Our nation has shifted its educational focus to standardized testing performance, for good or bad. One result is that parents, schools and districts are all looking for ways to play the system. If a school can massage the numbers just right, they get more funding. If parents can have their child diagnosed ADHD or with a Learning Disability, then the child can get extra time on the FCAT and SAT, which leads to a higher score and better college prospects. Plus, a little Ritalin or Adderall goes a long way. For anyone. Are your children getting lost in the shuffle? We hope to show you a trick or two to make sure that your kid has the best advantages, no matter what gimmicks are used by other parents and schools.
Are the children getting lost in the shuffle?
We hope to show you a trick or two to make sure that your kid has the best advantages, no matter what gimmicks are used by other parents and schools.
The NY Times ran an interesting feature highlighting the advantages in redshirting: keeping a child out of kindergarten until he or she is a little older, as much as a year.
Click here for the full article.
Tool #1: Train your child to think that he or she is the boss.
This may seem counterintuitive. After all, we often fight our kids to get them to do their homework. You want to transition your child’s current thinking from the perspective of “Educational Victim” to “Educational Entrepreneur”.
| Educational |
| Victim |
Entrepreneur |
| Homework is an imposition |
Homework is a challenge/tool |
| Teachers are authority figures |
Teachers are like employees |
| I’m never going to use this in real life |
How can I use this in real life? |
| No dreams beyond play |
Big, earth-shaking dreams |
| High level of concern with appearing smart or cool |
High level of concern with overcoming challenges |
| Parents complain about school system |
Parents participate in school system |
The institution of education, whether by accident or design, tends to create Educational Victims. In order to transition your child to thinking like an Educational Entrepreneur, requires adult-to-adult conversation. Your child doesn’t have the tools to change their own attitudes, so you must show them the way. Here’s how you do it.First, fix the “Stinking Thinking.” When you hear your child say things like, “I’m never going to use this in real life”, or “Miss Stinkyfoot is a rotten teacher” or “I hate homework”, take ten minutes and walk through this process. First, ask them exactly what is bothering them. Make them get specific. “He’s a jerk” doesn’t cut it. Once the complaint is out in the open, you must reframe it from the perspective of an Educational Entrepreneur. Here are some common translations.
Translate Stinking Thinking
|
| Stinkin’ Thinkin’ |
iThoughts |
| Homework is boring |
Let’s turn it into a challenge: how much can you finish in 15 minutes (then take a fun break). |
| Mr. Soandso is mean to me |
Let’s find a way to make him a friend…just like we would as an adult with a mean employee |
| I’m never going to use this in real life |
Sometimes the content isn’t what is important, but mastering the PROCESS is. The best businesses have the best processes, not necessarily the best products. |
| The subject is boring. |
Tie the subject in to real life and show how it is important. |
| I’m bored/hate school. |
This student is stuck in victim mode. Reframe the school experience so that the child is the boss. Consider that the child may be overwhelmed and need some one-on-one help. |
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To be continued tomorrow.
-Allen Dobkin
