Anxiety and Our Students

Did you know that Europe is calling the next generation the "Anxiety Generation"?  I did not until TODAY! 

Just went to a whirlwind of a class today.  It was presented by Jessica Minahan about her co-authored book, The Behavior Code. 

There were some eye-opening moments. HOWEVER, what was not surprising was not surprising entailed the notion that our kids are coming to us with anxiety and low executive functioning skills.  She gave me answers to some of the issues, I see in my classroom....
        *inconsistent reactions
        *lower short-term memory issues
        *why incentives don't work for all kids
        *MOST IMPORTANTLY....words to use that are proactive and positive

33.9% of 13-19 year-olds (THAT IS 1 in 3!!!) suffer from some form of anxiety disorder. WOW!!

DID YOU KNOW....
    Your IQ drops 13-20 points when anxious. 

Many of our natural or taught practices are not helping the situation. 
        *Moving closer to be in close proximity
        *the way we question or talk to the child:
              + DETAILed directions .... all those little steps we think of as "normal or known" need to be spelled out for these kiddos.
              +Look for the trigger and underdeveloped skills to determine best strategies to teach

These are just a sampling of what the book addresses. 

I cannot wait to delve into the book more fully as I work to be a better teacher for the generation we are teaching.   What about you?!?!?!