French Kids Don’t Throw Food by Pamela Druckerman

Title:

 French Kids Don’t Throw Food

Author:

Pamela Druckerman

How do the French manage to raise well-behaved children, and have a life?

This is the secret Pamela Druckerman will reveal in her book French Kids Don’t Throw Food.

A New Yorker married to an English husband, and raising kids in Paris, Druckerman discovered that French mothers do things differently and often better.

When Druckerman was in Paris, both she and her husband went through hell when dining in the restaurant with their little baby. All they wished was to quickly finish their meal and leave. What caught their attention was that French parents with little kids do not go through the same situation.

Here were what they seen in France.

At the restaurant:

“The French children all around us don’t look cowed. They’re cheerful, chatty and curious. Their parents are affectionate and attentive. There just seems to be an invisible, civilizing force at their tables – and, I’m starting to suspect, in their lives – that’s absent from ours.”

At the playground:

“I’ve never seen a child (except my own) throw a temper tantrum.”

At home:

“Why don’t my French friends need to end a phone call hurriedly because their kids are demanding something? Why haven’t their living rooms been taken over by teepes and toy kitchens, the way ours has?”

“Why so many French babies start sleeping through the night at two or three months old?”

“Why French kids don’t require constant attention from adults, and that they seem capable of hearing the word ‘no’ without collapsing?”

Druckerman found that French parents are very concerned about their children but not to the point of panicking over their children’s well-being. This makes them better at establishing boundaries and at the same time giving their kids some autonomy.

In her book, Druckerman reveals more stories on what she has discovered in parenting à la francaise.

Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Michael Winterhoff Talks on Education Concept in Germany

It is quite alarming that many young people in Germany do not fulfil the pre-requisites for vocational training. According to child and adolescent psychiatrist, Michael Winterhoff, many of the young people in Germany today not only lack the basic competences in German and maths, but also lacking in social competences such as work ethic, punctuality and structure.

These young people do not share the same passion in the workplace as they do for computer games. Winterhoff believes that it all goes back to early childhood education, to between ages three to six when our abilities start to evolve.

As children are seen, led and guided as children for at least 15 years, their maturity develops at a slower pace. Adults tend to explain and demonstrate a skill to their children instead of letting them to explore and try it out themselves.

In school, teachers are receding into the background, assuming the role of mentor or coach. Students in the primary school are left to teach themselves how to read, write and do maths, with the senior levels teaching the junior levels.

Winterhoff sees this as detrimental towards children’s psychology as they often attend school just to gain their mothers’ approval and do things they do not like just for their teachers’ sake.

Often, many parents hold on to the motto “even if nobody out there loves me, my child at least should do so” when they themselves faced with growing loss of orientation and recognition. This thinking has put a negative impact on the growing children as these children feel that adults are bigger and stronger than they are.

Given the general uncertainty and anxiety about the society’s future, parents start to merge with their children’s minds and develop false reactions that hinder emotional development. Hence, according to Winterhoff, they end up in a cycle of egocentric, inability to cope with life, lacking in independence and unemployability. In fact, this is a global phenomenon seen in all wealthy countries.

South Korean Teachers: What Can We Learn from Them?

The education approach in South Korea is very different from the one in Finland. While Finland gives their students a lot of freedom in learning, South Korea emphasizes on intense schooling.

Let’s see the approaches South Korean teachers take in teaching and learning.

Get parents involved	Teachers and parents in South Korea maintain a positive relationship. Teachers often update their students’ parents on their kids’ performance and what they are learning in order to keep the parents engaged.
Use technology	Technology, such as computers, the internet, LCD screens and smart boards, is compulsory in all classrooms. Besides aiding in the teaching process, technology enables the sharing of more knowledge and tailoring the lessons to the students’ learning style. In fact, technology helps students to learn faster and develop deeper foundation skills.
Do their best every day	South Korean teachers go extra mile and perform better than expected. They are so committed to do their best every moment.
Inspire their students to do their best	With committed teachers, students will feel inspired and highly motivated to give their best too.
Always be willing to learn	South Korean teachers often go for courses on education and teaching. They are willing to impose new teaching techniques and try their best to keep their teaching fresh and interesting.

Finnish Teachers: What Can We Learn from Them?

Besides its exceptional education approach, schools in Finland are filled with exceptional teachers too.

Let’s see the approaches Finnish teachers take in teaching and learning.

Ask for help	Finnish teachers accept that they are not perfect. With its system that encourages cooperation instead of competition, the teachers and students help each other to succeed. Finnish teachers often reach out to their colleagues, administrators and even their students’ mother for help when faced with challenging student or class.
Get outside	Finnish teachers often organize their class sessions out of the classroom such as to the riversides, city centres, forests and marshlands. They fully utilize the natural resources available during their excursion to enhance their lessons. A single resource such as a rock can teach us anything from spelling to math to science.
Get to know their students	Finnish teachers spend a lot of time and energy in getting to know their students. As they are often assigned to teach the same students for years, they have more opportunities to understand their students better. With this, they are able to tailor their lessons to the students’ learning style.
Implement more play time	Although Finland students spend a lot of their time playing, they still excel in academic. The long recess enables them to recharge and increase their focus when they are back to the class lesson.
Think outside the textbook	Finnish teachers are given the autonomy to implement different kinds of methods and materials to assist them in getting their students to learn.
Keep learning yourself	Finnish teachers show great passion for their job and in learning. This in turn influences their students to learn too as the students find the lesson interesting and inspiring.

Are You a Great Teacher? (3)

In this final part of “Are You a Great Teacher?” series, let us journey upon a better world for all. The traits are not just all about being a great teacher, but it also about being a great person.

                  

When it comes to being a great teacher, the traits that surface have little relationship with academic credentials, intellect or measurable knowledge. What are the traits then?

7. a Positive person

Great teachers not only believe in themselves but also believe in others.

They create a positive learning environment by a simple gesture – smile.

They encourage their students to ask and learn from mistakes.

8. a person who Engage their students

Great teachers understand that learning is an active process.

They encourage their students by focusing on stimulating creativity in learning, communicating and listening.

They see learning as a two-way process instead of one-way street - lecture.

9. a person with High Expectations

Great teachers set high expectations on themselves and on their students.

They recognize that not everyone excels in every single field but they help their students to see their capabilities and strengths.

Are You a Great Teacher? (2)

In our previous post, we’ve shared on few of the traits of a great teacher.

When it comes to being a great teacher, the traits that surface have little relationship with academic credentials, intellect or measurable knowledge. What are the traits then?

4. a Enthusiastic person

Great teachers speak with excitement and enthusiasm in teaching their subject matter.

They enjoy talking and sharing their knowledge with their students in the hope that their students will enjoy learning too.

5. a person who Shows, not Tells

Great teachers demonstrate a topic by bringing in examples into the class.

They use creative aids to help them express their knowledge and ease students’ understanding.

6. a person who Learns from their students

Great teachers accept students’ questions as a way for them to gain knowledge and wisdom.

They encourage lifelong learning, not learning for the sake of passing the examinations or presentations.

Are You a Great Teacher? (1)

Who are your favourite teachers? What make you like them or enjoy their class?

When it comes to being a great teacher, the traits that surface have little relationship with academic credentials, intellect or measurable knowledge. What are the traits then?

1. a Humble person

Great teachers are always on the go on learning and have a great heart in helping their students to learn.

They speak with confident but never arrogant or impress others with their knowledge.

They understand that they do not know everything in the world but eager to learn what they do not know.

Besides facilitating students’ learning, great teachers are learners too and willing to answer students’ questions of the unknown.

2. a Patient person

Great teachers are always patient in teaching.

It does not matter how many mistakes or how many times they need to explain, they still remain calm and willing to help their students learn.

3. a person who shows Kindness and Respect

Great teachers recognize that treating their students with respect will in return earn respect from their students.

This relationship will ease the teaching and learning process.

They understand that everyone is born with value and worth.

Preparing for a Career in Early Childhood Education

Do you love working with children? Do you desire to strengthen individuals, families and community? Are you an energetic person? Do you have natural leadership skills?

If yes, you may want to consider a career in Early Childhood Education.

When planning for a career in Early Childhood Education, you need to start at the beginning and decide which path you would want to take.

This planning shall not be taken lightly as every action you take will greatly influence the children you will be dealing with. You will be directly involved in shaping the lives of children – from health, emotional well-being to intellectual growth – all of which can affect their later success in school, work and life.

A proper training, for example, pursuing higher education in Early Childhood Education, is advisable as this training ground will provide you with the fundamental knowledge and skills that you need to study children, dealing with children, understanding their mind and feelings, and bringing the best out of them.

A typical college course may cover the following modules (or equivalent):

• Adult Supervision: Mentoring in a Collaborative Learning Setting
• Children & Literature
• Culture & Diversity in Early Childhood Education
• Infant & Child Development
• Introducing Young Children to Visual Arts
• Introduction to Early Childhood Education
• Music and Movement with Young Children
• Principles & Practices in Early Childhood Education
• The Child, the Family & the Community

Through the training, you will gain much more than just a stepping stone to a career in Early Childhood Education. You will find that your life will be enriched at the same time. Furthermore, these skills are applicable across different areas of life:

• Ability to create appropriate learning environments for children
• Ability to promote healthy development in children
• Active listening with patience and empathy
• Aware of cultural differences and special needs of children
• Developing collaboration with parents
• Enhancing speaking and presentation skills
• Increased self-confidence and self-understanding
• Teamwork and leadership
• Understanding of how children learn
• Understanding the different stages of child development

Is Early Childhood Education for you?

Further reading:

• Careers.Fun n Professional: It’s So Much Fun in Nurturing Preschoolers
• Further Study: Trained & Qualified Early Childhood Educators?
• Further Study: Be a Trained, Certified and Qualified Educator of Young Children (1)
• Further Study: Be a Trained, Certified and Qualified Educator of Young Children (2)

Careers.Fun n Professional: It’s So Much Fun in Nurturing Preschoolers

Involving in nurturing preschoolers can be so much fun! It can turn a dull administrative work into an exciting one with just a simple gesture of smile from the preschoolers. It is also a way of giving back to the community and molding future achievers.

Here are some of the careers in early childhood education one can opt for:

According to the report “Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018”* which was released in June 2010, “Education” degree was ranked at No. 6. Kindergarten teachers, excluding special education, are projected to see a 15% increase in jobs between 2008 and 2018.*

*Information from US Department of Labor using May 2010 data