VIDEO: Vista parents hear what youth wish they knew in emotional video
Kudos to the students and families at Vista del Lago High School, who helped produce an emotional, insightful video in which youth share letters expressing feelings, experiences, and more they wish their parents knew and understood about them.
It's part of the school's ongoing Challenge Success initiative to combat teen stress, anxiety, and overwhelm.
Since last year, both Vista del Lago and Folsom high schools have been implementing Challenge Success, developed by Stanford University in response to the increasing number of students who were lacking the emotional skills and resiliency needed to be successful in school.
According to their vision statement "Challenge Success recognizes that our current fast-paced, high-pressure culture works against much of what we know about healthy child development and effective education. The overemphasis on grades, test scores, and rote answers has stressed out some kids and marginalized many more. We all want our kids to do well in school and to master certain skills and concepts, but our largely singular focus on academic achievement has resulted in a lack of attention to other components of a successful life-the ability to be independent, adaptable, ethical, and engaged critical thinkers."
Video: Click here to watch the video, which was used at a recent family workshop.
More info: To learn more about Challenge Success, click here.
-Daniel Thigpen, Director of Communication & Community Engagement, dthigpen@fcusd.org