By Steve Dornbach, Director of Programs – Teacher Frontiers
When students ask me, “Mr. Dornbach, why did you go into teaching?” My response is always quick and always the same, “Court ordered.” I go on to say, “I made some bad decisions in my life and the judge gave me a choice: ‘Teach kids or do some hard time.’ So I chose to teach.” READ MORE
The Ripple Effect, By Joe Cavanaugh, Founder and CEO
More than 20 years ago, I was leading a Youth Frontiers Wisdom Retreat for Kennedy High School in Bloomington, Minn. For me, it was a typical day at work. I met some great students. Along with the other YF staff that day, we led the 12th-graders through the retreat as they slowly left their comfort zones. They listened to our stories of overcoming obstacles, discussed their school’s challenges in small groups and, eventually, shared carefully chosen words of responsibility and commitment in front of their classmates at the end of the retreat.READ MORE
The Teachers’ Lounge, a Youth Frontiers podcast hosted by Sally Koering, dives into meaningful topics relevant to teachers, parents and those invested in the growth and well being of young people. Our 14th episode features a conversation with Dr. Charlene Myklebust, an educator who has worked in the field of education for decades with a wide array of titles and responsibilities.
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“My son used to love reading when he was a little guy,” a mom recently lamented. “Now I honestly can’t remember the last time he read for fun.”
This parent isn’t alone in expressing concern about her child’s waning interest in reading as he grows older. The latest reports point to steep drops in literary reading and reading for pleasure among 15 to 24-year-olds in the United States. In addition to a marked decline over the last couple of decades, recent data shows that reading for fun drops precipitously from childhood to the teenage years.READ MORE
By Andrew Zhao, Youth Frontiers Retreat Director
As a high school senior, most of my evenings were spent fully living up my youth with friends. One Saturday, I was sitting at Baker’s Square in my hometown of Palatine, Illinois enjoying some pie with a couple of buddies when my friend Jonathan called.READ MORE
By Joe Cavanaugh, Founder and CEO
Before my daughter Tess was born, I was always running from here to there, trying to accomplish as much as possible in what felt like as little time as possible. Sitting quietly, reflecting or meditating do not come naturally to me. Even when I would try to pause, far too often, the everyday pressures and daily grind would begin to creep in, swiftly ending my attempts to slow down and breathe.READ MORE