Sometimes when I give my clients things to do at home, I find myself having this old feeling towards homework. Most of my clients are grown ups and I give them homework. It does not matter how hard I try to call it “assignments”, “thinking exercises” or “activities”, I still think of it as “homework”.
If you recall, school and I were not the best match. I was not a good student (good choice of words, Ronit!) and I never, never did my homework. I hated homework!
If you think having a kid with learning difficulties is a problem, try having a smart kid! Somehow, the parents of smart kids end up being labelled as pushy, taking the kids to activities, music lessons, asking teachers for additional material and giving the kids extra homework.
Doesn’t it make you wonder why?
Well, I have been asked many times by my clients and readers about what to do if school is not giving the kids what they need. Many parents express the fear of being considered pushy.
When I was at school, I remember always sitting at the back of the class and being one of the worst students. Only later on in life, during my Special Education studies, I learned about how kids are treated based on where they sit in the classroom.
Did you know that some seats are better than others and determine the teachers’ attitude towards the kids sitting in them? Well, I didn’t know this either and by the time I did, it was a bit too late for me to save myself all those frustrations at school.
But what I realised was that teaching the teachers about their varying attitudes based on sitting positions was missing the mark. Who do you think really needs to know this?
If you have answered “The kids”, you are right! But kids, of course, do not read blogs, so I would like to encourage you, the parent, to pass the information below to your kids and, by doing so, to allow them to take responsibility for their own learning and future success.
Read Is It Possible for Kids To Take Responsibility for Their Own Learning? »
The Internet is a great source of information and allows us to connect easily with many people around the globe. For kids, like adults, the Internet is a fascinating world of discoveries, great exploration and yes, some danger. Like many other areas of life, in order to appreciate the “light” of the Internet, we need to have some “darkness”.
There are horrible stories of abuse and even death through misuse of connections formed with kids on the Internet. Sneaky people exist on the Internet as much as they do in any other place society and they abuse their right to participate and become a risk to our children.
So, if you want to protect your kids online, the answer, I say, is education (surprise, surprise).
It is common belief that teens have to finish school in order to succeed in life, but that is not true. Sometimes, leaving school is the best thing that happens to them. For example, I was kicked out of school at the end of grade 10 and it was the best thing that happened to me. It was a strong wake-up call. In the end, I became a teacher.
Did you know?
Children studying music from as early as grade 4 get to their first year of high school with an average academic score that is 11% higher than kids who did not study music.
If they continue their music studies into high school, by the time they graduate, their average academic score is 23% higher than kids who did not study music.
Read Music For The Mind »
Understanding your kids’ learning styles can be a great help for life, both for you and your kids.
The common belief that there is one way of learning is really far from the truth. There are many ways to learn and each way has its advantages and disadvantages.
Read Learning Styles »
My response to David Bogner’s post “Monsters or Victims”, following the rape of a 12 year-old girl by 13 year-old boys.
… what you can do to be your teen’s friend and you may find they want you to set the boundaries and “save them from themselves” when they make mistakes. Being afraid of parenting your teens only sends a message of insecurity. If responsibility needs to be taken, between parents and teens, who do you think should take it?
Read It Won’t Happen to Me »
A couple of weeks ago, I delivered a Parenting Skills workshop for the Mullumbimby High School parents and friends. It was great fun and I was honoured to have the school principal and the mayor of Byron Shire attending. Here is an inspiring true story I told them about the important messages kids & teens need […]
In her article More male teachers needed, Gayle wrote about the reasons male teachers are needed in the education system. She expressed it from a mother’s point of view and described how beneficial it is for children to have male figures in their life, especially in a society where many kids do not live with mum and dad in the same house.
Now, although the education system’s purpose is to mould the habits and mindset of society, what happens when the teachers says, “Men can be whatever they want and women can be whatever they want”, but when the kids go home, they see dad fixing electrical appliances and mum cleaning. YOU, the parent, are still the most influential agent in your kids’ life. Compared to you and your thoughts, beliefs and ideas about gender, the education system stands no chance.
Read Gentle Men and Strong Women – Avoiding the Male Teacher Trap »
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