Parenting School Years Feb. 2012

Traditional education typically assesses math and verbal skills. But Parenting School Years magazine helps parents encourage all the gifts their children display.

Thomas Jefferson may well have declared that “all men are created equal,” but the way they learn certainly is not. That was more than evident in my own education and in the eight years I spent educating adolescents. It was also clear in yesterday’s meeting when one colleague verbally explained a project to my glazed-over eyes before pulling out a visual chart to watch the scales fall off: Look at the picture, Kara!

Hi, I’m a visual learner. Nice to meet you! I’m also a kinesthetic learner, which put me in the category of “doodler” as a younger student and copious note-taker as an older one. Years of teaching introduced me to all kinds of learners, like the ones who have to study Greek and Latin roots while playing kickball, or those who have to sing songs to review verb conjugation.

Did you know there are also different kinds of intelligence? Standard-fare education has taught us that if you can’t fill in all the correct bubbles on a standardized test, you’re not smart. Au contraire! We’re all smart but in different ways. As a parent, I want my daughters to find their gifts and passions early in life–whatever they may be. I hope that will include success in an academic setting that will strive to help support all their gifts–and I feel overwhelmed just thinking about it.

Thankfully, Parenting School Years magazine‘s February issue boldly acknowledges not just learning styles but also the multiple intelligences that make us all unique. The special “Genius Issue” even encourages parents to “find the genius” in their own children and encourage their own singular intelligence. Here’s how:

1. Word smart. This is the verbal (sometimes verbose!) storyteller with good language skills and maybe even a clever wit and sense of humor. Encourage it with twice as much book time as screen time, and give him opportunities to write early on, creating an original book and then reading it to you.

2. Number smart. She’s good with numbers, math, geometric shapes and categorizing lists. Science kits and at-home cooking classes will encourage skills, as will chess and card games.

3. Picture smart. He likes the pictures better than the words (Who doesn’t?), and he’s most engaged when designing, drawing or fixing something with his hands. Make sure Junior’s got lots of crafty supplies on hand for all his creations, and perhaps introduce a camera so he can become the family historian.

4. Body smart. She’s plenty good at getting her groove on and tends to master sports and dance–anything physical. Encourage her skills with a sports team or dance class, or simply music at home to dance to.

5. People smart. He knows how to work a room and has plenty of friends to show for it. More importantly, he can recognize “others’ moods, and listens to them closely.” Your little guy needs people and playdates and plenty of them. Channel his interest in friendship into actually being a good friend. Being a nice kid might not translate onto the state test this year, but it will certainly take him far in the future.