MySpace

The kids are going to shoot me for saying this, but a great way to find out what is going on in their lives is find out if they have a blog of their own on myspace.com or xanga.com.

Be warned that sometimes kids just spout off, but sometimes what they are saying is what they really mean. And they may have lyrics or music or words that would make Grandma blush, but it's called "myspace" for a reason. The great thing is we can look inside their world without knocking first.

Of course, it's always the best to keep working on your relationship with the kids you work with. The best times I've ever had was over a coffee or cheeseburger talkin' 'bout life. Then they know that they can talk to you about the stuff that really matters to them.