Helping Students Grieve | Kids Will 'Kick Butts' This April
Time for a Longer School Year? | An Invitation To Talk About Being Left Out
NEA Innovators | Trends

Learning: Innovators
Helping Students Grieve

What educators can do when a student in mourning comes to class.

More than three-quarters of a million children in the United States live with a widowed parent. One out of every 750 high school-age students dies every year. One out of 20 will have a parent die before graduation.

There are, in short, a lot of grieving children coming into America's schools.

"Teachers get training on how to deal with death in the classroom after the fact, and many understandably have difficulty knowing how to help," says Donna Schuurman, executive director of the Dougy Center, a national organization for grieving children and families based in Portland, Oregon.

Schuurman's center has published Helping the Grieving Student: A Guide for Teachers, a manual designed to help children and teens make better sense of death and grieve.

"Everybody grieves," says Schuurman, "but you may not always see an outward expression of mourning."

Many children act in classically acceptable ways after a death. They may work hard to get straight A's or make dinner every night for a grieving parent. Other students become lethargic or withdrawn, while still others act out.

Helping the Grieving Student discusses developmental differences of grieving children, common behaviors to expect, and words and actions to avoid. The manual recommends readings for all ages and classroom activities to help bereaved students and their classmates deal with grief.

"I encourage talking with kids in the classroom before a bereaved student comes back," says Schuurman. "Kids want to know what happened."

Schuurman also observes: "When a grieving child comes back to school, death makes them different. Grieving students don't want to stand out, but they don't want to be ignored either. The best thing teachers can do is to ask the child how to be helpful, to let them know, 'I'm thinking of you and I care.'"

Impact:
More than 110 programs modeled on Donna Schuurman's work at the Dougy Center have been developed in the United States, Canada, Japan, Ireland, and Australia.

For More:
The Dougy Center offers training and publications, including a National Directory of Children's Grief Services. E-mail help@dougy.org, call 503/775-5683, or visit the Web at www.dougy.org.

Kids Will 'Kick Butts' This April

Innovator: Matt Myers

Job:
President, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a group devoted exclusively to reducing tobacco use among children

Bright Idea:
Educators play a critical role in influencing kids to choose a tobacco-free life, says Matt Myers.

That's why the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids has partnered with NEA in Kick Butts Day, a nationwide event that mobilizes young people to help curb tobacco use and expose tobacco marketing tactics.

This year, Kick Butts Day will take place on April 5.

"We truly have a crisis with tobacco use among children," says Myers. In the 1990s, he notes, tobacco companies dropped the price on the cigarette brands children smoked most. The result: Smoking rates among children skyrocketed between 1993 and 1996.

Myers is working with the NEA Health Information Network to develop a model curriculum to help identify how the tobacco industry manipulates young people and to teach students advocacy skills to fight back.

"Everybody in the educational process--from coaches and bus drivers to counselors, teachers, and the people who maintain the buildings themselves--has a vitally important role in reinforcing the positive messages about being smoke free," says Myers. "The goal is delivering a consistent message."

Impact:
Kick Butts Day began in 1996 in only 32 schools. Now, with nearly 1,200 events nationwide, the day has attracted national media attention and mobilizes tens of thousands of kids.

For More:
Call 800/284-KIDS or visit www.tobaccofreekids.org

Time for a Longer School Year?

What role does time play in learning and instruction? What are the benefits and drawbacks of extending the nine-month school year? Patricia G?ndara, associate professor of education at the University of California, Davis, and editor of The Dimensions of Time and the Challenge of School Reform (newly released by SUNY Press), talks about what's being tried, what's working, and the surprising implications for teachers.

What do educators need to understand about time and its relationship to learning?
Educators understand quite well that time is a very important variable--some children need more time for some things than others. The problem is trying to make that understanding work in a rigid school system that doesn't allow teachers to make accommodations for kids.

Several of your book's contributors advocate extending the school year. Why?
We're not arguing that everybody should be in school for more than nine months or that all calendars should look alike. But to innovate and maximize your resources, it makes sense to rethink the calendar. Some children can go to school for 180 days, but perhaps a different set of 180 days. Other children might be able to attend for more than 180 days where their needs are greater in certain areas.

How does extended time increase teacher satisfaction?
The success of school reform should be judged on outcomes not just for children, but for teachers as well. A calendar that allows teachers to innovate more and work more with children who have particular needs lets teachers see a greater impact on their students. It also can give teachers more flexibility in how they do their job.

In one situation in California, teachers extended their time teaching by 20 percent in exchange for 20 percent more salary. They were restored not only by the increased financial benefits, but also by the opportunity to do things differently.

An open calendar gave these teachers new ways to organize their teaching and more opportunities for collaboration and team teaching. Older, more experienced teachers were innovating in ways they never would have, and many found flexible schedules worked better in their personal lives.

For More:
Contact G?ndara at pcgandara@ucdavis.edu.

An Invitation To Talk About Being Left Out

Innovator: Loretta Long

Job:
Best known in her role as "Susan" on "Sesame Street," also a former public school teacher, college professor, educational consultant, motivational speaker--and, now, children's book author.

Bright Idea:
In the make-believe world of "Sesame Street," a blue Cookie Monster easily shares his chocolate chips with Big Bird, who is yellow. But in today's multicultural classrooms, how can educators help young students counteract tough stereotypes and embrace diversity?

Courtney's Birthday Party, Loretta Long's picture book for young readers, tackles the tough issues of prejudice in a heartfelt story that plays out in real-life classrooms all around the country.

Courtney, the book's main character, will be seven on Saturday, and she's planning to invite all of her classmates to a special birthday party. But when Courtney's mom sends the invitations to class, Courtney's very best friend, Diana, who is African American, is not included.

"You should see the look on children's faces when Diana's invitation doesn't come," says Long (pictured here with her "Sesame Street" family). "Kids don't make value judgments on being black or brown or white until someone hurts their feelings."

Long conducts diversity workshops throughout the country for parents and educators, often using Courtney's Birthday Party as a springboard to discussion with adults.

"I thought I was writing a book about black and white relationships," says Long. "But people tell me that what's at the core of the story is being left out. And that's a universal experience dealing with inclusion."

Courtney's Birthday Party provides an interesting wedge for children and adults to discuss the feelings we all have, says Long. Its vivid watercolor pages and engaging text prompt call and response, singing, counting exercises, and lots of discussion.

In the end, Long's book shows how the love between the two best friends can compel adults to examine their own prejudices and fears and take action.

Impact:
Multicultural publisher Just Us Books has developed an interdisciplinary teaching guide for Courtney's Birthday Party that includes discussion questions, activities, vocabulary lists, and additional resources for classroom use. The University of Scranton will release a video based on the book as part of its topical Family Values book and tape series.

For More:

• Courtney's Birthday Party ($6.95) and the teaching guide ($2) are available from Just Us Books, 356 Glenwood Ave., East Orange, NJ 07017. Or visit the Teacher's Resource Center on the Web at www.justusbooks.com.

• For Loretta Long booking information, contact Andrew Cohen, American Entertainment, 617/731-8521.

Try the Etools, a weekly E-mail feature on the NEA Web site.

The Etools are practical, ready-to-use ideas submitted by educators, explains Sheila Adjahoe, part of the NEA staff technology team.

Included regularly in the Etools weekly are innovative ideas on how to use the Internet, software, videotapes, and other technology to deliver a lesson.

"NEA's success with other listserv features inspired us to provide an opportunity for classroom practitioners to share their technology tips," says Adjahoe.

To subscribe to Etools, go to www.nea.org/cet/wired.html and click on subscribe. Type in your E-mail address. You'll be added to the E-mail list and get a weekly tip.