The Element by Ken Robinson

I recently finished reading, "The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything," by Ken Robinson and like most books that I enjoy after finishing, I find myself going back to it to dig out the nuggets and read them again.

If you don't know about Sir Ken Robinson, you should. I first discovered him after seeing his TED Talk about how schools kill creativity. I love this guy and couldn't wait to read The Element.

In the book, Sir Ken identifies The Element as the point where the activities individuals enjoy and are naturally good at come together. Where natural talent meets personal passion, and people feel most themselves, most inspired, and achieve at their highest levels.

He illustrates real-life examples using people like Paul McCartney, Richard Branson, Matt Groening, Mick Fleetwood, Arianna Huffington, and a host of many others, some famous and some not so much. Many of the people he covers either had known learning disabilities or struggled in school. The common thread among everybody was they followed their passion to find success in their lives and careers, much of the time against certain odds.

With chapter titles like, Think Differently, In The Zone, Finding Your Tribe, Somebody Help Me, For Love or Money, The Element lays the groundwork for why it's so important to find that thing in life that turns you on, that truly inspires you. If you love what you do, it isn't work. Life becomes richer and creativity flows. What you do becomes a Zen moment where everything is effortless and fulfilling and your entire focus is being in the moment. It's reminiscent of yoga or mindfulness. Athletes call it, "being in the zone."

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about how different celebrities and business people struggled with school but discovered their own passions, which led them on a career path to success. Knowing that others had overcome difficulties with learning and school by focusing on finding their groove gives hope to so many kids in the same situation. It also inspires the parents of these kids to let them do whatever it is that makes them unique and special.

Initially, my big complaint, which I share with others who were disappointed by the book, was that it didn't show me how to find MY passion. Reading the title of the book, I hoped to find not only my own passion, but a way to find the passion of my children so I could help us all find a fulfilling career path. But I came to realize that isn't really the point of the book in the first place. You have to find your own passion yourself. Nobody can do it for you. Knowing what to look for and how to progress when you find your passion is as much a key to The Element as finding it in the first place.

All in all, it's a fun read with more than a little dose of the lives of people you already know but didn't know the whole story. I would suggest watching the Ken Robinson TED Talk first so you get a sense of of his personal style and wit and gain a little background of what's to come in the book.

 

Time to Start Thinking About Extended School Year Services (ESY)

Summer is coming soon and it's time to start thinking about Extended School Year Services (ESY).

ESY Services focus on extending the school year for students with learning disabilities and are decided upon by the IEP Team. There are conflicting views about whether kids need a break from school activities during the summer but regardless, it's important for kids to remain mentally stimulated in some capacity.

I have my own theories and hopefully I'll post something soon at Easy IEP Help. Great Schools has an article here if you want to know more.

Many IEPs are coming up and it's a good time to discuss ESY but be prepared BEFORE going into the IEP. Find out what programs are available ahead of time so you don't waste time in the IEP trying to figure it all out. The most important things to discuss are goals and objectives moving forward and how the previous goals have impacted the current progress.

As a parent, don't feel pressured to have your child taking classes during the summer, even if they're behind. Chances are, if they have an IEP, they're probably behind. You know your child best and if they truly need a break it's understandable. Find something else to stimulate their brain.

Don't forget to use the break to get in plenty of physical activity too. It's just as important for healthy and growing brains.

9 Tips For Kids Who Are Always Late For School

Almost everybody dreads mornings. You're nice and comfy in your warm, cozy bed and then the alarm abruptly rings. It's never a soothing alarm because you'd keep right on dreaming. It has to be an annoying alarm - either a loud BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ or BEEP BEEP BEEP. No wonder so many of us wake up in a bad mood.

After a few too many snoozes, you miss the opportunity to wake up on time and rush to get ready only to find yourself late for school. You promise to get up on time - tomorrow.

Being late for anything is never a good thing. But being late for school is the worst. For a lot kids, it's a common reality. Many times they simply don't "want" to go to school in the first place because school is hard or kids aren't always nice to them. But there are some things you can to do help your kids get up on time and get going in the morning.

Once habits are formed, they're hard to break. Getting in the habit of being on time or early, especially for school, will create a good habit that will last a lifetime.

If your kids are regularly late for school, try some of these tips:

1. Go to bed early - try going to bed one hour earlier than usual.

2. Get all the clothes out the night before, put shoes by the door, have backpacks ready, and discuss breakfast before going to bed.

3. Change all the clocks in the house to be ten minutes fast. It may sound radical and after a while everybody will get used to it but it should work in the short term.

4. Set the alarm to go off at different times until you find the sweet spot. Some kids need to hit the snooze button two or three times while others get up right away on the first alarm. Find the time that works best.

5. Turn on a TV or music to something they like.

6. Have breakfast ready when they wake up. 

7. A glass of water first thing in the morning energizes the body and mind and helps get everything going.

8. Make it a game to see who can get up and out the door first.

9. Bribe them. I said it. Give them $1 if they can wake up, get in the car and be on time or early for school. Do it every day for a month if you have to. Maybe offer to do something they love to do if they can be on time for an entire month.

Some of these are no-brainers and others may be a little out there. Find what works best and keep doing it. The goal is to create a habit of being on time or early. Once the habit is formed, keep following it. It's worth it.

And if you don't have a problem being late for school, consider yourself lucky, disregard the previous tips, and keep doing what you're already doing.

Try Organic Food

Turn Off the TV and Read a Book

Waiting For Superman 2010

Waiting For Superman is finally out on DVD and I had a chance to watch it again.

There are many times in the film that I felt energized and a renewed hope that we can make our schools great. But I couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness at the end when so many kids and parents had their own sense of hope squashed because they lost in the lottery.

There are many great teachers AND strategies exposed. We're so close to getting it right, yet the bureaucracies step in and squander what could be.

Up until the 1970s, American schools were the best in the world. Now, among 30 other countries, we rank 25th in Math and 21st in Science. How did this happen?

Our kids spend the majority of their day at school. In my opinion, schools should be palaces and teachers should be paid a king's ransom.

If you get a chance to see Waiting For Superman, do so. It will take a lot of effort by a lot of people to fix our schools. It's something we have to do.

Auditory Processing Disorder

Auditory Processing Disorder APD (sometimes referred to as Central Auditory Processing Disorder, CAPD) is not a hearing problem like some people think. Rather it is a processing problem that provides difficulty in the way the brain processes or perceives auditory information.

Essentially, the brain scrambles information it receives. This can cause difficulties when listening in a loud room or where there are a lot of distractions.

Children with Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) very often struggle with language, remembering verbal information, reading, math, and following directions.

It's important that kids with APD study in quiet environments, sit near the front of the classroom, and are spoken to in clear, concise language while making good eye contact.

When giving instructions, don't make them complicated with too many things to remember. Have them repeat back the instructions to verify they correctly received and understand what they should be doing.

Popular programs that help with Auditory Processing Disorder include: Fast ForWord, PACE, and AIT (Auditory Integration Training).