Life Is The Future

Passing the torch! We meet two of our Season 5 podcast hosts, Saif and Dinora! They will take the lead in our new school year, and join two other students to be our 8th grade leaders. We hear from Season 4 hosts, Nonye and Debo, as they pass on recommendations on topics and guests-- what worked well, how to get people talking, and the whole process of practicing Health Ed life skills to create deb...

Cancel culture = a phrase that refers to a form of ostracism in which a person-- generally a public figure-- endures disapproval and mass shaming online or in person for controversial speech or behavior. This week's hosts, Connor and Sparsh, invite classmates Oliver and Salil in to talk about cancel culture, what that means, and its influence on society. The 8th graders discuss what socially-unacc...

Extracurriculars = organized student activities connected with school that occur outside of typical school hours. Examples: athletics, performing arts, social clubs, etc. This week's hosts, Connor and Sparsh, invite classmates Vanshika and Salil in for a discussion about extracurricular activities, focusing on sports and music. (Included: piano, violin, chorus, soccer, badminton, rugby, cricket, f...

Social standards = shared norms of acceptable behavior by social groups. Social norms/standards can be informal as well coded into rules and laws.  This week's hosts, Connor and Sparsh, invite classmates Ketav and Atmaj in for a discussion about the social standards we endure, both created by ourselves and forced on us from others. The 8th graders give valuable insight on self-awareness, appe...

What is a toxic relationship? How are teens influenced by family interactions? What is healthy/unhealthy while dating? This week's hosts, Nonye and Debo, have a conversation with classmates Kai and Charlie to talk through unhealthy relationships. The 8th graders define "toxic relationships" and give an explanation about their effect on teenage life. Detailed discussion points: red flags in relatio...

Another fun "spin-off" on our typical episode set-up! Multiple topics, selected at random, get a quick look in a ~2-minute discussion each. This week's hosts, Connor and Sparsh, invite classmates Alex, Emily, and Arav for part two of this multi-episode series. The 8th graders take on a bunch of topics and give valuable insight on items like technology in learning, video game violence, social anxie...

A fun "spin-off" on our typical episode set-up! Multiple topics, selected at random, get a quick look in a ~2-minute discussion each. This week's hosts, Connor and Sparsh, invite classmates Alex, Emily, and Arav in for a multi-episode series. The 8th graders take on a slew of topics and give valuable insight on items like voting age, protest violence, a 4 day work week, climate change, fast f...

What is fast fashion? How are teens influenced by fashion on media? And can we do anything about it? This week's hosts, Nonye and Debo, have a conversation with classmates Aarya and Ashlyn for a first-time look at clothing styles and ethical consumerism. The 8th graders define "fast fashion" and give an explanation about its cheap quality, environmental impact, and harmful labor environment. The s...

Bullying = unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real-- or perceived-- power imbalance. Bullying is ongoing or has the potential to be repeated; it refers the deliberate physical, social, or psychological harm that can occur in person or online through various digital platforms and devices. Bullying might be obvious or it might include hidden behavior. Bullying has the potential for immedi...

How can we continue to end stigma about depression? This week's hosts, Nonye and Debo, revisit a conversation with classmates Emily, Melody, and Aniston for a part two conclusion of their focus on the realities of depression. The 8th graders give more details about mental illness and the view teens have toward depression, the course of action in helping a friend or classmate, having humor while av...

What causes self-conscious emotions in teens? This week's hosts, Connor and Sparsh, talk with classmates Grace and Amanda. The 8th graders examine self-consciousness, focusing on the stress of embarrassment and what affects internal self-talk throughout middle school. Specifics include perceptions of ourselves, grades in school, lying or showing off, social image, popularity, and how environm...

Codependency = a mental, emotional, physical, and/or spiritual reliance on a partner, friend, or family member. The term can also carry a negative connotation, as a kind of dysfunctional relationship where one person is a caretaker, and the other person takes advantage or has an unhealthy attachment. Interdependence = valuing the intimacy shared with others while also maintaining a firm sense of s...

What lessons were learned from a school year at home? This week's hosts, Connor and Sparsh, talk with classmates Amanda and Miles. The 8th graders look back at remote learning and all the lessons from the at-home school year in 2020. Specifics include online learning with Zoom and Google Meets, the advantages and downfalls of learning through a screen, and the feelings surrounding the return to in...

What are the truths and myths about depression? This week's hosts, Nonye and Debo, have a conversation with classmates Emily, Melody, and Aniston. Their discussion focuses on the realities of depression, the view people have of the illness, using correct terminology, and spreading the word about mental health. RESOURCES MentalHealth.gov Let's Talk About It World Health Organization (WHO) Self-Care...

Mental health, depression, and suicide-- how can we help middle schoolers? This week our hosts Connor and Sparsh have a conversation with classmates Micah and Abhibav. Their discussion focuses on coping through the COVID pandemic, what is currently influencing mental well-being in teens, the impact of school and teachers, and recommendations to fellow middle schoolers on how to stay mentally healt...

Back in action and getting started with our new hosts! We hear a quick informal check-in from our Season 4 podcast hosts, Nonye and Debo, Connor and Sparsh! These 8th grade students will take the lead in weekly interviews with classmates. By recording in this format, the students will put Health Education life skills into practice-- communication, decision making, and advocacy will help them creat...

The end of another era! We meet two of our Season 4 podcast hosts, Nonye and Debo! They take the lead in our new school year, and join two other students to be our 8th grade leaders. We hear from Season 3 hosts, Naomi and Zoie, as they pass on recommendations on topics and guests-- what worked well, how to get people talking, and the whole process of practicing Health Ed life skills to create deba...

Passing the torch! We meet two of our Season 4 podcast hosts, Connor and Sparsh! They take the lead in our new school year, and join two other students to be our 8th grade leaders. We hear from Season 3 hosts, Tami and David, as they pass on recommendations on topics and guests-- what worked well, how to get people talking, and the whole process of practicing Health Ed life skills to create debate...

8th graders recap the podcast experience! Tami, David, Naomi, and Zoie discuss the process of being our 8th grade hosts this school year in Season 3 of our podcast. We listen to their overall thoughts, specific topic highlights, the difficulties of being in charge, things they will and will not miss, and their development as leaders through it all. Resources: Students: "16 Things For Teens To Do T...

Appearances. Are they deceiving, or truly a glimpse of the unseen? This week's 8th grade hosts, Tami and David, interview classmates Sabrina and Mia and all four students discuss dress codes in school and the pressures of style and appearance that teens face. The group specifically considers the impact of clothing styles, social media, celebrity influencers, school uniforms, sexualization, so...

Generation to Generation... This week's hosts, Naomi and Zoie interview middle school teachers Ms. Cushing and Mr. Weis. The 8th graders ask about the adults' adolescent experience, focusing on the major differences between then and now and all the life lessons learned. Specifics include technology, school, family values, news and media, and any recommendations to their younger self. RESOURCES Pew...

Fame! Is it all it's cracked up to be? This week's 8th grade hosts, Tami and David, interview classmates Katie and Paridhi and all four students discuss celebrity status and topics related to the entertainment industry. Specifics include social media influencers, mental health, fame and childhood, cancel culture, social media balance, and recommendations to young people. RESOURCES How Celebrities...

From childhood to teen years! This week's hosts, Naomi and Zoie interview classmates Julian and Emanuel and all four 8th graders discuss the middle school experience, focusing on lessons learned from 6th to 8th grade. Specifics include elementary worries about recess, lunch, and homework, physical growth and stress management, social circles and true friendships, and excitement for high school. RE...

Schoolwork during a pandemic... what should that look like? This week's hosts, Tami and David interview classmates Tanuj and Olivia and all four 8th graders discuss the topic of schoolwork, focusing on remote and hybrid learning, grading, teaching techniques, learning apps, and considerations we should all take during the COVID pandemic. RESOURCES Kids, Teachers Making School Work During COVID-19...

Pandemic check-in! Back for the new year... it's 2021! We are a doing these from time to time this school year-- a "temperature check" from our 8th graders on how everything is going in our COVID era of learning and living. This week's hosts, Naomi and Zoie interview classmates MeShauna and Tiffany and all four 8th graders have a conversation to recap all of the events of 2020 before looking ahead...