Search Results for: blog middle school can be brutal

A Shout Out to All the Great Teachers

Photo by radina grancharova I want to give a shout out to all the good teachers that make up our public school system. So often we only hear about or talk about the “bad” seeds. This is especially true in the city where I live, Milwaukee. The school district has a bad reputation. But this past week I have been very impressed with my 17-year-old son’s English teacher who has decided that teaching is about more than just earning a paycheck, it is about inspiring her students. While my son is incredibly smart and never studies for tests, yet gets … Continue reading →

Bullying Leads to a Suicide Pact

Suicide is such a devastating way to go. Recently two 8th grade girls (who were also best friends), Haylee Fentress and Paige Moravetz, made a suicide pact. The reason? They were being ostracized and bullied by others. Both girls left behind a note for their families. Bullying continues to be a huge problem today. Although bullying has always existed, it seems to have reached new levels…in some part, no thanks to technology. There are some who believe that bullying is just a part of childhood and that those who are victims need to somehow suck it up and deal with … Continue reading →

Journal Your Way through Your Teen’s Years

Next week my children return to school. It is hard to believe that my youngest is entering his first year of middle school, my middle child is entering her last year of middle school and my oldest child has just two years of school left. I am grateful that so far my children have faired well. We haven’t experienced many problems along the way. As each year passes without major incidences I feel like I can breathe a sigh of relief. Yet at the same time, as each new school year approaches I can’t help but worry some. Middle school … Continue reading →

Author Interview — James Rada Jr (part three) A Few of His Favorite Things

Thanks for joining us for our third and final installment in our interview with award-winning journalist and author, James Rada. If you missed parts one or two, click here to catch up. Jim, when we left off yesterday, you were telling us about how you became interested in writing historical fiction. What’s your favorite thing about it? I like learning something new. At this point in time, I’m writing about American history so with each book or article I write, I learn something new about my country. I like seeing how things that happened in the past have impacted the … Continue reading →

Nine Ways to Avoid a November Exercise Funk

Tick, tick, tick, Halloween is past and November is here. Welcome Jack Frost, Old Man Winter or whatever you want to call it. In most parts of the country, the weather is cooling down and even if it’s pleasant during the day, it’s getting colder and colder at night. It’s getting dark earlier and earlier and even that early morning run is going to feel brutal when the cold air slaps your face and fills your lungs. Your motivation for working out may be dwindling as more severe weather wanders in. Trips to the gym may decline and let’s be … Continue reading →