In 5 days we are heading to the US for our summer vacation. Hitting the bookstores in the states is something my daughter Sydney (who is 9) and I always do together. This year we’ve had some practice as Abu Dhabi has a surprising number of good bookstores. (Never cheap though.) Then, when we arrive at our summer home in Wyoming, we dust off the library cards and stock up on returnable books.

Last night, Sydney was talking about the books she wanted to read and I realized they were all from the same series! It was like a warning bell went off in my head- “Time to get a new reading diet in front of this kid!” But where to start?

One of my favorite children’s book blogs is The PlanetEsme Plan: The Best New Children’s Books From Esme’s Shelf. Esme writes great reviews and showcases books I find I’m truly interested in reading. I’m adding Esme’s blog to my daughter’s igoogle page so she can get RSS feeds about new books. (Tech integration right?!)

I’m hoping with a little help from the net I can interest Syd in some new titles this summer.

(Incidentally, I met Esme years ago when I was working at the Mailbox magazing in NC. She had written her first book Educating Esme about her first year teaching at an inner-city school. It is an interesting story, one I remember thinking non-educators needed to read!)

I follow the WNY Education Associates blog. A few days ago, there were some interesting posts about kids (MS/HS age) who are abandoning Facebook because they are overwhelmed by the stress and pressure to “friend” people. As the mother of a 9-year old, this isn’t something I’ve dealt with before, but I did pass the information on to my husband who is our MS Counselor. Following the Facebook post, Angela at WNY Ed Associates wrote a post asking if we as teachers should “foster in our kids and in ourselves the ability to assess and effectively respond to the stress created by some of these realities….” Below is a list of bullets she has started brainstorming which would do just that. I must say it has gotten me thinking. If you have something to add, be sure to head over to WNY Education Associates and leave a comment.

Stress….Less: A Critical 21st Century Skill?

• Overwhelming choice and opportunity–because we are bombarded by options, whether it is brands of ketchup on a supermarket shelf or numbers of channels and networks to engage in or bountiful learning experiences that are free and open to our constant participation. Stress isn’t always distress. We need to manage eustress as well and help our kids do the same.
• Noise levels–increased by the scale and reach of our social networks on the ground and online, the constant stream of conversation and chatter
• Interpersonal tension–naturally aggravated by the fact that we are connected to more people more often whose behavior we cannot control
• Setting and recognizing boundaries–saying yes when we mean yes and no when we mean no and respecting the boundaries set by others online and off
• Acting courageously–the choices we are called upon to make in order to protect our privacy, set boundaries, manage noise, get along with others, ensure the quality of our work, and capitalize on the many opportunities provided us requires us to act with courage more and more often. Grappling with the fear of acting courageously can be pretty stressful.
• Defining who we are, what we love to do, and how we can possibly make a difference—again, with so many options and possibilities now open to us, doing this important work becomes far more complex
• Knowing who we aren’t, what makes us unhappy, and what our limits are–I’m realizing that those same options and possibilities illuminate these dimensions of ourselves with greater frequency. We need to help ourselves and our kids understand that this is a good thing. It can help us prioritize and make strategic choices.
• Sharing and giving rather than owning and taking.
• Constantly seeking understanding and being increasingly critical consumers. This requires a tremendous amount of energy and generates significant stress.