How the Parkland Kids are Teaching Adults to Shut Up and Listen

Are you a trend-spotter? If so, you’ve probably noticed the hottest new thing: listening. Listening is hot. It’s about to blow up bigger than mindfulness, even. It’s been lurking backstage, this “listening” trend, biding its time as we saturate ourselves with news feeds and social updates and Kardashian-Jenner product shills. Maybe you caught a whiff with the…

Instead of Arming Teachers, Let Them Care About Kids

Remember how in the ‘80s, we played records backward so we could “hear the voice of the devil”? Remember that shrieky cacophony? That’s the sound in my head when people say that to prevent school shootings, we need to arm teachers. They’ve got it in reverse. Adding more threat of violence to the dynamic in today’s schools is…

What to Do If Your Teen is Cutting Class

Algebra = not fun. Nipping out to McDonald’s = fun. AP history = so not fun. Hiding in the woods with friends during third block = extra fun. Chemistry = torture. Sleeping through the snooze button in a soft, warm bed = absolute bliss. Your average high schooler might use these equations to explain why…

I Was a Suicidal Teen. This is What Changed My Mind

When I read headlines about celebrities who have died by suicide, my first emotion isn’t sadness. It’s recognition — a gut-level click of understanding. My first thought? “I get it, friend.”   Is it not kosher to say that in public? Good. All the more reason to tell the truth. Given the rising suicide rates, it’s more important than…