A previous client sent me am email with the above picture that said this reminded her of me and my “diagrams.” It was a good laugh, and so true! And, it so eloquently depicts what I’m feeling RIGHT NOW. My mind is in “should I or shouldn’t I” mode.
I made a pact to myself once that when I hear a voice of doubt in my head, I will take that as a “No.” Not maybe, or yes, but no. I forget that rule. Or, I override it, thinking that my own pact was silly. I mean, who AM I, God? (Inside joke with my husband.) I talk myself out of my own rational thinking and rule.
The world works so perfectly, it seems. Something cool happened last night, here’s how (okay, I admit, it will be like, really boring to most anyone that reads it, but I still need to purge)…
I was looking through the NPR website trying to find an article I’d stumbled upon on Facebook (read it here, it’s a good one). I found the article, but then I clicked a link I didn’t mean to click, and a book title flashed up on the screen, “Welcome to Your Child’s Mind.” And so, of course, I HAD to download that book asap to my Kindle, because I just love going into debt with books and books and books that I get so excited about but couldn’t possibly finish in my lifetime.
I started with a sample of the book (that’s the great thing about Kindle, you can read samples before you decide to buy the whole book – genius.) which started with the Forward, which said this:
“…self-control and other executive functions of the brain (like working memory, flexibile thinking, and resisiting the temptation to go on automatic (UH, ADD, anyone?)) ‘contribute to the development of children’s most important basic brain function: the ability to control their own behavior in order to reach a goal.’ Noting that self-control underlies so many capacities, from socialization to schoolwork, they state that ‘preschool children’s ability to resist temptation is a much better predictor of eventual academic success than their IQ scores.’ … we promote self-control not by making children sit still, chained to their desks, but my encouraging them to play.”
Can I get an amen?
But THEN, here’s where I started seeing signs from the Universe…the forward was WRITTEN by the same author of Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs. And why is that a sign? Because that book was on the Kindergarten teacher’s desk at a little school I just toured where I’m thinking of sending the girls. AND, it was read almost all the way through. AND, the teacher said all the things I totally believe to be true about play and learning and learning and play and being chained to desks.
But there’s more…
The friend that went with me to tour the school made mention of the “Mind In The Making” because she went to a book signing / talk of the author of “Einstein Didn’t Use Flashcards: How Our Children Really Learn — and Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less,” which is sitting on my side table as I type, and at the book signing, the author mentioned “Mind In the Making” as a resource to ALSO read for further review of the same great topic – educating kids and their wonderful brains.
All of these books, which I now have in my possession, thank you very much Kindle, all point to what I believe in my heart and soul and every shred of my being, which is this (from “Welcome To Your Child’s Brain”):
“There is a simple way to summarize much of the research on child development: children grow like dandelions…Children are not passive recipients of parenting or schooling, but active participants in every aspect of their own development. From birth, their brains are prepared to seek out and make use of experiences that suit their individual needs and preferences. For this reason, brain development requires no special equipment or training, and most children find a way to grow in whatever conditions the world has to offer them…Genes provide the blueprints for your child’s individuality, but the plans are certain to be modified during construction depending on local conditions – not only your actions as parents, but also your child’s culture, neighborhood, teachers, and peers. All this leads up to the major theme of this book: your child’s brain raises itself.“
Heavens to Betsy. I like the sound of that!
So there’s the pact to myself, the signs that tell me it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to educate my own kids, and the voice of one friend that keeps ringing in my head. She said, “Jennifer, figure out what experience you want your own kids to have, and create that for them. That’s all you have to do.”
My gut says no, I don’t want to do public school. The signs all around me tell me I’m on the right track, and the voice in my head is saying, “Fucking do it!!”
And so, guess what I’m going to do?
Yep.
Signed,
Me
P.S. Don’t you just LOVE that visual – dandelions and kids? I could cry a little bit.
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