Last week we talked about kids and growing pains. Emotionally, the “growing pains” that teens go through may be the most challenging for all involved. Neurologically, the teenage brain is still developing. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “in teens, the parts of the brain involved in emotional responses are fully online, or even more active than in adults, while the parts of the brain involved in keeping emotional, impulsive responses in check are still reaching maturity.” http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-teen-brain-still-under-construction/index.shtm Current literature indicates that executive function – the part of the brain that allows us to monitor, control, and evaluate…
Read MoreIf you are the parent of a growing child; if you’ve ever been the parent of a growing child; if you’re a child; or if you’ve ever been a child, you need to see the movie Inside Out. My husband and I rarely see animated films, now that our kids are grown, but at my son’s recommendation, we went to see Inside Out. It is an absolute “MUST SEE!” Inside Out is an unbelievably creative and poignant look at growing up. Don’t you wish you could see inside your child’s mind at times to better understand what in the world…
Read MoreHenry Ford said, “If you think you can, you can. If you think you can’t, you can’t.” There’s a lot of wisdom and truth in that statement, but there are times when gutting it out just doesn’t work. I once knew a young man in his twenties who couldn’t read or spell. His dyslexia was so profound, that he could not write or recognize his middle name. Howe`ver, he was bright and determined and had somehow managed to graduate from high school. He had the most amazing collection of coping strategies I’ve ever seen. Determination and a solid “I can”…
Read MoreMost teachers and parents seem to have strong, emotional opinions about Common Core, the current emphasis in school curriculum. It puts a huge emphasis on working with information as opposed to memorizing and reproducing information. If we want children to become good problem solvers and self-initiating learners, they need the kind of thinking skills developed in Common Core. The challenge seems to arise when students don’t have a strong enough foundation of basic academic skills to actually be able to evaluate and manipulate the information. Common Core may be leaving some students behind because it doesn’t place enough attention on…
Read MoreTyler was a motivated high school junior, potential Ivy League football player, and solid AP (Advanced Placement) student. But he was SAT-Challenged! Jessica was also an excellent student in her junior year in high school, but her test anxiety was so great it could only be controlled with prescription medication. Cheryl is a 50-something baby-boomer with more and more of those embarrassing “senior moments” that leave her at a loss for names and having trouble finding the words she wants to say. Ryan is a 12-year old dyslexic learner, bright but struggling to read and write. As diverse as these…
Read MoreA parent recently shared with me that her high school son came home from school one day saying, “Mom, I need Adderall.” Adderall is a medication commonly used to manage Attention Deficit Disorder / ADHD. It’s easy to blame attention for students’ struggles in school because that’s often what it looks like in class and certainly with homework where there are so many ways for kids to distract themselves. But is attention the real culprit, or is the attention loss a symptom? Have you ever had to carry on a conversation in a very noisy restaurant? Or had a bad…
Read MoreOne of my favorite childhood books was The Little Engine That Could. I loved that little blue engine! He never ever gave up. No matter how steep the hill was, he always went after it – he always believed he could do it. “I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!” he’d puff. My husband says that I just never consider the possibility of failure. I just keep pushing ahead with that “I think I can” attitude. I look at some of our students and parents with awe. No matter what, they just keep pushing ahead. …
Read More5 Things Parents and Teachers Should Know About Their Struggling Learner AND 5 Ways to Support Them We recently held a Simulation and Strategies Event at Stowell Learning Center, Chino. The parents and teachers who attended got the opportunity to see what it might feel like to be a student in class with dyslexia, auditory processing disorder, or attention deficit. Going through the activities was an emotional experience for participants as they realized the excessive amount of effort, attention, and energy it took to try to listen to a lecture when they couldn’t hear all of the words clearly or…
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