10 Things To Do On A Snow Day!

Hi Everyone! Here's a Top Ten List of Suggestions for Those of Us Who Have "Days In"! 

1. Get a head start on homework and assignments (ensures a better weekend)
2. Prepare lunch together (turn your child into the sous chef of your dreams!)
3. Clean your room, desk, backpack
4. Create something with your child using paper, dough, or blocks
5. Share a story with your child when you were unexpectedly off from school "Back when I was in 2nd grade, we had a teacher named......."
6. Facetime/Skype with a favorite family member or grandparents
7. Teach them how to read weather maps, how weather works, and what you can do during those times
8. Have hot chocolate and bake cookies!
9. Create a two minute one-act play skit based on their favorite movie and upload it as SnowDay Recreation Time on YouTube!
10. Take time to think about your long-term educational goals for you child!

SIRI: Do My Homework! The Dilemma/Excuse of Technology and Education

My first word processor was a typewriter and the first search engine that I learned how to use was the Grolier's Encyclopedia that my mother had purchased when I was still in Pre-School.

In my youth, I would look up information from various journals and magazines and would independently process it to learn more about the world and the people living in it. I learned how to appreciate the act of publishing and believed that anyone who was "noble" enough to publish a book earned my respect as an intelligent human being. I read, learned and discussed all that I discovered with not only my family, but my friends at school who perceived that some of the ideas that unraveled from the reading may have been beyond their reach. The only unfortunate part of my childhood was that we spent the majority of the year in the desertified part of the Southwest; an area where the scenery and wildlife was less than desirable. I compensated for this "lack of geographical bliss" by mustering up the courage to read these books "above my level" in the other place that I called home: our public library.

Many children growing up in this day and age find that access to knowledge is, for all intents and purposes, a "nuisance". What we, at one point in time, considered valuable information and important skill sets (factual knowledge, proper application of grammar principles, proficiency in spelling, memorization of math facts) they consider "trivial". If the information being presented to them cannot be decimated to a search on "Google" or the conversion to an "app", it is a true waste of time for them. Until, they will later learn, this knowledge cannot be something that merely stays in your head to occupy the space but rather information that is synthesized for other purposes.

I had a tremendously difficult time having a conversation with a young lady who told me that she could not tell me where the Indian Ocean was or another high school student who could not answer the question, "Name one musician and one artist who you admire.". Accomplishments of individuals are not solely based on science and technology. Accomplishments of individuals are those that are shared by the entire world and are celebrated as a way to help us appreciate the one word that makes us civilized: progress.

Rather than telling your child what the answer is in the most expedient manner possible, teach them a skill set that they will be required to use for the rest of their life: how to think. Later on technology will learn everything for us, but let's hope that they do not learn to "think" for us as well.  

To Write Or Not To Write… Handwriting and Where You Still See The Pen

In the past few weeks, I've noticed a trend in a few industries. When I meet people in person in order to inquire about a service or program, I've noticed the use (or lack of) the mighty pen.

When I first entered college, much of the work that had to be done by a student utilized a writing utensil. I recall buying a set of textbooks and half sized college ruled notebooks to take my lecture notes in. Fortunately for me, my handwriting and note taking ability captured the attention of professors and they recommended that I sell my notes to other students in class. Writing and handwriting (in my family) was a representation of your family, education, and upbringing. Nowadays it is something that people ridicule in the face of technology.

Over the course of 6 weeks, I've conducted a study to see occupations that use writing utensils and those who do not. Here is what I have found:

Many Professional Industries (High level - such as physicians, attorneys, high performing consultants) still use writing utensils. Given the fact that they have a good grasp of their writing abilities and focus on the process of information gathering, they are able to write with a high percentage of fluency.

Mid-level Professionals to Lower Level Professionals (Banking professionals, medical center staff, retail workers) often times do not have writing utensils at their disposal. They are required to use computers to automate their work processes and lack the technical know how to creatively come up with solutions.

What impact does this have on our current education climate? If we continue to not require students to learn the art and importance of handwriting, they may lose the ability to take notes, doodle, and creatively come up with solutions that they may not have been able to do if they are writing. In writing words and expressing their ideas, they can watch their mind unfold (and develop better fine motor skills).

Not So Smart Parenting……..

Sometimes I am grateful at the opportunity to hear conversations after they have occurred. I feel most enlightened by the information and transgressions that people are exposed to and can analyze and create a plan of correction "after the fact". In most cases, I feel like I am more of an "Educational Fixer" or "Educational Cleaner" when I am not consulting.

Earlier today I was immersed in deep conversation about one heated topic: "Rewards". When one of my clients asked a so-called expert about the use of rewards for her child, the "expert" responded in the way that most experts do - give a blanketed response to a common question instead of answering the question for that particular client. Yes, I read the same books that this gentleman read and yes, I too have wisdom beyond my years when it comes to understanding developmental processes in children. What I do not understand is what he could not share with the parent:

REWARDS 101

Rewards - are normally tangible items that are given to an individual who has completed a task satisfactorily. Many times, parents use "rewards" to entice their child to do something that at times seems rather undesirable. Personally, I am against using "bribes" because children learn something even more powerful that a reward mechanism that their parents have contrived: the art of manipulation. So in this instance, I am against REWARDS.

Now, here is the hard part. Instead of being a parent who invests their life savings into Amazon and the top three toy stores here in Atlanta, invest in what is called "Strategic Parenting".  Your child/children will eventually grow up in a world where they (if you want them to be a functional member of society) will need to exercise discipline, motivation, and delayed gratification. If your child is having a hard time with their homework, it is essentially a parent's job to make this obstacle one that is easily surmountable. Even better, some parents erase the word, "I can't do this" to "Let's complete this fun activity when you are done with this boring activity" as a way to recognize the mini-accomplishments of their child.

Children need to be given an intermittent (unexpected) schedule of reinforcing smiles, nods, kisses on the cheek and reaffirming experiences that will allow them to mature through the different processes of life. To be quite honest with you, I'm in utter shock that "experts" do not take the time to help educate parents on how to analyze and help modify the behavior of their child, until it is time to give them a nice hefty bottle of Prozac to "make the pain go away". I've never worked with a child who didn't want just a little more attention and meaningful praise to let them know that their efforts and accomplishments are duly noted.

If you help teach your child the art of persistence, discipline, and motivation, you've not only learned how to raise a child, but an individual that any person would be proud of.  

Can I Get A Side of Success With My Orton-Gillingham Tutoring in Atlanta?

Yes, I kid you not. I'm not exaggerating - or (what my little pre-school clients would like to say) telling you a fib - but it is true. Somehow the byproduct of tutoring our clients in Orton-Gillingham has been not just reading, but a side of success and confidence.

I've been doing this for over a decade now, and the first question that I ask parents is not what subject their child needs help on. If that were the case, I would open up a tutoring franchise and call it "Mc Tutoring" (it's a little catchy isn't it - maybe I should trademark this before somebody else does). I do something that is more important than finding out what the solution is… This helps me in helping them.

Once I've spoken to the parent, I get ready to meet the student. This opportunity is one that I find very special because it allows me to really work with who I enjoy working with most in my life: children. You see, in my childhood  I keenly observed each and every adult around me and noticed who liked working with children, and who liked making a paycheck. Every time I was around someone who liked children, there was a glint in their eyes that made them so approachable. When I was around an individual who wanted to make a paycheck, I noticed that they would count the minutes until their time was up. I've always loved children - and have a special place in my heart for those who are very capable of doing great things, but just do not know how to get there. That is the reason why I love working with children using this methodology.

For years, I've mastered the art of working with kids who have issues with reading. I pride myself on being "the one" who taught them how to read. I help them understand that there is nobody there to judge them and that I will stand beside them when they are finished to tell their mom and dad everything great that they did, and whisper every page of homework left to do. There are contagious smiles, giggles and laughter that comes with each time I work with children. I pre-judge some children, thinking that a concept that I think is hard will be hard for them - and then they make it look easy. I applaud them for being patient - and understanding and knowing that this one sacrifice that they have made early in life - giving up soccer, tennis, ballet or dance for the next few months will result in something bigger than any ribbon or trophy that can be placed in their living room. When they are done working with me, I expect that they will hold their head high and tell me without any reservation, "I can do this". I've achieved this with parents whose children were "below level" for one year and tested for gifted another. I've seen this with children who could only read words that had one syllable for 2 years in elementary school and became proficient readers in computer programming languages for adults.

The sky is the limit - I want this for each and every child I work with and hope that great things come to those who wait…patiently for success!

The Secret To Success… A Story of Orton-Gillingham

Some of what I do is routine, the other part of what I do is sheer instinct. Never in my life could I have imagined being at the helm of creating and developing the intellectual and behavioral limits of children - until today.

I was besieged by a litany of comments that were made by a team of educational professionals that I have worked with on a special project. My client, "R", had struggled with reading and was in an educational environment that lacked the structure to provide her with the remediation and skills needed in order for her to become a well-versed, fluent reader. She also had not been exposed to the knowledge base that her peers had already learned and so - I was given the task: to create a system where she would learn what typically takes most children 5 years to learn, in 9 months.

This was not an easy task. I racked my brain for weeks and spent hundreds of hours creating a plan that I thought was ambitious and crafty, but would require more endurance than willpower. My team of professionals and I had meetings upon meetings and discussed the matter before the actual implementation. We talked about the pros and cons - obstacles and distractions, laughter, tears and all. It was inevitable that I would have to conjoin two conflicting methodologies to solve a problem that nobody had diagnosed was there  - but only I was able to see it. How could this be? This client has spent thousands of dollars on therapy and psychologists here in Atlanta? How could they miss it? I don't now and frankly, I didn't care anymore. All I know is that the client had put the future of her daughter's life in my hands. As always, I felt like the "fixer" - and that's all I know how to do. Fix other people's mistakes.

So we have spent less than four months working on the plan. After hours of phone calls/meetings/emails and text messages - everything (surprisingly) went as planned and all goals and objectives were achieved. When I picked up the phone in the last week, my team had inundated me with the important details of what has happened and was excited to share with me the significant milestones that she had clearly reached. Even the conversation with my client's mother started off in the most jovial manner where she stated, "the psychologist cannot believe how much she has improved in one quarter. She doubted that it could happen." I'm sure that may be the mentality that most people have in education - but I do not feel that it is the norm.

At the end of the day, it's times like these where I feel that sometimes learning is not about setting limits like in Calculus class, it's about discovering your potential for being limitless! 

JATP Admissions 2014-2015

It's been a rather exciting year! We have kicked off with such an amazing start and have had some of the most focused parents consult with us. I'm happy to say that these parents will reap what they sow and believe me, there is quite a bit of great planning and results driven goal setting since the inception of this journey.

I'm happy to say that I've invested a great deal into researching the best and most updated products that have been added to our process. (Actually traveling to another country to grab an amazing product to help with intellectual development was quite nice as well!) One client actually told his mother, "There's so much that Ms. Christine does, we play games and have so much fun and I'm learning at the same time:)". I smile when I see the children work through every activity and can see the improvement in speed, agility, and mental flexibility every time we work.

If you would like more information about JATP Admissions Consultation for 2014-2015, feel free to call me at 404-964-8533.