Thursday, June 01, 2006
kids these days
I was chatting with a school social worker the other day, and we were talking about anxiety disorders. The students that she works with don't have coping skills that help them deal with life. I thought about my own life, and my motto when faced with uncertain or difficult, or even just out of the ordinary situations, is "what's the worst that can happen?" I almost always ask myself this question, and then I imagine the worst case scenario...and most often it's very doable and not so difficult, after all. Then I can relax and do what I need to with a calm attitude. All this thought process usually takes place in seconds, and it comes naturally. Lucky me I had a super childhood with regular, functional parents. We were talking about how kids often learn these coping strategies from their parents. I'm fairly certain I can hear my mom say to me "what's the worst that can happen?" And I'd bet that my coping strategies were learned from her or my dad or both. It is no wonder that there are more and more kids being diagnosed with anxiety disorders. So many kids come from dysfunctional families and parents that don't give a rip what they're doing-what they're watching-who they're with...it's sad. Sometimes in the world of education I get a little discouraged and my heart breaks for some of these kids that have SUCH an uphill battle just to make it through the week. I could cry when I think of where these kids will be in 5 or 10 years. I gotta keep in mind that there is another positive side too.
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4 comments:
This morning on my way to work (6am), I heard on the radio that more and more people working in large corporate offices are being diagnosed with anxiety disorders. People are getting stressed out not only because of all the deadlines they are to meet, but because of $$$$. In order to make more $$$, people feel they need to prove themselves so they work longer hours, not taking care of themselves but simply working for more $$$$. Is there a connection here to what WM said? Do mixed up priorities lead to a dysfunctional life? This has been on my mind in the last 24 hrs.
Honest, real life post....My heart too goes out to these kids and to you teachers who see it first hand more than some of us others might. Thank-you WM for not turing a blind eye to what goes on.
I think mixed up priorities can certainly lead to a dysfunctional life. In my humble, uninformed opinion, one of the biggest contributors to stress is trying to fit oneself into a mold that isn't their own. Going back to my previous post and my Thorreau poem...I think people (especially in the coorporate world) are forced to into the role of the agressive money/power chaser, (I always think of these people as the "hares" of the world). This leads to stress and lots of therapy. I probably read that fav. poem of mine at least once a day. It reminds me that everyone has their own rythym in life and that's okay.
I'm with you on the coping strategies. I too am SO thankful for parents that I credit w/ a lot of my coping strategies. I'm always hearing my dad's voice in my head (or coming out of my mouth).
As a teacher, you quickly realize that your job includes teaching life skills, and you just hope that some of the things you say/teach stick w/ those kids and make a difference in their lives.
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