Best of the Web: Mental Health Concerns over VCE, and more

Stressful VCE could be making depression, anxiety worse among kids: psychologist

(Rachel Wells, The Age)

There are calls for a review of the way we assess VCE students, following new figures showing that a record number of students are completing the VCE without an ATAR. This trend has been linked to increased anxiety about exams, and alternative ways to enter university. Associate Professor Chris Davey from Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, has called for the curriculum authority to consult more closely with mental health professionals in setting the VCE, with the aim of improving the wellbeing of students.

Where is the hope? Perhaps in our children.

(Shannon Henry Kleiber, The Washington Post)

The author has spent the past few months exploring the idea of hope, for a national public radio show in the United States, inspired by the idea that hope is found in our teenagers. They are the ones who are not pretending everything is okay – and are trying to do something about it. One of her favourite interviews was with 17-year-old activist Lydia Hester, who can’t vote yet but as led protests on gun reform and women’s rights.

New approach to children’s anxiety treats parents instead of children

(Kasey Edwards, The Age)

The anxiety felt by a child can be gut-wrenching for a parent to watch. The first instinct may be  to step in, and make the child feel better. That understandable reaction can have a negative longer-term consequence, making them less likely to overcome anxiety over time. This article explores how parents can change their own behaviours to help their child, including a new approach being trialled by Yale Medical School.

Fellow motorists, please don’t ‘help’ children cross the road. This is why

(Merryn Porter, Essential Kids)

It’s a common scene on our streets: a motorist stopping to wave children to cross the road, where there is no crossing. The message from the author is clear – don’t do it. She’s lost count of the near misses she’s witnessed, with other drivers unaware of what’s happening. It gives children a false sense of security, and could encourage them to ignore road rules.

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