Victoria Carlton ~ The Child Whisperer

I am just getting our PD days ready for STAR for teachers next week-and realising some significant points-

* I really DO believe all kids can learn.
* Testing kids is nowhere near the full story!
* These kids have their own “learning narratives” and we need to spend time getting to know them and HOW they learn.
* There are no quick fixes-we need evidence based learning programs, kindness, close contacts with parents and some magic and optimism!

I LOVE giving this course-it is my absolute passion!

EQ4Families May2012

Yesterday I read Colin Thompson’s THE PARADISE GARDEN at our “Gathering”. This is the special time when students gather for a story, awards, saying out motto etc-our motivational and inspirational time.

It is a marvellous book-all about our need to escape and find secret places of the heart. What really struck me as I read it and searched the faces of the very mixed age 20 or so children in front of me-they had all fallen into the story. Their eyes were shining and they were THERE! These kids were PP-Yr 10 and they all got it and wanted to explore the idea of a secret place, discuss, draw and write about the book.

Powerful picture books such as this have such a transformative effect on children and lift our teaching programs to new heights. I love the stillness and wonder that descends when children enter this secondary world. I think the trick is to enter with them-to get out our child’s eyes again and allow ourselves to wonder and delight in the huge possibilities opened up by inspirational authors such as Colin Thompson.

 

Tonight I worked with a really bright child-great maths-logic intelligence, good reader, excellent comprehension and above all a wonderful sense of humour and a great curiosity about the world. What an honour to help extend a child’s mind and nurture their love of learning!

Sad part is-this very child has been classed at his school as having problems, being a low achiever and generally not doing well.

This makes my blood boil-this is a very smart child who just cannot be bothered people pleasing and who tends to shut down when he can see people don’t see his talent. Our education system HAS to open its eyes and start to acknowledge different styles of learning. Wonderful minds are being lost, children are becoming alienated and yet we continue to let this happen! We do not want Dickensian factories of education-we want real child-centred education. Enough!

Back to those words from yesterday-“A humble man”- what does this mean for children?

Humility is not a popular virtue anymore and most children would not have a clue of its meaning.

So-is it worth teaching and modelling? I think so. It is interesting to examine the current crop of extension children at ICE. Most of them are quietly confident but not over-proud and do not boast. They seem to be at home in their own skin and actually quite humble. I notice when I compliment them on achievements they are genuinely pleased and often surprised.

Is it easier to show humility when confident and achieving well?

The strange thing is-I mainly witness boastfulness with kids with massive problems-“Oh that is far too easy Vicky, I learned those words last years. That book is much too easy for me. I already know all those sums”. etc., etc! The sad thing is the words and books selected are NOT known-but the kids perceive them as “too easy” and so desperately wanting to be at a higher level they put up this smokescreen of I KNOW, I KNOW.

So it seems the hurting ego and low self-esteen contribute to lack of humilty.

So-if we had a system of education where we had less competition-would this help? It seems it might. Finland is leading the world and they have less competition, hardly any homework, no external exams, hardly any worksheets-just good teaching, “hands-on” multisensory, relevant teaching and lots of collaboration rather than competition in the classroom.

Can we do this in Australia? Should we consider it? With 46% of our adults and teenagers with poor literacy skills it might be an idea! We might end up with a more flexible, less IT’S ALL ABOUT ME society and with a population who can all read and write!

Yesterday we had a young man return to us- had not seen him for nearly 3 years! What a privillege to have him back when he needs us!

Last year we had 3 children of an ex pupil book in-another privilege.

I am always so honoured when people return-they don’t have to come-they choose to! There is no greater privilege than helping children reach their potential- and to have these wonderful children back again-for whatever reasons-is indeed an honour. I truly believe that to teach IS to touch the future. This is not an easy profession-often stressful, exacting, frustrating BUT always has a deep joy buried in there and when this sort of honouring occurs-the joy bubbles over and out!

Yep-teaching is still the best profession in the world!

I had an email from an overseas colleague this week-suggesting I meet up with a person she knows who is working with children etc-she described him as “a humble man”.

It was so interesting to note my reaction-I immediately wanted to meet him-I am so sick of meeting people who are convinced they know EVERYTHING!

The sort of ferocious business networking that takes place amongst business people-especially amongst education business people is so boring and vacuous-they are all trying to prove they are the best, know the most etc-there is no real exchange of opinions or ideas. How boring! How can people learn when they are so convinced they’re right-they are then shut off!

This is not helpful for education-NO-ONE has all the answers-we must keep the children in the centre of the equation and search for the best most nurturing solutions for problems. We have to observe these children and be prepared to be surprised, delighted-and often WRONG!

So will I meet this “humble man” -this educator who still has an open mind-YOU BET! I CAN’T WAIT!

I have almost come to love my insomniac habits-the hours I spend reading, writing, thinking and just enjoying the quiet. There is something quite exotic about being the only one awake in my street-possibly the whole suburb-after all it’s past 3am on a sunday night!

I have spent the weekend catching up on lesson plans for our licence programs as well as our Students at Risk (STAR) program. Now the words won’t stop and I have become a word machine!

Somehow I want to get the kids we teach to experience a bit of this-not to this extent of course-but to know the joy of words flying around the brain and then SPLAT onto the paper where they can be captured, tamed, changed and crafted!
I am still amazed by the power of visualisations on children’s writing-seems to open up the right brain and the words tumble out. They still don’t like the editing too much but they really groan when we ring the gong to stop the 7 mins “rave-on” writing. Is it because the gong compels them to start-no wondering WHAT to write etc-no sorting through ideas-just BANG-off you go?Seems to work!

I think the pictures they form in their heads from the visualisation stop the mind-chatter and promote imaginative writing-whatever-it seems to work and has now for many years!

This week I will write up some more visualisations for our website-teachers are enjoying downloading them and I want this approach to spread!

We have just returned from training teachers in JOLLY PHONICS and JOLLY GRAMMAR in Katanning and Harvey- sooooooo good to get away and just reflect!

Staring at empty paddocks, trees that all lean the same way, cows that looks so content (but I still bought Harvey beef to feast on today!) and hills, valleys and narrow winding rivers that call out for exploration!

Do we get enough of this THINK time?

I certainly don’t and I doubt my colleagues and kids we teach do either! And yet-Martin and I managed to formulate some really great plans, I redesigned some of my books and still had time to wonder and dream-and all over a few days!
The actual quality of my thinking seems to improve when not under stress-how can we make this happen more often?

I am starting to see how days off are absolutely essential-even for a workaholic like me! I am also starting to wonder if the educational decisions and programs offered to children really have enough thinking behind them? Do decision makers and the writers of programs REALLY reflect and consider? If so-why do kids so often get stuck with programs that do not suit their learning styles and achievement levels?

Teachers are under so much pressure in this country from national testing and new National curriculum requirements- will they be able to really reflect on their class teaching programs anymore? I doubt it!

Stressed teachers=stressed kids=lower achievement

Food for thought!

There is very little evidence to prove children benefit from long hours of homework when they have already been at school all day long.

Finland enjoys very high educational standards without homework or national testing! We need to really re-think our ideas and practices if we hope to attain Finland’s high standards.

If sufficient time is given to basic literacy and numeracy EVERY DAY- then why must children suffer endless worksheets to finish after school?

If work cannot be finished in the school day-something needs to be thrown out-NOT the basic literacy and numeracy lessons!
Sure-all children need to read every night, practise times tables and spelling-this can take 15-20 mins tops. This is the sort of homework we give out at ICE- basic skills practice that children can do without the help of a parent, Mr Google or endless time that takes away from fun, family time and exercise.

Children need to run, play, explore, talk to friends, have hobbies, help with chores etc etc. This homework madness has to stop-it is SO bad for mental health, family closeness and appears to do very little for academic success either-judging by the fact that 46% of all adult Aussies and teenagers have very low literacy skills.