An Epidemic of Stress Among College Students (and Younger Children) Is NOT Inevitable

February 02, 2011

By Ellen Galinsky

I was not surprised by Tamar Lewin’s page one story in the New York Times on January 27, 2011. The headline certainly is gripping: Record Level of Stress Found in College Freshmen. And so is the lead paragraph. Lewin reports that the emotional health of college freshmen has fallen to its lowest level since The American Freshman: National Norms study began collecting data 25 years ago. This study of more than 200,000 incoming freshmen at four-year colleges conducted in the fall of 2010 found that the percentage of students who reported that their emotional health was above average fell to 52%, compared with 64% in 1985.

I wasn’t surprised by these findings because we have similar results from a nationally representative group of employees. The 2008 National Study of the Changing Workforce found that the physical health of the workforce is declining–and it’s not because the workforce is aging. We further found that stress levels have risen, even over the past six years. In fact, 41% of U.S. employees report experiencing three or more indicators of stress in the last three months on a standardized measure either “sometimes,” “often,” or “very often.” This measure includes items that tap into feeling of being unable to control the important things in one’s life, not feeling confident in one’s ability to handle personal problems, and that difficulties are piling up so high that they can’t be overcome.

Success in Life is More Than Success in High School: Thoughts on the Tiger Mother

January 19, 2011

By Ellen Galinsky

Every so often, a book erupts on the parenting landscape and ignites a furor. Amy Chua has become today’s firebrand with the Wall Street Journal article last weekend and her book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, sparking controversy over her criticisms of American parents and her dictums to her two daughters of no sleepovers, no playdates, no school plays, no TV or computer games, no grades lower than As, and no playing of any instruments other than the piano or violin. The flames of controversy have been fanned even higher by Chua’s stories of threatening, punishing, and name calling (calling her daughter “garbage,” for example) when these dictums weren’t met. 

Give the Gift of Curiosity to a Child for the Holidays

December 21, 2010

There it was again. That word. I was reading an account of the acquisition of Newsweek magazine by Sidney Harman, "the 92-year-old-stereo-equipment magnate" in the January issue of Vanity Fair. The author of this article, John Heilpern, acknowledged the cynicism that this acquisition has engendered -- since Harman is elderly and since he has never worked in journalism before -- concluding, nonetheless, that this could just succeed and marveling at Harman's "clear-eyed" optimism.

What would he like inscribed on his tombstone? Heilpern asked Harman. "Still curious," was Sidney Harman's response. And that's the word: curious.

Schools Must Be Part of the Solution to Cyberbullying

December 06, 2010

I don’t get it!

In the world of cyberbullying as portrayed by the New York Times (12/6/10), the schools are strictly off limits when it comes to addressing cyberbullying. In fact, this page one article by Jan Hoffman begins with the poignant story of the mother of a ninth-grader. When she found out that some other kids had created a forged Facebook page for her son and were bullying other kids under his name, she went to the school authorities. After expressing concern for her son, she was told that the schools could do nothing about this situation: It’s an off-campus matter.

Yes, I completely understand that teachers are overwhelmed with everything they have to do in the era of No Child Left Behind accountability where test scores determine children’s, teachers’ and schools’ futures.  And yes, I completely understand the time- consuming and legal complexities of dealing with rampant cyberbullying on a case-by-case basis. The principal of a middle school, in fact, recently told me that if she got involved, she would spend at least half her time every single day dealing with what goes on in cyberspace among the kids in her school. 

But the assumption that the schools have no role is not productive. It reflects the old-fashioned and erroneous notion that social-emotional issues (cyberbullying) are separate from cognitive issues (learning in school). As Jack Shonkoff of Harvard University famously put it when releasing the National Academies of Science book, Neurons to Neighborhoods: if Johnny is sad or mad, Johnny can’t add.

Rethinking How We Learn and Work

November 23, 2010

By Ellen Galinsky

Why, asked psychiatrist and author Edward Hallowell, do we get our best ideas in the shower?  He was addressing an audience of educators and families sponsored by the 92nd Street Y in New York City, asking them to rethink how we are raising and teaching children. 

Hallowell answered himself. It is the one last refuge, he said, the one place where we aren't being bombarded by media and where we can be alone with our thoughts and feelings.