Mountain Village School News

Getting enough sleep is important! We have all experienced feeling sluggish and generally "off" after a poor night of sleep, and for many parents of young children this can feel like a constant state. As adults, inadequate sleep makes us feel physically tired and mentally slow. So what are the effects of inadequate sleep on young children, whose bodies and brains are growing much faster than our own? This is an ongoing topic of research but it does seem clear that young children's brains are hard at work when their bodies are resting. I found one article which described how children's brains build connections between the left and right hemispheres during sleep, and another one about the relationship between sleep and neuroplasticity. Researchers have found correlations between inadequate sleep and obesity, poor academic performance, behavioral problems, and aggression. The difficulty here is that we cannot force anyone to sleep–ourselves or our children included...

Forgive me, you'll probably be hearing about Jeanine Fitzgerald on and off for the rest of the year! There were just so many little nuggets of wisdom from her training that I want to share. In addition to components of happiness, temperament, and DISC, she also talked about character education. Now, to me, "character education" sounds a bit antiquated as a term, like it belongs in an early 20th century schoolhouse. But with Fitzgerald's definition, it actually goes along well with other non-cognitive or "soft" skills, such as resilience, persistence, and self-regulation, which are so important to foster in the early education. Aspects of character are defined by Fitzgerald as qualities that are able to multiply and increase the more they are given away. Examples include respect, trust, humor, and gratitude. The best news for parents, teachers, and other caregivers is the emphasis here on what is "given away." If we want children to respect other...