Teens+and+Risky+Behavior

- Sad to say __#|eating disorders__ are very common in America. According to [], 1-2 out of every 100 students will have an eating disorder. __#|Eating disorders__ are more than just a __#|diet__ or trying to __#|lose weight__. They are extreme eating behaviors. It is a __#|diet__ that never ends and usually just gets more and more restrictive for the individual. - There are __#|different types of eating disorders__. Here is a list and explanation on the most common types.
 * __#|Eating Disorders__**
 * Catheryn Kunz**
 * 1) Describe the risky __#|behavior__.
 * Anorexia- People with anorexia have a distorted view of their body size and shape. Because of this they can’t maintain a normal __#|body weight__. Teens will usually restrict themselves from food intake by __#|dieting__, fasting, or excessive exercise. They hardly eat at all and the small amount they do eat they can obsess over.
 * Bulimia- This is similar to anorexia. In this case someone might binge eat and then try to compensate in extreme ways. For example, forced vomiting or excessive exercise. Over time, these steps can be very dangerous to the body. It can affect a teenager physically and emotionally. Signs to look for are when people eat large amounts of food at once, usually in secret.


 * 1) What are the warning signs to watch for?

- Here is some other signs for anorexia and bulimia:
 * Anorexia someone might:
 * Become very thin, frail, or emaciated.
 * Be obsessed with eating, food, and __#|weight control__
 * Weight themselves repeatedly
 * Eat only certain foods
 * Exercise excessively
 * Feel fat and talk about their weight a lot.
 * Be depressed- withdraw from social activities, etc.
 * Someone with bulimia might:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Fear __#|weight gain__
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Be intensely unhappy with body size
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Make excuses to go to the bathroom right after a meal.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Only eat __#|diet__ or __#|low-fat__ foods
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Excessive exercise
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Withdraw from social activities.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">- First off because teenagers are the next generation and they want them to be healthy and ready to go to lead our country. Also because they worry and care about them. They want what is best for them, they want them to succeed in life. Usually an __#|eating disorder__ is the cause of a low self-esteem. The eating disorder may just be the beginning to a roller coaster of low self-esteem. The individual could just get more and more __#|depressed__ and not full-fill their life’s dream. Eating disorders can hold an individual back in a lot of different areas of their lives. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">- I think adults want these habits of eating disorders to just stop. They may be thinking it will be getting worse and worse for each generation. They want it to stop and end now. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">- From the article, Eating Disorders, Help for Parents, talked about how kids need role models to help them. The parents' own attitudes and behaviors around eating, food, and body appearance can also serve to prevent eating disorders in children. Many children today witness __#|dieting__, compulsive exercise, body dissatisfaction and hatred modeled by parents. Also, well-meaning parents often express concern when children show natural gusto for eating fun or high-fat foods, or when they go through perfectly natural stages that involve some chubbiness. Parents ideally should model a healthy approach toward eating: eating, for the most part, and nutritious foods.
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Why are adults concerned?


 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">How does it relate to adolescent development?

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">- If a teenager has an eating disorder there are many risks that go along with them. From eatingdisorders.com some of the signs can be as follows:
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Changes are often found in hair and skin including dry scaly skin, fine, soft hair, brittle hair and nails, and yellow discoloration.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Slow heart rate, decreased blood pressure and lower body temperature are frequently encountered.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">A slowing of the gastrointestinal tract may cause abdominal pain, bloating and chronic constipation.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Rapid weight loss that occurs in girls with [|Anorexia Nervosa] causes amenorrhea and a deficiency of estrogen. This combined with poor dietary intake of calcium results in osteopenia and significantly increased risk of bone fractures. Growth rate slows.


 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">What can we do as caring adults? As FACS educators?

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">- I think the best thing we can do is simply educate our students. Give them all the information about the risks and how their choices in eating habits can affect them in the long run. Also how it just doesn’t affect them, but also other around them that are looking up to them, for example a middle school student to a high school student. Let the students know they are role models as well. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">- Also, we need to educate our parents. They need to understand how to handle if a situation were to arise. Let them know that they are role models to their kids as well. Teachers could have a family night where they invite families to come and learn new and healthy eating habits together. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">- I feel, we as teachers need to pay attention to our students as well. If we see any of these signs in our students to maybe pull them aside in private and talk to them. If the student opens up to then get appropriate help for the student.

Resources: <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">- Effects of Eating Disorders (2006). //Effects of Eating Disorders.// Retrieved on July 3, 2011 from [] =<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">- Healthy Place American’s Mental Health Channel (2008). //Eating Disorders Prevention: Help for Parents//. <span class="author" style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">By Terese Katz. Retrieved on July 3, 2012 from <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[] =

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">- Teens Health (2011). //Eating Disorders.// Retrieved on July 3, 2012 from [|http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/mental_health/eat_disorder.html#]


 * __<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Bullying __**
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">By: __****<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Sidney Materi **

<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Bullying is defined as “Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.” (stopbullying.gov) <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Bullying can take shape in many different ways:
 * 1) **__<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Describe the risky behavior. __**
 * <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Physically: hitting, punching, kicking, stealing belongings/money from others
 * <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Verbally: calling names, threatening, etc.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Socially: leaving people out of games/conversations, deliberately ignoring students, spreading rumors.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Cyber: saying bad things, taunting, or harassing over chat rooms, e-mail, social networking (Facebook, Myspace), texting

<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">There are many warning signs that we can be looking for in our youth showing that they may be being bullied or picked on. There are also warning signs to show us that someone is bullying others. A lot of youth who are bullied do not tell anyone about it or say anything, so it is important for us to know the warning signs. Although not all of the warning signs should directly mean that someone is a bully or being bullied – but these are some things we should look for. Some of the warning signs are as follows:
 * 1) **__<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">What are the warning signs to watch for? __**


 * <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">The Bullied
 * <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Frequently sick or faking illnesses (possibly so they can leave school and avoid the bully or the like)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Change in eating habits (some students may not eat lunch at school because they are scared)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Lower grades and loss of interest in school
 * <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Avoiding social situations
 * <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Decreased self esteem
 * <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Self-destructive behaviors (running away, harming themselves, talk of suicide)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Unexplainable injuries and loss of money of belongings
 * <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">The Bully
 * <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Frequently in physical or verbal fights and in the principal’s office quite often
 * <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Friends that bully others (hanging out with others who are known to bully)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Aggressive personalities
 * <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Usually worried about reputation and popularity
 * <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Unwilling to accept responsibility of their actions (always blaming someone else of have excuses)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Unexplained extra money or belongings (could be obtained through bullying others for their belongings/money)

<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Adults and educators are concerned for many reasons. Bullying has been a rising issue in the last few years and seems to be getting worse. I’m sure everyone has seen on the news the school bus monitor (an older lady) who was bullied by the students on the bus, calling her over weight and the like. It breaks my heart to see kids being so mean to someone so harmless. Not only is bullying getting worse in the schools, but it is also getting harder to monitor with all the cyber space that students have to bully. We are talking about texting, Facebook, Myspace, E-mail, and chat rooms like MSN Messanger. These social networking areas are places where students can start to see even worse bullying – because bullies have more confidence to type something out to someone rather than say it to their face. It is an issue and one that needs to be addressed.
 * 1) **__<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Why are adults concerned? __**

<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">One of the big issues is that many students who are bullied DO NOT say or tell anyone until it is too late. They may end up being suicidal, harming themselves (cutting, eating disorders, etc.) or have severe depression or anxiety. There have been increases suicides because of bullying and also students are having many more self esteem issues. They lose interest in the things they like to do and being at school. On top of that they start to become anti-social because they feel inadequate and want to avoid situations that may put them in a place where they are bullied. These students do not feel welcome around their peers and they are embarrassed. Many parents and educators go without even knowing there is serious bullying happening right in front of them.
 * 1) **__<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">How does it relate to adolescent development? __**

<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">For the kids who do bully – they usually are the risk takers because they feel invincible in a lot of situations. Many bullies will abuse alcohol and drugs, engage in early sexual activity, have many run ins with the law, and may be abusive towards their girlfriend/boyfriends or others.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Here are some statistics about bullying from dosomething.org: **
 * 1) <span style="color: #1e1d1c; font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">56% of students have personally felt some sort of bullying at school. Between 4th and 8th grade in particular, 90% of students are victims of bullying.
 * 2) <span style="color: #1e1d1c; font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">The most common reason cited for being harassed is a student's appearance or body size. 2 out of 5 teens feel that they are bullied because of the way that they look.
 * 3) <span style="color: #1e1d1c; font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">9 out of 10 LGBT youth reported being verbally harassed at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation.
 * 4) <span style="color: #1e1d1c; font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">1 in 4 teachers see nothing wrong with bullying and will only intervene 4% percent of the time.
 * 5) <span style="color: #1e1d1c; font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">A victim of bullying is twice as likely to take his or her own life compared to someone who is not a victim.
 * 6) <span style="color: #1e1d1c; font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">One out of 10 students drop out of school because they are bullied.
 * 7) <span style="color: #1e1d1c; font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Physical bullying peak in middle school and declines in high school. Verbal abuse rates remain constant from elementary to high school.
 * 8) <span style="color: #1e1d1c; font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Researchers feel that bullying should not be treated as part of growing up (with the attitude “kids will be kids").
 * 9) <span style="color: #1e1d1c; font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">41% of principals say they have programs designed to create a safe environment for LGBT students, but only 1/3 of principals say that LGBT students would feel safe at their school.
 * 10) <span style="color: #1e1d1c; font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">57% of students who experience harassment in school never report the incident to the school. 10% of those who do not report stay quiet because they do not believe that teachers or staff can do anything. As a result, more than a quarter of students feel that school is an unsafe place to be.
 * 11) <span style="color: #1e1d1c; font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Schools with easily understood rules of conduct, smaller class sizes and fair discipline practices report less violence than those without such features.

<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">It is our job first and foremost to see when there is a problem and address it – <span style="color: #1e1d1c; font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">1 in 4 teachers see nothing wrong with bullying and will only intervene 4% percent of the time. <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;"> (dosomething.org) There are so many ways to address the problem without pointing out someone specifically all the time. We need to educate our community, youth, and colleagues on the effects of bullying and what is happening around us. Effective education can be quite moving on anyone, and I think that it is something that needs to happen more often. We need to get the communities involved and also make policies/rules that talk about what is appropriate behaviors and how to treat others. With these rules and policies – we will have to stick to them and be fair and just. This will help us build safe environments in our schools.
 * 1) **__<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">What can we do as caring adults? As FACS educators? __**

<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">As an educator this subject is actually an important one for me. I look forward to doing lessons with my students on bullying and healthy relationships with ourselves and each other. It is such an IMPORTANT part of student’s lives for them to have that time to really accept themselves and become who they are. I believe that at this phase in life, if we can educate or students and help them understand – that it helps prevent students have self esteem issues and the like throughout their lives. I believe that being a trusting and caring individual as a teacher and adult, that I can help these students become the best that they are and see themselves for that.

<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Recently there was a documentary made about bullying in America where they followed youth who have been bullied. I taught a lesson in my PSII lab about bullying and I used many videos to show students what youth are facing. Here are the videos I used, along with the trailer to “Bully.” It actually turned an awesome lesson and one of the guys in the lab said he teared up when watching them.

<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">If you would like to watch the trailer (which I’m sure most of you have heard about this) here is the link and the link to the other videos I used.

<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Bully Trailer: [] <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Interview: [] <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Whats Going On?: [] <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Cyber Bullying Suicide Story: []


 * __<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Resources __**

<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">(2008). //Stamo out bullying//. United Kingdom: Retrieved from [|http://www.stampoutbullying.co.uk]

<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. (2010). //Bullying//. Retrieved from []

<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">DoSomething.org. (2010). //Dosomething//. DOI: dosomething.org

<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">U.S Department of Health & Human Services. (2011). //Stop bullying//. Washington D.C.: Retrieved from http://www.stopbullying.gov

<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">**Jennifer Zeitler-Smith - Gambling**

<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">


 * <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Amy Burns- Teens and Unsafe Driving **

<span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;"> <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;"> <span style="font-family: 'Maiandra GD','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">**Kristina Knox**