Guidance Issues - TeachersFirst

Guidance Issues

Suggestions for additional resources for this page are welcome. Just send an e-mail to editorial@teachersfirst.com.

Resources for Dealing with Violence

Additional resources on School responses to violence are listed on the TeachersFirst Emergency Planning Page.

Classroom Cooperation and Conflict - An article from the Benton Foundation's Connect for Kids series that offers suggestions on how cooperative learning can reduce competitiveness and encourage children to work together toward common goals.

Warning Signs for Violence in Children - The American Psychological Association offers this page listing behaviors that may be warning signs of violent behavior in children. This page breaks symptoms out by age group, noting behaviors which are indicative in each age group.

For Teens: Warning Signs of Violence - This American Psychological Association page is written to help teenagers know how to identify signs of potential violence. More importantly, the site offers teens ideas on what they should do if and when they see these symptoms in other young people. Teachers and counselors may find this information helpful in dealing with students' questions or fears.

Facts About Violence - The Centers for Disease Control Published this page on April 21, 1999 to provide accurate statistical information on the incidence of violence among young people, especially violence in schools.

Why Violence? - This short page from The Why Files at the University of Wisconsin may be helpful for teachers or students dealing with violence - or the fear of violence - in schools.

Teaching Tolerance - This set of curriculum and support materials from the Southern Poverty Law Center provides a wide range of resources and classroom materials designed to foster tolerance in school settings. Many of these items are available without charge.

Violence in the Schools - This is an on-line collection of resources from the Center for Adolescent Studies at the University of Indiana. It provides a variety of coping strategies for teachers and counselors, most of which are targeted at identifying potentially violent behaviors and avoiding violence. Succinctly written, this material gets to the point quickly. The Center also has a page of on-line resources for further information.

Suicide Warning Signs - This article from the Mayo Clinic seeks to dispel a number of common misconceptions about the nature of suicidal persons, especially young people. It also provides specific strategies for recognizing and responding to warning signs of suicide.

All About Suicide - This site from Mental Health Net offers basic information on suicide in adults and young people, along with a long list of resources for help and guidance. Mental Health Net also maintains an on-line listing of treatment centers.

Teenagers and Risks - This study from the Mayo Clinic points out the importance of families and schools as anchors in young peoples' emotional lives and challenges many commonly-held beliefs about familial exposure to guns, alcohol, and other risk factors.

Teenage Suicide - This theme page presents information designed to help teachers recognize the behavior patterns that can indicate students who are having trouble coping and suggests strategies to offer assistance as appropriate. While professional assistance is imperative for these situations, this site can offer valuable assistance to those who may be seeing these behaviors for the first time.

Places for Struggling Teens - This site offers a comprehensive resource for parents and professionals working with troubled teens. It provides information on residential schools and programs, educational consultants, articles and newsletters. Source: Lon Woodbury’s Woodbury Reports.

Other Resources

HIV/AIDS Education Resources - Coninciding with the UN's just-concluded international AIDS conference, this new TeachersFirst collection includes information on HIV/AIDS as both an international epidemic and an issue with which schools must deal at the local level. We have included resources from several countries, highlighting effective teaching strategies for an issue which mixes scientific, cultural, and bahavioral issues in a challenging combination.

Think College Early - This site from the U.S. Department of Education is aimed at getting middle school students to recognize that a college education could be in their future. The site includes resources for students and parents as well as counselors and teachers.

The American Association of Community Colleges offers lots of resources for those interested in community colleges, including a directory of community colleges across the country. The site could be useful for students interested in comparing community college offerings and finding out about colleges in specific areas.

All About Eating Disorders - This content is part of the larger Mental Health Net site. It offers detailed explanations of the origins, management, and treatment of eating disorders. The content is written at the professional level and is decidedly not for student use. This information could be useful for school guidance counselors, nurses, or teachers who suspect an eating disorder in one of their students.

Eating Disorders Collection - This page from the Canadian Learning Network offers a collection of resources dealing with eating disorders in young people. The listings include both clinical background information and strategies for helping students who are experiencing one or more of these disorders.

Eating Disorders & Recovery - A site about recovery from eating disorders, written by a woman who has been there.

Signs of Inhalant Abuse - A "what to look for" page from addictions.com, an interesting site for a variety of substance abuse issues.

What Teachers Can Do About Inhalant Abuse - A page from the state of Massachusetts offering information about inhalant abuse for teachers. Some of the suggestions are state-specific, but the general information should be useful for all teachers.

Self-scoring Alcohol Checkup - This site offers a self-scoring quiz about behaviors and alcohol consumption designed to help users determine whether they might have a problem with alcohol use or addiction. The site scores questions and returns an answer on a new web page.

Web of Addictions Rolodex - This is a collection of agencies and resources for those who need additional help or information regarding addictions and substance abuse. Some of the agencies listed also include specific web resources. Lots of toll-free numbers here for folks who need help.

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