Raising a Moral Child Photo What does it take to be a good parent? We know some of the tricks for teaching kids to become high achievers. For example, research suggests that when parents praise effort rather than ability, children develop a stronger work ethic and become more motivated. Yet although some parents live vicariously through their children’s accomplishments, success is not the No. 1 priority for most parents. Despite the significance that it holds in our lives, teaching children to care about others is no simple task. Are some children simply good-natured — or not? Genetic twin studies suggest that anywhere from a quarter to more than half of our propensity to be giving and caring is inherited. By age 2, children experience some moral emotions — feelings triggered by right and wrong. Many parents believe it’s important to compliment the behavior, not the child — that way, the child learns to repeat the behavior. But is that the right approach? Continue reading the main story
Blend Phonics | Welcome to the Don Potter.net Wide Interest Web Site | Don Potter Nationwide Educational Reform Campaign Sponsored by Donald L. Potter Don teaching Blend Phonics Unit 14 with cursive Purpose Statement Blend Phonics is an easy, single-letter phonics technique for teaching reading to student of any age which will prevent the development of whole-word dyslexia in beginning students and remediate whole-word dyslexia in older students. Goal The goal of this Blend Phonics web page is to initiate a nationwide campaign to make Blend Phonics Technique available to every parent, every elementary teacher, and every reading tutor in America in order to eliminate the current epidemic of artificially induced whole-word dyslexia. How it all started Several years ago I read the following stirring recommendation for Hazel Loring's 1980Reading Made Easy with Blend Phonics for First Grade by Robert W. "An effective answer to illiteracy … Let me offer a less costly, and more effective answer. That last sentence struck me with great force. What I have discovered What you can do
10 Common Mistakes Parents Today Make (Me Included) | Kari Kubiszyn Kampakis When I became a mom, I got lots of advice on how to love my child. But not until a few years ago did someone actually point out that loving a child means wanting what's best for them long-term. When my four daughters were young, long-term didn't resonate with me. Back then it was about survival, meeting daily needs and keeping my head above water. Now that my kids are maturing, however, the fog is lifting. These days, I put more thought into long-term. A while back I came across some interesting articles and books that dig into what psychologists today are seeing: a rising number of 20-somethings who are depressed and don't know why. One reason given is that parents today are too quick to swoop in. One article mentions incoming college freshmen known to deans as "teacups" for their fragility in the face of minor problems. Here's psychiatrist Paul Bohn's response, as paraphrased in the piece: Why am I sharing this information? Mistake #10: Worshipping our children. Like Us On Facebook |
WellesleyX: ANTH207x - Introduction to Human Evolution *Note - This is an Archived course* This is a past/archived course. At this time, you can only explore this course in a self-paced fashion. Certain features of this course may not be active, but many people enjoy watching the videos and working with the materials. Make sure to check for reruns of this course. As contemporary humans, we are a product of our evolutionary past. Image: Hands at the Cuevas de las Manos upon Río Pinturas, near the town of Perito Moreno in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. Before your course starts, try the new edX Demo where you can explore the fun, interactive learning environment and virtual labs.
The 8 Secrets of Dutch Kids, the Happiest Kids in the World - Finding Dutchland According to Unicef’s most recent Child Well Being in Rich Countries survey, Dutch kids ranked as the happiest kids in the world. Dutch kids led the way in three out of the five categories, namely- material well being, educational well being, and behavior and risks. Unicef Germany isn’t the first research organization to come to this conclusion. Surveys conducted by Britain’s Child Poverty Action Group, the World Health Organization, and Unicef International have all reached unanimous conclusions as to the happy state of Dutch children. Why exactly are Dutch kids the happiest in the world? 1. It shouldn’t be surprising that the happiest kids in the world also have parents who are also among the happiest people in the world. 2. Dutch psychologist and journalist Ellen de Bruin has written a book titled “Dutch Women Don’t Get Depressed” illustrating the phenomenon. Perhaps a main factor why Dutch women don’t get depressed is that they’ve found the perfect work-life balance. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
The Rules Making sense of race and privilege By Lawrence Otis Graham ’83 Published in the October 8, 2014, issue Michael Falco/Black Star Lawrence Otis Graham ’83 I knew the day would come, but I didn’t know how it would happen, where I would be, or how I would respond. My wife and I, both African-Americans, constitute one of those Type A couples with Ivy League undergraduate and graduate degrees, who, for many years, believed that if we worked hard and maintained great jobs, we could insulate our children from the blatant manifestations of bigotry that we experienced as children in the 1960s and ’70s. But it happened nevertheless in July, when I was 100 miles away. Family photo: Christine Butler The Graham family at home It was a Tuesday afternoon when my 15-year-old son called from his academic summer program at a leafy New England boarding school and told me that as he was walking across campus, a gray Acura with a broken rear taillight pulled up beside him. But he had heard correctly. Post Comments
Dog ETA: 3 Quick Ways to Assess Friendliness Walking in a local park yesterday with a client and her sweet pup, a dog came toward us.The two dogs met and had a happy, mutual exchange. Another dog headed our way; I instantly nixed any contact using my simple Dog ETA assessment. ETA = Estimated Time to Aggression. Actually, it stands for Eyes, Tail and Alignment. Eyes Staring ain’t caring. The dog pictured here is showing ETA posture I avoid See how intently this dog is staring? This is not a dog I would allow Pip to greet. I hope the Dog ETA allows you to enjoy your dog walks more and feel more confident about your choices. Pat your dog for me. *This is NOT a breed thing. Related: Protection from Loose Dogs: What I Carry
Without Janitors, Students Are In Charge Of Keeping School Shipshape : NPR Ed Back in 2011, Newt Gingrich was running for president, and he proposed a radical idea to help schools cut costs: Fire the janitors and pay students to do the cleaning. Needless to say, the idea to turn students into moonlighting janitors had about as much support as Gingrich's presidential campaign. But ask Kim De Costa and she'll say there isn't anything radical about asking students to clean up after themselves. At her school, there are no janitors. Instead, students in grades 6-12 meet in teams once or twice a week to clean assigned areas. De Costa is the executive director of the Armadillo Technical Institute. For 30 minutes after lunch, students sweep, mop, take out the trash and even clean the bathrooms — but responsibilities rotate so no one is stuck scrubbing toilets more than two or three times a year. De Costa says it's easy to encourage students to respect their environment when they're the ones responsible for preserving it. UNESC0/You Tube YouTube Many Hands Make Light Work
How cultures around the world think about parenting The crisis of American parenting, as anyone who has looked at the parenting section of a bookstore can attest, is that nobody knows what the hell they’re doing. Yet despite this lack of confidence and apparent absence of knowledge, many American parents zealously believe that their choices carve out their children’s futures. Indeed, they seek the advice of expert after expert in the field in order to succeed at one goal: to raise the happiest, the most successful, and the most well-adjusted leaders of the future. But what dangers lay in thinking that there is one “right” way to parent? How much of how we parent is actually dictated by our culture? How do the ways we parent express the essentialness of who we are, as a nation? “Americans have no script,” says Jennifer Senior (TED Talk: For parents, happiness is a very high bar), author of All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood. Norwegians believe that it is better for children to be in daycare as toddlers. Craziness?