Sweet Fans in the Front Row
I had the absolute pleasure yesterday to speak to hundreds of teachers at the ACSI Teachers Convention in Anaheim. For those that were there, thanks so much for coming, it was a JOY to see your smiling face in the crowd! My presentation was titled, "Motivating Kids, Change Your Life and Theirs". It was beyond encouraging to see so many teachers desiring practical tips to encourage and motivate their students. They have caught on to the secret - motivating kids is the most POWERFUL tool we have as teachers and parents resulting in happy, confident kids that LOVES LEARNING!
I was speaking to a friend who along with her husband has successfully raised 3 beautiful children. All their kids (who I used to babysit!) are very successful with thriving careers and opportunities in front of them. And they are happy! She told me that as parents they never 'pushed' their kids or put 'pressure' on them, they simply fostered in them a LOVE FOR LEARNING. How simple! They wanted their kids to be able to THINK and LEARN for themselves, not just "pass a test" or "get into the right college". Amazing thing is, they accomplished all those things in the process!
In the movie, Race to Nowhere which I HIGHLY recommend for all you parents and teachers out there, they share some staggering statistics from recent research studies. One of the most shocking is 40% of all college freshman across the country have to take remedial classes as they are not prepared for the basic freshman level courses at the University level. Why is this? Well because they are ALL CHEATING! Another statistic shared is that today between 75 and 98% of college students surveyed report cheating their way through high school. So this straight A student gets to college and all of a sudden they are required to THINK and apply the information they have supposedly learned, but they can't. Why? Because they haven't really learned anything, they have just "beat the system".
I was in a staff meeting about a year ago with a room full of professors from Point Loma Nazarene University. A discussion started about the shift they have seen in their students over the last 10-15 years. Students are saying things now like, "What exactly do I have to know for the test", "Will this be on the test?", "How many paragraphs does it have to be", "Can you send me your notes and any thing I can do for extra credit since I will be missing class..." Our kids are becoming so conditioned to produce what WE want from them that we are stifling their ability to learn.
What can we do to make sure our kids don't fall into this? Here are some suggestions!
- Model your love for learning and teach them every chance you get - when you drive, clean, go on walks, go to the store, travel, when going out to eat, when shopping.... Use EVERYTHING as an opportunity for learning!
- READ to your kids everyday! Let them see the power and joy that is in a book! Read them books that are above their level and leave them "hanging" until the next day when you pick the book back up again. (The Narnia series is a favorite for many!)
- We know that enhanced effort enhances achievement. So focus on your kids EFFORTS and not their grades. Let them know that all that matters is that they do their "best". When a child races through a workbook page or assignment, have them point out their best work and what they could do better. Then PRAISE their efforts. (Take the focus off of the race to finish and on to a passion for excellence!)
- Don't allow for "homework time" to be a fighting crying nightmare. Find out what motivates YOUR child and do whatever you can to MOTIVATE them during this time! I have tons of ideas on this one, I will post it later or you can email me. Some of my favorites though - have a nice quiet place that they do their homework at everyday. Be consistent with WHEN you do homework in your house. Set a timer for them, have all their supplies for them, pencils, crayons, paper, water, apples, snacks.... Let them know when the "timer" goes off or when they are done what FUN activity awaits them! And please please please don't let your junior higher do their homework in their room by themselves with a computer and phone. Not a good idea. More info to come on that one.
I have seen kids be TRANSFORMED by doing some of the things listed above. I have known kids that hated school, cried all the time before going, had tummy aches, begged not to go. Might of looked like this:
Same kid, different environment and strategies applied - they LOVED school and couldn't wait to get there everyday, loved reading, loved doing their homework. They fell in love with learning! And their parents couldn't be happier!
It's on us to figure out how to motivate our kids, not on them...and most kids are pretty easy to figure out if you work at it.
So get after it, change YOUR life and THEIRS!
Happy Thanksgiving Friends
