In a previous blog post, I talked about the discussions going on about the future of American education. It is clear that a nationwide reform is necessary here in the United States. However, in doing so, we must consider that whatever changes we make translate into creating happy, motivated and fulfilled children.

We are witnessing some great schools around the world doing amazing things with children. We hear about countries like Singapore, Japan, Taiwan and China that perennially rank among the top in international education achievement rankings. What is their secret to their success? How their teachers are trained and treated? Is it in how the students are assigned homework? How their time is spent in school? The technology infused into the classroom?

Another good example of a country who has demonstrated a high status in global education is Finland. Their claim to success is that their students receive little to no homework and have only one mandatory test at age 16. Their high school dropout rate is nearly zero percent, whereas in some areas of the U.S., the dropout is a staggering 60%. In surveys conducted, students in these higher achieving countries have shown to be happy and enjoy the learning experience, while teachers appeared satisfied and valued. So, what is at the heart of a high graduation rate, happier child, and high academic achievement for the Finnish children?

Secret #1 – Add More Play Time to a Child’s School Day

Going outside for recess shouldn’t be just an elementary school thing and only for 30 or so minutes. The American Heart Association recommends that children and adolescents get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day. Research has shown that physical activity is essential for optimal cognitive, psychological, social, and physical well-being. The Finnish allow 15 minutes of free time, typically spent outdoors, for every 45 minutes of studies, which promotes an active, healthy lifestyle.

Secret #2 – Teach Ethics and the Importance of Giving Back

There are many kids around the world who grow up in families who struggle socioeconomically. Financially, it is difficult for them to come up with money to give to someone else in need. However, giving back through service to charitable causes is one of the most incredible acts of prosperity that we can teach our children. Many students around the world are taught ethics courses from primary grades and taught such values.

According to a study done by World Volunteer Web, “youth who volunteer are more likely to feel connected to their communities, and tend to do better in school.” Giving back ultimately serves to empower not only the receiver of the kindness, but also the giver. A child’s overall health and happiness can dramatically improve just by doing random acts of kindness.

What does giving back look like? It comes in many different forms and students around the world can experience firsthand the benefits of donating their time, resources, and money toward many different causes.

There are so many great ways that children can give back and express their appreciation for others, including:

• Contributing food and clothing to children in need around the winter holiday season,
• Writing letters of appreciation to people in different professions for their time and service to making this world a better place.
• Creating personalized cards for military veterans.
• Working with service dogs to help train them for individuals in need.
• Helping underprivileged students throughout the school day or during afterschool activities.

Secret #3 – Help Children Make Connections with the World Around Them

The classroom should be a place for discovery, collaboration, and interaction that promotes engagement and learning for all students. Some of my best lessons have been ones that are tied into how something can or does directly affect my students’ lives. The projects that I assign my students integrate science, technology, and society and focus on problem-solving. For instance, at the beginning of the school year, my students choose a science career to research and go on to present their project during our “Science Career Fair Day.” This is an exciting time for students to share their knowledge with others and discuss not only the exciting things about their profession, but how their field helps to improve the lives of others. They also examine the global issues, such as the biggest challenges associated with the profession and what skills are necessary to succeed in the profession.

Students also read current event articles in Science World magazine throughout the school year. This connects current science news with pertinent topics that are discussed in class. What is great is that the stories often feature kids around the age of my students, breaking barriers and achieving incredible feats in the world of science, despite facing obstacles in their quest to make a difference in the world. We follow up these lessons through group discussion, debates, and critical thinking activities, which provides students with multiple perspectives on various global issues and also reinforces their capability to have such a profound impact at a young age.

Furthermore, the students in my classroom regularly perform inquiry-based lab activities where they apply the engineering design process to create “functional products.” This allows them to connect this approach to problem-solving into real world science application that involves researching a problem, developing possible solutions, making designs, testing and evaluating them, getting feedback on their product’s efficiency, redesigning, and so on. Moreover, students receive cross-curricular connections of science concepts in technology education, mathematics, ELA and Social Studies and continuously apply prior knowledge to newly learned information throughout the school year.

The Single Ingredient for a Child’s Success

If I had to suggest one thing for all parents and educators to focus on to help a child succeed, it would go back to a basic human principle. The foundation upon which all learning is laid is by making connections. Being able to relate to and connect with children from all backgrounds and abilities in this manner has been highly rewarding for me as a teacher. By creating a safe, caring environment where students can explore different possibilities and discover their abilities and passions through engaging lessons, thought-provoking activities, collaboration among their peers, and authentic assessments, students are best able to “discover and experience their magic.” What I mean by that is that they are able to display their multiple intelligences and tap into their full potential.

This is just the beginning of an exciting journey for making connections with your child. In my book The Ultimate Guide to Raising Teens and Tweens, you will discover the necessary tools for opening lines of communication, making meaningful connections and helping children make wise choices for a bright future!

“Magic is the complete enjoyment of the process of life.”

For Children!

Sources:

Pisa tests: Singapore top in global education rankings

The AHA’s Recommendations for Physical Activity in Children

Happy Teaching, Happy Learning: 13 Secrets to Finland’s Success

Secrets to Raising Happy Successful Children

This past week, there has been a lot of talk about the confirmation of the new Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. Those in favor of her position on school choice are excited about the possibilities of competition among schools to have better educational options for children and the voucher program. This would award families opportunities to spend money toward the school of their choice (public, private or homeschooling) for their child. Those who are not in favor of school choice fear that this may erode the public education system, diverting all taxpayer dollars to private schools, and encroach upon the separation of church and state in schools.

WHAT REALLY MATTERS IN EDUCATION

When you think about one school being a “school of excellence” over another, there are many factors to take into account. First, we must understand that education isn’t a one-sized fits all approach. Each child has their unique learning styles and abilities and should be given a multitude of opportunities to succeed at a high level. No matter where that is – in public or private education – developing a school climate where achievement and efforts are recognized is important to a child’s success.

A solid infrastructure needs to be put into place to ensure that a child gets the best education possible. What does that look like? This requires the educational institution to have the following:

• School policies imparted and reinforced for a safe and inclusive environment for all students.
• Having adequate professional development for educators to improve their instruction, assessments, and ability to connect with all learners.
• Having a school improvement plan that takes into account the needs of educators and the student body.
• Providing the necessary resources to accommodate all students to progress at their unique pace.
• Making available extracurricular activities and enrichment programs for students to explore beyond the scope of the general curriculum.

Whatever side of the fence you are on regarding school choice or not, I can tell you first hand as a teacher working in the classroom with teens and tweens for 17 years, the root of a child’s success is not based on legislation and passing a voucher program for families or instituting Common Core and more testing into the curriculum. At the end of the day, the real key factors to consider for a child’s education is the support of the community, support given to students and the teachers, and the school climate created for the social-emotional well-being of all children and educators.

THE 3 Cs

Connections, care, and compassion are at the cornerstone of my practice as an educator and the work that I do within my community. In speaking with so many teachers, they agree that the relationships they have with children are the driving force behind their love of teaching and what makes the difference for student motivation and achievement.

When students leave my classroom, I want to ensure that they have developed an understanding of gratitude and appreciation. It is important for young people to internalize respect and celebrate each person’s similarities and differences to help foster trust and strong, genuine connections with others and the world around them.

These are the kinds of discussions we should be having in education, public and private, and at all levels of administration and government, in order to appropriately address the root causes of lack of motivation, failure, dropouts, violence, bullying, and other issues affecting our youth.  From there, we can come up with viable solutions to ensure all students an excellent education and experience along the way.

I am excited to announce the launch of my new book The Ultimate Guide to Raising Teens and Tweens in which I discuss this topic of the right kind of education to choose for your child in more detail. 

For Children!

Over the years, I’ve set expectations for my students that they’ve never seen before in any other class they had. On the first day of school, they have about three homework assignments written on the whiteboard. After I take attendance, I tell them to open up their assignment planner that they have been given and to write down each night’s homework assignment word-for-word as written on the front board. I tell them that there will be quizzes each quarter on their homework assignments. Some of the students look at me with a dumfounded, quizzical look on their face wondering why I expect them to remember every capital letter, number, and punctuation mark. I tell them, “Pretend that you are taking a photo of the homework assignment. I expect that it looks exactly like that in your planner.” So, what is the reasoning for my obsession of having my students copy down their homework in this manner? It is the same reason why you should hold high academic expectations for your child – teaching a child responsibility and accountability.

Children typically strive to live up to their parents’ expectations. The standard that you set for your child is typically where they will strive. I realize that the students I have in class all have different learning styles and levels of motivation. However, if I hold them all to a very high standard for writing down their homework in this manner, then the students, who typically blow off writing anything into their planner, would write something down and the ones who take pride in their work get rewarded at the end of the quarter with an easy quiz to boost their grade.

Using Positive Reinforcement

If you have a goal for your child to obtain good grades and one day further their studies, set forth an expectation that your child put forth their best effort in their school work. If you set the bar high, there’s a good chance that they will work toward that goal. That may sound all fine and dandy that what you expect, you will get from your child. However, we know that things aren’t that cut and dry. Parental expectations have to be coupled with positive reinforcement for accomplishing tasks or achieving goals. Your child may struggle academically. So, praising their efforts and encouraging them to learn from their mistakes – regardless of the outcome – is a big motivator for them to persevere in future tasks.

Expecting your child’s best vs. Expecting your child to be the best

There is a big difference between holding high expectations for your child and expecting perfection. Holding the bar high allows a child to reach for goals and not be afraid to fall short, as long as they gave it their best effort. On the other hand, expecting a child to do everything “right” may create a feeling of inadequacy and may backfire in that a child is afraid to make mistakes and would then do anything to cover up their mistakes or prevent them from happening, such as cheating on a test.

Furthermore, it is important to never compare your child with other siblings or their friends. If your child is doing their best, acknowledge their effort and from there, you can work together to develop a plan to help your child overcome obstacles and continue to improve. You can help them understand that time spent studying or working on something increases their chance of doing well at that task. Discuss different strategies with your child that best suits him or her for doing better the next go around.

The important point is that children need to feel successful in order for future successes to take place. When they feel responsible for their own successes and failures, they are more likely to continue to work toward your expectations and not quit if something gets too difficult. Ultimately, holding high expectations is one of the greatest services that you can do for a child. Talk about what success looks like and help a child discover their talents and explore future career interests early on so they can see that in order to achieve their dreams, they need to put forth continuous effort and always learn from their mistakes.

In order to successfully support and guide your child as they encounter adversity, defeat, failure and peer pressure, it is important that you possess specific strategies to fall back on when things get rough. Do you feel overwhelmed by all of the distractions of technology, social pressures from school and peer influence that your child faces, and need assistance in helping navigating your child through all of the critical challenges they are regularly exposed to? Click here to receive two complimentary chapters of my book “THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO RAISING TEENS AND TWEENS: STRATEGIES FOR UNLOCKING YOUR CHILD’S FULL POTENTIAL.”

Happy Discoveries!

You don’t need a Ph.D. in a biomedical science to realize that inserting genes from one organism into another is an unnatural process that can lead to unpredicted harmful changes in the nutritional state of our food. What we should know about GM foods, and what can be done about it, can save you and your child’s health.

It’s not surprising to me when I hear that, to this day, there still remains an invasion of nutrient-skewed refined foods in our children’s lunches at school. According to WhatsForLunchNYC.com, a typical elementary school menu for the week consists of chicken tenders, cheeseburgers, “Pizza Fridays,” with sides of cheesy rotini, mozzarella sticks or French fries. How these refined flours, sugars, vegetable oils are affecting a child’s daily performance is becoming a burgeoning concern that can have a detrimental impact on their health.

Most school lunches rely heavily on genetically modified (GM) foods that are high in calories and contain low-nutrient value because it’s cheaper than whole food products. Also, when we pack our child’s lunch bag, we may not think that the turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato and mayo, along with an apple and fruit juice, can actually be unhealthy. Well, the truth is, if it isn’t certified organic, then there is a high possibility that your child’s food contains genetically modified ingredients, high fructose corn syrup, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, nitrates and other unnatural additives and fillers.

The Concerns

From evidence collected over the past decade, scientists indicate that consuming an enormous amount of unlabeled GM foods carries a risk of weight gain, organ disruption and triggering life-threatening allergic reactions. According to the Royal Society of Canada, “The potentially widespread use of GM food products as food additives and staple foods, including use in baby foods, may lead to earlier introduction of these chemicals.” GMO products are found most ubiquitously in the American diet in tomatoes, soy-based products and all forms of corn from corn syrup to corn starch to corn oil to corn meal and just plain corn — in addition to several other foods.

GMO products first started in the mid-1990s. When Calgene first marketed its Flavr Savr delayed ripening tomato, there was excitement for both producers and consumers. GMOs are created when a gene from one species is introduced into another and creates something that is not found in nature. GMOs have been linked as a causative factor in tumor production in rats and mice and their health consequences associated with humans. Many scientists worry that the genes from the bacteria that transfer these “desirable genes” will mutate and get into the bacteria within our system and wreak havoc.

Will we know what’s in our food anytime soon?

Connecticut’s decision to pioneer in an effort to require labeling on genetically modified foods may or may not spark other states to follow suit. Signing the GMO labeling bill into law on June 25th, 2013 did not declare it immediately effective for CT. Four other states must also enact similar legislation, with one of those states sharing a border with Connecticut and the northeastern states (ME, VT, NY, PA, MA, RI, NJ, NH) and combining for more than 20 million in population. Is this truly a possibility for Connecticut and other states, considering the heavily solidified bond between governmental agencies and these corporate manufacturing moguls?

Getting all states on board

The way we got here is because of agribusiness. The fear is that both Democrats and Republicans would be hesitant to rock the genetically modifying giant, Monsanto, off its “genetically-modified” apple cart. We live in a country where, by and large, we don’t know everything that is or isn’t in our food. We have a right to know, but will this ever happen, considering the fact that universities are receiving “corporate funding” from these GMO food producing companies to do these kinds of “safety tests?” Dozens of U.S. Senators confer about the fragmentation of GMO labeling if it were to be passed state-by-state. They adamantly claim, “Food labeling is an issue the FDA should tackle.” Yet the FDA has been known to be connected and sell out to corporate interests before.

Youth standing up against GMO products

Informing the American people about what “GMO” means is a start and making GMO labeling required at a state-by-state level will catapult our society out of the dark on what we are eating. While the FDA may have concluded that GMOs do not pose a “reasonable threat” to humans, we should ask ourselves the questions, “Why did 27 countries ban GMOs?” “Do they know something we don’t know?” Ask anti-GMO teen activist Rachel Parent her viewpoint on this topic, as she opposed an incredulous Kevin O’Leary while being interviewed on his popular CBC Business News Program, “The Lang and O’Leary Exchange.” She professed, “I am for responsible science and ethical progress. Science that’s proven safe by not the very same companies that stand to gain by their [GMO crops] approval.” It’s time for America to become a free society by being informed through credible scientific evidence to the potential dangers of GMO foods and how they can affect you and your child’s life.

Happy Discoveries!

When things are going great, it is easier to have an open conversation with a child. For that matter, it is easier to have a conversation with anyone. We should take heed of this notion and have the tough conversations about those “scary” topics such as sex, drinking, drugs, and smoking when times aren’t so tough. The old adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” may be an understatement, but it can be applied for effectively communicating with your child. We know that getting through to a teenager who is boiling over with anger and feels on the defense when “no one understands them” can be quite challenging and often lead to an argument.

Statements to avoid with teens

“You shouldn’t do this.”

“Don’t do this.”

“Why did you do something like that?”

When kids make mistakes

Kids are going to make mistakes and making statements to them about “what they did wrong” will often turn them off and be met with an eye roll or a shrug of the shoulders at the very least. Providing appropriate feedback to a child who has made a poor choice may not be something your child wants to hear or something you feel comfortable doing, but is absolutely essential in your child’s development and something that must be done!

Phrasing things in the positive and infusing the word “AND” followed by constructive criticism will help your child know that they are capable to make good choices and become better people. It provides the self-reflection that adolescents oftentimes don’t yet know how to do for themselves when they make unfavorable choices for their well-being.

Address the behavior, not the person

Use statements that address the behavior. Avoid attacking personal qualities of a child, especially if they are linked to their intelligence, as that can be very destructive.

DON’T SAY: “You always do poorly on tests. You just don’t get it. You have to study more for tests.”

SAY: “You’re a very smart kid, AND you could have put in more effort for this test. So next time you know that putting in consistent effort for studying for tests or asking the teacher for extra help beforehand will get you a much better result.”

Caution: If you use the word “BUT” instead of “AND”, the child only hears what comes after the word “BUT”.

If you say: “You’re a very smart kid, BUT you made some poor choices,” then your child only registers “I made some poor choices.”

Be assertive, yet display kindness

Your goal is to effectively communicate your point to your child so they make better choices and become better people. But before they can take your advice, they will have to be open to listening to you. That comes with trust and the feeling that they will not be judged or criticized, but rather loved and respected. Pointing out mistakes to your child with a calm, assertive voice and using encouraging statements provides an opportunity for your child to see that you respect them and also empowers them to learn from their mistakes, solve their own problems, and avoid making these decisions next time.

Be willing to listen to your child’s concerns as well. This will help avoid unnecessary power struggles and can open up communication lines. Showing a willingness to hear their point of view all the way through shows them that you respect their opinion and is a great way to encourage your child to listen to you. If you are looking to transform your relationship with your child and help them make smart choices to reach their full potential, click here to receive two complimentary chapters of my book “THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO RAISING TEENS AND TWEENS: STRATEGIES FOR UNLOCKING YOUR CHILD’S FULL POTENTIAL.”

Happy Discoveries!