The biggest dream I have is to be invited by the US Government to advise on teaching self development in schools.
Rather ironically, I had an actual dream recently in which that happened and I was given the keys to the school system and an unlimited budget.
I can’t actually remember much more of the dream, other than the President at the time was Charlie Sheen and Sarah Palin his Vice-President.
That seems highly plausible to me, so maybe it was a premonition and not really a dream?
Anyway, this got me thinking, if that were to happen and the phone were to ring asking me to take on the roll, what would I do?
Before I got to work I’d call Jamie Oliver and give him free access to the food services.
I’d insist that we not only started giving kids the right kind of food, but also the education so they know why we’re giving them the right kind of food.
Seriously, I don’t give a damn how much Coke or Pepsi pay me, they’re not putting their vending machines in my schools.
The same goes for any other vending machines that dispense candy, cookies and crap.
Self Development For Kids
Then I would install a subject on the curriculum called ‘Self Development’ (or some other more imaginative title) and it would be mandatory for all kids starting in primary education.
I think during those crucial years between the ages of about 6 and 10 we have a real opportunity to give kids a leg up that they don’t always get from family.
And that isn’t a knock on parents either, because they’re almost always doing their best. But when was the last time you met a parent that had taken any training in what is possibly the hardest job in the world?
Not having kids and it being a decade or three since I was at school you may be able to tell me some of this stuff has already been implemented. If so, I’d love to know.
I’d also love to know in the comments what you think I’ve missed and if you think some of my ideas are plain nuts.
Breathing
The vast majority of people (some reports say it’s over 90%), don’t breathe properly. They breathe from the upper chest and too rapidly.
This can lead to anxiety, high blood pressure, poor health and an inefficient supply of oxygen to the brain, especially in times of stress.
I know it sounds ridiculous because we are born breathing, but I’d insist kids have refreshers on this.
It would probably only be one hour per semester, but by the time they hit their teens they’d understand the importance of something most people take for granted. And more importantly, how they can control it.
Daydreaming
Do you remember at school when kids would be scolded for daydreaming? Maybe you were one of them, I know I was.
What a crock of shit!
Some of the greatest breakthroughs in the history of humankind have come directly from daydreaming.
Albert Einstein, Walt Disney, Isaac Newton, Richard Branson, Henry David Thoreau and hundreds more of the greatest people to ever walk the earth were dreamers, and in particular, daydreamers.
I’d give kids time to daydream in a similar way to how Google allow their staff to work on their own projects. Kids daydream, don’t stifle that and in turn their creativity, nurture it.
Thinking
Consider yourself lucky because you read self development blogs. As such you know you can think differently even if you don’t always implement that ability.
There are millions of kids that have no idea their reality isn’t the reality. Nobody has ever told them their thoughts dictate their lives and they can change them.
It could be said that ‘As A Man Thinketh’ by James Allen is the only self development book you ever need to read. It’s short, simple, and awesomely powerful. As such it would be required reading on my curriculum.
I’d also teach kids about cognitive biases such as confirmation bias, the endowment effect, the halo effect etc so they can avoid making poor decisions based upon them without realizing why.
Asking Great Questions
From great questions come great answers and I’d encourage kids to keep asking when they don’t know the answer to something.
What makes a great question?
Simple, one you don’t know the answer to.
Too often people are afraid to ask because they think they’ll look dumb and that belief was installed at an early age.
You look dumb for not asking questions in my world.
Visualization
I’d teach all kids the power of visualization. Scientifically speaking, there is no doubt that visualization works incredibly well. It trains the brain to do things before the body has to do them in the real world.
Kids are often naturally good at this, but if they knew how to harness it effectively they would be awesome.
Embracing Failure
Do they still use red pens in school to mark work? If so, I’d immediately ban the use of them.
Is there anything more discouraging and demoralizing for a kid than getting some work back riddled with red crosses and harsh comments such as ‘could do better’?
Well duh, we all could do better on occasions, it’s called being human.
We now know people learn quicker through personal failure and we know why at a neurological level. We also know that the most successful people that have ever lived have often had the most failures.
Yet still we insist on stigmatizing and ridiculing failure rather than embracing it.
Young kids aren’t afraid or self conscious of failing. Which is why they don’t quit learning to walk and talk when at first they don’t succeed, and why they ultimately prevail in both activities.
Yet as a Society we knock the willingness to ‘give things a go’ out of them in countless subtle, and not so subtle ways.
I’d teach kids not to be afraid of failing and I’d encourage them for the effort they put in when things didn’t go according to plan (presuming they did put some effort in that is!).
Also, I’d instruct all teachers to never compliment a child for being talented.
We now know that one well intentioned action alone can encourage a fixed mindset and curtail mental growth.
Kids respond best by being encouraged for their effort, so encourage them.
Reframing
Come on, you knew I wouldn’t be able to resist this one because in my opinion it’s the most underrated skill on the planet
Kids are naturally great reframers. They don’t always reframe the right way, especially if they see their parents reverse reframing and always extracting the bad from the good, but they can usually do it.
I’d implement reframing competitions and have kids reframing the crap out of everything.
This goes hand in hand with failing, because when we reframe failure as a learning experience it no longer feels like failure.
The Power of Language
I have talked about this so much I’m almost embarrassed to mention it again. Almost, but not quite though.
I’d show kids that using words like should, must, have to, got to, need to etc inappropriately just stresses them out because they remove choice.
I’d then encourage them to use words/phrases of choice, like want to, like to, fun to etc.
I’d then show them how to construct solution focused questions. Gone would be phrases like, “Why haven’t you finished your work?” only to be replaced by questions like “What can we do to make sure you get finished on time next time?”
In fact I’d go all language-Nazi and ban the word ‘why’ except in certain sitautions. I know kids love to say why, why, why. But they (and you) are better served by saying how, who and what.
Meditation
I mentioned this on Twitter recently and was told it was a stupid idea and that kids can’t sit still. Well neither can I half the time, but I still meditate.
We are currently training kids en masse to develop ADD.
Do you really think it’s a coincidence that number of children suffering from the condition have exploded in line with the advent of so many supposed multi-tasking tools?
We know that multi-tasking is a myth, yet we still allow the myth to be perpetuated.
Let’s show kids that they can slow things down and still be productive and that focusing on one thing at a time is the way you get great results.
I’d also show them alternative relaxation methods as well as stress management techniques.
This stuff may not stick immediately, but it would be embedded for later in life and that’s the point.
Celebrity Culture
I’d want the mistaken belief that being a celebrity somehow makes you more happy and successful wiped out at an early age.
I’m not against anybody being famous, we have to have famous people. However, fame for the sake of fame is an empty shallow experience and does not guarantee happiness.
Watching the early rounds of American Idol should aptly demonstrate what celebrity culture is doing to our Society.
Compassion
Do you think there’s too much compassion in this world?
No, me neither.
We live in a me first world. I’d want kids to understand that there is no us and them, just us, and we’re all one and the same.
If we all truly believed that there would be no xenophobia, no racism, no homophobia, no fights and no wars, but we don’t truly believe it.
We cultivate us and them thinking all the time, but compassion removes that. You cannot feel compassion toward somebody and not also feel a level of connection.
I’m going to leave it at that otherwise this post could go on for ever, and anyway I haven’t got the job…….yet.
Tim Brownson is a Certified Life Coach and has been unsticking people and helping them reach their true potential since 2005. If you would like to know how he can help you
Brownson/Naim 2012, together we will create.
Too bad we are both non american born.
It’s funny, the past 2 weeks, without fail, I have been having a dream every night that I ran and was elected to Congress and later to the Senate. During that time I took a hard look and started changing the way the school run. I did a lot of other things as well, but let’s stick with education.
As you know, I talk to a lot of teens and spoken to many youth speakers as well…they all say the same thing “why don’t they teach ‘these stuff’ in school?”
They are talking about business. Creativity. Passion.
They are talking about experience.
I have been saying that if I was a grade school teacher, for me history would probably be the topic I would teach on. Civil War, let’s go paintballing and reenact the scene. Setting up the government, let’s split the class into the government.
I would rather see experiences taking place than just talking about it.
And yes, I would love to study the books, the skills, needed for the “real” world.
So I say it again, Brownson/Naim 2012.
That;s why I love ya Roy. That paint-balling idea is sheer genius I tell ya!
Naim/Brownson would be more accurate ;-)
Love your ideas.
I would add curriculum that included awareness of personal strengths and weaknesses, and teaching how to work to and in your strengths in life in general, and especially as you move towards a career.
I would add financial education to the curriculum, especially in regards to the danger of debt, and the increasing folly of taking on tens of thousands of dollars of college debt. I would have students learn the incredible power of intentional saving, spending and giving through the framework and power of the humble personal budget.
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My only concern with the strengths/weaknesses part is that they can change.
Dr Nick Hall is a personal hero of mine and in his book “I Know What To Do, So Why Don’t I Do It?” he explains how he sucked at math when at school.
Now he is one of the worlds leading scientists!
Definitely agree on the financial thing.
Dear Kim, I fully and absolutely agree with what you are saying! I couldn’t have put it any better. ;)
@Tim Thx for this great article. It’s a fantastic idea to bring our kids into the self-development discussion. After all they should be our top priority.
Michaela x
Some great idea’s here Tim, hope you don’t mind but i’m going to forward to
Luka’s teacher. Had parents interview today and in 14 years of parents interviews for our two kids its the first time a teacher has been more interested in my child and her well being, attitude and outlook as opposed to her grades.
Refereshing and i’m sure he will find your idea’s refreshing, not sure the headmaster will agree mind!
I’m honored Mike, thanks!
i created this school – thewellspringschool.org. we recently closed as we ran out of money and the energy for the constant uphill climb. it was a valiant, beautiful project and the kids will be forever changed for the better (imho). they are noticeably different from their peers, as is frequently mentioned by nearly any adult they encounter.
there are MANY people/groups creating these types of educational experiences, but they’re drowning in the bureaucracy of our very broken educational system. more people understanding why this is important will give the next pioneers an easier path.
That sucks Pascale, but good for you for trying!
One of the reasons I mentioned Jamie Oliver because it simply amazed me all the opposition he cam up against in the form of red tape, people covering their own arses at the expense of the kids health and plain fear of change.
All very sad.
You forgot exercise I think. Helping kids find exercise that they love and helping them learn how to make exercise a part of their lives.
And of course learning how to budget. (Just get Dave ramsey in to help you on that front.)
Can I send my kids to your school please?
susie recently posted..Tragedy Sells
I didn’t forget exercise, I just presumed kids had exercise! Do they not? Holy crap when I was at school we had 2 hours a week.
I think the kids spend more energy trying to get out of the exercise class. I want them to learn the good basics-why to do it? How it helps, stretching, finding an exercise you love, learning how to work with pulse monitors….
susie recently posted..Tragedy Sells
You have rendered me speechless. Too choked with emotion…. I am just thankful that my kids are out of school and can now get on with Living.
I hope that’s choked in a good way Sara and you don’t need the heimlich maneuver ;-)
Hi Tim,
I agree. The “real world” needs to visit the classroom. By the time they leave school, it may be too late for some. Great thoughts, keep them coming.
be good to yourself
David
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And thoughts is probably all they’ll be mate, which is a shame.
You can come to our school anytime, Tim. I think Thinking, and Asking Great Questions are covered at our progressive charter school but the rest…And most other schools don’t have any of them covered. It is a depressing situation and I thank my lucky stars that my kids were so unmanageable that I *did* have to have some parent training so I like to think I get some of the rest touched upon.
I agree with Susie that financial management should be part of the curriculum (I am still shocked by the number of kids that are not given an allowance and alternatively given everything they ask for) and also doing service for a group less fortunate. In the wealthy part of CA that I am in, kids have lost all perspective and parents are the last to give it them.
Lastly, there should be mandatory parenting development lessons to complement those given to the kids. So there. ;-)
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Well that’s cool that some of the stuff is ticked off.
Now can’t you start a blog campaigning for the rest? Imagine the power of a grass roots movement!
Now you’ve gone and done it Tim – got me started on one of my soap box subjects!!!
I find it so sad how little of what kids of all ages do at school to prepare them for real life and to teach him the skills to create a fulfilling life on their own terms based on their own definiton of success. It seems the education system has become obsessed with passing exams as the measure of a successful start in life.
I agree with everything you say in your post with the exception of needing to be in a position of power, such as a government appointed bod, to effect real change. All great revolutions start from the ground up. We are not alone in our thoughts on this. I know a few other folk who feel the same and I am sure the must be a helluva lot more out there too. Maybe it is time for us all to come together and start banging the drum so bloody loud it can’t be ignored.
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I agree Ali that a grass roots movement would be really powerful, but power can sometimes short-cut the process.
Did you see the Jamie Oliver Food Revolution programs? Jeez it was insane the amount of people blocking his path when he was trying to help make kids healthier. Just nuts.
The entire school system definitely needs a total overhaul for sure. The kids need to learn many life skills that they are not getting at home. Everything from social interaction to personal finance – even basic education on these would do a lot to keep them out of trouble when they reach adulthood.
Even the English language is inadequate. I remember at the University of Toronto, which is one of the hardest colleges to get into in Canada, there was something like 20% of all first year students who failed an English proficiency test which was a simply essay. These kids had no idea about proper grammar usage.
In my opinion, English classes in high school should focus less on studying Shakespeare and more on basic grammar, which is what students need for their futures.
The only problem with that Clint is language evolves and that’s why you see new words form. I’m just waiting for alot to enter the English dictionary because most people seem to think it exists as a word.
Also with the advent of texting and the like I fear we are trying to hold back the waves and whereas grammar won’t be a thing of the past, it will become less important. I hope I’m wrong.
A reframing competition? I would totally pay to see that!!
I agree with everything you’ve said here, absolutely. Think how much better kids would be able to learn if we were able to cut down even half of their internal mental drama and teach them to pay more attention to what they want rather than what they don’t want — and these suggestions would go a LONG way toward that.
There’s a fantastic non-profit organization called Mindful Schools (www.mindfulschools.org) that is doing some great work bringing age-appropriate mindfulness training into education. They are having some terrific results and producing research to prove how much mindfulness really helps with the kids’ stress relief, attention, achievement, and social skills. I hope the idea spreads — I’d love to see it in all schools!
I hope the idea spreads too, but the pessimist in me says it’s about as likely as Sheene and Palin riding a wave of public support all the way to the White House :-(
BTW, thanks for the link Lynn I’m going to contact them to see if they’d like some free copies of HTBRAH.
In 2000 I set up a company which I ran for over 10 years. A lot of the work we did was with school children teaching life coaching, emotional intelligence, sport psychology, sports and sport coaching and outdoor education and pursuits. We struggled with getting funded and where employed on an as and when basis. Even when we where brought in we faced professionals saying we charged too much ( we barely covered the costs ) and it was money for old rope. Most of the times we were brought in to work with the young people who were close to or excluded from education, very rarely mainstream kids.
We managed to do some great work and had some great feedback from some professionals.
It was always a struggle. I am in support of you ideas and hope you have great success.
Thanks for sharing Damian and the fact that you at least had a go, most people don’t!
This is brilliant Tim! It would be huge for kids.
For teens I’d add some courses to prepare them for marriage or intimate relationship, I think it would also be a huge benefit for society.
I think what’s coming out of this post Freddy is that the entire system wants tearing down and rebuilding. I’m up for the job ;-)
Excellent post Tim, the only thing I would love to see added to the curriculum would be teaching children how to run their own business. When i was at school it was never even considered that you might want to do that, everything was geared to working for someone else or going to college to get more qualifications so you could earn more money working for someone else. In this day and age of no guaranteed work on leaving school (even with excellent qualifications)surely it would give another option for the more creative kids.
I think one of the things when we look back at the technological revolution we are going through now, is that coupled with the realization that secure jobs are no longer secure, we will have seen a massive shift toward self employment.
So yes, I agree, that would be amazing, but like all the other stuff, it probably won’t happen in our life time.
Teach all these things in the context of what the student is interested in doing.
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Excellent point Evan, thanks!
Tim Brownson recently posted..Self Development For Kids
For excercise I will suggest Laughing Yoga!
I think you are spot on with every other area.
I am really passionate about kids and I have discovered alot of teens don’t have any dreams.
I agree with Yoga, that would be great although not sure kids need any encouragement to laugh.
I love this idea of taking self development to the next generation. I think the two biggest problems with education today is that they don’t teach kids the most effective ways to learn and they don’t teach kids how to improve themselves. We need to fill in that gap.
Thanks for sharing!
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And that’s a pretty harsh indictment on a system that is obviously broken.
Great post, something I’ve thought about a lot (for a non-parent). You cover some awesome stuff in that curriculum! I’d also lose the hierarchy of subjects and encourage kids to focus on discovering and building their own individual strengths and talents. Oh, and some stuff on Creativity.
Visualisation: I’ve just finished a 60-day visualisation trial and have read 59 Seconds by Richard Wiseman which covers the scientific research on it so far. In summary, visualising how you’ll feel after achieving your goal, will make you feel good, but can actually decrease motivation by rewarding too early. Instead, we should visualise ourselves taking the action necessary to achieve our goals. This does boost motivation.
I love the bit about Thinking too – that’s the foundation for everything else IMHO.
Agree with the hierarchy of subjects, that’s very much a Sir Ken Robinson bugbear.
I question that last part because I cannot believe that applies to everybody every time.
I could write an entire post of people that visualized incredible end goals rather than the processes involved and achieved them.
All good points and many healthy comments also. However I think you are letting parents off the hook too lightly. Where do we draw the line between what is taught in the home and the school? If we begin with the “end in mind” of these principles/practices becoming ingrained or second nature to the developing child, then the starting point has to be in the home. Ideally the home and school environment would be in sync with the child experiencing these elements “under the radar” in his or her day to day interactions with the significant adults in their lives. The academic teaching you are suggesting would bring it to the surface and provide a means to explore it through discussion.
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Not sure I agree Keith although I very much get your point.
However, the reason I’d give the parents somewhat of a pass is because I think we have to start with the kids as the parents often don’t know any better. By teaching the kids we are also teaching the next generation of parents.
By trying to teach the parents I suspect we would encounter a lot more resistance. And anyway the kids can, and will, feed this stuff back to the family home.
Hi
I work in a secondary school and i believe in everything your dream holds. Something so so simple but so powerful for our young people.The problem we need to overcome is to persuade the goverment to allow it into curriculum, mmmmmmm i know tell them there is oil involved and iam sure we will get a fast result.
Maybe ask if we can have some of the $800 billion spent in Iraq back to educate the next generation? ;-)
Good point, Tim. Sounds like the scientific community need to do a lot more research into visualisation. I’d speculate that the intention to take action (or lack of it) has a large impact on motivation and eventual success. Would be cool to see a study into this.
I think there is a fair bit out there if you dig around. The most amazing study I ever read was people that put on muscle mass merely by visualizing working out!
I’ve thought a bit more about visualising goals (note to self: must get out more).
I would imagine there’s a huge difference between visualising yourself achieving a goal (e.g. crossing the finish line of a race in 1st place), versus visualising having achieved it (e.g. sat on the sofa with a cup of tea and feet in ice buckets). The former I expect will be motivational, the latter will make you feel great but will be anti-motivational.
Whaddya think?
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I’d pretty much agree with that.
Hi Tim,
I’m all for having a self development course in school. I want my kids and other kids to be more aware of what I’m only just discovering about life and other things. Perhaps they might be able to better cope with difficult situations that may come their way.
And yes, let’s also include personal finance in there.
I think this is a great dream that I hope will come to fruition one day. Thanks for sharing.
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I think they would definitely better equipped for dealing with life. It’s not even like we can get the basics right. Ask any kid who founded America and I bet 90% would say Columbus when they guy never even made it here!
Great article,Tim!
I frequently get referrals for kids to see me in my psychotherapy practice, and I always suggest the parents come in first…and sometimes instead. Kids tend to get “labeled” as the “problem” when usually it’s a parenting deficit. And it’s always an issue of ignorance and lack of awareness on the parents’ part, rather than a lack of care and concern for their children.
I provide a lot of the type of training to parents that you are talking about putting into the classroom. At least half, if not more, of my practice is teaching parents how to teach their kids what will really be of use to them as they grow, and when go out into the world!
When you talk about kids being afraid to “fail” I’m reminded of the quote from Tom Edison: “I have not failed…I have successfully discovered 1200 ideas that don’t work.” I have a copy of this quote in my therapy office…We learn from discovering what doesn’t work (the null hypothesis). When kids are punished, chastised, or shamed when something they do doesn’t turn out well, they learn not to take risks, and not to explore!
Another thing I think is useful to teach kids is to focus their sense of pride from the inside out, rather than to look to parents, teachers, peers, etc.for a sense of pride in what they do…
When my kids were growing up and were tempted to look to me to find out whether I was proud of them, rather than saying, “I’m proud of you” I would say to them, “You must be very proud of yourself”, when they did something that worked well for them. They are in their 30′s now, and still tease me about this approach…but it certainly stuck with them, and I think it has helped them develop an internal locus of control with how they see themselves in the world.
Perhaps the most effective approach is to work with parents (in coaching & psychotherapy) to teach them how to parent well, and to work with the kids in the school system as well…?
Char Elle En, ACSW recently posted..How’s Your Marriage?
I can believe that 100%!
It would be great to teach parents, although how many would be willing I’m dubious about. I don’t know many people that are open to the idea they may suck at parenting skills, even when they obviously do.
I’m sure parents wouldn’t take kindly to the idea that they suck at parenting, and that would, of course, not be a good approach to take.
But parents really do want what’s good for their kids, and they want help with their children…want their kids to be happy and all…They just have trouble knowing what is going on that isn’t working well, and what would help.
Perhaps marketing coaching for children…the parents would be the ones who would contact the coach, when they believe it is their kids who need the help, (ie: “My child is depressed, doesn’t have many friends, gets good grades, but doesn’t seem very happy, has friends, but has trouble focusing on homework, and on and on, etc.). Once they contact the coach to request coaching for their child(ren), you contract with them to be involved in the coaching as well. Educating them on the rationale and the benefits of learning more about why kids behave the way they do would help them understand more about the need for an holistic approach to the issues and concerns with their children.
I have no trouble getting parents and their children into therapy…so maybe they might come into coaching more easily than we might think…?
Char Elle En, ACSW recently posted..How’s Your Marriage?
I’m not sure Char. Therapy is in the public awareness whereas Life Coaching by and large isn’t.
I *think* parents can accept help with a depressed kid a lot more readily because they realize they can’t deal with that and therapeutic help is in the public awareness.
OTOH, I think many would see coaching as interfering in their job. Of course there will always be exceptions and open-minded parents that just want the best.
If Jamie Oliver can’t get people to see giving kids pizza and fries for breakfast isn’t a good thing, then I think the resistance to coaching would be exponentially greater.
Hi Tim. I love your idea for the children. I think it would be great to teach them as early as possible.
Dennis
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Agreed Dennis and hope the back pain clears up ;-)
The breathing part of this post is what stood out for me. I would agree completely. I compare it to the time in high school when I would have speech class and would be nervous and have great tension in my body all day. Looking back if I would have breathed better perhaps my anxiety prior to speech would have been considerably lower.
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I’m absolutely sure it would have been Jeff.
It’s a viscous cycle. Anxiety increases the breathing rate which in turns increases the breathing. if we are able to step in and break the pattern (not always easy admittedly) we can take control back.
Okay, where the heck do I sign?! :)
Asking Useful Questions, visualization, reframing, language (not the status quo-the useful side of it!)… and an overall greater appreciation for a “whole brained” approach. Looks, Sounds, and Feels excellent!
I try to do these things at home with my little ones and the results are great. There’s just something about seeing those “ah-ha” moments that gives me an inner glee.
For example, my 3 years old, told him about “negative space” and asked him to look for the ‘arrow’ in the FedEx logo. He couldn’t see it (oops!). Suggested he look at the white colors… and after about a second, hid face washed over with a smile and a joyful “OHHH there it is!” came rolling out. Changed for life. :)
Schools need to duplicate and apply THOSE moments.
Great post, Tim!
Richard Stephenson recently posted..Strategic Thinking: Reduce Mistakes With A Plan Of Action
Thanks Richard and let’s hope that one way the school hierarchy see the big picture sooner rather than later. I wouldn’t hold you deep abdominal breath though ;-)
I want to come and work in your school!!
I am a parent and more recently qualified as a life coach and NLP practitioner and all that you have written is exactly what I would like to develop. I do as much as I can with my 9 year old daughter, and also with myself. If it was all backed up at school WOW!!!
I am loving your newsletters too and your style keep up the fantastic work.
That’s a great start Carol and if I ever start a school of my own I’ll give you a call.
Thanks for the feedback!
I’m all for managing childrens’ expectations. Much of the time, in schools, the general approach is to give kids a task and then, smother them in praise, however well they do at it. It’s taken to be a positive, encouraging approach but this isn’t good for them. They develop, thinking that they are good at everything and don’t need to put any effort into anything either. They’ll always get a good result.
By letting the kids know when they’ve succeeded and when they’ve failed, or not done so well, we give them a bit of a reality check and a dose of understanding that not everything comes without putting a bit of effort into it.
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From my understanding Jane, it’s good to praise kids for effort rather than results and/or talent. That way we encourage a growth mindset as described by positive psychologist, Carol Dweck.
I dont like people that say “great post” or ” well said” ….but great post and …well said!
Sorry, came to this post a bit late but bloody hell, you just said all the things I have been prattling on about for years about education and feeding the minds of our kids.
I became a father a bit late in life, enjoying the single life until just before my 40th birthday but now I have two kids education and teaching them positive outlook and living is a thing that is so important to me.
And Charlie Sheen for president…now that would brighten up the depression eh?
Where’ve you been mate, I was worried you wouldn’t make it!
Thanks for dropping by and I think the Charlie Sheen bandwagon is officially underway.
This is really interesting, I totally agree with the idea.
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