OCR Text |
Show Volume IX Issue VII THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Page 11 January 15, 2004 America at War: Helping Children Cope With America at war, an edge of anxiety and uncertainty pervades our nation, and children are quick to pick up on the resulting tensions and concerns. As your child’s first and most important teacher, recognize that this is another “teachable moment.” Albeit a difficult one. Here are some suggestions: Sensitively respond to individual needs of each child. While a few children may not seem particularly bothered by war, others may experience a range of emotions, including fear, worry, doubt, confusion, sadness, anger, and guilt. Children benefit from adult sensitivity, wisdom, and love during this time of complicated international strife. Be there when they need a hug or seem troubled by fear. Be generous with heartfelt smiles and affectionate touches. Your caring attention and physical touch will reassure them and help them feel safe in expressing all their feelings and thoughts. Observe carefully and listen attentively for clues from your children about their inner world. Their tone of voice, body posture, facial expression, indirect questions, or comments may help you out. Younger children might express their concerns in behavior such as withdrawal, clinging, or irritability, rather than words. Because of limited language ability, they may benefit from drawing pictures or acting out their worries with toys. Share viewpoints about the war. It’s okay to let children know that you find a situation frightening or dismaying. Be honest and realistic. Strive to find a balance between helping a child feel safe and acknowledging the existence of danger. Your honesty opens line of communication that will help children work through their own thoughts and emotions. Avoid talking unnecessarily about war. Unnecessary exposure to televised coverage of such events is also harmful. Why give a child an overdose of information that could promote anxiety? Children may want to affect the situa- AVALANCHES cont. from page 2 slabs, weak layers, and bed surfaces. These tests include shear and compression tests often performed in snow pits dug in safe locations similar to slopes in question. Having the necessary equipment and possessing the ability to execute an avalanche rescue is essential for all winter recreationists traveling in avalanche terrain. Equipment includes an avalanche transceiver worn at all times, a shovel, and a probe. If caught in an avalanche, try to stay near the surface and create an air space around your face. If your partner has been caught, identify the point last seen. Buried victims are often located at the toe of the avalanche debris below the point last seen. After assessing further danger, look for visible signs of the victim on the surface of the debris. Equipment and articles of clothing can also provide clues to the victim’s location. Use your beacon and probe to locate the victim. Once located, leave your probe in place and dig down to the victim. The chances of survival decrease very rapidly, reaching about 50% after 30 minutes. Practice in the use of rescue equipment is very important and should be done regularly. Avalanche education is important to gain the knowledge necessary for safe travel and rescue in avalanche terrain. Numerous tion by helping out. Older children may want to reach out to victims or military personnel by sending gifts or monetary aid, writing letters, saying prayers, or offering other forms of support. Younger siblings might also want to participate. Such gestures foster a healthy sense of control and compassion while aiding children in working through their feelings. Media images of troops deploying for war can be confusing to young non-military children. When they observe other children saying goodbye to family members, they may become anxious, thinking the same thing may happen to them. It was a common misunderstanding in the Persian Gulf War, and the same problem is happening today. As a parent, be on the lookout for such confusion and clear it up. Remain calm and in control. Children react strongly to the feelings of parents, caregivers, and teachers. Even very young children pick up on adult uncertainty, helplessness, sadness, and anger. You cannot hide your feelings, but you can rise to the occasion and exercise your innate courage and strength. The little ones in your care, and older children, too, are depending upon you for stability in a time of uncertainty. Note: Sources for this article: Dr. Judith Meyers-Walls, Purdue University Sam Quick, Ph.D., Human Dev/Family Relations Carole Gnatuk, Ed.D., Child Dev. Specialist Alex Lesueur, Jr., MSLS Other articles available on this subject can be found by visiting: www.ca.uky.edu/fcs/AmericaAtWar/article2.htm www.ca.uky.edu/fcs/AmericaAtWar/article3.htm www.ca.uky.edu/fcs/AmericaAtWar/article4.htm This article was taken from the Utah State University Weber County Extension May 2003 newsletter. sources of avalanche information are available from avalanche information centers, ski patrols, universities, and other organizations. General knowledge of current avalanche danger should be obtained prior to backcountry tours by contacting the local avalanche forecast center. In Utah, forecast center numbers are as follows: Provo area: SLC area: Alta: Park City: Ogden area: Logan area: Moab area: 801-378-4333 801-364-1581 801-742-0830 435-658-5512 801-626-8700 435-797-4146 435-259-7669 Or visit www.avalanche.org Note: This information was taken from a brochure prepared with funding from the Institute for Outdoor Recreation and Tourism College of Natural Resources Utah State University; and written by Mike Jenkins, a Professor of Snow and Avalanche Science at Utah State University’s College of Natural Resources. He is the Founder and Director of the Bear River Avalanche Information Center in Logan, and Director of Snow Safety at Snowbasin, a Sun Valley Resort. Who is Mr. Lee? By Valley Students Saige Goodin and Taylor Jensen It was report card times for kids at Valley. But what about a report card for Mr. Lee? Janesa, Russ, Lauren, Chelsey, Katelyn, Rachel, Saige and myself—all of us students from Mrs. Evans 6th grade class—went to a couple of classes from the primary grade at school, and interviewed the younger students about what they thought about Valley principal Mr. Lee. Here is what the kids said about him. “What is your name?” “Sarah.” “Who is Mr. Lee?” “I don’t know.” “What is a principal?” “Someone who gets kids into trouble.” “What is your name?” “Elizabeth.” “Who is Mr. Lee?” “Our principal.” “What do principals do?” “They help school.” “What do you think when you think about principals?” “I don’t know, I never really thought about it before.” After speaking with Elizabeth, we asked Linzey some questions. “Who is Mr. Lee?” “The principle.” “What does a principal do?” “Protects school.” “What does he do when he gets home?” “He writes letters.” “What is your name?” “Trevor.” “Who is Mr. Lee?” “The principal.” “What does a principal do?” “He talks on a phone.” “What does he do when he gets home?” “Watches TV.” Anika and Gabriel have some things to say too. “Who is Mr. Lee?” They both responded, “ The principal.” “What does he do when he gets home?” “Takes a nap.” “Looks at paper.” Tiffanie, Kaylee, and Jenny stated, “Who is Mr. Lee?” In turn, each answered, “The principal.” “The president.” “How old do you think Mr. Lee is?” “20.” “19.” “25.” Then we asked Jacob some questions. “Who is Mr. Lee?” “The principal.” “Where does he live?” “In Liberty.” “What does he look like?” “He has silver hair, blue eyes, and white skin.” “How old is he?” “36.” “What is your name?” “Morgan.” “Who is Mr. Lee?” “The principal.” “What is Mr. Lee like?” “A king.” “How old is Mr. Lee?” “Umm, 98.” Braxton has funny things to say about Mr. Lee. Principal Tommy Lee “Who is Mr. Lee?” “The guy who fixes the drinking fountain.” “What does he do?” “Fixes the drinking fountain.” Madison is also funny. “Who is Mr. Lee?” “The principal.” “How old is he?” “250.” Lindsey is a hilarious kid. Read on . . . “Who is Mr. Lee?” “Principal.” “What does he do?” “Sits in an office and plays on the computer.” Emily says some very interesting things. “Who is Mr. Lee?” “He plays in a play.” “What is principal?” “He sits in a chair at a desk, and talks about lunch on a phone.” Wyatt has some fun things to say about Mr. Lee and what he does. “Who is Mr. Lee?” “The principal.” “How old is he?” “42.” What does he do when he gets home?” “Bills.” “What does he do at school?” “He calls bad kids moms.” “What is your name?” “Christian.” “What does the principal do?” “He tells every body else what to do cause he is the boss.” “What is his favorite color, do you think?” “Green.” When asked what Mr. Lee does at school, Shyanne and Ashley stated, “He helps kids and talks to them.” “He signs papers.” Travis had some different answers we hadn’t heard yet. “Who is Mr. Lee?” “Our principal.” “How old is he?” “Umm, I know this one. I can’t remember, so, I guess 54.” “Do you like him?” “Yeah he’s a cool dude.” “What is the color of his hair and how long is it?” “One-half inch, and grayish silver.” “How many family members does he have?” “27.” So, how did Mr. Lee rate? It looks like most of the kids know that he is the principal. Now all they need to figure out . . . what he does! |