Education Update - July 2002

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14CHILDREN’S CORNER ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ JULY 2002ASK DR. MCCUNEAbout Children and DepressionBy LORRAINE McCUNE,Ph.D.Every moment of infant andchildhood happiness is precious.As the adults in charge,parents or professionals, we hold the possibilityof children’s happiness, sadness, or depressionin our power. A natural state of healthy wellbeingcomes from a sense that we are safe, thatwe know our powers and their limits, and weknow that a cushion of support, parental, familial,societal, surrounds us, taking up the slackwhere our own powers are limited. For veryyoung children, their powers are limited indeed,and the sense of an adult at the ready, some oneespecially for them, is essential to well-being.This is the simple basis of attachment theory. Ininfancy one or both parents, perhaps other relatives,and in some cases, professional caregiversfulfill this essential role. The seeds ofchildhood well-being, a general sense of happinessrather than sadness or depression is sownin the early years through the availability of anadult to “attune” to the young child, providingpsychologically intimate understanding, as wellas nourishment and physical contact.During the early months, infants of depressedmothers have been found to show much lower frequencyof happy facial expressions, and muchmore frequent sadness or anger than comparisoninfants whose parents were not depressed. Adults’own mental health is a serious contributor to children’semotional well-being. We may not thinkthat young children can be “depressed” as adultscan, and the situation is, of course very different.However, children of any age can experience adiminution of interest, activity and learning due tofeelings of sadness and insecurity. Sometimestheir depressed state is expressed by excessivequieting, a dangerous situation for pre-school andschool age children, whose troubles may go unnoticedbecause they are so “good”. At the otherextreme, childhood depression is transformed intoanger and acting out. Children who have experiencedabuse are more likely than others to injurethemselves accidentally, through diminishedattention to the environment, or a lack of sufficientcaring for their own well-being. They are morelikely to attribute malevolent intentions to peers inambiguous situations, leading to fighting and bullying.These disruptive behaviors are alwayssymptomatic, so that along with disciplinarystrategies, therapeutic attention need also be paid.Parents and professionals need to monitor theemotional well-being of the children in their care,just as they monitor physical health and progressin learning and development. Within the family,proactive support such as listening to your childrenwith attention as they report the sometimesmundane interests of their world, broadening thoseinterests through book reading, joint televisionwatching, and trips with your child to fun places,especially with the summer months upon us, areall ways of enhancing the sense of well-being andpreventing potential mental health problems.It is also important to assist children with thenecessary challenges of their lives. Divorce andloss through death come to mind as circumstancesextremely challenging to children. Theseare also challenges which cast adults into emotionalupheaval or deep sadness. It can be difficultin these circumstances to remember the specialneeds of children who may seem happy-goluckythrough it all. Don’t be fooled by bravado.Sometimes children need to hide their sadnesseven from themselves until it diminishes naturallyin intensity, or until an adult reaches out. #Dr. Lorraine McCune is a professor at theRutgers University Graduate School of Educationand serves as advisor to educational toy company,General Creation. She can be reached at www.generalcreation.comin the “Ask Dr. McCune” section.FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT’S SEATBuilding Self Esteem IsImportant For All ChildrenBy DR. CAROLE G.HANKIN WITHRANDI T. SACHSBy age nine or 10, children begin to take morenotice if a classmate looks, acts, or dresses differently.As much as parents and teachers would liketo protect all children from being hurt, we need tofirst teach them why it is wrong to view differencesin others as negative, and also to teach themhow (and if) to respond, if they are the subject ofan attack, either verbal or physical. One way tomake an impression is to have the childrenobserve this type of behavior in a controlled setting,and then discuss how they feel about it.In Syosset, we have a program that bringstogether high school students to serve as role modelsfor all of our districts’ third grade students.“Peer Educators,” are high school students selectedfor this program. They undergo training on interactingwith the younger students for the first half ofthe year, and then visit each of the classes severaltimes in the spring to implement their lessons on“anti-bullying and anti-aggressiveness.” One of themost popular methods they have used over the pastseveral years is to put on skits for the children to gettheir message across. This year, they tried anotherapproach to teaching the children about respectingthemselves and one another. The Peer Educatorshelped the younger children to produce a musicalproduction of their own with a very strong message.The play gave the children very concreteexamples on why name-calling is hurtful, but evenmore importantly, gave them strategies for handlingthese types of situations should they arise.The play is meant to teach children to appreciatedifferences in others and to accept that differentdoes not mean worse. When one group of childrendeclares another group to be “nerds” the responsethey receive is quite disappointing. Instead of gettingupset, the second group of children simplyresponds with matter-of-fact answers or attempts toturn the conversation away from criticizing andsteer the others toward accepting one another, evenmaking jokes to try to cool down hot tempers.Not only are the children not devastated by therejection of the others, but they also demonstratethat they feel good about themselves and that theyhave their own unique qualities. Song and dancenumbers in the production give each student theopportunity to take center stage and to show thatthere are many different ways to be “cool.”There’s something about a production like thisthat transcends even the message it so bluntlydelivers. It requires cooperation, teamwork, anda willingness to take a little risk by appearing onstage. The students all clearly felt good about thejob they did, and they received the applause andappreciation of the second and first graders whowere the lucky audience members.Most experts agree that one reason childrenwill bully others is because they lack enough selfesteem to feel good about themselves withoutpicking on someone who is smaller or has lessdefenses. Through these kinds of programs wecan reach out to young children and show themthat each and every one of them has tremendousself worth for who they are. Teachers report thatit works. They have found that there is betterharmony in their classes after meeting with thehigh school students.#Dr. Hankin is the Superintendent of the SyossetSchool District in Long Island.The Preschool that makes housecalls.Keep Your Child’s Mind Fresh During the Hot Summer MonthsA study conducted a few years ago found thatover the summer vacation, children can lose aquarter of their reading and math skills.Parenting and family author Penny Warnerhas the educational projects these parents needin Summer Smarts for Cool Kids: Over 150Fantastic and Fun Learning Activities to HelpKids Beat the Summer Blahs. Using materialsfound around the house or inexpensive to purchase,Warner outlines activities that will captivateand challenge children of all ages. Ages 3-9: Watch the Marble: A simple but amazingtrick; Ages 7-12: Bug Detective: How manycritters can you find?; Grass Head: Grow afunny fuzz head; Tales of Super Pet: Turn yourpet into a super hero.#The New 14th Street YThe Sol Goldman Y’sQUALITY EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS(212) 780-0800GANI NURSERY SCHOOL, ext. 238Ages 2.0-4.8, Full and Half Day Programs, 2,3 or 5 days,Nurturing, Experienced Staff, Rooftop Playground,Shabbat CelebrationsPARENTING AND FAMILY CENTER, ext. 239Classes for Infants, Toddlers, Two’s, Moms, Dads, Caregivers,Couples and Single Parents, A variety of Play and Discussion Groups,Days, Evenings and Weekends, Ages Birth-Adolescence• Early C hildhood Education C lasses• Small C lass Sizes (3-6 students per class)• Starting at age of 18 monthsAFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM, ext 241Exciting Afterschool Program for Grades K-6, Mon.-Fri.from 3-6 PM,Pickup from Neighborhood Schools Available, Swimming, Art,Science Workshops, Cooking, Homework Help, Outdoor PlayDAY CAMPS, ext. 241New Town Day Camp for Ages 2.9-6.0New Country Day Camp for Ages 5.5-11.6Music, Arts & Crafts, Sports, Cooking, Drama, TripsJAPANESE PROGRAMS, ext. 243Japanese Programs for Children and ParentsThe Sol Goldman YM-YMHA of The Educational Alliance344 E.14th Street, New York, NY 10003tel: (212) 780-0800 fax: (212) 780-0859www.homeschoolpreschool.comcall 1-866-258-3475 for a brochure
JULY 2002 ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ BOOK REVIEWS15Logos Bookstore’s RecommendationsBy H. Harris Healy, III, President, Logos Bookstore,1575 York Avenue (Between 83rd And 84th Sts.), New York, New York 10028(212) 517-7282, Fax (212) 517-7197; WWW.NYCLOGOS.CITYSEARCH.COMIt is summertime in the city. It is just the timeto come up to Logos Bookstore, sit outside inour backyard on sunny, cooler days andevenings, sipping on a beverage of your ownchoice, and looking over books for your summerreading. On hotter days, you can enjoy ourwell air-conditioned store browsing for books,cards, music, bibles and other gift items. Whileat the store, take a lookThe Mr. MenSeriesby RogerHargreaves(Price, Sloan,Stern, $2.99each book)at the Mr. Men seriesthat includes such titlesas: Mr. Grumpy, Mr.Cheerful, Mr. Clever,Mr. Clumsy, Mr. Busy,Mr. Grumble, Mr.Perfect and Mr.Impossible. RogerHargreaves’ texts andillustrations are wellsuited to convey to children, with great humor,those character traits and the foibles these littlemen have.A compelling first novel, just published, isTwelve written by Upper East Sider NickMcDonell, seventeen years old at the time andin school. McDonell engages the reader in achilling world of sophisticated, boredManhattan teenagers who must enjoy the ultimatesensation in drugs, weapons or any otherpet indulgences to find meaning in their lives.The author’s ability to tell a good story keepsthe reader’s full attentionright up to the last page.Twelveby NickMcDonell(Grove Press,$23)During the month ofJuly from Monday, July8 through Wednesday,July 31, 2002, enjoy theLogos Summer Sale of20% Off All Hardcover Books. Come on over!Transit: #4, #5, #6 Lexington AvenueSubway to 86th St., M15 Bus (First & SecondAves.), M86 Bus (86 th St.), M79 Bus (79thSt.), M31 Bus (York Ave.)Upcoming Events At LogosWednesday, July 3, 2002, 7 P.M., KYTVReading Group will discuss The Sea, The Seaby Iris Murdoch.Logos Summer Sale: Monday, July 8 throughWednesday, July 31, 2002, All HardcoverBooks 20% Off.Wednesday, August 7, 2002, 7 P.M., KYTVReading Group will discuss Howard’s End byE.M Forster.Night Falls Fast: Understanding SuicideBy MERRI ROSENBERG‘Behold, I am a dry tree’ (Isaiah)When Kay Redfield Jamison uses this quotefrom a suicide to explainNight FallsFast:UnderstandingSuicideby KayRedfieldJamison.Published byVintage Books,New York:2000 (432pages).the degree of hopelessnessthat the successfulexecution of this actembodies, it is hard forthe reader not to feel justas overwhelmed by thosefeelings of despair.As Jamison explains inthis thorough, beautifullywritten and oddly compellingbook, suicide isone of those acts thatmocks those who survive,whether they are familymembers, health professionals,compassionate friends, or simplybewildered bystanders. She writes that we nowknow almost everything about suicide exceptthe ‘why’, and to a large extent, this book is herattempt to bring us closer to some comprehensionof this tragic mystery. Be careful, though.It’s not a book to attempt in one sitting; thatwould be almost too much to bear.“Most suicides, although by no means all,can be prevented,” says Jamison. “The breachbetween what we know and do is lethal.”The statistics that Jamison, a professor ofpsychiatry at Johns Hopkins University Schoolof Medicine and an honorary professor ofEnglish at the University of St. Andrews inScotland, cites are sobering: 30,000 Americanskill themselves every year; half a million makean attempt that is serious enough to land themin a hospital emergency room. Jamison – herselfa sufferer of manic-depression, and a failedsuicide– knows her subject all too intimately.The risk of suicide is especially great amongteenagers and young adults. Suicide is the thirdleading cause of young people, and the secondamong college students. She writes, “Collegeagechildren are at particular risk for mental illnessor suicide because first episodes of depressiveillness or schizophrenia are most likely tooccur at this time.”And according to a 1997 Youth RiskBehavior Surveillance Study that the authormentions, 20 percent of high school studentshave seriously considered suicide. Anotherstudy, based on New York high school students,suggests that 50 percent of them have thoughtabout killing themselves.Jamison is particularly stringent in her condemnationof diagnosis and treatment of mentallyill children and adolescents, who areat risk for suicide. One problem is that bipolardisorder and manic-depression are often misdiagnosedas attention deficit disorder. Another isthat too many school-based programs aren’teffective in their interventions. Jamisonbelieves that some do harm, by presentingstudents with inaccurate or misleading information.One program she does like, based on thework of David Shaffer at Columbia, is effectivein part because there is no responsibility forteachers or students to assume the role of mentalhealth professionals.In one of the more disheartening narratives,following the fallen trajectory of a successfulAir Force cadet who succumbs to mental illnessand ultimately suicide, Jamison writes,“Each way to suicide is its own: intensely private,unknowable and terrible.”To be sure, there are some definite risk factorsthat contribute to the likelihood of suicide.Having a bipolar disorder, manic depression,schizophrenia, especially when combined withalcohol or drug abuse, clearly contribute tosuccessful suicides. In general, according toJamison, suicide is more likely to be linked toa psychiatric, rather than a major medical,condition. Still, she cautions, “Psychologicalpain or stress alone—however great the lossor disappointment, however profound theshame or rejection—is rarely sufficient causefor suicide.”It’s hardly coincidence that suicides oftenappear to run in families. In one of the moreprovocative chapters, Jamison suggests thatperhaps there is an evolutionary, or even biologicalbasis for suicide. She asks, “Is suicide aprice to pay for diversity?”, wondering whetherContinued on page 29A MEMOIR OF MICHAEL J. FOXBy JOAN BAUMSafe to say that if it were not for Michael J.Fox’s bold statement before the press inSeptember 1998 and subsequent appearances inCongress and on T.V., Parkinson’s Disease(P.D.) would be not so prominent a subject todayor at the center of the controversy surroundingstem cell research. (The “J,” by the way, wasmade up to distinguish MJF the actor fromanother Michael Fox with an Actors Equitycard.) Simply put, what MJF did four years agowas to make it all right forLucky Man: AMemoirby Michael J.Fox(HyperionBooks, 260 pp.$22.95)thousands of secret sufferersto acknowledge thisdegenerative neurologicaldisease. In a way, Fox’sannouncement was likeBetty Rollin’s years agoabout breast cancer in herbook, First You Cry – abreakthrough Lucky Manis certain to encouragethose who feel victimized by P.D. to converttheir fears to action and join the campaign for away to slow or stop the inevitable course of thedisease. Of course, Fox may have had no choicebut to go public, since the tabloids were alreadysuggesting that his withdrawal from the phenomenallysuccessful “Spin City” and his slowdownin accepting more movie roles pointed toa serious neurological disease. In fact, by 1998,it had already been seven years that the now 37-year old actor had been keeping his conditionsecret. That story and much more is the subjectof his inspiring memoir.Lucky Man has the odd distinction of probableappeal to two different audiences:1) younger fans who will revel in MJF’srecounting of how a hell-raising, high school dropout from a working-class Canadian family becamea star; and 2) an older audience who will read thebook, mainly for the information it provides aboutdiagnosing P.D. and learning perhaps how toaccept the inevitable. What links the parts is Fox’srepeated moving tribute to his loving and supportivewife, Tracy Pollan and their children, most ofwhom were born after he learned he had P.D. Evenhe finds it ironic that the mischievous star of theTV series Family Ties should finally embrace familyvalues. In truth, however, Tracy seems to haveserved him well before the onset of the disease.This is a well written book and there is no doubtthat the voice is his. Although Fox entitles thebook Lucky Man, it is more than likely that whatgot him through denial to resignation and acceptance,has less to do with luck than with innerresources: humor, drive, and focus. Luck mightalso be ascribed to his choice of wife, but in truthhis choice–and hers–would seem to reflect innatevalues and sound intuition. It was Tracy who keptafter him to look into why, one hangover morninghe can hardly recollect, he could not control a suddenodd twitching in his left pinky.Lucky Man has much to recommend to thatsecond readership–indeed, perhaps, even to theyounger first, since Fox himself came down withthe disease at the relatively rare young age of 30.Because of his extraordinary book and efforts,P.D. is now as well known as Alzheimer’s andALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), an etiology it partiallyshares with these other neurological disorders.Fox believes that of the three, P.D. will be“the first domino to fall” in the efforts to prevent,treat, or cure the disease. At the very least, however,this memoir will be instructive to those wholive in silent and lonely fear. The title might bemisleading — the book has an upbeat tone andcomforting message: reassess your life, find yourtrue values, seek and keep love — an exhortationnot unlike what has been offered to the victims of9/11. One cannot be comforted, however, for gettinga debilitating illness, but one can findstrength and, absent that, perhaps with a bit ofluck, others who can help in the struggle to findit. In one of the most touching parts of the book,MJF extends a wise and compassionate invitationto his curious and no doubt frightened youngson to be his scout for the twitching hand — totake charge, squeeze it, control it . . . for themoment. This moving scene, of many, no doubt,the author hopes, will move readers to supportthe efforts to combat P.D.All proceeds from Lucky Man are beingdonated to The Michael J. Fox Foundation forParkinson’s Research.#(See Medical Update pages 12,13)
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