The Teacher’s Role

What Should Educators Do?

Address questions my students have.

Make sure they have accurate information.

Keep lines of communication open to talk about topics they have been exposed to around alcohol.

Central Office and parents always need to be kept abreast about how these topics will be addressed and when they will be addressed.

As our access to the world becomes greater, our children are exposed to many “adult” aspects of society at an earlier age. In response to this access, we need to begin discussion about the risks of underage drinking at an earlier age. We need to respond in developmentally appropriate ways to help children understand what they are being exposed to.

The Ask, Listen, Learn program has been an asset in helping facilitate conversations with my students. The concepts addressed in the program are age appropriate including positive messaging that kids need to make healthy decisions and which includes saying NO to underage drinking as well as exercising, eating right and keeping up with their schoolwork.

Our physical education classes introduced the interactive game to students, allowing them to interact with the information in a variety of ways. When the students returned to their classrooms, teachers talked with the students about the information shared with them. Questions in the early years focused on habits within their own family. In the upper elementary grades students were more focused on the aspects of peer pressure, underage drinking, and the damaging effects of alcohol on the brain.

Questions from our parent community surrounded how to address the questions from their children about having wine with dinner and adult gatherings. This serves as an opportunity for parents to reflect on their habits within the home and in social settings and merging the message about not engaging in underage drinking.

Mary Begley

Mary Begley

Principal
Arlington Science Focus School

Jenn Hall

Jenn Hall

Physical Education Teacher
Arlington Science Focus School
Project Fit America All Star
Teacher/Regional Trainer

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