Life Is The Future

Life Is The Future

By Scott TodnemEducation
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Life Is The Future episodes

  • Extracurricular Activities for Teens - S4 E14

    Extracurriculars = organized student activities connected with school that occur outside of typical school hours. Examples: athletics, performing arts, social clubs, etc.

    This week's hosts, Connor and Sparsh, invite classmates Vanshika and Salil in for a discussion about extracurricular activities, focusing on sports and music. (Included: piano, violin, chorus, soccer, badminton, rugby, cricket, football, swimming, and track & field.) The 8th graders connect extracurriculars and other specifics like social interactions, stress management, parental expectations, defeating boredom, personal challenge, creating enjoyment, being productive outside of the school day, and more.

    RESOURCES

    The Impact of Sports on Middle School Students from Livestrong.com
    Sports and Education Work Well Together from the New York Times
    Benefits of Extra-Curriculars by High School from Crimson Education
    Middle Schoolers May Benefit Academically from Extra-Curriculars from New York University

    In the next few days we will release our final podcast for the school year and also introduce our new hosts for Season 5! Stay tuned. Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout each school year.

    Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

    17 min
  • Social Standards & Stereotypes - S4 E13

    Social standards = shared norms of acceptable behavior by social groups. Social norms/standards can be informal as well coded into rules and laws. 

    This week's hosts, Connor and Sparsh, invite classmates Ketav and Atmaj in for a discussion about the social standards we endure, both created by ourselves and forced on us from others. The 8th graders give valuable insight on self-awareness, appearance expectations, obsessive and perfectionist behavior, body dysmorphic disorder, gender differences, social group influences, judgment from peers, popularity, racial stereotypes, coping strategies, and more. 

    RESOURCES

    Are Society's New Expectations of Teens Too Much? - The Live Wire
    Body Dysmorphic Disorder - Johns Hopkins Medicine
    We Are the Ones Failing Our Teens, Not Social Media - Lowell Sun Opinion

    Tune in next week for a new topic and a new set of guests. Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout the school year.

    Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

    20 min
  • Teens Discuss Toxic Relationships - S4 E12

    What is a toxic relationship? How are teens influenced by family interactions? What is healthy/unhealthy while dating?

    This week's hosts, Nonye and Debo, have a conversation with classmates Kai and Charlie to talk through unhealthy relationships. The 8th graders define "toxic relationships" and give an explanation about their effect on teenage life. Detailed discussion points: red flags in relationships, family interactions, dating as a teen, the pressure to please parents, setting social boundaries, respecting privacy, trust vs dishonesty, insecurity issues, rebuilding friendships, and many more social health topics.

    RESOURCES

    Students: Frenemies and Toxic Friendships
    Parents: Teens and Romantic Relationships
    Teachers: Love is Respect: Educators Toolkit

    Tune in next week for a new topic and a new set of guests. Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout the school year.

    Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

    20 min
  • Round Robin Topics (Technology in Learning, Video Game Violence, Race Relations, Teen Stereotypes) - S4 E11

    Another fun "spin-off" on our typical episode set-up! Multiple topics, selected at random, get a quick look in a ~2-minute discussion each.

    This week's hosts, Connor and Sparsh, invite classmates Alex, Emily, and Arav for part two of this multi-episode series. The 8th graders take on a bunch of topics and give valuable insight on items like technology in learning, video game violence, social anxiety, the Russia/Ukraine conflict, Black History Month, race relations, and stereotypes of teenagers.

    RESOURCES

    Is Technology Good or Bad for Learning?
    Games Can Be Good-- When You Play for the Right Reasons
    Adapting to Post-Pandemic Reality When You Have Social Anxiety
    Russia-Ukraine - AP Breaking News & Live Updates
    Black History Month
    What Do Older Generations Misunderstand About Teenagers Today?

    Tune in next week for a new topic and a new set of guests. Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout the school year.

    Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

    20 min
  • Round Robin Topics (Voting Age, Protest Violence, Climate Change, Work Conditions, Fast Food) - S4 E10

    A fun "spin-off" on our typical episode set-up! Multiple topics, selected at random, get a quick look in a ~2-minute discussion each.

    This week's hosts, Connor and Sparsh, invite classmates Alex, Emily, and Arav in for a multi-episode series. The 8th graders take on a slew of topics and give valuable insight on items like voting age, protest violence, a 4 day work week, climate change, fast food, and COVID.

    RESOURCES

    WhiteHouse.gov - 50th Anniversary of the 26th Amendment
    Northeastern.edu - Are Peaceful Protests More Effective Than Violent Ones?
    ChangeRecruitmentGroup.com - Pros and Cons of a 4 Day Work Week
    ProCon.org - History of Climate Change Debate
    Debate.org - Is Fast Food Good For You?

    Tune in next week for another round robin episode, including new topics from our same guests. Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout the school year.

    Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

    18 min
  • Fast Fashion & The Social Media Influence - S4 E9

    What is fast fashion? How are teens influenced by fashion on media? And can we do anything about it?

    This week's hosts, Nonye and Debo, have a conversation with classmates Aarya and Ashlyn for a first-time look at clothing styles and ethical consumerism. The 8th graders define "fast fashion" and give an explanation about its cheap quality, environmental impact, and harmful labor environment. The students also include the influence of social media, specifically Tik Tok and the massive impact that social influencers have on teens.

    Detailed discussion points: the business industry for both clothing and social media, photoshop/filters and the beautification on screens, the social construct of fashion, Shein® clothing brand, trends and their pop culture reach, standards that teens put on themselves, clothing trends throughout the decades, fitting in through appearance, and more.

    RESOURCES

    Good On You: What is fast fashion?
    What is fast fashion and why is it a problem?
    Tweens and Fitting In: Wearing Brand Name Clothes May Be Worth It
    How To Handle Fashion Pressure and be Confident in Your Skin
    Peer Pressure & Its Influence on Teens

    Tune in next week for a new topic and a new set of guests. Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout the school year.

    Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

    20 min
  • Bullying and Cyberbullying in Middle School - S4 E8

    Bullying = unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real-- or perceived-- power imbalance.

    Bullying is ongoing or has the potential to be repeated; it refers the deliberate physical, social, or psychological harm that can occur in person or online through various digital platforms and devices. Bullying might be obvious or it might include hidden behavior. Bullying has the potential for immediate and long-term effects on those involved, including bystanders.

    This week's hosts, Connor and Sparsh, invite classmates Samantha and Ananya in for a discussion on all things bullying. The 8th graders give valuable insight on middle school social interactions, citing examples of bullying behavior, stress on self-concept and self-esteem, reasons teens might bully others, how bystanders can have secondary effects, the impact of the Internet and social media, acknowledging trauma in people doing the offense, and recommendations for identifying and dealing with bullying.

    RESOURCES

    StopBullying.gov - Identification, prevention, and effective responses.
    KidsHealth.org - Dealing with bullying.
    CDC - Examining youth violence and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).
    HealthyChildren.org - Bullying: It's not ok.

    Tune in next week for a new topic and a new set of guests. Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout the school year.

    Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

    20 min
  • Honest Conversations About Teen Mental Health - S4 E7

    How can we continue to end stigma about depression?

    This week's hosts, Nonye and Debo, revisit a conversation with classmates Emily, Melody, and Aniston for a part two conclusion of their focus on the realities of depression. The 8th graders give more details about mental illness and the view teens have toward depression, the course of action in helping a friend or classmate, having humor while avoiding unsafe or inappropriate comments, the potential harm of toxic positivity, and how to continue to spread the word about mental health.

    RESOURCES

    MentalHealth.gov Let's Talk About It
    World Health Organization (WHO) Self-Care and Self-Help
    National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) Top HelpLine Resources
    National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255
    Health Mind Platter Essential Brain Activities

    Tune in next week for a new topic and a new set of guests. Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout the school year.

    Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

    12 min
  • Self-Conscious Feelings in Middle School - S4 E6

    What causes self-conscious emotions in teens?

    This week's hosts, Connor and Sparsh, talk with classmates Grace and Amanda. The 8th graders examine self-consciousness, focusing on the stress of embarrassment and what affects internal self-talk throughout middle school. Specifics include perceptions of ourselves, grades in school, lying or showing off, social image, popularity, and how environment can alter personality.

    RESOURCES

    Students:
    How Can I Improve My Self-Esteem?
    Steps to Building Confidence

    Parents:

    How to Help Your Teen Overcome Self-Consciousness
    Raising a Confident Teen

    Tune in next week for a new topic and a new set of guests. Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout the school year.

    Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

    17 min
  • Independence, Interdependence, & Codependency: What's the Difference? - S4 E5

    Codependency = a mental, emotional, physical, and/or spiritual reliance on a partner, friend, or family member.

    The term can also carry a negative connotation, as a kind of dysfunctional relationship where one person is a caretaker, and the other person takes advantage or has an unhealthy attachment.

    Interdependence = valuing the intimacy shared with others while also maintaining a firm sense of self.

    Independence = being self-reliant, self-empowered, and capable of providing our own needs mentally, emotionally, physically and/or spiritually.

    This week's hosts, Nonye and Debo, have a conversation with classmates Rania, Eclipse, and Natalie. The 8th graders discuss independence versus codependency, focusing on trusting and relying on another person in life. Specifics include binary gender stereotype and sexist views regarding independency, societal labels and influences on our behavior surrounding trust, and the circumstances where codependency is natural and healthy versus clingy and concerning. 

    RESOURCES

    Insider "What is Codependency?"
    Mental Health America "Characteristics of Codependent People"
    VeryWell Health "Codependent Relationships vs. Dependent Relationships"

    Tune in next week for a new topic and a new set of guests. Make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout the school year.

    Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

    13 min

About Life Is The Future

From the publisher's feed

Thoughts from the Health Education classroom, brought to you by Scott Todnem and his middle school students.