I sat for a while this morning under my Christmas tree. Tomorrow is Twelth Night and tradition tells me to take down the decorations tomorrow. This will be especially hard this year because Martin and I started a new tradition this year. We prayed over every ornament, bauble, angel etc and dedicated 1 to each person in our lives. We asked God for health, prosperity and success for each and the tree has seemed very special this year! As we take them down tomorrow, it will be in silence and in prayer and more prayers will be added-the children at Sandy Hook, the firemen who were gunned down recently and the terrified people of Syria.
This year we have purchased a new tree in the sales and so this little one will be given away but it has served us well and brought much joy!
All the children of ICE-both here and overseas, are represented on the tree and I have decided to make a new Tree of Love and leave it up all year. All the children will be added and prayed for regularly as well as family, friends, colleagues and clients. I want our organisation to be surrounded in a huge ball of positivity and love this year and this will be a beginning! I have no idea how I will make this but no doubt as I sit on the beach this morning the ideas will flow in! Within this huge ball of love, we need to practise self nurture and love -so the beach is the first place for me today before the cares of the day crowd in for notice!
MY FAVOURITE JOB EACH YEAR
Today I have tackled my favourite job-actually more of a sacred duty!
I have gone through all my picture books-hundreds!- and chosen the ones I want to use this year. (Of course I will find many more!) Then I have put them in order of appearance and started planning how we will use them. I LOVE this part of the planning process as I want children to love books as much as I do and choosing from the best available gives me so much pleasure!
Of course I have to re-read and sit staring ay amazing illustrations- not to mention showing my selections to the teachers and children at ICE today!
As I handle each book, ideas fly in and I imagine what we will do to deepen understanding. Ways of linking titles and authors to study start to appear! I realise that Colin Thomson will be big this year!
All my Aussie books are boxed and ready for the Australia Day lead-up and I can’t wait to share Bronwyn Bancroft’s fantastic Aboriginal pictures. Sally Morgan’s “In Your Dreams” is whispering, “read me this year” and so I will!
Karen Treanor’s marvellous “Sleepy Harley” calls loudly and I remember with pleasure how the children loved this story last year because it is set in our street!
Bill Martin’s wonderful poem anthology yells, “Pick me!” and suddenly I realise I have done it again-chosen 3x more than we need yet somehow it doesn’t matter! The feast of literature has started- the food is in the book pantry and we begin to taste! Ah-delicious……
We Begin……….
This first day of the holiday BOOST program always feels strange- like we are all in slow motion! I think it is because at the end of the year we are all running as fast as we can-then we break and relax and then back to it, and yet back with a calmer spirit. Somehow after rest we are able to see the “whole picture” again and really enjoy the teaching process.
We noticed the students were far more relaxed and receptive. I am always surprised by how much the children achieve during the holidays. It really does bear out the research that shows relaxed students learn more!
The whole day flowed so easily and none of us felt tired or stressed. We have only had about 1 week off (students have had 2), but the difference in tension levels is HUGE!
All through the holidays we are working on our special theme packs to interest the children and help them enjoy the “wholeness” of learning. I am convinced we need to teach in a very focused, explicit way but within a meaningful, enjoyable theme that MATTERS to children. For me-nothing beats the shining eyes of a bunch of children totally engaged and interested in the subject matter.
Really teaching children has to be the most sacred profession of all!
A CHRISTMAS WISH
The presents are unwrapped, the turkey in the oven I have watched some schmaltzy TV, napped and had a swim-what an ideal Christmas day-and yet something dark is threatening to intrude. The Sandy Hook slaughter of the innocent children will not leave me.
Something is not right. Martin just read the news to me-a car driver in China drove deliberately into a group of school children and injured 17 children! As Martin just commented, “The two most powerful nations on earth, Chinese and Americans, do not seem to be able to protect their children.” Come to think of it Australia has far too many children who are physically and sexually abused each year- seems to me that kids bear the brunt of the rage and frustration of adults who lack the resources to deal with their anger.
My wish for the world this Christmas is one where all children live in a safe environment, surrounded by love, nurturing, free education and protected from the truly crazy adults who want to attack and injure them.
This will be our prayer at ICE this year- Dear God please keep your beautiful children safe from those who wish them harm.
Amen
JOY AND SADNESS
Once again-I have met many amazing teachers, parents and children during this trip to Singapore. Christmas is such a vibrant, happening thing here- brilliant lights, real trees in many places with scent of pine and shops all dressed up to entice- but………
the terrible deaths of those little kids in the States-how can this happen? How can a country jump up and down about the right to own assault weapons? I cannot fathom it – I hope their deaths lead to real change in the US. I cannot even imagine how those parents are feeling- such a tragic time-I doubt any of us will ever forget this Chrismas time!
And what bravery those teachers showed- sheltering the pupils, facing the gunman- the whole episode is too big to really sink in properly-so hard to imagine it could happen like that. This Christmas let’s pray, not pray-BEG for peace on earth and a safe place for our children!
The Love of Parents
I am in Singapore to assess children, train teachers and talk to parents and I have met so many wonderful people this trip. I am bowled over by the parents I have met over the last week.
I have met many parents in tears, determined to keep their ADHD diagnosed children away from medication and fight for a more wholistic treatment. I have met parents with super-bright children who simply do not fit “normal” teaching methods and so are not doing well at school. I have met parents of angry, disturbed and sad children who are determined to help bring their children to a happier future.
I salute all these parents for their courage and determination to find solutions for their children’s learning needs. This is a very complex issue and it takes a huge amount of observation to truly discover a child’s learning needs. Parents all over the world do the same-they search and search until they find the solution or rather the combination of solutions that work for their children!
This is all about love.
Martin was interviewed on Singapore radio this week about kinesiology and learning difficulties. He was asked to sum up in few words and he did-
LOVE YOUR CHILD he said-and parents do!
I’m Glad I Have OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANCE DISORDER!
Another round of “FIT THE KIDS INTO THE BOXES” where kids have to be squashed into pre-shaped moulds” is beginning! I must have had at least 20 parents over the last 2 weeks approach me with, ” His teacher says he does not fit the mould”, she does not “fit in”, he is “different”, “not interested in school work”, “would rather play”. (Who wouldn’t?) Who DOES fit? And fit WHAT?
And now-for the newby-ODD- OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANCE DISORDER (sometimes known as CONDUCT DISORDER)-yes-you can actually have a formal diagnosis for this!
Well, my own kids had it and so did all their friends-this is part of childhood!
I am happy to announce to the world that I have self-diagnosed myself as having OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANCE DISORDER and I will not be taking medication ‘cos I am very happy with this diagnosis. It means-
1. I can and will stand up and tell the truth about an education system that is deteriorating into a “little boxes” way of thinking and making sure that all children “fit “-fit what? Who is the arbiter here? How can we possibly say what a child “should” be? Children are gifts from God and they will be who they are supposed to be. So liberate them from these confining boxes!
2. I won’t tell lies to children. If they have a learning difficulty I will tell them and then help them find ways around it. If their behaviour is disgusting I will tell them, insist they stop it and NOT give them drugs to keep their brains operating in a soporific fashion.
3. I will insist on children having time for the arts, for painting, drawing, music and literature. The very idea of children having to do hour after hour of “practise tests” for NAPLAN chills my blood. I will continue to jump up and down about the need for children to have some spare time to think and dream.
4. I will tell the truth about tests and ambiguous results and the shortcoming of numerical indicators. Childen’s academic performances change on a daily basis and so do test results. To judge a child’s abilities and make educational decisions based on test results is just plain stupid and borders on negligent. Why are we so scared to admit that educating children is a complex, sensitive and difficult profession and it involves copious amounts of “kid-watching”, finding out about learning styles, talking to children, perusal of written work -and yes-some test results. We need the WHOLE picture to make informed decisions.
5. I will defy all attempts to make education into a boring, factory environment. I want every child who comes to ICE to be engaged, enchanted and entranced by their surroundings. I want them to be as excited by learning as I am.
So-I am glad I have a huge case of OPPOSITION DEFIANCE DISORDER-I hope it gets worse so I can yell louder! I hope to infect hundreds of my colleagues!
LOSERS WIN TOO!
I am appalled at the comments by the Olympic chief, John Coates, blaming “disappointing London results” on the Govenment’s failure to introduce compulsory school sport.
We can’t win all the time and there are many lessons to learn from failure! E.g. pick yourself up, analyse failures, try harder, train more, reward talent, breakthrough personal barriers etc etc.
Sport is important but let’s not get carried away and despondent-it is still sport and as such is about personal best, cooperation, being a good sport etc. Unfortunately there have been too many instances of bad sportsmanship in these games and this is a more worrying concern than losing gold! Young Aussies deserve better than this. They want to see their sporting heroes be brave when they fail. They want to know it is all about trying your hardest-not about winning.
Perhaps John Coates might like to contemplate the fact that 48% of Aussies cannot read and write to a competent level. Clearly, that is the area where extra funds should go! Quality teacher training and materials and programs that benefit ALL children must be funded from the federal government-not more funds for sports!
We have had so many teachers come through our JOLLY LEARNING courses to learn about effective ways to ensure all children reach full literacy. Sadly many of these teachers have to buy their own books and materials because money is not available through their schools. This is despite the fact that a recent study in South Australia has demonstrated that children using JOLLY LEARNING are usually 17 months ahead with speliing and 14 months ahead with reading!
Healthy physical activity is important and there is a huge amount to be gained by learning all the ethics involved with sports.
Sadly children have very little to learn by failing school because they are denied access to effective literacy programs that give them the basic phonics, comprehension, spelling and grammar skills they need to become fully literate!
SPIRITUAL INTELLIGENCE
I taught Sunday School to some amazing little children this morning. I was trying to get a difficult concept across-Jesus saying “I am the bread of life”, and didn’t think I would get far at all. We talked a little about bread for our tummies and then about bread for our hearts-these kids were amazing. They just GOT IT! As they touched their tummies and hearts to show me they understood I looked into their eyes and realised what I have always known at a deep level. Children have the most incredible ability to understand symbols, signs and interpret spiritual teaching. They are more able to understand because they lack the sophisticated, cynical veneers we adopt.
Children have really high spiritual intelligence and crave these teachings. It is sad that we so often deny them the chance to have them.
Whatever faith background we have- let’s share it with our kids and they will eventually make up their own minds. At least they will have had the chance to learn.
REAL MATHS SKILLS IN THE MARKETS
Today I visited Midland markets after Church to buy fresh vegetables, cheese etc and have coffee with my wonderful daughter!
As I waited to pay for my vegetables I noticed the young boy (about 11), had no help and at least 7 people waiting. I watched him carefully-expecting him to get frustrated, overwhelmed or at least to start making mistakes.
He was doing this amazing thing whereby he would weigh, total the amount in his head, tell the customer what they owed- then while they were fishing in their purse for money he would start serving the next. He stayed incredibly calm and was absolutely spot on with his mental arithmetic. (No calculator)
As I paid him I congratulated him on his maths skills-he looked a bit surprised as quite obviously this is what he does regularly. And yet-we spend HOURS trying to teach children of this age how to improve mental arithmetic. Maybe we should just assign them to a Sunday morning market stall minus a calculator! They could learn how to accurately weigh, calculate the amount owed and give correct change- all those basic maths processes but taught in context!
