Life Is The Future

"Would You Rather" & "Never Have I Ever"  This week, all four 8th grade hosts-- Tami, David, Naomi, and Zoie-- take a little break from their weekly interview routine. They've been through some important topics already this school year and decided to have a little fun the day before winter break. Listen in as they debate some great questions and laugh through random scenarios together. It...

The crucial meeting point between mental and social health! How does cognitive and emotional wellness influence the interactions with family, friends, and society? And vice versa? This week our hosts Tami and David have a conversation with classmates Aimee and Lucas. Their discussion focuses on coping through the COVID pandemic, what is currently influencing emotional well-being in teens, how stud...

Drugs. Teens. Is it inevitable the two will meet? Or is that a stereotype of the past? This week our hosts Naomi and Zoie have a conversation about drug use, focusing on medicine vs. illegal drugs, lacking knowledge and information, media influence on teenagers, peer pressure and social image, and other perceptions surrounding the topic. This week's guests, Sania and Mia, help process things with...

Life Is The Future! What influences exist in teenage life? What drives adolescent behavior? What else impacts physical, mental, and social well-being in this thing we call life? Tune in to hear directly from teachers and students as we dive into topics surrounding the lives of adolescents. Health Education teacher Scott Todnem and his middle school students open up conversations that get to the he...

Let's get political! ;) 8th Grade hosts Tami and David invite classmates Sania and Sophie back to the podcast to discuss the 2020 American Presidential election. All four middle schoolers give their thoughts on the state of the nation and provide insight on teenagers' interest and education in politics and activism. This is a must-listen! Hear their mature conversation about the presidential...

The many faces of technology! Naomi and Zoie interview two other 8th grade students, Saryah and Ania. All four discuss the positives and negatives of technology, with a focus on its addictive nature, schoolwork vs. recreation, human advances, popular online sites/apps, practical uses, and how age factors into screen time. RESOURCES Common Sense Media: Teens on Social Media & How Much Screen Ti...

Pandemic check-in! We will do 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, David and Zoie interview classmates Mady and Baruni and all four 8th graders have a conversation about their current situation in our pandemic. Specifics include remote learning, hybrid approach, c...

Stereotypes: generalizations based on a group in which a person belongs. (Ex: race, age, gender, income, neighborhood, etc.) This week's 8th grade hosts mix it up a bit, as Tami and Naomi partner up to interview classmates Anya and Aria. The four teens take on the repeating topic of stereotypes in middle school and in life. This is always a much needed conversation year-to-year. They bring up gend...

How are teens maintaining social health in 2020, and what are their thoughts on friendship and dating? Tami and David take their turn at this multi-episode focus, interviewing classmates Lucas and CJ. The four 8th graders discuss teen relationships and social health through the COVID pandemic, including family, friendships, and dating. Specifics include which online apps help friends stay connecte...

How are teens maintaining social health in 2020, and what are their thoughts on friendship and dating? Naomi and Zoie start a multi-episode focus, interviewing classmates Meadow and Chloe. The four 8th graders discuss teen relationships and a bunch of related topics like managing social health through the COVID pandemic, influences on friends and dating, and recommendations for pre-teens. This is...

What race and social issues do teenagers see and experience? Our 8th grade hosts, Tami and David, take the lead in their first episode. They interview classmates Sophie and Sana, and the four 8th graders take on an enormous topic for their first offering-- social and racial justice, discrimination, Black Lives Matter, and related activism. Offered here is a real, emotionally-charged conversation a...

Is it all drama or can anything good come from media use? What do teens wish adults knew about social media? Our 8th grade hosts, Naomi and Zoie, take the lead in their first episode. They interview classmates Sania and Zaara, and all four offer their thoughts about social media and teenagers. The group discusses both the positive and negative aspects of social media, how to use media correctly, a...

Getting virtually started with our new hosts! We meet our Season 3 podcast hosts, Naomi and Zoie, Tami and David! These 8th grade students will take the lead in weekly interviews with classmates. The students will start recording through the screen as we begin the 2020-2021 school year remotely in our pandemic and post-pandemic world. Wish us luck! These hosts will put Health Ed life skills into p...

The end of another era! We are finishing up the 2019-2020 school year, and Salil and Shauna are moving on up. We meet two of our next podcast hosts, Tami and David! These 7th grade students will take the lead next year, and join two other students to be our Season 3 leaders. We sadly say goodbye to the 8th graders and discuss how it all went with Salil and Shauna in our second podcast season. The...

Here's our final Weekly Trivia question and Wacky Facts for the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine time. Thanks to everyone for listening in. Hopefully it brought a smile to your face every week during this time of e-learning and uncertainty. This week: What is a fart? + Weird Odds & Ends BACKGROUND To supplement remote teaching and e-learning that is occurring during the COVID-19 quarantine, I...

Passing the torch! We are finishing up the 2019-2020 school year, and Lauren and Rhys are moving on up. We meet two of our next podcast hosts, Naomi and Zoie! These 7th grade students will take the lead next year, and join two other students to be our Season 3 leaders. We sadly say goodbye to the 8th graders and discuss how it all went with Lauren and Rhys in our second podcast season. The student...

It's Friday! Here's our Weekly Trivia question and Wacky Facts. Only one more week after this one! This week: Why do we puke? + Facts on Growth & Reproduction. BACKGROUND To supplement remote teaching and e-learning that is occurring during the COVID-19 quarantine, I am putting together a sample of some of the "Fun Friday" activities that usually occur within our Health classroom. I was going...

Quarantine Continues Another remote recording! This year's hosts meet online again to have their weekly conversation during the pandemic. Rhys takes the lead to discuss the current COVID situation, celebrating things like birthdays during the pandemic, and trying to find fun ways of coping through this time. We will hear from the teens two more times as we end this school year and head into summer...

Another end to the week! Here's our Weekly Trivia question and Wacky Facts for Friday. This week: What's a booger? + Wacky Questions. BACKGROUND To supplement remote teaching and e-learning that is occurring during the COVID-19 quarantine, I am putting together a sample of some of the "Fun Friday" activities that usually occur within our Health classroom. I was going to just record these for stude...

Another Week in Quarantine We continue with our remote recordings! This year's hosts, Salil, Shauna, Lauren, and Rhys all meet online again to have their weekly conversation during the pandemic. Shauna takes the lead this time to discuss the possibility and ramifications of phasing out of social distancing. The group also examines moving into summer and beyond as well as more ways of coping throug...

Friday again! Check out our Weekly Trivia question and Wacky Facts. This week: What is earwax? + Wacky Criminals. BACKGROUND To supplement remote teaching and e-learning that is occurring during the COVID-19 quarantine, I am putting together a sample of some of the "Fun Friday" activities that usually occur within our Health classroom. I was going to just record these for students in my virtual cl...

Life in Quarantine Another remote recording! This year's hosts, Salil, Shauna, Lauren, and Rhys all meet online to have their weekly conversation during the pandemic. Lauren takes the lead this time to discuss the scale of this world event, social media, e-learning, new habits, and positive ways of coping through this time. We will hear from the teens each week through the end of the school year t...

It's Friday! Check out our Weekly Trivia question and Wacky Facts. This week: What is spit? + Funny State Laws. BACKGROUND To supplement remote teaching and e-learning that is occurring during the COVID-19 quarantine, I am putting together a sample of some of the "Fun Friday" activities that usually occur within our Health classroom. I was going to just record these for students in my virtual clas...

COVID-19 Quarantine Recording! We made it happen! This year's hosts, Salil, Shauna, Lauren, and Rhys all meet remotely to have a conversation about the pandemic, how it put a halt on not just the podcast but also the school year, and their thoughts and coping mechanisms in the meantime. It's great to hear from the teens again and get insight on their social and mental health during this difficult...

Another Fun Friday! Check out our Weekly Trivia question and Wacky Facts. This week: Why do we sweat? + The Earth & Outer Space. BACKGROUND Sadly, the COVID-19 quarantine has put a hold on the student-led podcasts for Season 2. However, to supplement the remote teaching and e-learning that is occurring, I will put together a sample of some of the "Fun Friday" activities that usually occur with...