EmpoweredEd2020

Kurt Vonnegut tells his wife he's going out to buy an envelope: “Oh, she says, well, you're not a poor man. You know, why don't you go online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet? And so I pretend not to hear her. "And go out to get an envelope because I'm going to have a hell of a good time in the process of buying one envelope. I meet a lot of people. And see some great looking babies. And a fire engine goes by. And I give them the thumbs up. And I'll ask a woman what kind of dog that is. "And, and I don't know. The moral of the story is - we're here on Earth to fart around. And, of course, the computers will do us out of that. And what the computer people don't realize, or they don't care, is we're dancing animals. "You know, we love to move around. And it's like we're not supposed to dance at all anymore." This is me in a nutshell. - Btw, this is from the book “A Man Without a Country” (by Kurt Vo...

Walt Disney was rejected over 300 times before Mickey Mouse came to be. Three hundred times. The man who’s work has touched billions was also fired from a job at a Kansas City newspaper for ‘lacking creativity’. After Walt succeeded in bringing Mickey to life, he caved under mounting business and self-induced pressures, and suffered — as he called it, ‘one heck of a breakdown’. Not exactly a traditional version of success that our minds would be inclined to conjure. People may ask me why I have so much admiration for Walt Disney, the man. It’s because while we tend to celebrate those that think differently or have difficulty staying within societal lines — quite often early on, they are shunned and misunderstood. They are easily celebrated after validation, but not during the climb. A journey which is criticized, ridiculed and deemed incomprehensible countless times. I admire him for his commitment and willingness to always find a way, no matter the sacrifice.  I am sure he didn’t ...

1. Take care of you -- Exercise, eat well-balanced meals, stick to regular routines and reach out to others for support. These activities might be difficult when you are grieving, but taking care of yourself is still important. Grieving children do better when they have a healthy adult providing support and understanding to them.   2. Be honest with your child -- Discuss the tragic event with your child in a simple, direct and age appropriate manner. Be honest and share clear, accurate information about what happened. Children need to hear the truth from someone they love.   3. Listen -- Listen to your child share his or her story about what happened. Let them ask you questions and answer their questions as best as you can. Do not be afraid to say, “I don’t know.”   4. Acknowledge your child’s grief -- recognize that your child is grieving. Be careful not to impose your grief on your child, but allow him or her to grieve in his or her own way. It is normal ...

1. Take care of you -- Exercise, eat well-balanced meals, stick to regular routines and reach out to others for support. These activities might be difficult when you are grieving, but taking care of yourself is still important. Grieving children do better when they have a healthy adult providing support and understanding to them.   2. Be honest with your child -- Discuss the tragic event with your child in a simple, direct and age appropriate manner. Be honest and share clear, accurate information about what happened. Children need to hear the truth from someone they love.   3. Listen -- Listen to your child share his or her story about what happened. Let them ask you questions and answer their questions as best as you can. Do not be afraid to say, “I don’t know.”   4. Acknowledge your child’s grief -- recognize that your child is grieving. Be careful not to impose your grief on your child, but allow him or her to grieve in his or her own way. It is normal for children to...

Today’s parents are more involved than they’ve ever been with their children’s development. Except for when it comes to preschool. Many parents drop their kids off in the morning while the teachers take over, and then pick them up at the end of the day without giving their learning much more thought. To get the true benefits from early childhood education, however, parents need to consider how they can support what their children are learning throughout the day. The Benefits of Parent Involvement Some of a child’s most important cognitive development happens during their preschool years. By taking an active role in the early childhood education process, parents can help ensure that their child has all the support they need to develop to their full potential. Parent involvement helps extend teaching outside the classroom, creates a more positive experience for children and helps children perform better when they are in school. It is essential for parents to support the learning that hap...

Early childhood education is a term that refers to the period of time from a child’s birth to when they enter kindergarten, according to Dr. Jessica Alvarado, academic program director for the BA in Early Childhood Development at National University. According to  Alvarado, it is an important time in children’s lives because it is when they first learn how to interact with others, including peers, teachers and parents, and also begin to develop interests that will stay with them throughout their lives. It is a common misperception that early childhood education is only about learning basic skills. It is so much more than that, It is a time when children learn critical social and emotional skills and a partnership is formed between the child, their parents and the teacher. When this is done successfully, it lays the groundwork for it to continue throughout the child’s education. Nations around that world are becoming aware of the importance of early childhood education as well....

Look at the differences between a typical preschool child’s hand (left) and a typical 7 year old hand (right). Their hands are still developing and are not fully formed.    So what should they be doing to support this?   PLAY!!  Playdough, painting, coloring, cutting, gluing, playing outside, digging in dirt, sensory play, dress up play, science experiments, beading, puzzles, throwing balls, etc.  All of these things help their hands develop. When they are physically ready to write, they will! No need to rush them, they will show you when they are ready.”  http://dlvr.it/RxSQR0

  The average number of books in a U.S. household is 114, according to a just-published paper called " Scholarly culture: How books in adolescence enhance adult literacy, numeracy and technology skills in 31 societies ." 114 is a good number. The paper's authors studied 160,000 adults and found that just having 80 or more books in a home results in adults with significantly higher levels of literacy, numeracy, and information communication technology (ICT) skills. The paper finds, "Growing up with home libraries boosts adult skills in these areas beyond the benefits accrued from parental education or own educational or occupational attainment." The effect was found to be powerful in: Children from such homes who ended up attaining just a high-school-level education "become as literate, numerate and technologically apt in adulthood as university graduates who grew up with only a few books." It’s not quite the more books the better The study, led by  Dr....

David Schatzkamer wrote this fantastic piece after last year’s Super Bowl. The cost of a 30-second commercial spot for this year’s Super Bowl was about $5.6 million, and according to AdAge, 30 seconds gets your attention – now do the same with our own kids. So how can 30 seconds improve you relationship with them? Our children know when we’re engulfed in our own technological or work-driven tasks; perhaps you have heard an eager voice say “Daddy, look what I colored,” or “Mommy, you wouldn’t believe what I built, come and see.” For adults, it seems obvious that you simply cannot give them that attention all the time. To borrow from gridiron terminology call a “Time Out!” Also, get the timer out for this experiment…I challenge parents out there to stop all that you’re doing in one 30-second long period (yes, you can time it). 1) Get down on their level 2) Turn your body towards them 3) Listen to what they’re saying. Take that time to acknowledge what they are doing and how they are feel...

Research finds highly intelligent individuals prefer to socialize less than the rest of us. I recently read a short article by Sarah Sloat. Sarah is a writer based in Brooklyn. She has previously written for The New Republic, Pacific Standard, and McSweeney's Internet Tendency. I like to socialize so hopefully that doesn’t cast doubts on my intelligence. Sarah writes, psychologists have a pretty good idea of what typically makes a human happy. Dancing  delights us . Being in  nature brings us joy . And, for most people, frequent contact with  good friends  makes us feel content. That is, unless you’re really, really smart. In a 2016 paper published in the  British Journal of Psychology , researchers Norman Li and Satoshi Kanazawa report that highly intelligent people experience lower life satisfaction when they socialize with friends more frequently. These are the  Sherlocks  and the  Newt Scamanders  of the world — the very intelligent few w...

 

We believe the use of technology is changing rapidly, as is the knowledge base on which literacy approaches will work best for diverse children and families.  The Campaign for Grade Level Reading forecasts that communities committed to making a demonstrable impact on grade-level reading will need to prioritize their technology-based efforts by determining which areas are most pressing.  Promoting a personal connection among parents and educators via social media, cell phones, texting, and the development of hybrid learning communities is key.