Rosalind Wiseman's Blog, page 57

Does Social Networking Have a Place at School?

Image Property of Slate.com

A friend of mine sent me the link to a thought provoking article on Slate.com this weekend entitled "Fifth Period is Facebook: Why Schools Should Stop Blocking Social Networking Sites." The article makes the argument that school administrations waste their time trying to prevent kids from their natural impulse to find ways to communicate with each other using this kind of technology, and miss a huge opportunity to channel this energy into using the social...

A Girl's Life with Rachel Simmons Premieres December 30!

Rosalindwiseman.com guest blogger Rachel Simmons is the host of the new PBS documentary, "A Girl's Life," which takes viewers inside the lives of four teen girls as they face personal struggles with body image, cyberbullying, gang violence and education.

Girls entering adulthood in the next decade will see more opportunities than today's women ever imagined. Will these girls stride confidently through newly opened doors, or are they destined to be stunted by societal messages that tell them...

A Holiday Homecoming for Michael Brewer

We all have moments when we see something in the news that makes our hearts heavy. When we come face to face with the fact that there are people among us–even young people–who do malicious and evil things. I definitely had one of those moments in October when I read about 15-year-old Michael Brewer being doused with rubbing alcohol and set on fire by three boys who lived in his neighborhood while six other children watched.

In spite of having burns over two thirds of his body, I read some...

Juice & Abuse: Why "Jersey Shore" Isn't Just a Joke

Admittedly, I have a history of being overly analytical of media — particularly anything that features alcohol, grinding, mascara-streaked cheeks, and copious amounts of eyeliner. And, in light of my tendency towards criticism, my hour-long adoration of MTV's newest reality show, The Jersey Shore, becomes even more surprising.

The Jersey Shore brings together four male and four female 20-something Italian-Americans to spend the summer at a party house on the Shore. It's a little like The Real...

I Don't Want to Discuss My Health Problem

Rosalind Wiseman answers a question from a middle school girl who takes medication that makes her get bruises all over her body. Because of this she has to sit out sometimes in gym, and is self-conscious when changing. How can she get everyone to stop staring at her?

Rosalind's Podcast with Parenting Author Annie Fox

Earlier this week, Rosalind spoke with parenting educator, author, and online adviser Annie Fox about the new edition of Queen Bees & Wannabes and getting to the bottom of the motivations behind cruel or irresponsible use of technology among middle schoolers.

Annie Fox is the author of such books as Middle School Confidential and The Teen Survival Guide to Dating and Relating, and she works with parents, educators, and teens to empower young people to develop into socially and mentally...

My Best Friend & I Are Growing Apart!

Rosalind answers a question from a girl whose best friend has started to ignore her at school. She's sick of this treatment but sad to be losing someone she was so close to. What should she do?

Does Ellen's Cosmetic Comedy Send the Wrong Message?

Media literacy is on the rise in the halls of the high school where I teach. Students often tell me that they "can't watch television anymore" because they are analyzing the media and cannot "just enjoy" the show, video, or music. Having just come off three days of analyzing music videos, it was not surprising when the students burst into my classroom and asked if I had seen the new Ellen Degeneres commercial for Cover Girl. In fact I had not, so we gathered around a computer to watch her ...

My Teacher is So Rude!

Rosalind answers a question from a girl whose geography teacher is consistently disrespectful to her class. She doesn't feel right about it but doesn't know who to talk to. What are her options?

I Don't Want to Be Friends with Her!

Rosalind answers a question from a high school girl who doesn't want to be friends with a girl in her grade. But it seems like every time she's even a little bit nice to her, this girl thinks they are BFFs! Is it even possible to let her down nicely?