When parents want the best for their teens, it is easy for support to turn into pressure. Adolescence is a time of rapid change, emotional growth, and increasing academic expectations. Teens need encouragement, but too much intensity can lead to stress, anxiety, and burnout. The goal is not to push harder, but to guide smarter. Helping your teen strive means creating an environment where effort is valued, mistakes are accepted, and growth feels achievable rather than overwhelming.
Many parents unintentionally equate high expectations with love, believing that pushing harder leads to better outcomes. However, research and experience often show the opposite when pressure becomes chronic. Teens may disengage, procrastinate, or experience emotional exhaustion. Learning to balance encouragement with emotional safety is essential for long-term development. This balance helps teens build internal motivation rather than relying on external approval, which is key to sustainable success in academics and life.
I hope it was free.. otherwise a total self-indulgent feel good waste of money.
This dogs should be made available for Ridgewod residents after they speak at the council meetings
Is this parody? It is not April 1st is it? Therapy dogs for midterms?????? We cant pay the teachers but we have therapy dogs for midterms?
We are dropping in the academic standings, but it’s OK… we have stress relief dogs..Of course the worst part of it all is the abundance of back slapping and self-congratulating that the teachers and school admins are giving themselves over this leading edge educational breakthrough.
It really is a silly, feel-good thing. Thank goodness they will be eliminating midterm exams next year. Colleges are going SAT optional.
Wait till they realize that colleges still have some standards. The students will be stressing over the professional curating of their short lives. What were your accomplishments in elementary school? Did you start a business, a blog or save an endangered species. There will be competition to get in on paid trips to the Dominican Republic so they can play soccer with the kids. Competition for these alternate resume building events will be intense.Get ready for a therapy kennel on campus, the competition is only changing not going away.
but some readers were far more forgiving ….
Did anyone actually bother to read the article? “The nice thing is that Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dogs is a non-profit organization, so it’s completely free to the district,” . . . “It doesn’t cost us a thing.” So I don’t think we have to worry about how it will impact the teacher’s salaries
Your comments just prove why these kids are under so much pressure and riddled with anxiety. This was a FREE event, no classes were missed, and the students loved it. Can’t they just have a minute to smile? Read the studies about therapy dogs and anxiety. What are you as parents doing to help with the anxiety and stress? Medicating them?
As a matter of fact, several students asked about how to become trainers; not to pad their resumes, but because they felt it would be a meaningful way to give to the community. The teachers- who really care about their students- were very grateful to have the dogs there.
