Class Acts for AdultsGoing back to school as an adult not only means learning your course work but also learning to juggle the demands of everyday life. However, according to Anita Hammond, the Workforce Development Coordinator at LifeBridge Health in Baltimore, Maryland, instead of being overwhelming, the experience can be rewarding and exciting鈥� with some planning.
There are a variety of reasons that adults decide to go back to school. Among the most popular are career advancement, a job change, the ability to help their own children with homework and the chance to do something for themselves after their kids are grown.鈥�
Anita shares five tips to help adults successfully add schoolwork to an already busy life.
1) Make sure that you鈥檙e going down the right career path.. Part of this is honestly evaluating your own skills, such as math, reading and comprehension, so you have a good idea about how you鈥檒l fare when you get back into the classroom.2) Research what financial help is available from the government, public funds, private sources and your employer. For instance, LifeBridge Health provides tuition assistance for employees so they have the latest information in their fields and so they can continue to challenge themselves in life. 3) Organize your family鈥檚 time. Make a calendar with everyone鈥檚 activities and a to-do-list so that you can keep track of schedules, study time and free time.4) Stay healthy so you can still thrive no matter how hectic things get. This can include everything from healthy eating (especially a good breakfast so your stomach doesn鈥檛 growl during class) to exercising to relaxing.5) Finally, understand that there will be stresses: the balancing act with your family, wondering how you will do back in the academic world and all of the unexpected things along the way. Perseverance and humor are two keys.
Anita says it鈥檚 never too late to further your education and your dreams.
Setting New Sleep Patterns for the School YearGetting enough sleep during the school year can be a challenge, particularly for teenagers. That鈥檚 because their circadian rhythms are different from those of younger kids and adults and cause teens to have the natural desire to go to bed and wake up later.
While this may not be an issue over summer break, during the school year many teens are forced to wake up right at the moment when they are getting their deepest sleep.
Recognizing that teens could benefit from extra sleep early in the morning, some high schools are delaying their start times. Even if your child鈥檚 is not, here are some things your teen can do to get a better night鈥檚 sleep:
Establish a regular bedtime and wake up at the same time every day. Try to stick to this pattern as much as possible on the weekends too.Get regular exercise, especially in the late afternoon.
Avoid the following: consuming caffeine after mid-afternoon; exercising within 3 hours of bedtime; taking naps longer than a half hour; watching or playing exciting or disturbing movies, TV or video games in the evening; alcohol and nicotine.
Before bed, make a list of things that need to be remembered the next day. Then try to go to bed with a mind cleared from worry.
Create a room that鈥檚 conducive to sleep. Most people sleep best in rooms that are quiet, dark and on the cool side.
Sleeping disorders can affect teens. If they regularly wake up with a headache, get up to use the bathroom multiple times per night, have arms or legs that involuntarily twitch in bed, or experience night sweats, they should see their doctor.
Physicians from the Sleep Centers at Sinai and Northwest hospitals are available for media interviews on the topic of students and sleep and how much sleep is recommended for people at all stages of life.
Is Your Child Being Bullied?Bullying has received a lot of attention lately, with many school districts revising their anti-bullying policies in the wake of recent cases involving Cyberbullying among young children and teens.
Cyberbullying is a relatively new form of bullying, where the victim is harassed through e-mail, cell phone, texts, instant messaging, chat room exchanges, or a website. On the Internet, the bully is allowed to be anonymous. If the target of the bully does not know who is bullying him or her, there can be additional stress. The anonymity of the bully also leads bullies to engage in behaviors that they might not do face-to-face. Social media is accessible 24 hours per day, so victims may receive test or instant messages or read things about themselves when they are anywhere in addition to school, such as in their own home. Victims of cyberbullying are also less likely to report the bullying to adults for fear of having their parents take their cell phone or computer away from them.
Bullying is aggressive behavior that is intentional, repeated over time, and involves an imbalance of power or strength. A child who is being bullied has a hard time defending him or herself.
Most people think of bullying in the form of physical aggression, such as hitting or pushing or in terms of teasing and verbal insults. But bullying also includes less observable behaviors such as social exclusion or isolation, stealing or damaging property, and threatening a victim, or forcing him to do things.
There is an enormous impact from bullying not only the victim, but also on bystanders, in schools and/or in the community. To learn about the emotional and social impacts of bullying and how to help those who are being bullied, contact Betsy Haley to schedule an interview with Sharon B. Richter, D.O., a Behavioral and Developmental Pediatrics expert from The Herman & Walter Samuelson Children's Hospital at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore.
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