Life Is The Future

The conclusion! Attraction... dating... crush interests. Luke and Tadiwa interview all four students in the final segment of this short series-- Haley and Ella are joined by Mark and Noah, and the large group of 8th graders discuss and debate binary gender behavior. This is Part 3 of the conversation about physical attraction differences in teens. RESOURCES! Teachers: Teenagers in Love Parents: Ad...

It continues! Attraction... dating... crush interests. Luke and Tadiwa interview two more students, Haley and Ella, and the four 8th graders discuss more binary gender behavior. This is Part 2 with the girls. Part 3 will conclude the topic of conversation, as all four 8th graders join our hosts in one large conversation with gender and attraction differences in mind. RESOURCES! Teachers: Teenagers...

Attraction... dating... crush interests. Luke and Tadiwa interview two other students, Mark and Noah, and the four 8th graders work through the giggles to discuss attractions and social health. This is Part 1 with the boys. Part 2 will include two 8th grade girls to continue the conversation with gender and attraction differences in mind. RESOURCES! Teachers: Teenagers in Love Parents: Adolescence...

This is a special podcast episode and our official entry for the 2019 NPR Podcast Challenge, recorded right in the Health Education classroom at Scullen Middle School. Our hosts Luke and Tadiwa take the lead and interview two other 8th grade students, Aminah and Armani. All four students give their thoughts and debate about gender differences in middle school and in life, focusing on expectations,...

Almost everyone will sustain a physical injury in life that they need to overcome. Luke and Tadiwa interview two other students, Sarah and Blake, and the four 8th graders discuss setbacks, recovery, and resiliency after injury. RESOURCES! Parents: What Physical Injury Taught Me About Mental Health Students: Got Bounce? Resiliency For Teens. Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Ed...

Decisions, decisions! Luke and Tadiwa interview two other students, Aaliya and Aryan, and the four 8th graders discuss decision making--  including choices and related topics like like academics, sports, musical interests, procrastination, and the influence of others.  RESOURCES! Decision Making Study: Teenage Brains Have a Totally Different Way of Making Decisions Rational Decision Maki...

The age of phone addictions! Luke and Tadiwa interview two other students, Sara and Mason, and the four 8th graders discuss phone use--  including overuse and addiction, friend connections, and social media. RESOURCES! Students & Teachers: Smartphone Addiction Parents: Psychology Today Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com  

Back at it in 2019! Luke and Tadiwa start off by interviewing two other students, Ella and Noah. The four 8th graders discuss teen relationships and a bunch of related topics like expectations, break-ups, media portrayal, and sexual well-being. RESOURCES! Students: LoveIsRespect. Org Parents: Coping with Teen Dating Teachers: Teaching Consent & Sex Ed in America Teaching insight, blog posts, a...

Change is inevitable. Luke and Tadiwa finish 2018 by interviewing two other students, Sydney and Tolu. The four 8th graders discuss positive items in teenage life, with a focus on what they are thankful for as well as how teens perceive and handle change. RESOURCES! Students: Coping with Emotions Parents: Surviving Your Child's Adolescence Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Edu...

What are your priorities? Luke and Tadiwa interview two other 8th grade students, Colin and Devin. All four discuss life values, with a focus on what teens tend to prioritize and the influence of friends and family in their lives. They also get into the "masks" people wear in terms of hiding or protecting our authentic self. RESOURCES! Parents: Teens Aren't Just Risk Machines Students & Parent...

The inescapable media. Luke and Tadiwa interview two other 8th grade students, Stefan and Amiah. All four discuss technology, with a focus on social media and its influence in their lives. RESOURCES! Pew Research Study: Teens & Social Media Vox Recode: Teens Are Hooked On Social Media "Irresistible": Rise of Addictive Technology Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education...

Is peer pressure always around? Luke and Tadiwa interview two other 8th grade students, Caleb and Laniyah. All four discuss peer pressure, both positive and negative, and how they manage the influence of others. RESOURCES! NIH: Monitoring the Future Study CDC: Teen Sexual Risk Behaviors Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture.com

Stress, stress, and more stress. Hosts Luke and Tadiwa interview two other 8th grade students, Gabe and Kayla. All four discuss teenage stressors and life balance, talking through what activities they juggle each week, how they perceive stress, and what they do for self-management. RESOURCES! Students: Kids Health Parents: Managing Stress in Teens Teachers: SHAPE America - SEL Teaching insight, bl...

Is vaping a gateway? Our hosts Luke and Tadiwa interview two other 8th grade students, Jack and Kayla. All four students examine drug use, focusing on vaping devices such as JUUL, and teen perceptions surrounding the topic. RESOURCES! Students: Tobacco Free Kids Parents: CDC E-Cigarettes Teachers: Taking Down Tobacco Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeI...

Who has it tougher on social media? Our hosts Luke and Tadiwa take the lead and interview two other 8th grade students, Aminah and Armani. All four students give their thoughts on gender differences and social media in middle school. RESOURCES! Parents: Common Sense Media Teachers: CyberSafe & Edutopia Teaching insight, blog posts, and more from the Health Education classroom: LifeIsTheFuture....

Getting started! We meet our first podcast hosts, Luke and Tadiwa! These 8th grade students will take the lead in weekly interviews with classmates. In practice will be Health Ed life skills of communication and advocacy to create debates and discussions on a multitude of timely topics for today's teen. Check it out and make sure to subscribe to keep up to date on our podcast episodes throughout t...