After children graduate

Radio Commentary

If you have an empty nest because your last child has left the house, that doesn’t mean that you can’t continue to support education in your community.

In fact, it’s a great time to stay involved, make a strong contribution, and stay young at heart.

As a start, keep up with issues that affect local children. If you can, get involved in the school activities of your neighbors’ children, your nieces and nephews, or friends’ children or grandchildren.

Remember that strong schools make strong communities. Educated young people make our entire society healthier. By helping them, we are investing in our future together.

How can you help?

Children of all ages love to have fans attend their soccer games or basketball games. Cheering for local children can also be an opportunity for you to keep in contact with various neighbors and community happenings.

Think of interesting ways you can participate in school programs. Share your special talents. If you are a photographer, give a seminar to the yearbook staff.

Or maybe you have connections to interesting local companies that would make for great field trips.

We can all serve as volunteers and mentors in our local schools. We can provide an extra set of hands to help in the office, or an extra set of ears to help children with reading.

            This nation was built on a foundation of community support for local schools. It is what keeps our democracy strong and vital. And it will continue to do so — with the help of all involved.

Students celebrate local company's technology grants

Leaders of the software company QAD joined students, educators, and community members at El Camino School on Wednesday, May 14, to celebrate the company’s “Project Upgrade” grant to support technology improvements.

Each year, the Santa Barbara-based global software company makes an investment in innovative projects that allow students to spend hands-on time with technology. El Camino, an elementary school in the Goleta Union School District, received $28,768 this year from QAD, which has provided grants directly to schools on the South Coast since 2005.

When QAD Vice President Murray Ray asked the students if they had any questions for him, the responses included: “What can you do with a 3D printer?” “Is what you do at QAD hard?” “Did you have to persevere?” Ray shared the story of his journey from a small mining town in Australia and talked about how, through education, he was able to leave his town and find success in business.

“QAD is committed to supporting the communities in which its employees work,” Ray said. “QAD’s community involvement goal is to provide assistance that is consistent with our core values of partnership with our customers, commitment to excellence, innovation, global teamwork, integrity, and respect for the individual. Our support for the community is focused on funding nonprofit organizations at the intersection of children, education and technology.”

Local schools are invited to apply to QAD yearly. The Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO) assists with outreach and grant-writing support, and then a committee of employees at QAD reviews each application, performs site visits, and ultimately narrows down the competitive field.

“The Santa Barbara County Education Office is proud to help QAD coordinate these grants each year,” said county Superintendent of Schools Bill Cirone. “The company’s investments in education help local teachers and students learn the 21st century technologies that are essential for success in school and the workplace. This kind of enlightened business leadership also supports the local economy by helping to assure a strong, capable workforce in the future.”

As this year’s Project Upgrade recipient, El Camino Elementary will receive $28,768 in grant funding to purchase 10 iPads, 12 laptops, 12 electronic sensors for science research, a large-screen TV, and a 3D printer. The school has already invested heavily in technology and science education, as it currently has a computer lab with a computer teacher, a science lab with a science teacher, 42 iPads, 26 desktop computers, 34 laptops, and 20 robotics kits.

“El Camino School is an amazing place. There’s a spirit and energy that supports our expectation that every child can learn. There’s a visible desire to go above and beyond every day in an atmosphere of high expectations and purposeful goal-setting for every child, “ said Superintendent William Banning of the Goleta Unified School District. “Now we add QAD to the growing list of partners who understand what value the business community can bring to powerful public education. We truly appreciate QAD’s support of the school’s recently renovated science lab. This grant will go a long way to integrating our science instruction with 21st century learning skills and the tools that support them.”

The school joins an illustrious list of previous winners: Isla Vista and Ellwood School (2013); Aliso, Canalino, and Carpinteria Family schools (2012); Brandon (2011); La Patera (2010); Franklin (2009); Cesar Chavez (2008); McKinley (2007); Harding (2006); and Adams (2005).

QAD is a local leader in educational investments. In addition to the Project Upgrade grants, the SBCEO Teachers Network program was awarded $5,884 this year to fund QAD TeachNet grants that support teachers who are innovative leaders in using technologies and the Internet to support student learning and success.

In addition to the company’s financial support, QAD employees volunteer as advisors, tutors, mentors, guest speakers, mock job interview subjects, and career-day participants in Goleta, Santa Barbara, and Carpinteria schools.

Change for own sake

Radio Commentary

        Will Rogers once said, “Schools aren’t as good as they used to be — but they never were.” The highly respected author Michael Norman agrees.
He said there is danger in the common notion that schools are so bad that any change will be for the better.
Norman contends our schools have been asked to do more than any other school system in the world: We are the only country committed to educating ALL children. 
Do we know how to teach students to read, write, and compute? YES, Norman says.

Do we practice what we know in every classroom? NO. And sometimes that’s because social and financial problems prevent it, he says. 

Instead of major change for its own sake, we must narrow the distance between what we know and how consistently we apply it. 
There’s a big difference between change and progress. In fact, resisting certain changes may be more progressive than adopting them. 
Author Michael Fullan studied innovations and changes in American education over three decades.
He believes that any attempt to reform or change schools must be rooted in two areas: what we know about how humans learn, and what we expect all students to know and be able to do as a result of their schooling.

The rest is just glitter. It’s change without progress.

Verbal and nonverbal messages

Radio Commentary

Communication has two parts, verbal and nonverbal. Both aspects convey vital information to the listener.

Verbal, of course, is the portion that is spoken out loud. It includes the words used and how they are put together.

Nonverbal communication is everything else — it includes facial expression, tone of voice, eye contact, posture, hand movements, and other indications of meaning, whether intended or not. 

For this reason, it’s important to be very aware of what tone of voice you are using when you speak to your children.  

Often it’s not what you say but how you say it that conveys your underlying message.    

Children are particularly good at picking up on these cues, especially with their parents. 

Pay attention to how loudly, softly, quickly, or slowly you speak.  

Remember that you also communicate with eye contact and facial expression.  

If you are looking away it can signal that you are either preoccupied or not being completely direct.  

Saying something too quickly, or too sharply, can undermine the message.

Be sure that all your messages are consistent, in word and expression.

Drug advice

Radio Commentary

          One of the simplest parent tips is one that is often overlooked because it seems so obvious:

            Listen to your children.

            As the saying goes, there is a reason we are given two ears and one mouth.

            For parents it is tempting to reverse the ratio and do more talking than listening. After all, there is so much we want our children to learn and do. We are the source of that knowledge, and there is a powerful urge to share it often.

            And, of course, talking to children is very good for them. It helps them acquire more of the subtleties of language.

            But children also need to talk and to be heard.

When you listen carefully to what they are saying, you send the clear message, “You matter to me. I care about what you have to say. Your ideas and opinions are worthy of being heard.”

Those are powerful messages for children to absorb.

The best advice is to slow down, face your child, even get down to his level, wait, and listen carefully to what she has to say.

Avoid the temptation to talk over your children. Don’t finish their thoughts, even if their speech is halting or they are searching for words. Let them find the words on their own, or help with some prompting.

Don’t hurry your child to get on with it. Be patient. The time you spend listening will bear long-terms dividends for both of you.

Hazelden programs save lives and families

Newspaper column

I have been a long – and strong – supporter of the addiction-treatment and recovery programs for adolescents and young adults at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, largely because of the enormous impact the services have made on young people and their families, near and far, struggling with the true nightmare of addiction.

Hazelden’s locations across the country help people at all stages in the treatment and recovery process. The programs provide substance abuse treatment, recovery support services, professional education, addiction research, prevention and intervention services, and public policy advocacy.

Since its founding in 1949 in a Minnesota lakeside farmhouse, it has become one of the world’s largest and most respected private, not-for-profit alcohol and drug addiction treatment providers. Its focus has now become an increased dedication to services for youth.

“With profound and pressing needs, young people are at the forefront of Hazelden’s efforts today,” explained Jim Steinhagen, vice president of youth services at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. 

“In the United States alone, millions of young people meet the criteria for admission to treatment but very few receive the services they need,” he said. “Beyond the sheer magnitude of the problem, we know from experience that young people need developmentally appropriate, clinically integrated approaches that address their specific and complex treatment needs.”

In fact, Hazelden has taken the lead in addressing the needs of young people and their families. It has expanded services to offer more outpatient programs in more locations, expanded residential services to serve more females, and put more recovery supports in place for both young people and their families. 

The young people who have taken part in the program provide the best testament to its successes. One young woman said: “It saved my life. I don’t think I’d be alive if I didn’t come here.” Said a young man: “Before Hazelden, I didn’t know how to interact with people without drugs involved.”

Another young person said: “People deserve second chances. They also need space and time and positive people around them.” He added, “Hazelden taught me not only is hope possible, but you deserve it. I’m no longer a hopeless drug addict. Now I’m a drug-less hope addict.” 

The program is straightforward: Treat the whole person as well as the illness, treat every person with dignity and respect, continue a commitment to the Twelve Step fellowship, be of service, and remain open to innovation.

Hazelden is also committed to supporting families and young people beyond treatment. The unique Lasting Recovery Model provides ongoing recovery support to help during the long journey to lasting recovery.

Sadly, a new study shows that many parents underestimate the risks associated with alcohol and drug use in their children. As the incidence of youth drug and alcohol abuse continues to grow, many parents say they are uninformed — and even unconcerned — about the threat to their children. Some parents in the survey seemed overly confident they would recognize signs of use among their children.

Dr. Audrey Klein, executive director of Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation’s Butler Center of Research, said these findings are particularly worrisome “given the consequences of teen alcohol and other drug abuse — including poor performance in school, a higher rate of accidents, unintentional overdose, violence, sexual trauma and legal issues — and, unfortunately in some cases, even death.” 

She said research shows that parental involvement is effective in preventing chemical use and addiction among young people, “yet this national survey revealed a remarkable lack of parental awareness and concern about this important issue.”

Often, parents find out too late, and then know very little about how to deal with the emerging family trauma. The study showed that one in five parents admitted they did not know where to turn for help if their child is struggling with alcohol or drugs. That’s why it is so crucial for parents to know reputable resources and options that are available.

Hazelden’s Adolescent and Young Adult Services in Plymouth, Minn., one of the most highly respected and acclaimed of those options, has proven to be a lifesaver for thousands of families through the years. 

The facility is youth-friendly in a way that makes recovery possible. The variable-length-of-stay program is intensive, but there are ways for kids to be kids, and young people to find sober fun. The state-of-the-art fitness facility has a gym with a rock-climbing wall, a weight room, and basketball courts. There is a bookstore, a music room, and arts and crafts rooms, in addition to the classrooms. Young people who attended said they initially worried it would be scary, dark and uncomfortable, but found it was tremendously comfortable, cheerful, and supportive. 

During the treatment program for 12- to 25-year-olds, the highly trained staff members offer help in a personal and caring way.

Said Jim Steinhagen, “Hazelden helps restore hope, healing, and health to people affected by addiction to alcohol and other drugs. We’ve been told by young people who’ve turned to us for help that Hazelden is a place of fresh starts. Our ultimate task is to help these young people become who they’re meant to be and achieve all they’re capable of in their lifetime.” He said that whether through clinical care, published resources, research, or education, he hopes parents will know that Hazelden can be a place of fresh starts for the young people they care about.

As one teen said, maybe most poignantly of all: “There is a way to get better. There is a way to be happy again.”

Further information about the program is available at info@hazelden.org or by calling (800) 257-7800 any time, any day. For local families seeking a treatment option, it’s helpful to know there is help and there is hope.

Listen to your kids

Radio Commentary

           One of the simplest parent tips is one that is often overlooked because it seems so obvious:

            Listen to your children.

            As the saying goes, there is a reason we are given two ears and one mouth.

            For parents it is tempting to reverse the ratio and do more talking than listening. After all, there is so much we want our children to learn and do. We are the source of that knowledge, and there is a powerful urge to share it often.

            And, of course, talking to children is very good for them. It helps them acquire more of the subtleties of language.

            But children also need to talk and to be heard.

When you listen carefully to what they are saying, you send the clear message, “You matter to me. I care about what you have to say. Your ideas and opinions are worthy of being heard.”

Those are powerful messages for children to absorb.

The best advice is to slow down, face your child, even get down to his level, wait, and listen carefully to what she has to say.

Avoid the temptation to talk over your children. Don’t finish their thoughts, even if their speech is halting or they are searching for words. Let them find the words on their own, or help with some prompting.

Don’t hurry your child to get on with it. Be patient. The time you spend listening will bear long-terms dividends for both of you.

I Madonnari

Radio Commentary

           The plaza of the Old Mission will again come to colorful life when Santa Barbara’s Italian Street Painting Festival is celebrated over Memorial Day weekend, May 24 to 26.

I Madonnari, which is part Renaissance fair, part performance art, and one of Santa Barbara's most popular open-air festivals, will once again transform the plaza at the Mission over Memorial Day weekend.

            My office sponsors the program, run through our Children’s Creative Project, as a continuing means of fostering art education and expression for young and old alike.

            It is also a major fund-raiser for the Children’s Creative Project.

The Project uses professional artists-in-residence to provide quality arts instruction in the visual and performing arts.

The Project also brings professional performing arts groups to Santa Barbara to work with our school children.

These performers reach some 40,000 children in scores of elementary schools every year.

The Children’s Creative Project is more essential than ever. Every dollar raised is used to support visual and performing arts instruction in our schools.

            At the I Madonnari festival, pavement squares sponsored by businesses and organizations are made available for local artists, architects, and school children.

            Don’t miss out on this local tradition, starting May 24 at the Santa Barbara Mission.