New year, better me. Not new, still me, only better. That is my goal going into this new year. Reflecting on my career shift this school year prompted some soul searching about my beliefs. What do I truly believe about education? Teaching and learning? My role in all of it?
Here's what I arrived at today: I believe all students can learn. I believe that learning is rooted in relationships. I believe that everyone needs a coach. Someone who inspires, encourages, motivates and challenges them to be better. I believe that all people regardless of age need someone to teach them that they can do hard things. I believe that things don't get easier, we just get better at handling the hard things. I believe a better you, is better for everyone. I believe that I was born to make a difference in the lives of people and teaching is one way I can influence students and their families. This year I hope that each person I encounter professionally and personally, walks away from our interaction feeling better about themselves and possibilities. I'm not sure if Theodore Roosevelt really said it, but the world has attributed this quote to him and it hangs on my office wall: "Believe you can, and you're halfway there". What do you believe?
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Do you remember the last new thing you had to learn?
Do you remember how nerve wracking that felt? How defeated YOU felt? This is how some students spend each and every day in school when they are not performing like their peers. Most students are smart enough to know what they don't know, and that feels bad. It can make them feel less than good enough and it will seep into every part of their lives - even the things they are amazing at. One of the joys of teaching students of all ages is teaching the powerful, three letter word: YET. It is such a good feeling when you can retrain a child's inner voice to stop saying "I can't". I am not talking about blowing sunshine and cupcakes their way, because the truth may be - that they actually can't - YET. However, with the right coaching and encouragement they will be able to, they just can't YET. If your child needs their inner voice reshaped and some extra academic support on their path to YET, reach out today. It's one of my specialties! Sometimes younger students may act out when they feel dysregulated and don't know what to do with those big feelings. However, mid-meltdown is NOT the time to introduce breathing exercises. They won't hear you and soon you may feel yourself spiraling to regain control.
Teaching breathing exercises during calm, regulated times will teach students that it is normal to feel this way and what they can do about it. Teaching students breathing techniques opens dialogue to help them to be able to give words to those big feelings and how it makes them feel inside. The five finger breathing technique shown in the picture above is so beneficial for students to learn because it can be done anywhere at anytime and no one has to know that they need a moment to calm themselves down. They can put their hands in their lap and breathe away without drawing attention to the situation. There are many types of breathing exercises and they aren't just for children! High levels of success are dependent on staying focused on effort, instead of results. Coach John Wooden, UCLA basketball coaching legend who led his team to multiple championships became an expert on winning in his lifetime, developed an inspiring outlook on failing. He is quoted as saying, "I had mistakes, but no failures. We may not have won a championship every year and of course lost games, but we had no failures. You never fail if you did the best you were capable and gave full effort."
Teaching children how grow through challenges can be challenging, but Wooden's example is an excellent starting place. When taking a loss or experiencing defeat, teach them to ask themselves: 1. How much effort did I put into preparing myself? For this test, this skill, this sporting event, whatever it is they are working on - on a scale of 1-10, how'd I prepare? 2. What is one thing I could improve on in my preparation? Focusing on what could be done differently is much more effective use of time than beating yourself up over what went wrong. Daily focus on effort is a skill that must be taught and as we age can truly only be measured by ourselves. Considered to be one of the greatest NFL linebackers in the history of the game, Ray Lewis said, "Effort is between you and you." When I was in the classroom, I started each learning block the same way - reviewing previously learned material. Why? Because filing cabinets of course!
Have you ever noticed what happens when you start filling an empty filing cabinet with folders? All the folders in the front get pushed to the back when something new comes in. Guess what? Our brains are our filing cabinets and the same is true in there! It's the reason why kids studying for a test act like they have never even heard some of the stuff when you are reviewing together the night before. It's been a minute and some information has been sent to the back of their cabinet. Students of all ages need to bring the stuff from the back all the way to the front on a regular basis, not just the night before they may need it. Reviewing connects new learning to what was previously learned and helps to make it all make sense. Not only will this make your life easier now, it will benefit your child in the long run by setting up a healthy study habit for the future when they are able to work more independently. Why do I have to learn this? When will I ever use ___________? Raise your hand if you have either A) said this yourself or B) heard someone say it or C both.
Now as a teacher and mom, I won't say I regret saying it, but I have come to understand why we have to learn and do seemingly random things in our general education experience. John Dewey said, "Education is not preparation for life, but life itself". I wonder if it's not a little of both. I do believe what he said and that education is happening around us all the time, not just in the school building. I also believe that sometimes we don't truly see the value of what we've learned, until we realize that it did help to prepare us for life. I remember exactly when I asked this question as a student - it was during a traumatizing episode of Algebra homework and then again in Pre-Calculus as I struggled to survive. However now having come out of it and being on the other side as an academic coach and parent, I both understand and value those dreaded learning experiences. Algebra for example, is used on a daily basis, probably more than we may realize. It is the foundation of critical thinking and problem solving skills. We use algebra when shopping, dosing medication, cooking, budgeting, and even helping a child as young as first grade with homework. We learn to organize our thinking, notice patterns and craft reasonable responses when faced with a complicated situation. This is just one illustration of how important education is - all of it - even the parts that a student hasn't learned to value yet. The best educational experience will combine fun and learning. Children and adults really aren't that different when it comes to learning new things - we both want to have fun. If it isn't fun in some aspect, our brains won't engage and learning becomes farther from reality.
Parents looking to support student learning at home should spend time investigating how to make it fun! Anything can be turned into a game - I repeat, anything! What was the most fun you recall having in school? What was going on? I bet you didn't say a lecture or taking notes. Beyond just turning learning into a game, you are teaching your child how to find ways to make studying fun, at least engaging. That is a life skill that will help them in high school and life. As a teacher I have always been so amazed by the various levels of abilities that kindergarteners and first graders came to my classroom with on day one. Within the first few days of school I was able to know which students regularly participated in conversation with a grown up versus those who were simply spoken to, who was consistently read to versus who didn't realize when I had purposely handed them a book that was upside down, and who had access to pencils versus who held it like a weapon, struggling to position it just so in their little hands. These abilities are part of early literacy skills that a child needs to be successful in school. The absence of these experiences didn't make it impossible for me to teach them, but it made their lives more difficult for sure. Everything felt new and novel to them, rather than simply adding another layer to an existing foundation.
If you have toddlers at home make the time to talk, explore, draw or color and certainly share a book together each day. If your child has already entered elementary school, it's never too late to start forming better habits together. Notice their strengths and strengthen their weaknesses. My love for shopping and reading came together wonderfully when my daughter was a toddler! I would announce where we were shopping and she would notice the symbols and images on the building. Imagine my surprise as my 2 year old one day read "Publix" on the side of an 18 wheeler on the highway?!?! My little prodigy I thought! Has your little lovie ever announced "Target" upon seeing the big bullseye on the front of a certain store? Yelled STOP at the octagon shape at the intersection? Pointed out an Amazon truck? Little did I know that my daughter had matched what I said, with what she saw! This carried over to preschool when we began reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear EVERY. NIGHT. FOR. EVER. She LOVED being able to point to the words and match what she rhythmically heard me read. Environmental print awareness is KEY in building language and literacy in young children, all the while preparing them to read. One thing little kids all seem to love is a good nonsense word! Nothing brings out their giggles quicker than changing the sounds of words. Most parents would be surprised to know that manipulating the sounds of words with a 3 year old in such silly way is yet another way to lay the groundwork of building a future reader! October is right around the corner and this little song is one of my favorite ways to expose kids to rhyming and sound manipulation without them having a CLUE they are working on reading skills! Say the line with the first blank with their name correctly and on the second blank change the first letter of their name to begin with a /b/. As they catch on change it up with other members of the family, cartoon characters, the ideas are endless. Give this idea a try and let me know what you think! There are tons of ideas out there to work on literacy with your little one! If you would like to learn more about early literacy, send me a message on the Contact form! If my own experience with ADHD has taught me one thing, it's that routines are not only worth it, they work! Routines are life giving strategies that once in place, only need minor tweaking. An environment without routines is easy for me to spot. It is noticeably loud, often chaotic, the person in charge sounds like a broken record and everyone around is operating at fever pitch. Does this sound like your home? It doesn't have to.
In times of uncertainty, the fight, flight or freeze portion of the brain is engaged and ready to respond in one of those ways. A home without routines in place is a breeding ground of uncertainty. Things are lost, there are power struggles, people are yelling and it is LOUD! Simple routines can change all of that. How? 1). Morning, afternoon and nighttime routines prevent power struggles. Things can be predictable, structured and everyone knows what to expect. 2. Mom and Dad don't have to nag. There are simple, age appropriate expectations. Routines lesson repeats, even in cases where ADHD is a factor, especially in those cases! 3. Routines in place and adhered to create environments where items are lost much less often. When objects belong in a certain place, especially shared items that multiple people use daily, children and adults know where to look. I could go on and on about the peace and sunshine simple routines naturally bring to a home, a classroom, and even adult life. If you are a parent who didn't set routines with your toddler, I can imagine the power struggles that you are experiencing with your child academically and behaviorally. Routines won't solve every problem, but proactively prevent a multitude of problems. Let's work together to simplify your life. |
AuthorI am a life long learner who loves sharing what I have learned with others to make their journey easier! Archives
December 2023
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