When Professionals Do Not Tell The Truth...

My mother always said that your name is important in who you are. I've always been very adept at understanding complex organizational systems and have been able to break down the interpersonal relationships that may be troubling for people my age to understand.

Very recently I have learned about the actions of certain individuals who have access to information and resources that have indelibly affected the educational outcomes of young children. It has angered and frustrated me beyond belief because as many people have respected them, they have been placed in a position of trust but have used this position to change and skew the dynamics of the systems that they are part of.

One such story was told to me very sadly by a young boy whom I have known for several months. He has been dreaming of attending a school that his father attended many years ago. Following in his father's footsteps, he had hoped to be wearing the uniform once graced by his dad years prior. Each year, he anticipated the moment that his presence would grace the halls of the school. Given the fact that the odds were for him, it was a "shoe-in", his family thought, as he had the same accolades and abilities that many of the students currently attending the school had. It was supposed to happen until..

Admissions Directors for the most part, have a difficult job in that they have to balance the needs of the school with the reputation that is to be upheld in the community. As it turns out, this particular Admissions Director has not told the entire truth to the young child. It sounded too good to be true that any family would be promised "a spot" but to outwardly admit students that were in the same grade and school as a student that you did not want attending your school is something that is worth coming clean on.

Study Skills - It's a Part of Life

We see the world in color, why not study using color? 

Funny Sight Words Conversation!

As I was working with a student on Sight Words, he said, "Hey, there's no I in "Why" and no air in "Where"! What's up with that?

Can Children Play and Learn At the Same Time?

I was with a little four year old yesterday introducing a lesson that involved roles and responsibilities. I try the best that I possibly can to not talk so much that the children rely too much on the words that I speak in order to learn the concepts that are being presented to him. So I do what I love to do best: I PLAY!

For some reason, he liked the activity so much that every time we needed to transition to other tasks, he would ask if we could revisit our original lesson. This happened again - and again - and again. So I made eye contact and asked him, "Does your school have toys like this in your classroom?" His response was, "No, not really.". I then asked - "Have you been on a field trip at your school?". That response was the same as the first, "No, other than petting an animal - I don't know what a field trip is.." That's when it all came together - this child is not playing enough in school.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, it is very important that children play at the very early states of life because it contributes to the "cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth". Some individuals have even gone so far as to say that it is a fundamental right that all children have. If this is the case, then why are less and less children playing during these incremental periods of life?

Given the fact that the post-modern family is pressured to perform and engages in a very hurried lifestyle, the necessity of playing many not take precedence in the family schedule. The transition from playing that helps children learn social rules and mores to time spent on structured academics has taken its toll as children have grown less adept of handling behaviors that they are unfamiliar with. Play, for the sake of understanding as we know it, has gone away.

Going back to the little client in my story, it makes me sad that despite the thousands of dollars that his parents spend on his education, he is not playing as much as I think he should. It shows when he goes home and is unregulated because his mind and creativity was unable to be set free, and it makes me extremely upset. As an educator, there are always opportunities to restructure activities so that children are playing. From teaching them the parts of your body to solving the most simple of calculus problems - play should never go away.