Education: How did we get where we are?

As a national board certified kindergarten teacher, I have seen first-hand the decline in abilities (social and academic) and understandings of students entering kindergarten over the past fifteen years. You are probably saying, what – with the technological advances we should be improving? Yes… we should be, but we are not! Several factors have led to the decline of student readiness and eagerness for learning in this new global society:

1. More single parent homes – according to The State of Our Unions 2005, a report issued by the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University, only 63% of American children grow up with both biological parents — the lowest figure in the Western world. As of 2003, 43.7% of custodial mothers and 56.2% of custodial fathers were either separated or divorced. The United States Census determined that three out of every ten children being raised in America are living in single parent homes.The single biggest investment necessary for a child’s success in school and life is time. Time to motivate, time to model, time to mentor, time to share in learning activities, time to appreciate each other’s strengths and work to develop weaknesses. As one adult pulls the weight of two, there is just never enough time!

2. More moms working full-time outside of the home – In the United States, the labor force participation of mothers with preschool-age children tripled between 1960 and 1990, rising from 20 percent to 60 percent. According to Stanford researcher Paula England, the workforce participation of mothers continued to rise during the 1990s, but at a much slower rate, so that by 2000, 65 percent of mothers of preschoolers were working.

Working moms often cope with chaos, tantrums, rushed dinners and fights over bedtime. Instead, this should be a time when working moms enjoy the precious few moments with their kids. These moms need an organized and quick resource to ensure their special time together is spent in a fun and meaningful way to relieve some of the guilt plaguing the working mother.

3. Unaffordable Childcare options – Many American women are full-time homemakers because they cannot afford to work. They do not have the education or job experience to earn a salary that would cover the costs of child care or transportation, even though the family could really use a second income. This often leads to children sitting in front of the television for the majority of the day because the mother isn’t armed with the tools and information necessary to build skills in the home environment. Many studies have clearly linked excessive television viewing (at an early developmental age) with ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder).

4. Rise of the battery industry – Take a stroll through any toy store or your child’s room, for that matter, and count how many toys don’t need batteries to operate. If a toy needs batteries, then it does the work for your child. Therefore, no real learning is occurring. The toy has a preset function triggered by your child’s reaction with the toy. Long gone are the days when toys allowed children the opportunity to use their imagination to build higher order thinking skills, problem solving and advanced concepts about cause and effect. Even baby swings, bouncy seats and high chairs now come with lights, bells, whistles, moving toys and so much more to over-stimulate the little one. Children learn through play but the Energizer bunny doesn’t build dendrites in the brain.

To be continued…

What’s the real story with education today?

The political campaigns of 2008 are focusing a tremendous amount of attention on early childhood education in America. These politicians are filling their speeches with promise after promise of what the government can and should do to provide universal preschool for everyone. I am encouraged by these speeches but feel like the emphasis on universal programs is financially impossible. Historically, our nation has only been able to fund preschool for the low-income sector and even those programs (i.e., Head Start) haven’t produced the results promised.Who is the most enthusiastic stakeholder in a child’s life? Who has the single most potential to define the educational potential of a child? What is a child’s favorite toy? The answer to all three questions – the parents!The Plan:

• We must begin teaching our children from birth.
• Accept the fact that every parent in our nation hasn’t gone to school to be a teacher.
• Define the what, when and how you teach a child before they enter kindergarten in a logical, fun and easy to manage format

Parents want their child to walk into kindergarten confident and ready to be successful in school and life. Parents need to be an expert on their own child’s development.

Becoming a competitive force in our global society

In the last 10 years there has been a tremendous shift in our knowledge of the development of the brain. This breakthrough research is encouraging us to buy into the notion that early education is key. Parents are beginning to see themselves as their child’s first teacher and making a more valiant effort to afford early learning as a reward and not a sacrifice.

Parents are uniting to join a revolution to turn our FLAT nation – one that is making no real revolutionary strides to change the face of what and how our children are learning, into a global learning hub. These same advocates recognize that we are far behind other advanced nations when it comes to investing in our future through highly qualified, nationally funded early childhood programs for all learners beginning at age three.

We can’t continue on the suicidal path of teaching our children a curriculum that is a mile wide (filled with mounds of fluff) where the end product is a graduate unable to work in our team-based, technological and scientific society. A graduate who doesn’t even see a correlation between the math and science they are learning in school and the real world they call home. The ED in 08 campaign is spotlighting the urgency of change in the American education system. I urge you to visit their website http://www.edin08.com/ and sign the petition for reform.

Our Asian and European counterparts are teaching an important and well-defined curriculum that is a mile deep in understanding of technological, scientific and mathematical reasoning to develop masters in our global world. These same countries are teaching multiple languages to students at a very young age, when the child is most capable of learning a variety of languages. Parents invest small fortunes of time and money to ensure their children begin school ready to learn.

Our society has chosen to increase the production of ADHD drugs by 2,000 percent in 10 years to treat the current learning problems. Our nation produces and consumes 85% of the world’s production of RITALIN. This reactive approach to solving the educational dilemmas America faces today has no regard for the current research on how the brain develops and what role our material-driven society has on education. Our curriculum, teaching methods and implementation of school changes aren’t meeting the needs and learning styles of our new generation tech kids born with an insatiable thirst for constant stimulation to learn knew things through active learning.

To learn more about how I am making a difference visit www.wigglegigglelearn.com

Enthusiasm highlights self-confidence

Edward Butler says, Every man is enthusiastic at times. One man has enthusiasm for 30 minutes, another man has it for 30 days, but it is the man who has it for 30 years who makes a success in life.

Enthusiasm highlights your self-confidence. Self-confidence gives you more of a backbone to stick your neck out and achieve even the most difficult tasks. We want our children to be liked by others and attract friends into their lives. Enthusiastic individuals have a natural wealth of friends and acquaintances. Are you passing down a legacy of enthusiasm for life and a love of learning to breed success and happiness?

Early education (from birth) offers an endless amount of time to share the joy of learning and opportunities to engage in mind-building activities and games that make learning exciting. However, the majority of our little one’s aren’t being afforded these opportunities early enough. Hence, they begin four-year old kindergarten or five-year old kindergarten with stress to “catch up” instead of feeling the joy that learning brings. Once we are behind in anything…

we don’t exactly feel successful and eager to keep going down a disappointing road.

John Luther says it best… like the chicken and the egg, enthusiasm and success seem to go together. We suspect, however, that enthusiasm comes first. If you hope to succeed at anything in this world, polish up your enthusiasm and hang on to it.

Early education is the key! Show how much you love to learn and watch it bloom inside the children in your life.

Attitudes are caught, not taught ~ Elwood Chapman

Who is in control?

As a parent, you have the power to be in control of your household and your children.  Slowly but steadily, parents’ authority has diminished; kids are in control.  Even young children believe they deserve to have everything (and have it now!).  Helping your little one become empowered to learn and grow is important but not coupling that empowerment with clear rules and boundaries will lead to war in your home.  

Always remember that your child was born to live with you – not the other way around.  Ask yourself:  What are our family values?  What are our family rules?  What is acceptable and not acceptable by our standards?  Don’t change your beliefs, values, rules and standards just because a toddler doesn’t want to conform.  If they have no other choice but to conform, they will conform. 

This is not to say a toddler, who is having a tantrum, won’t try to meet you at the bargaining table with uncontrollable crying (maybe even, rage).  Oh and don’t forget their egocentric view of the world.  What – The world doesn’t revolve around me?  You, my parents, were not placed on this earth to serve me, shower me with “things” and constantly entertain me?  Little ones want control because they are unsure about their place in this world. 

They are struggling to become independent and at the same time are extremely dependent.  If you are providing them with control and structure in a consistent way, your little one is far more likely to share your beliefs, values, rules and standards.   

Be steadfast in your beliefs and expectations.  Your children will love you for this structure from the day they are born.  Here are some things to think about:

• Decrease the amount of television viewing time for your child. Television empowers your child with the sense that the world is at their pleasure. Many of today’s cartoons have violent characters that use disrespectful attitudes and words towards each other.  Your little one will not be able to distinguish between good and bad character behaviors until they reach nine or ten years of age. 
• What your child gets from you is a privilege. Your child should earn privileges and you control the number of privileges he earns.  So many children get things without earning them.  Teach your child to give before he starts begging to get.
• Use a pleasant voice and stay in control. Yelling shows weakness and loss of control. While in a state of weakness such as while you are yelling; the aftermath is almost always a feeling of guilt.  What happens next is a vicious cycle – lose control, feel guilty and give something (freedom, “things,” no loss of privilege) to make up for the anguish you feel.  By staying in control, you command more respect and exert more control over your children.
• Create and follow a set of rules for your household. Your little one needs a clear set of rules for the house, car, public places, dinner table, etc… You need to exert control by being the one who set the rules and establishes the boundaries.  Rules take practice.  Make sure your little one has enough time to practice what he “should” do.  Many parents often times say, “You know better, it is one of our rules.”  But in reality, the rules are often times set and never practiced.  First offense should always equal a warning and practice time for what you expect to see next time.  On the second offense, a consequence (loss of privilege) is warranted.  If you are consistent, this consequence will be expected by your child.