If You Can – Media room

GreatSchools Cohosts Google+ Hangout: “Bullyproofing Your Child in School and Online”

Part of online series Emotional Smarts: Conversations on Parenting

In the fourth of our series, Emotional Smarts: Conversations on Parenting, two experts share their secrets for banishing bullying: helping parents know how to protect their kids whether in school or online.

We’ve all heard the stories on the media and sometimes over the kitchen table. But what’s a parent supposed to do about this “national epidemic” that strikes so close to home?

In honor of National Bullying Prevention Month, GreatSchools and Social Moms have invited two of the country’s most informed experts to help parents understand what they can really do to prevent (and stop) bullying in their own child’s life.

Join Emily Bazelon, author of Sticks and Stones, and Maurice Elias, author of Emotionally Intelligent Parenting, in conversation with GreatSchools Executive Editor Carol Lloyd to explore the myths, tips, and best practices around bullying that every parent should know.

Join us on Wednesday, October 29 — and jump in with your questions — for a discussion on how to bullyproof your child.

Join us! Who, when, where details…

Featuring

Emily Bazelon, author of Sticks and Stones

Maurice Elias, author of Emotionally Intelligent Parenting

Moderated by Carol Lloyd, Executive Editor at GreatSchools

Wednesday, October 29, 11:00-11:30 AM PST (2:00-2:30 pm EST)

RSVP to: http://bit.ly/BESRSVP

Join our #emotionalsmarts live chat on Twitter.

How does our Google+ Hangout work?

Just sign up via http://bit.ly/BESRSVP and add your questions, then log on at 11 am PST Wednesday, October 29th to participate. In this unique forum, you’re invited to join the video conversation by contributing advance and real-time questions and comments via the Google+ Hangout page or via Twitter using the hashtag #emotionalsmarts. If you can’t make the live event, no problem, you can watch it later on GreatSchools or SocialMoms.

About our Emotional Smarts series

GreatSchools, SocialMoms, and social emotional learning consultant Jessica Berlinski created the Emotional Smarts series of Google+ Hangouts to bring together some of the most insightful voices in parenting, education, and other fields to talk about developing emotional intelligence in our kids — and ourselves. Our past hangouts have included a chat about dealing with anger in the family with America’s Supernanny Deborah Tillman and Marc Brackett from the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, a discussion of the benefits of letting kids fail with former NBA star Adonal Foyle and NBC parenting expert Michele Borba, and inspirational ideas for a happy school year with family happiness gurus and authors Christine Carter and Bruce Feiler. For each hangout, we pair experts with divergent views to explore a common parenting theme and offer practical wisdom and tactical advice.

About the participants:

Emily Bazelon is a staff writer at the New York Times Magazine, the Truman Capote Fellow for Creative Writing and Law at Yale Law School, and a former senior editor at Slate. Her groundbreaking investigative journalism (and knack for storytelling), coupled with her extensive legal knowledge, make her one of the leading authorities on the shifting landscape of bullying in the cyber age: What constitutes bullying? What can parents, teachers, and educators do about it? What role can personality traits — such as grit, character, and empathy — play in overcoming childhood trauma and finding social success? Her 2010 Slate coverage of the suicide of Phoebe Prince, a Massachusetts high school student whose suicide was linked to bullying, was a finalist for the 2011 Online Journalism Award from the Gannett Foundation and the 2011 Michael Kelley Award for “the fearless pursuit and expression of truth.” She has spoken to audiences from the Aspen Ideas Festival to the Texas Bar Association to TEDxWomen. She is a frequent guest on The Colbert Report. She has also appeared on Today, PBS Newshour, Morning Joe, Fresh Air, and All Things Considered. Her writing has appeared in The Atlantic, O: The Oprah Magazine, The Washington Post, and Mother Jones. Her book, Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy, has won widespread acclaim since its release in 2013 and was featured on the cover of the New York Times Book Review.

Maurice Elias, Ph.D., has been with the psychology department at Rutgers for more than 25 years in many capacities. His research focuses primarily on clinical, school, and community psychology, particularly in the area of children, adolescents, and families; design and evaluation of preventive interventions; social, cognitive, and behavioral competence; and emotional intelligence. Dr. Elias’ multiple distinguished roles include director of the Rutgers Social and Emotional Learning Laboratory and director of Rutgers Civic Engagement and Service Education Partnerships Program. Dr. Elias has co-authored several books. His latest books include Emotionally Intelligent Parenting: How to Raise a Self-Disciplined, Responsible, Socially Skilled Child; Community psychology: Linking individuals and communities; Bullying, victimization, and peer harassment: A handbook of prevention and intervention; Urban dreams: Stories of hope, resilience, and character.

Carol Lloyd, Executive Editor at GreatSchools, is an award-winning writer and editor whose work on education and family life has been published in New York Times Magazine, Salon, EdWeek, and other national outlets, as well as being featured on NPR’s Talk of the Nation, KQED’s Forum, and NBC’s Class Action.

GreatSchools is a digital media nonprofit that helps millions of parents get a great education for their children, support their children’s learning, and find great schools. Every year, GreatSchools reaches more than half of all American families with school-age children, providing school information, educational activities, articles, and videos.

SocialMoms is a digital media company with one of the world’s largest networks of women influencers — comprised of more than 45,000 bloggers, sites, and social media personalities with a combined social reach of more than 200 million. Founded in 2008 by Megan Calhoun, the company creates high-impact, custom media campaigns that shape perceptions and drive action.

Jessica Berlinski serves as Chief Impact Officer of Adaptive Health Systems (AHS), a new double bottom line company focused on scaling Dept. of Education and National Institute of Health funded evidence-based social emotional learning (SEL) games to K-12 schools nationally. As co-founder of If You Can, she supported Electronic Arts’ founder in launching the first consumer video game designed to build emotional intelligence. Berlinski speaks on scaling SEL through technology at education and social change conferences nationally and her work on SEL has been featured on NPR and in Forbes. She has a decade of experience leading organizations dedicated to supporting the “whole child” through academics and SEL.

GreatSchools Cohosts Google+ Hangout on “Back to Happy”

Part of online series Emotional Smarts: Conversations on Parenting

In the third installment of our online series, Emotional Smarts: Conversations on Parenting, two experts share their secrets for banishing back-to-school blues — and setting your family up for a happy school year.

Ah, the joys of summer: staying up late, sleeping in, staring at screens, eating sugar — and more sugar. After 12 weeks of so much free time, summer can feel like a long weekend gone bad.

There’s good reason so many of us reach our wits’ end by the time school rolls around again. Sure, we all need a break from work and school, but experts say unlimited leisure time doesn’t make people happy. Setting goals, having structure, and working hard — these unlikely tasks actually instill a true sense of happiness.

With this in mind, for back-to-school season we’re taking our cue from two happiness experts (both parents) on how to approach the school year with a renewed sense of purpose, a reduced level of stress, and an abundance of joy.

Please join us for Back to Happy — our third Emotional Smarts: Conversations on Parenting Google+ Hangout — featuring two of the nation’s most seasoned happiness pros. They’ve delved into the research and discovered how to get organized for a more streamlined, less stress-filled school year. We are proud to host Christine Carter, sociologist and author of Raising Happiness, and Bruce Feiler, author of The Secrets of Happy Families.

Carter and Feiler have made it their mission to unlock the secrets of happy families. They’ve been in the trenches, navigated their own parenting adventures, and taken their personal experiences and professional findings to make raising children a more satisfying, less stressful journey.

Join us on Wednesday, August 27 — and jump in with your questions — for a discussion on how to make the shift from back-to-school dread to a back-to-happy outlook.

Join us! Who, when, where details…

Featuring
Christine Carter, author of Raising Happiness
Bruce Feiler, author of The Secrets of Happy Families
Moderated by Carol Lloyd, Executive Editor at GreatSchools

Wednesday, August 27, 11 am PST (2pm EST)

RSVP to: http://bit.ly/back2happy
Join our #emotionalsmarts live chat on Twitter.

How does our Google+ Hangout work?

Just sign up via http://bit.ly/back2happy and add your questions, then log on at 11 am PST Wednesday, August 27th to participate. In this unique forum, you’re invited to join the video conversation by contributing advance and real-time questions and comments via the Google+ Hangout page or via Twitter using the hashtag #emotionalsmarts. If you can’t make the live event, no problem, you can watch it later on GreatSchools or SocialMoms.

About our Emotional Smarts series

GreatSchools, SocialMoms, and social emotional learning consultant Jessica Berlinski created the Emotional Smarts series of Google+ Hangouts that bring together some of the most insightful voices in parenting, education, and other fields to talk about developing emotional intelligence in our kids — and ourselves.

Our past hangouts have included a chat about dealing with anger in the family with America’s Supernanny Deborah Tillman and Marc Brackett from the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, and a discussion of the benefits of letting kids fail with former NBA star Adonal Foyle and NBC parenting expert Michele Borba. For each hangout, we pair experts with divergent views to explore a common parenting theme and offer practical wisdom and tactical advice.

About the participants:

Christine Carter, PhD is a sociologist and happiness expert at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center. She is the author of Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents and The Sweet Spot: How to Find Your Groove at Work and Home (January 2015). A sought-after motivational speaker on happiness, Carter draws on psychology, sociology, and neuroscience — and uses her own chaotic and often very funny real-world adventures — to demonstrate the do’s and don’ts in action. A popular blogger, speaker, and parent coach who offers online classes, she has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and the Dr. Oz Show. She lives with her husband and four kids near San Francisco.

Bruce Feiler is the author of six consecutive New York Times bestsellers, including The Council of Dads and Walking the Bible. For his most recent bestseller — The Secrets of Happy Families: Improve Your Mornings, Rethink Family Dinner, Fight Smarter, Go Out and Play, and Much More — he goes on a three-year journey to find the smartest ideas, cutting-edge research, and novel solutions to make his family happier. He is also the writer and host of the PBS series Walking the Bible and Sacred Journeys with Bruce Feiler; he writes for numerous publications, including The New Yorker and The New York Times. Feiler is the father of identical twin daughters.

Carol Lloyd, Executive Editor at GreatSchools, is an award-winning writer and editor whose work on education and family life has been published in New York Times Magazine, Salon, and other national outlets, as well as being featured on NPR’s Talk of the Nation, KQED’s Forum, and NBC’s Class Action.

Jessica Berlinski works with educational organizations to build awareness and scale impact in social emotional learning (SEL). As co-founder of If You Can, she supported Electronic Arts’ founder in launching the first consumer video game designed to build emotional intelligence. She has a decade of experience leading organizations dedicated to supporting the “whole child” through academics and SEL.

GreatSchools Cohosts Hangout on “Letting Kids Fail & Grow”

Part of online series Emotional Smarts: Conversations on Parenting

GreatSchools, SocialMoms, and social emotional gaming company If You Can will cohost “Letting Kids Fail & Grow” — an online parenting conversation with former NBA star and education advocate Adonal Foyle and Today Show parenting expert Michele Borba. The Google+ Hangout on Wednesday, June 4 at 2 pm EST (11 am PST) will be a wide-ranging discussion about teaching kids resilience in the face of obstacles. This is part of a new Emotional Smarts: Conversations on Parenting Google+ Hangout series.

The speakers will use their divergent life experiences and expertise to offer ideas and tips on dealing with one of the most misunderstood areas of parenting: the balance between supporting a child’s self-esteem and letting them experience (and grow from) failure. GreatSchools Executive Editor Carol Lloyd will moderate and explore questions like:

When is it okay to let kids fail, and when is it better to protect them?
How do you teach kids to learn from their failures — and turn them into successes?

The Google+ Hangout is free and open to the public. Parents and others can sign up and suggest questions, then log on at 2:00 pm EST (11:00 am PST) on June 4 to join the discussion. Participants may contribute questions and comments in advance or live via the Google+ Hangout page or on Twitter by using the hashtag #emotionalsmarts. Anyone who misses the live chat can also watch the entire conversation later.

About the participants:

Adonal Foyle is a retired professional basketball player who founded Kerosene Lamp Foundation and Democracy Matters. He is the author of a children’s book, Too-Tall Foyle Finds His Game (the first in a series based on his rise to success) and the forthcoming book, Why Players Go Broke. Foyle grew up in the tiny nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. His quest for a college education ultimately led him to the U.S. — an inspirational story of ambition, hard work, and a little bit of luck. Despite being recruited by top basketball colleges, Foyle made the unorthodox decision to attend Colgate University to focus on his education. He graduated magna cum laude from Colgate and has a Masters in Sport Psychology from John F. Kennedy University.

Michele Borba, Ed.D. is an educator and author recognized for her solution-based strategies to strengthen children’s behavior and character, build strong families, and reduce peer cruelty. A sought-after motivational speaker, she has presented workshops and keynote addresses throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific and has served as a consultant to hundreds of schools and corporations including work on U.S. Army bases in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Her proposal: “Ending School Violence and Bullying” (SB1667) was signed into California law in 2002.

Carol Lloyd, Executive Editor at GreatSchools, is an award-winning writer and editor whose work on education and family life has been widely published, including in The New York Times Magazine and “This American Life” as well as being featured on NPR’s “Talk of the Nation”, KQED’s “Forum” and NBC’s Class Action, among others.

About the Emotional Smarts series

GreatSchools, SocialMoms, and If You Can created the Emotional Smarts Google+ Hangout series to bring insightful voices in parenting, education, and other relevant fields together to talk about developing emotional intelligence in our kids — and ourselves.

In the first Emotional Smarts hangout, ivory tower met reality TV when Marc Brackett, director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, spoke with TV’s America’s Supernanny Deborah Tillman. Over the next few months, the Emotional Smarts series will pair experts with divergent views to explore parenting themes and offer practical wisdom and tactical advice.

GreatSchools is a digital media nonprofit that helps millions of parents get a great education for their children, support their children’s learning, and find great schools. Every year, GreatSchools reaches more than half of all American families with school-age children, bringing them school information, educational activities, articles, and videos.

If You Can is a new gaming company founded by Trip Hawkins, Jessica Berlinski, Stewart Bonn, and Ben Geliher. The company is dedicated to supporting and empowering children and parents to value and understand themselves and others. Its first game IF…, a social-emotional learning game for children, is now available in the Apple App Store.