As a teacher, seeing students love learning, and their learning environment is very important to me. I spent years working in alternative education settings with kids who disengaged from mainstream schooling. They often carried deep insecurities about being a failure or a misfit within a system. However, I have discovered that this attitude isn’t exclusive […]
About 25 year ago I was an upper primary classroom teacher. I can remember being entrusted with the hearts and concerns of about sixty tweens when we went on school camp each year. One particular year we ended up returning from camp early because of endless rain. We organised a “sleepover” in the classrooms to […]
We all want our children to experience healthy and happy intimate relationships, but few parents see the correlation between this end goal and the education they receive in primary school. In this blog I’d like to explore six research-based reasons WHY talking early and often is critical for children’s development. These WHYs fall into the […]
Warning: This blog post discusses youth suicide. This week has been brutal for Brisbane. We have lost 3 tweens/teens to suicide. I’ve been flooded with emails with people expressing grief and asking how they can be part of the solution. While I’m answering Brisbane based emails, I am actually working in Hervey Bay. This community […]
Most parents tell me that topics like puberty or sex weren’t freely spoken about when they were young. For many, puberty just arrived, and they were left to work out the details by themselves. When it came to the birds and the bees, we were often handed an educational book with the instructions, “Come to […]
A mum came to my last night with questions about how to respond to her 11 year old daughter. Her daughter had begun standing in front of the mirror, “Look at my stomach. I think it’s bloated. I’m putting on weight.” Her mum responded, “You are skin and bone. You look like you need to […]
I regularly teach sexual health in primary schools. Today, a 10 year old boy approached me after a lesson about puberty. He waited until everyone had left the room and then asked me a very direct, personal question. He was uncomplicated in his approach, like most tweens I know. He was intentionally directing his curiosity […]
Teenage girls — it can be a tricky time when you’re not sure if your daughter likes or loathes you. But here’s the thing, she needs you now more than ever. Maggie Dent talks with educator and parenting author Michelle Mitchell about what girls most need from their parents to thrive in the teen years.
An unexpected shift in friendships. A sudden end to a romance. Poor results in an exam that was meant to be easy. A family breakdown. Not being picked for a sports team. I know you could add to this list. These are only some of the experiences that can bring a sense of disappointment around […]