Teacher’s Corner

The following are writing prompts and discussion topics about kids acting like they are the center of the universe.

1.  Read When Children Think It’s All About Them. Which of the four problems listed do you think is most common among school-age children?  What evidence do you know of that leads you to your opinion?

2.  Describe ways that adults could prevent the problem you selected in #1.

3.  The more children know about their small universe – family, neighborhood, school, church – the more they can feel safe. How can adults help their children get to know the world they live in?

4.  Children need to know they are the apple of someone’s eye – that they are right in the center of someone else’s universe. How can adults help children believe that they are important in their world?

Teachers, you can use this blog in classrooms. Here are two ideas about how.

1. For middle or high school parenting or child development courses:
   • Use the blog for discussion topics
   • Require students to research the topics and agree or disagree with what the blog is suggesting.
2. For all courses, especially English Language Arts:

• Use the blog for writing prompts for paragraphs, theme papers, journal entries, class starters, etc. Have students read the blog and respond to:
• Do you agree with what is being said about kids? Do kids really act, think or feel that way?
• Do you agree with what is being said about parents, grandparents, teachers and child caregivers? Do or should they act, think or feel that way?
• What would be your advice on this topic?
• What was left out of this article?
• If you were a parent, would you use any of this information? How?

Why can this blog be a useful teaching tool?

• Students that see connections between their coursework and their lives do better in school.
• Most students will either be parents one day or have children in their lives that they care about, so the topical information can help them build their knowledge about children and parenting and develop a positive image of the type of parenting they want to do.
• The new core literacy standards adopted by most states call for frequent writing in all courses.
• Newly developed end-of-course assessments to be used by many states will require that students demonstrate that they can think critically. These prompts help students practice critical thinking.
• Newly developed end-of-course assessments to be used by many states will require that students demonstrate that they can analyze what they read. These prompts help students practice analysis.