Victoria Carlton ~ The Child Whisperer – Page 11 of 28

January 25, 2017January 25, 2017

Teach only with love

I decided to leave our Christmas decorations up until January 28^th as I LOVE them and I figure I was away for a bit of December and this month so deserve a bit more!

I have not had enough of my “dreaming under the Christmas tree” time and my looking into the lit tree and imagining other worlds.

I want this year to be a year of going slowly enough to really notice what is happening- really deeply in all ways.

I have been kid-watching and teacher-watching this month and reflecting deeply on the REAL needs of kids. (And teachers!)

As I watched our teachers run EQ4KIDZ, BOOST, ART FROM THE HEART and YOUNG SCIENTISTS I noticed common threads.

It was all about CONNECTIONS and RELATIONSHIPS. As the kids bonded with teachers work improved. As teachers got to know their students their teaching methods became more precise, levels of humour increased and lesson enjoyment for both pupils and teachers increased!

As we begin our academic year and have our first staff meeting I want to posit that RELATIONSHIPS and love of children must come first.

TEACH ONLY WITH LOVE will be our mantra this year.

Love comes before the worksheets, teaching techniques, expensive resources. Teaching delivered with love is the way.

Teachers will never be replaced by machines. Teachers can love and love will always lead to higher results.

I declare this to be a year of unhurried, deep, effective teaching and lots of extended celebrations!

January 17, 2017January 17, 2017

KIDS LOVE SCIENCE!

I am busy choosing our themes and experiments for SUPER SCIENCE SATURDAYS and enjoying imagining the enjoyment of children as they engage in the curiosity raising activities planned.

I was sad to note that Aussie kids are said to be behind in the global science scales. Really?

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/wakeup-call-australian-students-fall-behind-kazakhstan-in-maths-and-science-rankings-20161129-gszvt1.html

I have taught science for many years as part of our primary curriculum and rarely met a child who does not enjoy it. All children are curious about the natural world and naturally generate intelligent questions. So why would this be happening?

Is this measurement system really measuring science attainment and understanding or is it just measuring the ability to regurgitate formulae and facts?

We harness this huge interest in our Super Science Saturday programs by using science as a driver for all literacy and numeracy. E.g. A plan for a unit might start messy like this and gradually move to a more formal plan with details of the experiments, resources needed etc. I like the kids to suggest future learning activities. They LOVE to have some input!

The thing is- kids have an intrinsic interest in this area so any maths/literacy lessons with science themes are bound to be winners!

January 16, 2017January 16, 2017

The A-Z of Child Whispering: P is for PANIC

At this time of year most children in Australia are relaxed and enjoying sun-filled holidays but of course in only a few weeks the big, dark questions begin to emerge-

Who will my teacher be?

Will I do well this year?

What about NAPLAN?

Mum is broke and stressing- will I be able to get my books and uniform?

What if I don’t have any friends in my class?

This is my first year of high-school. I don’t even know where the toilets are and I get lost easily. How will I cope?

I am starting school. I am so scared. Why can’t Mum stay?

The fears build and many parents also begin to stress about school fees, books, shoes etc.

What should be a joyful school year beginning – a clean page of life – a chance to improve, grow and transform, is often turned into a gut-wrenching, anxious and even panic filled time.

Children (and adults) do not concentrate or do well academically when panicked and so it is important to apply a few measures to calm and reassure children.

Try not to share too many worries with children. They don’t understand and often become anxious and panicky. Of course, it’s fine to tell them the family has overspent and needs to cut back but if they see you really anxious every day they pick that up and make that part of their personality. They start to mirror your anxiety and cannot function well in the important first term.
Start to cut back on late nights and too much digital media in the last 10 days before school goes back and get the kids reading again! Maybe establish a family reading time for 20-25 mins each day. Just play quiet music in the background and everyone grabs a cushion and book. The rule is NO TALKING but at end you might have some brief discussions about what was read. Very young children may only be able to cope with 10-15 mins.
Encourage your children to draw or write about their feelings as they prepare to go back to school. Talk to them about their worries and share some of the concerns you used to have as a child.
Reassure them they will make friends and learn to find their way around quickly if they are entering a new environment.
Ask them to help you plan lunches, get their organisers/diaries ready and help them choose after school activities carefully. Make sure they will have time for rest and play so that they can have down-time.

This can be a joyous and enriching time. Relax, take a deep breath and enjoy the last days of fun and preparation for a great school year.

I wish you and your children a wonderful year, filled with learning, fun, beauty and love!

If you have any questions relating to beginning the school year, please do email me at victoriacarlton@iinet.net.au and I promise to answer!

We have special classes to help children settle in to grade 1 as well as targeted tuition for all age groups – group, individual and skype. Call 92714200 for more info.

January 8, 2017January 8, 2017

A safety net of love and understanding

At Church today the Pastor talked to us about how God’s love provides a safety net for us and enables us to move forward with confidence knowing we are loved and cared for so fully.

Alison told us that when the Golden Gate Bridge was built, a safety net was put in place, allowing the workers to move about more confidently and safely while incidentally increasing productivity.

This made me think about children in our classes. When children know they are loved and safe to take risks, try new learning techniques and learn from mistakes, test scores and academic performances improve. To put it simply: Happy, supported children learn more.

The safety net that can be built in all educational environments needs to emulate a healthy home environment. Children must know they are loved and safe and not all expected to achieve at the same rates. Without this safety net children will just take the safe path and not take any risks with learning and this means they will not be giving of their best.

A truly high quality system will always encourage students to “stretch” their intellects and go for gold- even if they fall down sometimes. The safety net of love and encouragement will help students stand up quickly, improve their “bounce factor” and learn from their mistakes.

So how do we weave such a safety net? To my mind these factors are crucial:

Teachers need to LOVE their students- not in a soppy meaningless way but in a way that respects children and understands that kids make mistakes- they are after all LEARNERS!
Teachers with challenging students need real assistance to be able to provide that loving safety net as there are always kids who try the patience of even the most loving and understanding educator.
Teachers themselves need a loving safety net of respect and understanding from their admin teams who in turn need it from their departments. Teachers who are not free to try our new techniques and whose only concern is to get kids to pass tests will NEVER get the best academic results from their students. Fear is a very poor teacher.

A loving safety net to help all students feel cared for, respected and affirmed could absolutely transform all education environments- and lift education standards without the pressure and cajoling that occurs so often.

We notice how often children who do our EQ4KIDZ course surprisingly get higher academic results. We really should not have been surprised, given the strong correlation between self esteem and successful learning.

Thanks Alison Gilchrist for your sermon today! I’m going to check our safety net for International Centre for Excellence and make sure there are no weak spots!

December 15, 2016December 15, 2016

Silent Night? I don’t think so!

I was driving home from work yesterday, trying to feel peaceful and “Christmassy” by listening to Susan Boyle singing Silent Night when it struck me!

This carol I have loved all my life is the biggest fantasy ever!

There’s Mary in her clean blue clothes smiling happily at all the visitors and baby Jesus laying meekly in his straw crib.

If you have ever had a baby you know this is nonsense! There would have been pain and lots of it for this young girl. She would have been terrified and there would have been screaming and blood everywhere! Christmas Eve would have been filled with songs of birth pangs, not Angels singing sweetly.

Joseph would have been so worried for his beloved Mary. He already knew this baby was special and he was not the father. Can you imagine his feelings and thoughts?

Hopefully the innkeeper had a wise wife to help calm and help Mary.

And…. let’s face it- after giving birth women are totally exhausted. Can you imagine angels, shepherds and noisy animals all around you?

I prefer the real version. I prefer to think of Jesus screaming his head off as he was pushed into the world by a terrified young mother. I prefer to think this really happened and is not a saccharine, meaningless tableau that has somehow over the ages turned the Nativity scene into a total, bland fantasy!

Of course I will be singing along with everyone else on Christmas Eve and I don’t want children having to face the harsh realities just yet, but let’s spare a thought for the real players that night and their pain, tears and terror!

November 21, 2016November 21, 2016

The Child Whisperer – a story about Victoria Carlton by Danielle Calleja

I knew she was the Child Whisperer the moment I wandered into her cave. Victoria Carlton is no ordinary educator. She is a hoarder of trinkets and toys, books and baubles, paint and phonics games. She weaves magic out of found objects, creates games from egg cartons and marbles and she can spark the interest of every child she meets.

When she listens to children, she focuses her bespectacled eyes right into them, seeing beyond diagnosis, labels, tantrums and reports to really see what makes this child tick. Her head of flaming red hair frames a kind and intelligent face and she often giggles with delight at the wonders that children share with her.

Kindness informs all her practice. Once assured that the child in her care is valued and respected, she then sets about the task of working with them to get them the kind of education they need, one tailored for them to reach their potential.

She strives for excellence at all times and demands it from herself, foremost, her staff and the children themselves. She questions children deeply and asks them to look at themselves in a way that they might not have previously. Their minds and hearts open. It is beautiful to watch.

Victoria mentors teachers and shares her insights widely. It is her sincere wish to transform education to meet the needs of all children. She envisions a world in which every child is educated in emotionally intelligent ways, in creative and literature soaked lessons and in ways that all children can access phonics, grammar, maths concepts and a life-long love of learning.

Victoria Carlton is much like the dragons she loves, magical, wise and formidable. She is the Child Whisperer.

November 8, 2016November 8, 2016

ABC of Child Whispering: P is for PETS

COULD PETS HELP CHILDREN LEARN?

There is plenty of evidence to show that having pets into workplaces has really positive effects on morale.

Last week we observed the same with children. We were graced with the presence of George- a totally mixed up breed of dog with deformed paws and a wonderfully loving nature.

The children were so taken with his story- abandoned, picked up wandering the streets of Kalgoorlie, desperate for food and love and so on!

We were amazed as we watched children and dog bond and felt the sense of peace and happiness in our classroom.

Could this be a possible answer for kids who have been put off learning and need confidence, re-engagement and renewed faith in themselves?

Every now and again a child would quietly leave their chair and go give a very grateful George a huge hug! Then they would return to their work with renewed energy.

I noticed that the children who generally have problems with concentration and written work appeared to be more settled and able to engage.

We were so pleased with the result that we will try the experiment again soon and monitor what happens.

It would be interesting to see other learning centers and schools try this PET LEARNING THERAPY!

GEORGE therapy seems to work!

November 7, 2016November 7, 2016

I FELL ON MY KNEES

I was saddened to see the peaceful protest in Indonesia turn violent this week.

Recently I visited Jakarta to present some literacy workshops. I met amazing passionate educators and just like on my previous visit, I was struck by the friendly attitudes and smiles from everyone I encountered.

After 2 days of presenting I was ready to relax! I stood peering into the enveloping darkness from a high hotel room and was struck by the distance and the number of homes I could see. I felt like an eagle!

And then it came: the call to prayer. It started in one place and was soon joined by others all over the city until the night resonated with these sacred words and music. I haven’t a clue what the words say but I was totally struck by the beauty and holiness of the sounds. I have heard the call for prayer many times but this time I felt the power of a whole city at prayer. There was only one thing to do- join them so I dropped to my knees and joined in.

How different the world might be if we all prayed together in this fashion many times each day?

This week as the world waits to see if Americans really would elect a seemingly crazy person as their President, we should ALL be on our knees!

October 4, 2016October 4, 2016

The ABC of Child Whispering: P is for POLITE

Good manners differentiate children from each other.

I was struck by this at an EQ4KIDZ group I taught yesterday. I handed their new workbooks out and each child received it with a polite, “Thanks!”

Sadly, that stood out! So many children rarely say “Thank you” these days and this makes them appear ungracious and ill mannered. Often they’re not- they just don’t know about manners and where to use them.

Kids will not naturally know that picking their nose in public, interrupting, commenting on people’s size etc is rude. They are just being kids.

We have to teach them the social niceties because if we don’t they will be disliked by adults and children alike. Manners are like the oil that helps smooth social interactions and while they may seem rather senseless when you analyse them, they DO have a positive effect. Good manners will always get a better reaction than bad ones!

There are simple manners that promote consideration and respect and these can be taught from a very early age- often as young as 2 years. Help your child to stand out as being kind, polite and considerate. Good manners need to become automatic and if taught well, will become life-long habits.

Children are fascinated to find out about the history of manners and eager to learn how to use them appropriately. We weave them into our EQ4KIDZ program to help children reinforce and strengthen these important habits!

If you model them and insist on them in your homes and while in public or visiting, children will gradually acquire them and this enables them to interact with ease and confidence- great gifts to give our children!

For more information have a look at these links.

http://www.familyeducation.com/life/manners/how-rude-age-age-guide-teaching-kids-manners

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq5h3C4LElE

September 29, 2016September 29, 2016

Tips for cheap, sane “stay at home” (almost) school holidays!

By Victoria Carlton

Lock up the digital devices and chase the kids outside. (When not pouring!)
Invite the neighbourhood kids over for casual play- ditch the “play-date” mentality. Just let it happen.
Set up a reading time every afternoon for 40 minutes. (This is so YOU can read your book!)
Grab a large box and fill with junk- tissue boxes, rolls, empty food packets and containers and plenty of masking tape and scissors. Then ask them to make something. (Don’t specify) Tell them you will spray paint it silver or gold if they really plan their junk sculpture, can tell you about it and write a short description. (You will need to buy cheap spray paint and YOU do this when they are asleep.
Restrict TV and encourage painting, playdough and drawing. Sure you get some mess but this is worthwhile fun and they will be learning.
Put out food on your bench-top each lunch-time and let them make their own (often weird) concoctions!
Encourage children to start a Spring garden. Let them have their own small area to weed, dig and plant some seeds and watch for growth!
It’s getting towards that time of the year so ask children to start a list of cards to make and home-made gifts.
If you DO go out, visit local parks, go for walks, sketch some plants, visit the local library and at all costs STAY AWAY FROM SHOPS!
The wild-flowers are astounding this year so consider a bus to King’s Park. Kids LOVE public transport and it makes a change from the stress of driving and finding parking spots.
Let the kids have at least 1 PJ day. (You join them!)
Tell them you need a holiday too so keep to reasonable bedtimes so you can relax in evenings and above all encourage sleep-ins!