Post-Post Education - Learning Never Stops!

Education.

It is the key ingredient to the survival of mankind. Without the capacity to learn, we would not have figured out how to make the very basic, yet essential things in life work, such as make fire, hunt for food, or shelter ourselves from harsh weather. It is what sets us above other species. In fact, when a person loses the ability to think for him or herself completely...we refer to them as "vegetables", or as being in a "vegetative" state. Not only is it often seen as the necessary trait to be declared a human being, or person, but it also enables a people to become organized, civilized, and prosperous down to an individual level.

What has struck a chord with me is how a bit "watered down" the concept of education has become. What do I mean by this? Well school as an institution, and education have become one. It is as if many people only see education as something attainable in a traditional school setting. This is a flawed idea in several respects.

Consider the fact that just because someone goes to school, does not automatically means they are receiving education, there are failing schools all across the country, and a learning deficit within these schools is becoming a growing problem like the national debt. This leads me to my next point. Schools may not be teaching relevant topics. The school system in America has not improved much over the years and it is starting to show when we look at things from an international perspective, which is especially important in this age of globalization. And the list goes on and on. I'm sure you can think of a few things wrong with the school system yourself as well.

The purpose of this article places its focus elsewhere within the realm of education, and that is education OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM AND INSTITUTIONS. It is important to remember that education doesn't end when class is no longer in session, or when that degree is hung on your wall. On the contrary, that is when the real education begins.

Select the Best Educational Learning Toys

Play is an essential part of childhood development, so it is important that parents choose toys that promote the learning and growth of their children. Toys should be age appropriate and encourage positive imaginative play. Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind is that appropriate toys don't have to cost a fortune, so no matter how big or small your budget is, you can find toys that will suit your child's needs. While children need toys and play things for successful development, they are no substitute to the love and nurturing that only their loved ones can provide.

Best Infant and Toddler Toys

Teach and stimulate your babies and toddlers minds with toys that focus on cognitive thinking and motor skills. As babies, children use every part of their bodies to explore the world around them, which is why they are constantly sticking everything in their mouths! Help your child learn to use his or her body parts, recognize and control objects, sounds and tastes and more with developmentally appropriate toys such as mobiles, rattles and stuffed animals.

Toddlers are very active and begin to realize that they can communicate with others, which is why focusing on participatory skills is of utmost importance. Picture books with colorful symbols and make-believe educational kids games are great interactive activities for your child and you to enjoy together. Simple toys such as blocks, balls and even hats can inspire learning and imagination in your busy toddler.

Preschool Educational learning toys

By the time your baby reaches preschool he or she will have already learned a great deal about the world around them. While some youngsters have siblings that they interact with on a daily basis, others haven't had a chance to spend lots of quality time interacting with peers, which is why preschool exposes children to a whole new world. Foster the skills that help them develop friendships by purchasing dramatic play items such as props for group play and educational kids games such as house or store.

Also, be sure to invite your child's new friends over for play dates. These get togethers will further their understanding of friendships and social interactions, and when another mommy or daddy asks if your child can come over for a few hours you can catch up on some much needed rest.

The author recommends The Wishing Well Toy Company for educational learning toys [http://www.wishingwelltoys.com] that are thought provoking, engage children's minds and encourages them to ask questions. The Wishing Well Toy Company in an online provider for developmental toys for babies [http://www.wishingwelltoys.com], toddlers and preschool age children.

Building Strength for Students to deal with Adversity

Build supportive relationships in the classroom

1. Build supportive relationships in the classroom
2. Create safe spaces
3. Build upon strengths by supporting self-regulation

As human beings, the most important factor for our survival is supportive relationships. But trauma and adversity can disrupt the development of the important bonds that children need to reach their full potential. Fragmented families and communities make it harder for children and teens to find attachment figures to connect with, leaving many kids unmoored.

To support children and teens exposed to trauma and adversity, we can demonstrate alternative working models of relationships by building social trust. While a warm and supportive classroom environment is beneficial to all students, for students exposed to trauma and adversity, it’s a necessity. Teachers can make efforts to get to know each student individually, their strengths and challenges. They can pay special attention to the classroom social network, promote positive peer relationships, and teach and reinforce kindness and respect, while avoiding competitive situations that create social hierarchies.

Teachers can build relationships with students by practicing a mind shift—one that focuses on students’ strengths rather than their weaknesses. Instead of asking yourself, “What’s wrong with him?” when a student exhibits difficulties, ask yourself, “What happened to him and how did he learn to adapt to it?” Reframing in this way will help you to understand where he is coming from and how best to help him.

It’s best not to ask students who’ve misbehaved, “Why did you do that?”—because their behavior may be as perplexing to them as it may be to you! Educators need to understand that exposure to trauma often impairs self-awareness, self-regulation, and perspective taking, which interferes with these students’ ability to understand or explain reasons for their behavior.

If teachers can move away from blame, and provide warmth, empathy, and a respect for students’ strengths, it will go a long way toward building positive relationships in the classroom.

Effective treatment of complex trauma requires coordinated community systems that can effectively identify, treat, and provide support for children, teens, and families. The first order of business in building a trauma-sensitive school is creating a safe environment for all concerned.

What does that mean? It means that all students feel protected by and connected to their teachers and the school community, and that rules for the students are always fair, made with their needs in mind.

At the classroom level, teachers can help build safety by creating fair, logical rules that are consistently reinforced. For children exposed to trauma, this is particularly important, because they come from homes where rules may be associated with arbitrariness and severe punishment. It may help to use the word “expectations” rather than “rules” to communicate with students in a way that is less likely to trigger them.

Since children exposed to trauma often feel powerless around what’s happening in their lives, having them participate in creating classroom rules, and giving them choices and alternatives when making assignments, can help empower them. However, it’s important not to lower your academic expectations. I have witnessed teachers give trauma-exposed students a coloring worksheet as an alternative to a math assignment out of fear that the assignment might trigger an outburst. While offering alternative assignments may be helpful at times, the alternatives must give the student an appropriate opportunity to learn the same material.

What can teachers do when students act out? While you must always address behavior that disrupts the learning process, it’s important not to rupture the students’ connection with the school community. Exclusionary policies, such as suspension and expulsion, only reinforce students’ feelings of rejection and low self- worth.

Instead, give students the opportunity to calm down by de-escalating the situation. Recognize that such behavior may be adaptive in their home environment and they may need support to learn adaptive strategies that are appropriate for the school environment. Alternative strategies include inviting the student to take some “time in” to settle and calm down, either in the classroom “peace corner” or in a “resilience room,” a place set up to give students space to self-regulate at their own pace.

Hypervigilance, hyperarousal, and a tendency to disassociate—these are all ways students who’ve been exposed to traumatic environments try to adapt. Unfortunately, while being adaptive in some stressful environments, they can interfere with a student’s ability to focus their attention on schoolwork.

To support students exposed to trauma and adversity, teachers can help them learn to understand and manage their emotions better—both directly and indirectly. For example, you can monitor your students for signs of hyperarousal and use soothing talk to help them calm down. You can also teach calming strategies such as simple mindful awareness and relaxation practices, which help all students to deal with difficult feelings. Having a meditation or compassion-based practice yourself prepares you to teach practices to students and maintain your own resilience at the same time.

Be careful to avoid situations that are confusing, chaotic, or erratic. If these situations do arise, try to prepare these children in advance. Here is an example of how this might be done:

Let’s say that you learn of an upcoming fire drill, and you fear that it will set off a student. While all students deserve a warning, you can give special support to a student who may be particularly frightened. Taking her aside during early morning recess and explaining what will happen can help avert a meltdown. Also, asking the student to take a leadership role—perhaps leading the other students as you walk out of the classroom—gives her a chance to feel empowered in the situation. Giving her a last warning just before the fire drill happens and preparing for her special role can help her to build some self-confidence.

Exposure to trauma and adversity during childhood and adolescence has a significant impact on a child’s development, often interfering with learning and social and emotional functioning. While children may have learned to cope with a stressful environment in adaptive ways, their coping strategies can pose challenges to learning in school environments, especially if schools are not employing trauma-sensitive practices.

Schools can play an important role in helping students heal by recognizing and building upon their strengths and by building supportive relationships, creating safe and caring learning environments, and supporting their development of self-regulation. This requires adults who are committed to caring for themselves first, so they have the resilience to be compassionate in their teaching.

While this is not always an easy task, I believe that the benefits in terms of improved school climate and student learning are well worth the effort. Long-term, the benefits to our students and society may be immeasurable.