Publication Date: Friday, March 11, 2005
Learning to let up
Learning to let up
(March 11, 2005) Event focuses on ways to decrease teen stress
by Alexandria Rocha
Dan Logan, executive director of the Palo Alto Family YMCA, has a simple message for parents: Kids already understand the importance of education.
"Guess what? They've gotten that message," he said. "We have over-medicated our kids on that asset."
Logan will be one of three guest speakers at a meeting Tuesday night entitled, "Stressed-Out Students: Fostering Resilience in our Youth," sponsored by the Palo Alto Council of PTA's Parent Education Program.
Carol Zepecki, the local school district's director of students services, and Mollie Galloway, Stanford University's co-director of Stressed-Out Students (SOS), will be the other two speakers.
The event will focus on practical ways parents can help local youth manage stress constructively. It is designed for parents, but event co-coordinator Karen White said children and teenagers are welcome and can share personal stories if they choose.
The issue of student stress has been at the forefront of popular discussion in Palo Alto for a number of years. A variety of societal elements have been blamed for the stress, including academic standards, tough college admissions competition and social pressures, among others.
Those in the educational, medical and parental world have launched various committees and programs to tackle the problem. The school district implemented "no homework nights" in hopes of relieving students on occasion of their hefty workloads. The local PTA's upcoming meeting is just one of such efforts.
"Ours is a very stressful community to live in. There are economic pressures, people who suffer many demands on their time, it's an intelligent community," said White, the PTA Council director of juvenile protection.
"There are academic standards that can sometimes feel quite stressful. We don't need to buy into these standards. We should all remember that learning is a lifelong experience and it doesn't stop in high school," she added.
Logan's portion of the presentation will focus on a project called the "40 Developmental Assets," in which he's collaborated with a number of organizations, including Cornerstone and the Search Institute.
"I think of these as social vitamins. Everything from kids having a positive relationship with an adult other than their parents; the young person gaining a set of positive values; respecting oneself and others," Logan said.
The asset that emphasizes the importance of education, Logan said, has been force fed to Palo Alto's children enough. He said it's time parents start adjusting their messages to highlight other important values, such as feeling needed and surrounded by those who care about you.
If this is done, he said, it can take away some of the stress and pressure of performing academically because it won't be the teenager's reason for living.
During her presentation, Zepecki will look into what it's like to a be a teenager in today's changing world. She'll also focus on time management.
"Many people believe there isn't enough time for student-adult interaction and communication, just talking and listening to each other. There's little time for kids," she said.
Galloway will identify behavior patterns that might indicate stress and anxiety.
"Stressed-Out Students" will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday in the school district's board room, 25 Churchill Ave. Those who attend will be eligible to win an autographed copy of Denise Clark Pope's book, "Doing School: How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students."
For more information or to RSVP and register for the book drawing, call White at 494-7026 or e-mail her at KarenWhite4@sbcglobal.net.
E-mail a friend a link to this story. | 
