Talking to Kids About the Election Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com