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    theresa


    Theresa Lode or, simply “T”, had her world turned upside down and inside out when her son was diagnosed with ADHD and a few other goodies. Her choice- follow the doctor's orders....or trust her heart and delve into the world of Free Range Education. She chose the latter...

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Perhaps the box is the problem

Posted on April 27, 2010 by therealmotherlode

This past week Molly and Caleb took their first ever standardized tests.  It was the TCAPs- Tennessee’s way of measuring our kids, their teachers and their school administrators.

The testing protocol was quite rigid they reported.  Don’t look around.  Pick up your pencil when told.  No coughing or nose blowing allowed.  And when you’re done- sit and wait.

Molly told me how hard it was to just sit their and stare at her desk for 30 or more minutes since she finished the tests rather quickly. And I feel bad for the teachers.  I can’t imagine that when the teachers envisioned their future as educators, this is the picture that came to mind.

What’s more disturbing to me is how we have come to accept this as normal, yea verily, even healthy for the kids.

High performance on a standardized test is no indicator of future success.  But yet in all the smoke and mirrors and gobbly gook of academic yabber, we’re led to believe this is a good thing.

True indicators of success include: Perseverance, good relationship skills, curiosity and resourcefulness.  Stuff that can never be quantified on a test.

This compelling desire to box up our children and quantify them like some sort of factory widget has been around for a long time.

Theodoris Van Gogh had this perspective.  He felt that if his son didn’t fit the mold…his son was the problem, not the mold. Tsk, tsk.  I’m grateful his boy followed his heart; how about you?

Do you suppose Vincent would have done well on the TCAPs?

Hey! Be sure and join Deb Ingino and I for a chat about learning differences THIS THURSDAY at 9:00 pm cst.  Cut and paste the link in the right sidebar for all the info.  We’re going to have a lot of fun!

Filed under: ADD/ADHD, education, Individuality, Labels are for Soup Cans, parenting, Public schooling, Special Needs' Kids, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Label are for Soup Cans

Posted on April 18, 2010 by therealmotherlode

I arrived last night from the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop last night and now here I sit in the quiet house wonder the depth of a magnificent word: Wow.

I have some fun stories to tell and a few pictures but for right now, that will have to keep as I have a full day as I get ready for the potluck to tonight with Wayne Jacobsen and Brad Cummings.  (It’s not too late to join us, scroll down on the blog for details.)

One thing I didn’t want to wait in sharing is something that I’ve been tossing around for some time- the subtitle to my book.  (Not to mention tightening down the focus for the book as well.)

After my “May I have two minutes of your time?” request with Sam Horn, turned into nearly an hour (with her permission,) I am happy to announce with great confidence, the rest of the title.  Are you ready?  (More about the amazing Sam Horn later.)

Here we go:

Labels are for Soup Cans

The dangers and downside of calling our kids autistic, ADD and learning disabled

I’d love to get your feedback.  Tell me what you think!

Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: , , | 7 Comments »

“The class had to move on…”

Posted on February 3, 2010 by therealmotherlode

Learning differences aside, sometimes it’s the pace of the class that can be detrimental to a child.  I’ve been thinking a lot about a comment a mom made on my blog.  This courageous mom withdrew her 8-year-old son because he wasn’t fitting in in the classroom.  The child, who has won awards for his creative writing, told his mom that he was no longer good at writing.   He deduced this because in school he was always last to finish…or, not at all.

As his mom put it, “The class had to move on….”

Mom could have insisted that her boy buck up. Pick up the pace!  She could have pressured him, after all…this is the “real” world.  He’s going to have to face it sooner or later, right?

But she did something a cookie cutter system will never be able to do: She treated him as an individual.  And he is flourishing once again and writing creative stories.

As the pressure increases through standardized testing and No Child Left Behind, I would imagine there are many, many more children like this.  Will they be labeled as “slow?”  (Of course, the moniker would have to be much more scientific sounding than slow.)

Certainly, the child is aware  and ashamed of their “slowness” like this poor kid was.

A factory approach to educating children is detrimental and assembly lines are best utilized in factories.  Well, sometimes.  Even Lucy had a hard time keeping up.

Filed under: education, homeschooling, Labels are for Soup Cans, parenting, Public schooling, Special Needs' Kids | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Your child is deficient!

Posted on February 2, 2010 by therealmotherlode

For many children, today is a tragic day.  They and their parents will be informed that they are DEFICIENT.  They are beyond FLAWED.  (Which is worse than LIMITED.)

Because ladies and gentlemen, today is the day they give the TCAP Writing Assessment at Molly’s school.  This standardized test is the ruler by which your 5th, 8th or 11th grader will be measured.

Last week Molly brought home an informational flyer on it and I’ll be honest with you, I have lost sleep over this.  The 8th grade will be given an expository essay to write.

Here’s a brief snapshot of the criteria and ratings for the “Tennessee Scoring Rubric*.”

A score of 6- OUTSTANDING (And yes, it is in capital letters.)  The essay is well organized, grammatically accurate, etc…

5- STRONG.  Same stuff as above but less so.

4- COMPETENT.  Ditto above.

3- LIMITED. Some proficiency but clearly flawed.

2- FLAWED.  Need I expound on this?

1-DEFICIENT.  Serious and persistent writing errors.  This is probably the score my son would achieve.  He prefers working with his hands and will read only if he’s going to gain instruction on telephone switching.  (Or other areas of interest that are WAY beyond my area of comprehension.)

Am I advocating that we cultivate a bunch of anarchist dolts by throwing standards to the wind?

Hell no.  I’m a professional writer and am of the opinion that clear communication, both written and spoken, is imperative.

But I’m not so LIMITED to think that this is the only measure of success.  I think of the future diesel mechanics.  The dancers.  The poets.  The leaders.  All of whom will never become what they were destined to be.  Because they were labeled DEFICIENT and shamed and shut down long before they were given the chance to grow and flourish as individuals.

I think of the boys especially– the ones who learn best when they’re moving—sitting, confined to little desks,  knowing they will be weighed in the balance and found wanting.

Rubrics are best used in evaluating factories.  Not children.

PS I find it interesting to point out that in the book “On Writing Well,” one of the barriers to writing well is identified as SCHOOL.  (Author William Zinsser notes that the kids know how to construct a grammatically correct sentence but there is no creativity.)

*Rubric-noun – a title, heading, direction, or the like, written or printed in red or otherwise distinguished from the rest of the text.  A class or category.

Filed under: education, homeschooling, Individuality, Labels are for Soup Cans, Public schooling, Special Needs' Kids | Tagged: , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Genius is as common as dirt

Posted on January 13, 2010 by therealmotherlode

I received a letter from the school district over the upcoming ACT Explore Test.  It is “a curriculum-based assessment program normed for the eight grade.”  It will be given to fifth and sixth graders in March.   Okaaaaaay, it’s normed for the eighth grade but given to fifth and sixth graders. (?)

I kept reading:  If your child has already taken this test and you’d them them retested, parents  may do so through the Belin-Blank Exceptional Student Talent Search program.  (That’s “BESTS” for short.)

BESTS is a gifted education and talent development agency that identifies gifted, talented and artistic learners, the letter said.  And the measure?  If the student scored at the 95th percentile on his/her most recent achievement test.

What a narrow myopic way to measure students.  I find this very disturbing because it imparts a subtle message to the rest of us (that would be 95%) that we’re not gifted.  Yeah…I’m an adult and see it for what’s its worth.  But try to explain that to 12-year-old struggling with their self worth. Especially because it’s an uphill battle to earn “C’s”.

Yeah, yeah…. I know they’re trying to find a way to tailor educational plans to help those with academic prowess.

What about the rest of us though?

The educational system has got to be reworked….from the ground up.  And I suggest they start with a conviction that John Taylor Gatto developed over his years of working as a public educator.

After a long life, and thirty years in the public school trenches, I’ve concluded that genius is as common as dirt. We suppress our genius only because we haven’t yet figured out how to manage a population of educated men and women. The solution, I think, is simple and glorious. Let them manage themselves.

Filed under: education, Labels are for Soup Cans, Public schooling | Tagged: , , , , | 3 Comments »

Everyone you meet is a potential teacher

Posted on November 6, 2009 by therealmotherlode

As I was paddling around at the foot of Angel Falls this morning,  (I confessed on Facebook that when I’m swimming laps, I imagine I’m in South America but don’t tell anyone,) I was concentrating on my stroke.  Keep your head low….watch your stroke….

And I remembered Scott.  Scott was a tri-athlete that used to work at our old sports club back in Montana.  He was the pool maintenance man so we saw him regularly.  When I asked him for a few pointers on lap swimming, he happily did so.

But what really endeared Scott to my heart was his willingness to indulge Daniel’s curiosity with the inner workings of the pool pump.  At the time, Daniel was about five-years-old.

You might say that Scott was one of Daniel’s first teachers.  Since that time, Daniel has been taught by a number of amazing plumbers, phone repairmen, antiques dealers, a phone expert….and an old guy who smokes way too many cigarettes.  Electricians, banjo pickers, retired school teachers and most endearing, his 80-something-years-old Great Gramma.  (Daniel chats with her on the phone almost every night.)

(Wouldn’t you love the benefit of drawing from the wisdom and experience of a Godly, loving woman who’s been around for over eighty years?)

I have learned from my boy that everyone you meet is a potential teacher.  From the clerk at Wal Mart who has found a place of grace to live in in spite of the murder of his wife and children a few years ago….to my friends who’ve loved me at my worst.  Or the bookkeeper that helped me with my first “real” job….or Scott. (I gave up on the kick turn a long time ago, Scott.)

I think one of the biggest casualties of institutionalized education or religion is it marginalizes the teacher resident in each and every human.  Parents feel they’re not “qualified” to teach their own children.  And believers who feel the pastor is the only one qualified to counsel them. (Good Lord, no wonder preachers get so burned out.)

This is such a losing proposition.  We are wired to give and when we are withholding our life’s knowledge, experience and training in deference  for one whom the Matrix has deemed “qualified,” everyone loses.

A wonderful thing happens when you begin to see the teacher resident in everyone.  You see opportunity around every corner.  And your respect and appreciation for people will go up.  (Not to mention the other way around. How does it make you feel when someone asks for your advice on a matter?)

When I look at the young man Daniel is turning into I am astounded at the teachers God has brought to him.

And then I shudder thinking of what could have happened had I followed that pediatrician’s advice to “Get this child on medication and into a classroom as soon as possible.”

When Daniel is not being tutored by one of these amazing people he spends hours learning.  I’d tell you what he’s up to but truth be told, I haven’t a clue because it’s all over my head.

Now that you’ve met a few of Daniel’s teachers, here’s a picture of his current classroom:

P1040388

I don't think *this* is what that pediatrican had in mind, do you?

theresa_sig

Filed under: education, Individuality, Labels are for Soup Cans, Personal development, Public schooling | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Do hens go to egg laying school?

Posted on January 29, 2009 by therealmotherlode

Yep, I know silly question.  Such is my brain to ponder random questions.  Of course hens don’t have to learn how to lay eggs….they’re hens!  The doing arises from their being.

Same for our kids.  We spend so much time insisting that they DO things before we’ve evaluated WHO is my child?  But yet in our culture,  conformity is the rule of the day.  All children must meet THESE standards and if they don’t….they’re defective.  And we must remedy their weaknesses!

Bear with my cheeky assumptions for a moment, would you?  As an adult, would you pursue a hobby you have no interest in?  Let’s say the rage du jour is underwater basket weaving.  But you have no interest in underwater basket weaving.  You see no relevance to your life.  And besides, you’re a crackerjack automechanic or mathmetician and you think it’s underwater basket weaving is stupid.

But you MUST attend class. So you show up  and you’re quickly singled out as having an attitude problem.  And doggone it, you just can’t seem to get it right.  You’ve quickly diagnosed as having a learning delay in basketology.  Experts are consulted and labels are generously given.  And remedial course are recommended.  After all, everyone else is doing just fine.  They even enjoy underwater basket weaving. 

And there you are.  Your shop business is falling off because you’re so focused on that tricky weaving.  No longer do words like “integers” and “quadratic equation” make your heart skip a beat because that pool time is getting so tiresome.  (Ahem–that would TRULY be a sickness, IMHO.)

Back to the kids.  Yes, there are skill every child must learn and master to succeed in the world.  (Pssst….and here’s a hint, the most important ones AREN’T academic.)  For us, Caleb will probably need higher maths because of his interest in astronomy.  But we will force feed percentages  and business math to Daniel as he’d rather be reinventing the wheel. 

What I WILL not do…I absolutely REFUSE to do is target in on the weaknesses which will have little or no impact on their lives.  So Daniel doesn’t appreciate a Van Gogh the same way I do.  Big deal.  And Molly would rather bake cookies that study rocket science. 

But let’s take this a little deeper.  I have one friend who’s daughter struggles with dyscalculia.  It’s sort of like dyslexia…only with numbers.  Year after year, drill after drill….this girl (who is an amazing writer, btw) just couldn’t retain her math facts. 

Mom finally decided it was calculator time.  She wasn’t going to make a big fuss out it.  She’s done what she could and has made accomodations accordingly.

Mom wisely knew how to focus on her daughter’s gifting and, after not a small amount of hand wringing I’m sure, quit fretting over an area that she will likely never excel in.  (Shhhhh….don’t tell anyone but I keep a small calculator in my purse.)

This is way too long, I know.  But the other day, a friend send this blog post to me that I thought was a brilliant summary of what I’m blabbering about.  And these folks, neurologists, have the right initials after their names to give credibility beyond what I, a bear of little brain, am able to substantiate.

Here’s their link and then I’ve cut and pasted one entry.  Pay special attention to the words in bold.


http://eideneurolearningblog.blogspot.com/

Brain morphometric studies showed that Einstein had more natural brain endowment for spatial processing (and less for verbal). That’s why his time in the patent office (spatial problem solving through inventions) and spatial thinking were so beneficial in his early and most famous work. We also have talked about Einstein’s Fallacy however. Later in life in the academic pressure cooker Einstein began feeling pressure to do more proofs for his work (algebraic). He threw himself into this process – but as a result never had any substantial contributions from it. In many cases, a willful choice to devote one’s lifes work and efforts to strengthen one’s weakest abilities will be a waste of time. Some remediation may be helpful for getting by, but for the greatest fruition of one’s natural abilities, it’s better to ride the wave of what one has been gifted with at the start.

Filed under: ADD/ADHD, homeschooling, Individuality, Labels are for Soup Cans, parenting, Personal development | Tagged: , , | 2 Comments »

Starry, starry night

Posted on January 15, 2009 by therealmotherlode

I have my sister to thank for making me aware of this wonderful, bittersweet video.  Van Gogh is one of my favorite artists.  (Perhaps in part because I married into a family with a Dutch last name?)  Nah, not really.

To me Van Gogh is a man who came fully alive and did what he was born to do.  But it was a bittersweet gift as Van Gogh struggled with depression.  (How on earth could anyone capture the emotion in “The Potato Eaters” without experiencing depression first hand?)

I heard a story years ago on Paul Harvey that speculated that perhaps Van Gogh’s depression and ultimate suicide were a result of a toxic element in his paint.

I have a theory of my own.  I think anytime there is tremendous gifting, there can be tremendous challenges.  And sadly our human nature is to point at the challenges and overlook the amazing gifting that lies on the flip side.  (Hello?  Entrepreneurs with ADD/ADHD?  Dyslexic artists? Strong willed child turned amazing leader?)

I say this because Van Gogh’s dad, Theodoris,  figured that if Van Gogh didn’t “fit the mold” then it was Vincent who was defective….not the mold.  Might that attitude have played a role in Vincent’s mental torture?

Or perhaps the other theory is correct: It was a dangerous element in the beautiful paint. One can only speculate.

If your kid’s got a label, teach them how to cope with the challenges, let ‘em loose with the paint and watch their masterpiece unfold.

Filed under: ADD/ADHD, Individuality, Labels are for Soup Cans, parenting, Personal development | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

Abilities BECAUSE of the Disabilities

Posted on December 8, 2008 by therealmotherlode

If you missed the Hallmark movie, “Front of the Class” last night on CBS…you simply must get the DVD. Hallmark movies are usually a home run as far as family friendly, inspirational stories and this movie was no exception. Perhaps it even surpassed those standards. (But I admit my bias since the subject is something near and dear to my heart—the use of LABELS.)

In this case, the label was Tourette’s Syndrome. It was based on the true story of a young boy who had Tourette’s when he was 6-years-old…before much of the mental health community even knew what it was. It’s hard for me to imagine the impact of the ignorance this boy and his devoted mother suffered with in addition to the challenges of having Tourette’s. We fear and try to control the things we don’t understand and this was portrayed in the insistence that the boy simply practice “Self control.”

The boy ended up becoming a teacher but faced many obstacles in getting employment in spite of his stellar student teaching reports because most schools wouldn’t give him a second look. He was quite frank about his Tourette’s and would address it with “Let’s first discuss the elephant in the room.”

The highlight of the movie, in my mind, was when during one particularly low period, his Stepmom showed up at his apartment and said something like,
Your calling to be a teacher isn’t in SPITE of your Tourette’s it’s BECAUSE of your Tourette’s.

He persisted…got hired as a second grade teacher….and went on to win a prestigious award in his first year of teaching. Tics and all.

Somebody pass the Puffs wouldcha?

I am so convinced as I watch my son, who had a pile of labels when he was younger, that on the flip side of those labels are some extraordinary abilities and giftings. It’s just a matter of finding the right fit for that child..or for that matter….an adult.

This movie couldn’t have said it better.

Filed under: ADD/ADHD, Individuality, Labels are for Soup Cans, parenting | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

The Box business

Posted on November 11, 2008 by therealmotherlode

My friend Dan Miller wrote a brilliant piece today entitled “Serving Customers or Making Cars?”  In it he talks about how many businesses are more focused on creating demand for their products instead of truly listening to the customers’ needs.  IE…the American auto industry that continues to pump out cars with a 5-year life span instead of high quality ones.  Gotta keep ‘em coming back, eh?

It really made me thing about The Box business.  A while ago, I wrote about how Vincent Van Gogh’s dad, Theodoris, was a man who insisted that if his son didn’t fit the mold it was his kid that was off- not the mold.

Much of our educational system is based upon The Box.  No Child Left Behind, Pre-kindergarten (and hang on to your seatbelts because it’s probably just a matter of time before pre-K becomes mandatory), Achievement tests….pity the poor child who doesn’t fit well within these things- within The Box.

The Box has a whole industry created around it.  If your child has a learning difference or any sort of difference, it is classified and deemed pathological.  Therapy and medication are needed! Whole new specialties are formed.  Perhaps before long universities will be offered PhD’s in Boxology.  Oh, wait…they already have that, it’s just known under different names.

You see, my son Daniel learns differently.  His approach to chickens differs greatly from my approach to chickens.  In my world, I could get a book….read….carefully construct a coop….select the breed….etc… Everyone knows this is how it’s done properly, right?

Actually, I lied.  Because of all those steps I just lined out, I would never get a chicken.  Too much dang work!

Daniel’s approach?  Get the chickens and then run sliding and sailing and slipping in the mud of the sheer exhilarating joy of learning.

It’s the same way he’s learned about aquariums and tropical fish and electricity and plumbing and construction and…..

My most important role is to get out of the way…not insist he learn the way I do.

You’d think I’d learn by now!

Filed under: ADD/ADHD, homeschooling, Individuality, Labels are for Soup Cans | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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