We've only just begun...

A new school year represents a lot of change, of course. Young people may embrace change or not depending on how secure they're feeling. New friends, a new teacher, new academic and social challenges are all opportunities for self-development, which is exactly where young people are positioned, especially in elementary school. These changes can be somewhat stressful, but we shouldn't view the stress as all negative. The trick of dealing with stress is not necessarily trying to eliminate it (some stress can be a good thing) but learning to deal with it. Many wonderful things come from dealing with challenges, such as resilience, patience, self-confidence, responsibility, the ability to problem-solve, and increased learning. Let's commit ourselves this year to finding ways to help our young people successfully navigate some new challenges. That sounds like a challenge ;-)