New Year - How to communicate effectively with your adolescent

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January 8, 2021

Dear Families,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Your children witnessed historic events this week, events that may have confused or frightened them. Our staff communicated a lot as it unfolded, sharing resources and advice on how to face the following day.  We agreed that the next day was a time for listening, space, feelings, respect and questions. 

The article here is for educators but you can easily replace “educators” with “parents”. Please let us know how you spoke to and listened to your children, your understandings, and growth, and we will all learn together.

https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/when-bad-things-are-happening

One teacher sent me this after first period yesterday:

The kids expressed that they were relieved we didn't ignore what happened, felt like the discussion clarified what happened, expressed shock, sadness, fear, embarrassment and surprise and their reasons why. They expressed it was great to hear different perspectives. We closed the discussion with a focus on positivity, and a reminder that they were the future of our country- to understand the problem but to keep hope alive, and to adopt a solution-oriented view. Some said they felt not just validated or less confused, but also uplifted.

We will carefully continue to make a time and space to explore the ongoing events. And we will continue to believe in the power of your children, as they grow, to make our world a better place.

And now for some Parent Care, because these are not easy times to be a parent. World events are challenging all of our adult abilities to be optimistic, hopeful, and positive. As role models for our children, we are reminded on a daily basis that in this changing landscape, our skills must be adaptable. 

We are so pleased to be hosting 2 wonderful guests at our next Java with Jacqui and Jill on January 15. Grace Peluso, of Health.NYC, has been supporting our school since last year. She provides many mental health resources and workshops for our staff. She invited 2 colleagues, Yeji Kim and Ashley Sterchele from the NYU Child Study Center and Bellevue, to present a workshop we are calling, HOW TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY WITH YOUR ADOLESCENT.

However, as we were planning the JAVA, we all quickly realized that this workshop is really all about YOU. None of us can communicate effectively unless we are calm, de-escalated, and ready to listen. Yeji and Ashley will offer ideas and strategies for you to use on YOU. Even the planning of this workshop calmed us down. They are that good.

We are asking that you submit questions by Wednesday, January 13, so they can tailor the workshop to your needs. We are looking forward to using this time wisely and making it useful for you. Mark your calendars!

With Respect,

Jacqui, Katie, Ilene