Angela Watson’s Truth for Teachers
Education:Courses
There has been a significant increase in mental health issues among young people in America since 2012, including anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicide attempts, and suicide. Contrary to popular belief, these trends started before the pandemic, with rates of major depression among teens doubling between 2011 and 2019. Girls and young women are more likely to experience these issues, and the gender gap has been widening.
The introduction of smartphones and social media around 2012 is believed to be a major factor in the decline of mental wellbeing, as it has led to less face-to-face interaction, increased sleep deprivation, and constant exposure to social media.
Dr. Jean Twenge has conducted extensive research in this area. She’s a renowned psychologist and scholar who specializes in generational differences and technology based on a dataset of 39 million people, and has published more than 180 articles and books.
In our conversation, Jean emphasizes the need for conversations about healthy phone and screen habits, as well as the importance of setting clear rules and boundaries for phone use.
We talk extensively about getting student and parent buy-in around Jean’s recommendation that cell phones be banned in school from bell-to-bell, including during lunch time and breaks. Jean asserts that the research supports this policy, and emphasizes that it should be school-wide and not left to individual teachers to enforce.
Despite the challenges, we discuss our hopes for Gen Z and what makes Jean optimistic about the future. She encourages educators to take the mental health crisis seriously and understand that it is not just our perception or feeling that something is wrong.
Her challenge is for educators to help students understand the love-hate relationship they have with their phones, and provide structure and clear rules to help them navigate technology in a healthy way.
Click here to read the transcript and participate in the discussion.
EP143 Who else is dealing with anxiety & drowning in work?
EP142 A crash course on trauma-informed teaching
EP141 Twelve ways to deal with colleagues who constantly complain
EP140 Five habits that help me automate & simplify my life
EP139 How to keep teaching from ruining your marriage
EP138 Five ways to simplify prep for substitutes
EP137 Why great teachers get saddled with the biggest workload (and how to advocate for yourself)
EP136 Ask me anything: Quick answers to 12 teacher questions
EP135 Real talk on how to make differentiation less time-consuming
EP134 Five things I’m embarrassed to tell you
EP133 A quick trick to lessen anxiety during the first weeks of school
A few changes coming for this season…
I *am* podcasting this summer (just not here)...
EP132 How to make a (realistic) plan for summer that will leave you feeling rejuvenated
EP131 What would life look like if you valued your time as much as you value your money?
EP130 Hacks, tips, and tricks for digital organization & saving time with tech (Productivity Roundtable)
EP129 How to take charge of your teaching evaluation
EP128 Daily routines makeover: How to maximize your time at school so you can work less at home
EP127 Four steps to deconstructing your classroom in just ONE day
EP126 How YOUR response to student behavior can change the trajectory of a child’s life & disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline
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