The Learning Plateau

While working with my son, I had the most amazing epiphany about his progress.  I felt as though he had hit a plateau- as if he was becoming a little complacent in his work product.  Well, I realized that this may not be all his fault.  Immediately, I thought of the phenomenon that occurs when I'm trying to lose weight.

After losing weight at some point my weight loss does not occur as rapidly as it does at the beginning of my weight loss regiment.  From speaking with trainers and conducting my own research  I know that a plateau usually signals the need to change something in your regiment. Typically it means I need to turn up the intensity. Perhaps if I was walking 1 mile, then Ineed to walk 1.5 miles. If I was walking on the treadmill at 3.5 miles then perhaps turning up the speed to 3.8 can help kick the weight loss back into high gear.  I've decided to apply this same principle to my son's learning. 

I have began to provide him with other types of learning activities at home. Recently while at the Decatur Book Festival, I visited the Usborne  Books tent and purchased a deck of logic cards.  They are the neatest little activities.  Portable cards with a dry erase marker that consist of great age appropriate logic puzzles. My rationale is that I want to get another section of his brain firing off neurons.  Additionally, we took the summer off from violin.  I was a little slow about getting him back into it. The plateau I saw rearing its ugly head put me into gear. Guess who is going back to violin every Saturday now. 

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has noticed a change in their child's energy and excitement towards learning. I think as parents we have to respond to these impending slumps with a change of activity or more intense learning opportunities.  Unfortunately, I know some adults who I believe their plateau went undetected and therefore unaddressed.

Have you detected a plateau in your child's learning gains? If so, how do you address them. I would love to hear your ideas. 

Instilling the Attitude of a Champion

As the Olympics have come to a close and I reflect on every minute of the competition I watched, and read about, I can't help but think that the Olympians who garnered international attention are the epitome of competing to succeed.  In fact, while hearing and watching the back stories of these world class athletes, it is impossible to walk away with anything but admiration for them and the families they represent. There is so much sacrifice and rehearsal that went into the 75 second performances, 9.8 second races, or 4 second dives that we saw on television.  We as parents can learn from the attitudes of these champions. 

In order for our children to succeed, it will take sacrifice.  I don't know a parent out there who would say they have not sacrificed something for their child. It may be a career, a new pair of shoes, or a good night sleep.  Regardless of the magnitude, it is a sacrifice all the same.  So how do we transfer that same concept to our children? How can we as parents show our children that success and excellence does not come without sacrifice? Perhaps it is missing a birthday party to put in a few extra hours at the gym or staying up later than normal to complete a science fair project.  Whatever it is, we as parents must instill in our children that sacrifice is a part of success.  I believe that not requiring our children to sacrifice on some level would be doing them a disservice.

Rehearsal is another critical piece. Our children must understand that very few things are considered excellent after one attempt.  Most things that people are good at require rehearsal, practice and deliberate repeated actions.  Instilling this in children early can combat the "I give up" attitude.  If at an early age children are required to repeat and rehearse, perhaps it will develop the tenacity that is needed to overcome obstacles and obtain achievements later in life.  I am sure that Gabby Douglas and Michael Phelps did not achieve excellence on the first try.  In fact they often talk about the countless hours and "blood, sweat and tears" that helped catapult them to their culminating performances at the Olympics.  It is this try and try again attitude that can cause a gymnast to not give up after falling off of a balance beam.  It is that sticktoitiveness that allows a 5,000 meter runner to get up after a fall and rejoin the pack.  And it is that same fortitude that will allow our children to continue in an honors level class despite earning a less than stellar grade. 

All in all, the Olympians experienced ups and downs; and despite some not winning a medal in 2012, they are still deemed successful.  As with our children, we have to teach them that there will be some ups and downs in life; however, in the end with sacrifice and resolute persistence they will find success.

Summer Reading Ideas

While you still have a little bit of the summer left, you may want to have your child squeeze in a few more books.  Perhaps you are continuing to make trips to the library and you want some fresh new ideas on selections. Take a look at the link below.
Also, don't forget to comment on my page your child's favorite books or book series. My 7- year old enjoys the Magic Treehouse series. We've even found a great little used book store that sales them for $1 (WOW!!). Enjoy!.

http://www.neh.gov/news/summertime-favorites#.UBA3q5UNt-Q.twitter

Value in the Village

I recently read a very inspiring article about a group of young people dubbed "Club 2012". This group of students graduated this year; however, the cohort was formed six years ago.  The parents of the students saw  the need to take parental involvement to another level.  I won't spoil their strategies because the article is worth reading, but suffice it to say these students were immersed in an environment where they had not other choice but to succeed. 

The lesson that I took from the formation and ultimately the success of this club is that no person can succeed on their own.  What an awesome lesson to teach our children.  Not only does it take the child putting forth maximum effort; but it also requires parents, friends and outside family members.  I guess you could say: "It really does take a village". It takes other people to help hold one  accountable.  It helps to have the expertise of others in areas where one may not be as adept.  Why not visit a local museum with a group of parents and children instead of just with the immediate family? Imagine how many more points of view can be introduced and discussed. How fun would it be for you to take your teenager on a college tour with other friends and their parents? I see the value in sitting down for dinner after a college tour with other parents and families and discussing the pros and cons of that particular college. 

 I urge you to surround yourself with two or three other families who you can collaborate with, share parenting tips and stories of success.  Just think of it as the beginning of your child's network.  Perhaps try it this upcoming school year and see if it does not prove beneficial. Maybe you can start your own "Club 20??".

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/club-2012-black-parents-who-made-sure-their-sons-succeeded-in-school/2012/06/13/gJQAnEdZcV_story.html

eFace Today: Engaging Grandparents & Family Friends in Our Schools

eFace Today: Engaging Grandparents & Family Friends in Our Schools

Usher's New Look: Building a Global Community of Young Leaders

Last week I had the opportunity to experience an organization that is doing amazing work for youth. I was invited to attend a reception and leadership seminar hosted by Usher's New Look Foundation. 

 The evening began by attending a reception with stakeholders, donors and other persons interested in making a difference in the lives of young children. I met many people who work in various ways in helping to enrich and expose youth.  We were then addressed by Mr. Raymond himself, as well as John Rice, Vice President of GE and a leader in the Health Department in Singapore, Mr. Ang.  The Executive Director of New Look, Shawn Wilson provided a great overview of the organization and its mission.  Following the reception I had the opportunity to share a room with 150 youth from across the nation and 5 different countries.  The youth were excited, energized and engaged.  They enjoyed a panel of celebrities as they discussed their individual paths to success and knowledge they have gained along the way. 

There were two pieces of information I heard that night that I found to be most interesting.   First, of the students that were graduating, all of them, except one who would be joining the US Marines,  were scheduled to begin college. Talk about impact and success. Second, Mr. Wilson described the impact of the program in such a mind-blowing way. Essentially,  New Look seeks to create a group of culturally literate leaders so that by the time they are operating companies, they will be sitting in the boardroom with other culturally literate young leaders.  I really embraced that vision and the prospective outlook on how to help our youth succeed. 

 Needless to say, I met some wonderful people and left feeling completely inspired to continue in pursuing my passion and purpose (incidentally the name of the presentation).  If you have the opportunity, you should take a look at the website and even consider becoming a donor as I can tell you first hand that it is money well spent.  http://www.ushersnewlook.org/.

Who Defines Success?

I ran into a young gentlemen recently who enthusiastically told me that he would be graduating high school.  I shared in his excitement.  I followed up with a common question that many would ask of a graduating high school senior: "so what's next?"  Well, that question quickly deflated the sense of pride that he felt just moments earlier.  His bright smile that accompanied his exciting news turned into an indifferent expression as he told me: "Just working". My heart sank as he said that- not because he had chosen (or not) to work after graduating. From the tone of his voice, he either was not happy with his trajectory or thought I wouldn't be.  Perhaps he believed that his post high school endeavors were not impressive enough.  Whatever it was, I surmise that it had something to do with how we traditionally define success.

This interaction caused me to think of how I convey the notion of success to my children.  Do I have the ultimate definition of success? Absolutely not, but I do know that my children need to have a notion of what success means.  I want to convey to them  that success is incremental.  We will never achieve all that we want in one fell swoop.  Sometimes we have to take a step back to take a step forward.  Many times steps towards our end goal requires a slow steady pace.  There will be times when success cannot be defined by what others determine as success- for to do so may require us to conform and ultimately forego our own happiness.  Success is defined by our abilities and how they allow us to progress. Because we all have varying abilities, and progress at different rates, we can never judge success by measuring our progress against another person.  Ultimately, we are the only ones who can truly define our success. 

If I could have that conversation over with that young man.  I would have encouraged him to allow the smile to return to his face and the enthusiasm back in his tone.  Why? Because he successfully completed high school and was about to embark upon adding a new chapter of success, defined by the only person who can really determine his level of success: himself.