WORLD OF GIRLS

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Many girls are staggering under the pressure of jam-packed schedules, hours of homework, heightened expectations, demanding social lives and far too little sleep.  Maturing into a successful young woman is full of stressors and girls in this generation are pioneers in learning how to make it all work and still become successful both inside and outside of the classroom. 

Their anxiety level is only heightened by the unrealistic standard of what it means to “have it all." This class is designed to help you understand the new culture of girls today as well as strategies for helping them achieve their dreams.

This course is appropriate for K-12 teachers, administrators, support staff and parents.   

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon completion of this course, participants will have:

1. Define and describe nervous energy and the toll of hidden stress.
2. Define and acknowledge the cultural pressures on girls. 
3. Understand family dynamics and the perceived need to prove oneself. 
4. Research vulnerabilities to stress and the behaviors that respond to it.
5. Define and describe girls that are perfectionistic.  
6. Define and describe girls that are easily distractible.
7. Define, describe and acknowledge underlying belief systems that create insecurity.  
8. Learn to recognize behaviors that are signals of stress.
9. Learn the value of empathy when working with girls.
10. Understand and learn how to create empowering relationships.
11. Learn how to help girls build confidence in themselves.
12. Multiple strategies to help identify stress.
13. Have a list of resources available.   

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Completion of all specified assignments is required for issuance of hours or credit.  The Heritage Institute does not award partial credit. 

HOURS EARNED:
Completing the basic assignments (Section A. Information Acquisition) for this course automatically earns participant’s their choice of CEUs (Continuing Education Units), Washington State Clock Hours, Oregon PDUs, or Pennsylvania ACT 48 Hours. The Heritage Institute offers CEUs and is an approved provider of Washington State Clock Hours, Oregon PDUs, and Pennsylvania ACT 48 Hours.

UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT INFORMATION

REQUIREMENTS FOR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
Continuing Education Quarter credits are awarded by Antioch University Seattle (AUS). AUS requires 75% or better for credit at the 400 level and 85% or better to issue credit at the 500 level. These criteria refer both to the amount and quality of work submitted.

1. Completion of Information Acquisition assignments 30%
2. Completion of Learning Application assignments 40%
3. Completion of Integration Paper assignment 30%

CREDIT/NO CREDIT (No Letter Grades or Numeric Equivalents on Transcripts)
Antioch University Seattle (AUS) Continuing Education Quarter credit is offered on a Credit/No Credit basis; neither letter grades nor numeric equivalents are on a transcript. 400 level credit is equal to a "C" or better, 500 level credit is equal to a "B" or better. This information is on the back of the transcript.

AUS Continuing Education quarter credits may or may not be accepted into degree programs. Prior to registering determine with your district personnel, department head, or state education office the acceptability of these credits for your purpose.

ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATION

REQUIRED TEXT

Stressed-Out Girls:  Helping Them Thrive in the Age of Pressure  from Amazon for approximately $8. 

• Stressed-Out Girls: Helping Them Thrive in the Age of Pressure

  ISBN# 0143037765
  by Cohen-Sandler, Roni
  
  Buy from Amazon

MATERIALS FEE

Text, • Course text: Stressed-Out Girls: Helping Them Thrive in the Age of Pressure by Roni Cohen-Sandler, Ph.D. • A complementary text of your choice. This can be purchased new or used from any source or borrowed from your district staff development or city library. Approximately $8 for the required course text from Amazon.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR TEACHING THIS COURSE:

Jacquie Johansson graduated with a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Gonzaga University in 1990, and for the past 24 years, she has worked for Spokane Public Schools as an elementary school counselor. During her tenure, she has dealt extensively with students of trauma and poverty, as well as gifted students and those from high income backgrounds.  

Jacquie is the co-founder and vice-president of Continuing-Credits, Inc., which develops and facilitates dynamic workshops across the Pacific Northwest.  Since the start of the company 14 years ago, she, along with her teaching partner Lori Gibson, has created and taught a vast variety of courses; the emphasis is counseling skills aimed at working with both students and staff.

Jacquie’s overarching mission, both as a counselor and an educator, is to produce classes that support knowledge and develop strategies necessary to work successfully with the entire spectrum of students and parent community with an end goal of constructing a safe, welcoming, and optimal learning environment for everyone.  As test scores become increasingly important in the school setting, educators need skills to build relationships quickly and effectively with students and staff. 

Drawing upon her experience as an elementary and secondary school counselor as well as an instructor at the university level, Jacquie is able to connect to students, parents, and staff.  Her fresh, fun approach to practical problem-solving provides useful techniques that can be implemented immediately.  Jacquie keeps current on new research, which she synthesizes with time-proven information to help educators structure a high-achieving classroom, and in turn, produce high-achieving students.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

WORLD OF GIRLS

Pipher, Mary.  Reviving Ophelia. New York.  Ballantine. (1994)

Pipher tackles the tough subject of why, more than ever before, American adolescent girls are prey to depression, eating disorders, addictions and suicide attempts.  Pipher, a clinical psychologist who has studied girls for 20+ years tackles, their issues and examines the obsessed, media-saturated “girl poisoning” cultures we live in.  The individual case studies, in this book, make for a fascinating read and also create greater awareness of how we treat and respond to girls, especially during the adolescent years.

Simmons, Rachel. Odd Girl Out. New York: Harcourt, Inc. (2002)

In this excellent book, Simmons examines the hidden culture of aggression in girls.  Gossip, notes, exclusion, nasty looks and how our culture still has unspoken rules for the sexes. Simmons shows that the secret world of girls’ aggression is just as harmful as that of boys, but is harder to recognize.  Girls are not encouraged to express their anger and so it goes underground.  This book also gives a voice to girls who struggle with everyday friendship and developmental issues.

Wiseman, Rosalind. Queen Bees & Wannabes. New York: Crown Publishers. (2002)

Wiseman has become internationally recognized for her groundbreaking work exploring the social world of girls. The Queen Bee, The Wanna Bee, The Sidekick, The Banker, The Floater etc. are a creative way to define the distinct roles that  define each member of a clique.  The work also addresses the hidden world of aggression that creates competition and angst with the clique. This research is easy to read, humorously presented, and very informative..

Wiseman, Rosalind. Queen Bee Moms & King Pin Dads. New York: Crown Publishers. (2006)

In addition to her internationally recognized work around the culture of girls, Wiseman is the cofounder of the Empower Program, a nonprofit organization that empowers youth to stop violence. This is book presents some ground breaking research and is filled with the kind of true stories that made Queen Bees & Wannabes, impossible to put down.  She explores some instances of outrageously bad parenting and gives examples of what to do when parents are overly involved in their children’s lives.