Tag: teach

"In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few." ~ Shunryu Suzuki.

There is a concept I learned while my kids were in Montessori education called scaffolding—a technique that is reflected in the goals of learn it, do it and then teach it. In this way, the student comes back to the same material in a natural spiral, each time the student is able to add to their understanding and expertise as they come to achieve some level of mastery when they become proficient enough to teach what they know. Our emotional, and for that matter relational development, shares that same circular spiraling motion; which explains the very common phenomenon of feeling like we are always somehow arriving back where we started.

When most parents think about their role in educating their children about sex, they get stuck on "the talk," i.e. the birds and the bees' discussion that is all about mechanics. And this makes even the most hip parent a bit queasy.

Parents today have been inundated with scary stories about teen pregnancy, STD’s, AIDS, and early dalliances with oral sex. Or perhaps worse yet, your own stories from your teen years come back to our consciousness, and we don’t want our kids to suffer through our mistakes or rock with our wild times. So what’s a parent to do?

Many historians feel that one of Winston Churchill’s greatest speeches was given at a graduation ceremony at Oxford University. He had worked on the speech for hours. When the moment finally came, Churchill stood up to the cheering crowd, and in a strong, clear voice shouted just three words, "Never give up!" He paused a few seconds and shouted the words again, "Never give up!" He then reached for his hat and slowly walked off the podium, satisfied that he had told the graduates the messages they needed to succeed.

Every parent wants his or her child to have a successful school year. Here are four lessons you and your spouse can teach your kids at home so they are better prepared for the lessons they learn at school.

1. Teach Your Children to be Organized

When children feel organized, are confident that they know what to do, and have all their needed materials, confidence rises, and so does the quality of their work.

"Love doesn’t sit there like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all of the time, made new." ~Ursula K. LeGuin

Almost anyone can fall in love; our biological imperative to mate kicks in opening our hearts and flooding our nervous system with the euphoric experience of idealized connection, but many loving acts coming toward us everyday are not received at all.

We question the intention of those loving us—whether it be our spouse, our family or the platonic relationships we share with friends. We refuse to believe we are worthy of love at all. I witness this every day—this unwillingness to be loved that permeates our culture like a virus.

Years ago, it was a family tradition to pass down the secrets to treasured recipes and spend hours in the kitchen teaching children to cook. Somewhere between the addiction to video games and the overactive schedules of parents and children, cooking lessons have been neglected.

While there are many reasons for teaching kids to cook—it’s less expensive than eating out, preserves family heritage, etc—the most important reason is that by teaching your child to cook, you're giving them a better chance to be a healthy grown-up.