Learning styles

Greetings y'all :

Ahh yes the old learning style discussion. Some folks , such as myself, are intrapersonal learners. I'd also be considered kinesthetic , naturalist , and assorted others. I can be interpersonal but my introverted nature makes that difficult at times. I was never really too expertise as a child and definitely not mechanically minded.

Junior mint is multi- learning style as well . I've seen him exhibit most styles depending on the situation. Tonight he has chosen to take apart the old broken lap top for a little exploration. It's interesting watching him work , organize , think things through , learn how the computer works, and just have fun exploring.

Many or perhaps most folks have multiple learning styles . Differentiating lessons whilst attempting to meet the curriculum is challenging. I'm lucky to work with and several creative instructors . Yes there are are teachers in the system that lack creativity. But they are out numbered by the good ones.

I guess I'm lucky to have a child with a thirst for knowledge. He learns in a variety of ways . He loves to teach as well. He's a global thinker like his old man. He's got a wide range of interests.

I know I've kvetched about the system ad neauseum , well the system is significantly flawed. It's great for some students but hinders many others. No hard feelings . Every child , every human wants to learn and can learn . Every child , every human is an individual and ought to be taught and treated as such.

Ok so today I had an interesting day at work in the new class I'm temporarily assigned too. I was kicked , hit , spit on, called several things that would make a sailor blush, had a chair and books thrown at me. I had a child say " I'm going to kill you Mr Robinson" My response was "wow you know my name , thats great" That was before lunch. Theses wee learners also read their sight words and worked cooperatively after reading a book. They have so much potential. The staff is quite flexible and sees each child as an individual learner. It's funny but I've been with the fifth graders and an amazing teacher since last year and now get a glimpse at the students coming my way . Nothing beats a repoire and bond.

Tonight was a blast watching my little guy dissect the lap top. Then play his harmonica then read his National Geographic magazines. What a wonderful night.

Finding your tribe

Greetings y'all ;

After today I could very easily be angry and frustrated. I choose to look at the whole picture. I've got a wonderful if not misunderstood child. He had stellar grades in spite of being bullied and not feeling safe in his class. His anxiety was through the roof at school but he was outstanding at home. He had a god school and good staff but the system has been a poor match for him. I've watched him suffer for three years now.I just want my child back and anger used negatively won't accomplish that goal. Resiliency will.

I firmly believe in finding your tribe. For me I've got a great set of friends and good co-workers. My friends appreciate my forthrightness , honesty , integrity,humor and creative flexibility. My co-workers and I work with some tough children but strive to help them on multiple layers.

But what about a nine year old boy given little opportunity to find his tribe during the school day? Sure outside of school there is the pursuit of personal and mutual interests. But not every child is designed for the factory education system in place . I'd posit many are not designed for it.

Let me repeat , twould be easy to be angry. Angry at the system failure , angry at manipulation , angry at choices. I suppose I could be angry that my hand was played early putting additional hardship and anxiety on our house , but honestly I'm used to it.

This is a new beginning and new chapter for us. Sometimes hardships force us to jump start us on the road to fulfilling our goals. So who'll I've find my tribe, which I'm flexible and that may change , junior mint had his removed from him in first grade and never recovered . It is a reason we shall continue our educational path outside a brick and mortar institute. He's already ahead of the academic curve because I've been educating him since he was a wee bonnie sprout.

Folks remember this blog is helping me establish a foundation for my book. I appreciate y'all reading about us and accept all feedback . This is written through the prism of my lenses. You may or may not agree with my perspective . Some of you communicate with me others lurk and some squawk but not to me. That's life . We are the Robinson Boys , we got this.

My little tea pot

Greetings y'all :

Junior Mint and I had another wonderfully relaxing weekend. We were productive but relaxed. Saturday night was a camp in under the stars. That just means sleeping bags on the floor sans tent. It reminded us of the days we used to sleep under the stars in the old neighborhood. I think it helped to be reminded of those times.

One thing we did do this weekend was communicate. Not just talk but communicate. I was able to truly hear what his heart was saying and his mind was thinking. He is so misunderstood. He wants to do the right thing but the odds are stacked against him and have been mounting for a few years. He is a leader but is tuned into his environment. That can mean joyful , quirky exuberance and success or butting heads and exacerbation. He is still using his go to learned attention seeking behaviors that have been reinforced since first grade. He's got a good staff surrounding him but has a few alpha male peers that are coming from a more street background. Junior Mint is attempting to beat them at their game instead of using his strengths. It's hard for him to exhibit his leadership in small isolated class. See folks he also knows how to lead by following. Again with a small group there is only so much chance for growth and to see other behaviors. It reminds me of some folks who only hang out with and talk about politics with a select small circle because they all agree with each other. But like Plato showed us , we need to expand our world and not be locked into the singular perspective of the cave.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. My son is a sweet, energetic, quirky, exuberant, intelligent individual. He can discuss many topics on levels unusual for his age. But at the end of the day he is still nine years old. He is a little tea pot of a boy with barrel full of emotions that come spilling out and spilling over. Those are the times it's easy to see the behavior but not the problem.

"I'm a little teapot
Short and stout
Here is my handle
Here is my spout
When I get all steamed up
I just shout
Tip me over and pour me out"

There is still hope for him. I love him very much. Then again I'm the captain of the ship and he's a great first mate.

Thanks for reading again today folks.

The early morning dawn

Greetings y'all :

It's a fresh day with fresh chances. My last two days have been interesting. I've proven my flexibility and work ethic combined with applying my theories and what I've learned from CPI classes have a positive impact in the classroom. A few minutes of genuinely listening to someone increases their sense of validity and decreases their negative behavior. Verbal de-escalation can curb potential situations. I gained even more respect for some co-workers than I had previously . Still to be able to apply what has been taught to me with a larger setting and see it's success was humbling. My technique has worked in large groups, small groups, pre-k through college and even senior citizen adult learners. It's been effective in special education and general education high school, middle school and elementary school . It's the technique and method I use in tutoring and mentoring too. I've used successfully in multi-age day day care as well. I've also used it turn my son around at home this year.

Ok so I received a multitude of platitudes for my work the last two days. That was not humbling but refreshing and validating. I've consistently received good reviews for my work in the classroom and with students of all ages. I am , by far , not the best educator or parent but I'm learning and adapting daily. I do find it ironic that with my glowing resume I'm made to feel like my suggestions for my progeny in the class are invalid . I can't change others, plain and simple . His teacher has her hands full and is working diligently in difficult situation. She is flexible and working hard in a hard class. I don't envy her or blame. In fact all he hears at home is praise for his teacher and the staff in his class. His team and I will find a creative middle way sadly for now we have a chasm.

To fill in a few missing pieces my son was suspended from school this last week. He did something he shouldn't have done and followed that with a series of anxiety riddled bad choices. This is his song line , he wrote , he will face the music. I will be by his side to help him cope with it and to learn from it but this is his lesson. I personally feel the situation was preventable and has been building. But the past is the past, we learn from it and head to the future. I just hope my above mentioned crazy ideas of applying what is taught in CPI are taken seriously now and those around him remember to be the captain of the ship. He's got great folks working with him , the key is with him. He's a leader so it takes kind and gentle but strong and assertive person to lead him.

I recall receiving the award for distinguished president of phi theta kappa for Maryland , New Jersey , Delaware and Pennsylvania . I got the award through laizze faire leadership. I was the captain of the ship. The ship was floundering and rudderless when i stumbled into my role. I kept us on course and prevented problems through active listening and following the middle way. Each member was equal and valid. I has a great crew and I put my full trust in them, they earned that award more than I did.

This post was full of pomp and ego. Guess I've felt like others have been attempting to make me feel inadequate. If I'm a good educator and decent parent then maybe , just maybe,I can make the schools job easier with my ideas. Because I know the past and what hasn't worked and what has. I know the path that has gotten us here. Not just the paper trail but the personalized emotional trail . I want his teachers job to be easier and more importantly for my son to thrive , not just survive in school. What he did was wrong , he's admitted it and once again taken responsibility for his actions. My question is will we continue down this preventable path and repeat the self fulfilling prophecy or will we adjust our sails , modify our course and give the helm back to the captain? He has wonderful supports at home and school. We've gone through the growing pains of changing his learned behaviors from his schools ( started in first grade) and with some time investment they can be changed at school. I am frustrated it could have happened in first grade, second grade and the beginning of this year because the longer they remain the go to behaviors the harder they will be to change. Can't go back , neutral isn't an option so lets embrace this new dawn and new day as a new beginning.


Thanks reading again today folks.

Returning to humble self in

3.....

2.....

1....

" if we can stand up..."

"If we can stand up
When all else falls down
We'll last through the winter
We'll last through the storms
We'll last through the north winds
That bring down the ice and snow
We'll last through the long nights
Till the green field's growing again"
Peter Gabriel " the time for the turning"

Greetings y'all ;

Yes I know I dropped a musical on ya to start my journal. Remember we thrive on music therapy and one of our mottos isLa Vies Dansante !!! I chose this quote for myriad of reasons. One is that Richie Havens, the man with an incredibly smooth and deeply rich voice recently drifted off to his final journey to dream land. Richie was the guest vocalist on this track. His voice is calming , an angelic quality to his timbre and intonation.

The lyrics speak to me as well. As I've oft time indicated junior mint and seem to feel isolated in our struggles. We are misunderstood and see the world differently. Until we find our proper tribe we will continue to feel isolated and persecuted. So each time the world knocks us down we stand back up. It's not always easy, but it's a survival skill.

See we know it's not all or nothing but the middle way is best way. I've hit years of experience to know how to adapt. My lad is young and many experience are brand new to him, thus a limited well of experience and knowledge an therefore a limited tool box. He's a wee cup of a man with a bucket full of emotions - mostly feeling misunderstood.

That said I don't excuse his actions and choices but look to the problem . He's been reaching out to others as best he can but the way he does it can be hindrance to getting what he wants or better yet seeks. It will take some time but it's taken a long to build up these feelings. After all if you always do what you always did you'll always get what you always got. He's learned to elicit certain reactions with certain behaviors , he learned them in first grade and it still works . Unfortunately it also means continued isolating of self from others and further exacerbation from all fronts.

Perhaps it's because of my background but my heart goes out to Mowgli and other young folk like him who can't express themselves and their pain properly and are persecuted for it , which adds to their pain and frustration. He's only nine.

We are the Robinson Boys - we will continue to stand tall.

Thanks for reading again today folks.

It's a poor carpenter that blames his tools

Greetings y'all :

It's amazing , simply amazing. I can't fully comment on yesterday's event but it was a strange day indeed. We had our first rehearsal last night and junior mint was the only boy. There will be others but last night he was it. I truly think being with a gaggle of girls will help. If nothing else he safe and away from feeling bullied in his class room. Every child deserves to feel safe, even my child.

Homeschool is so tempting for my non- traditional and misunderstood learner. We spent more time addressing his role in actions and he knows home is his " soft landing" I have the luxury of reacting differently than school and he acts differently. But,
as I repeat , life is impermanent . We are the Robinson Boys and we shall conquer this.

I will end with a story. I like baking bread but on that rare occasion I make an unsavory loaf. I don't blame the final product I blame the creator. I consider the ingredients and recipe and adjust as needed.

The sun will come out tomorrow

Greetings y'all :

Please forgive my homage to the musical "Annie". First of all my step daddy loved that song. Secondly we once again heard about and auditioned for another show at the last moment ,obviously "Annie", and once again got in. We enjoy acting and it helps teach my son that all parts are important pieces to the puzzle and it's important to let others have the lead at times. Learning to be supportive is a difficult but key life skill to master. FYI - this makes my son two for two with auditions.

Yes folks the sun did in fact come out today. Yesterday was a hard day for my wee bonnie lad. He decided to show off and act up in class. He was not happy with his consequences but each choice has a consequence. Twas painful to watch him accept but I also know he now has this feeling to draw on in the future and hopefully make better choices. The hardest part is watching him try to blend into a group that is negative. My son is leader and a follower. His lesson will be to lead kindly and ethically and not follow those who are not kind. Everyone has some redeeming value, find that value in folks. We ought to be friendly but need not be friends with everyone. Many adults can't meet negative with positive, glad those I entrust with his care can though, so it's a hard lesson to learn for a nine year old.

Which brings us back to acting. I'm hoping he can learn from these experiences. He is in a small self contained special education class with all boys. He has limited opportunities to learn other social skills from his same age peers in the classroom setting. I am frustrated that he was placed there as his inclusion is limited. I predicted he would worsen because he mimics and learns what is modeled by his peers and setting. I was correct, he didn't get the chance to learn how most students act and has dug a a deeper hole. That has been our struggle. But it is the reality we must live with. The school is trying to help him succeed but that one decision set us far back . Guess that's the joy/danger of being a global thinker who sees the tiniest of strands that connect us/things. Again it is the reality we must live with. I believe in my son and his school.

The joy of acting is pretending and transporting ourselves. "Annie" is largely a female cast. I like the idea of him spending time with the gentler gender. I noticed in our last production he was better behaved around most of the females. They have a calming effect on him.

Remember life is impermanent , no matter what there's tomorrow. Well unless we pass out of this life then we get a whole new life! Hmm wonder what I'll be? I better start working on improving myself or .... That's another blog for another day.

Thanks again for reading about our lives.

The benefits of believing

“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.” - Jim Valvano

Greetings y'all :

No I don't usually start with a quote but this one struck a chord. I was thinking about something that Orson Wells once said, something about knowing he's be successful because his folks never stopped telling him that or believing in him. I wonder how folks are successful for the same reasons? Of course many people are successful in-spite of that familial foundation. Each person has their own song line and intrinsic motivators.

I posit one ought not to merely pass on a plethora of platitudes but ought to have a strong believe in their progeny. Specific praise usually is more heartfelt, it's indicative of paying attention. I hope my dear son knows I believe in him. It's humbling watching him grow and how much he teaches me.

We had a forced sequestered weekend. We had wonderful plans but as a parent I decided twas best to hunker down and get in touch with the simpler things in life. We listened to the ball game on the radio, like I used to with my family. We created a little carnival in the apartment with games and a fun house. We created some skits, we wrassled and giggled and loved and laughed. Basic, simple joys and activity that only cost time and imagination. I did this because I believe in my son. Oh to experience his fertile mind developing games and play acting .

So let me state for the record - Alexander I believe in you unconditionally and in all aspects of your life. Will you stumble ? Yes sir you sure will but I watched you create, modify, recreate and keep moving forward. You make everything better.

Thanks for reading again today folks .

Reality

Greetings y'all ;

Reality, it seems pretty straight forward. The reality of life is that the moment we are born we are headed to our graves. That sounds harsh but life is impermanent ( another reality). My life of fiscal poverty is hard but bearable because of the love of my son. Sadly though it's not the life style I've dreamed of or feel he deserves.

Then again it offers the opportunity to appreciate the basics of life and what God gave us. It also means he sees others with more and perhaps better things . Kids who can afford little league , summer long themed camps, the latest electronics etc and it can make him envious and angry at me for failing him. Luckily he is wise and is learning frugality and loves reading, hiking and fishing. Life's simple and basic pleasures that only cost time.

This is our reality . Broke , ends not meeting, additional outside stressors we're learning not to let interfere with us. A child who is angry at many things out of his control but is sweet and funny and intelligent and adaptable . A little boy learning it's ok to be a little boy. A little boy who is frustrated at being misunderstood.

Home life is wonderful , great respect and understanding of each other. My techniques I've been posting work beautifully. Theory is grand but the reward is in the application.

A father ( moi) with PTSD who is pretty successful at keeping it contained but has occasional flair ups . I admit my strident advocacy for my quirky and exuberant man cub have me on this ice. I can't turn back time but just as I did with our home I will work on my piece of the puzzle. I've upset folks and am trying to find the middle way.

That is our reality . Many will agree and many will disagree but that too is reality . Perception is reality. I have learned through life experience and reading , especially H.H. Dalai Lama, with an open mind one can change ones perception and thus their reality.

I suppose then the one true reality is that life is impermanent.

Thanks for reading again folks - FYI remember to bookmark this blog or follow me on Google+ . I'll be fazing out my Facebook account. Seems its considerably less secure that I had thought.

Forward Motion

Greetings y'all :

Well it's been a crazy couple of weeks. We jumped through hoops for others, allowed others to manipulate us, learned from our mistakes, kept moving forward and here we are . Closer to each other and stronger than ever. Our resolve is stronger and we feel much better about ourselves.

We have each other and since I get him and he gets me we get each other. With 7 billion humans walking this planet many will not understand or believe us and some will. I know my son better than anyone! I know what works and what doesn't work. I shan't be silenced.

It's funny because folks know me to be flexible, creative, adaptable, kind, and the one who will acquiesce. Yet when it comes to my child I will listen with an open mind and accept those with greater knowledge and experience have good ideas. I also expect it to be reciprocated. I see ann individual I've lived with for 109 months as opposed to another child who is a fresh face , 8 months. I've great faith in my child's school. I also know what doesn't work and what does. The advantage I have is not just having him as my son but successfully working with some of the toughest ED students in the region prior to this. Again I believe on my school but the school ought to be a partnership. I'm will to be partner, I think they are are too.

Forward motion , in motion , keep moving. I heard that once in a song and it struck a chord with me. Yeah my son done messed up but good . Was he set up for success or failure ? I didn't witness the incident but have my feelings and thoughts. So I won't posit an answer . He , as a nine year old child has been held accountable for his actions .I just know if you always do what you always did you'll always get what you always got. I see a repeating and failed pattern and am made to feel like chicken little. I strive for change , I can can only change myself , which I've done. By changing back to the parent I am naturally and by adapting to what didn't work and adding to what did work I've seen a different child at home for some time. Exposing him to gen ed kids in a variety of settings has helped him learn societal expectations. He models what he sees.

Moving forward---

Ok so back to the basics . Yesterday , after school , Mowgli and I went to Oregon Ridge Nature Center. We hiked, swam in the chilly lake, and I signed him up for his first real summer camp. Poor kid has to spend a whole week ( 9:30-2 M-F) learning about nature and wilderness survival . Guess ill just walk the trails of our favorite local park while he endures doing what he loves. I love my little man cub.

Fools and Horses

Fools and horses is an hilarious British comedy. It's also the reference du jour for the Robinson Boys. Ok with a little Sea Biscuit thrown in for good measure. See there's a Sea Biscuit in all of us. It's how we're trained that can determine if we are put out pasture or are the champion thoroughbred we know we can be.

Adversity can tear you down or build you up. Life is rife with pitfalls and pot holes that crop up naturally. They are easy to avoid an navigate around. That's just life. The road to success is paved with failures. What is more bothersome are artificially created obstacles placed in the path through ignorance and incompetence of others.

Self made hinderances are easily learnable moments with natural consequences being the teacher. Oh nerts that didn't work, better adjust my sails. Oh cool beans that worked, better remember that next time. Artificial barriers are moments to learn as well. It's the opportunity to remember not to hold onto expectations, to learn how to forgive those who consciously and unconsciously retard our growth and progress through ignorance and pride. A lesson on how humility and self reflection increase growth but pride and self denial retard growth.

All choices and decisions have consequences and ramifications. This post will inspire some and infuriate others. So go on live in self denial while we fortify ourselves .Some will rally around us others will shun us and flee. But at this moment in time this is the post I need and choose to make. We are the Robinson Boys , we learn from our failures and successes. We hold ourselves to a higher level of accountability than most folk. We are made stronger everyday. We live, we love and we laugh.

Spring Break

Greetings;

Howdy folks I gotta confess this has been a great Spring Break. Oh sure we hit a rough patch but that's just it , a rough patch. Junior Mint was overwhelmed , spoiled and once he realized I am still the captain of the ship he shaped up.

We started break with a lovely visit to DC for the cherry blossoms. Ok so they were only buds but we still enjoyed our trip, our walk and the kite festival. We followed that with trip to the lower slower shore to visit my mom and for our first visit to Chincoteague and Wallops. ''Twas on this visit that I realized my little guy was tired and so was I. I also realized we were spoiling him. But I kept control of the ship.

After that trip we rested for a couple of days before heading to the UTZ factory an Harpers Ferry . Ok I messed up and although it was a good day I saw where I could improve.

Friday was all about the home opener for the O's. nice chillaxin' sorta day. Had to rest before invading southern PA. Grabbed some supplies from UTZ outlet for my dad birthday party then hiked Codorus State Park for the first time what a great park ! We finally made out way my dads house for his party. I tell ya little guy really loves helping and looking out for his little cousin. Those boys played baseball and laughed for hours. Great seeing him be the boy we all know he is.

Sunday was a tabla rasa day and my young man asked to return to HF to hike the Maryland Heights trail we skipped a few days ago. " Pa you've been talking about it for a long time and the mountains are your spiritual place. You deserve it and I wanna do this for you " Dang it boy - you're on to me. Needless to say it was the best day ever !!! After laughing , gasping , loving, and learning we enjoyed the view and climbed a few rocks. I figured he deserved a surprise so on the way home we stopped at a random field and played baseball.

Yeah I'd say it was a great spring break. Sadly now time to deal with those who don't get him. He's not perfect and I'm not a perfect father . I do know that on order for him to learn accountability and flexibility I must model it. He knows I'm the captain of the ship and sail forward . Poor lad is a Montesorri kid trapped in a factory education system. He has too much playing the system and the others. But I know him and see his future is bright. Just need to jump through a few more hoops for others. Guess what? We're the Robinson Boys and we got this