Blogs: Home and School

At times most of us have seen our teens become overwhelmed by what ‘s happening in their lives – at school , with their friends , their teachers …the list is endless really. Fears about being seen as ‘stupid’ or a ‘loser’ or ‘loner’ are very real to them.

Sometimes they will even experience panic attacks which is an overwhelming fear in a “normal” situation. If a panic attack occurs in a classroom they may fear that when they are in class it will happen again – the panic is so frightening they may worry a lot about it happening and of course the more they worry the more likely it is too happen.

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My big fear in 2012 was procrastination. I went back to University after a 30 year break with a sneaking suspicion that I would spend the year cleaning my house rather than focusing on my reading and writing. I am glad to report that I was able to resist shining my windows and spot cleaning the carpet, and I finished the year with a Post Graduate Diploma in Education. Continue reading »

Albert Einstein said “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Continue reading »

It’s sometimes a big shock to find your moody , irritable teenager who is behind in all their assignment work is in fact depressed. I have found depressed students in a school setting are often described as lazy and appear to lack motivation. They fail to hand in assignments and struggle to organise their timetables. Concentration on the task at hand is often poor and their teachers too often respond with punitive discipline that reinforces the idea that your teen is deliberately challenging authority. This makes it all especially important that our teens with depression get support within the school, especially if they are to attend regularly and gain some academic success in their subjects. Continue reading »

Last night we had our book launch at the Massey University Centre of Psychology. We had a great night and a more than a  few giggles over the fact our book hadn’t actually arrived from the publisher!! We did have our cover to show off however and the book will be out in a few weeks. We have given you are a taste of what it’s about below – if you want to read try www.amazon.comand order your copy online, it won’t be there yet but it is coming. We will tell you exactly when on our website www.schoolandmore.co.nz .

It’s over forty years ago, since my only brother connected a hose pipe from his car exhaust and breathed in the fatal fumes. This was back in 1969 and there weren’t any support groups to turn to for help. Even if there had been, I couldn’t have poured out my feelings. Why? Because I didn’t really know what they were. I did know that I was weighed down and stunned and crushed and angry and so very confused. I somehow focused on making it his problem, or my Mother’s, never mine. I didn’t want to be victim or an object of pity; I didn’t want to be different. Was this a determined action to protect and defend myself? Probably. Continue reading »

The First semester of University is nearly over and I can’t believe it! It has been a great experience being a student again and I have loved learning new things. It has also been a timely reminder of a few long forgotten but soon remembered truths: Continue reading »

It’s every parent’s nightmare to have a worried teenager with a huge assignment due in the next day. We’ve all been there and hopefully we’ve all learnt how not to go there again! Below are some tips to help you deal with those assignments that are a big feature of the NCEA years.  Continue reading »