Mavis Beacon and Eveyln Wood

Education is priceless.

I feel so fortunate to have received a quality education and that I have been able to provide the same for my daughter.

As we prepare for Alyssa to begin her junior year of high school, it takes me back to my own childhood and I remember that familiar experience of buying new crayons (I love to smell all the crayons in the box with all of their tips sharp and pointed), having Mom sew new clothes and receiving new books at school which I carried in my “book bag” and not a backpack. I loved and still love school and educated intelligence. I love the process of learning and having the light bulb suddenly go off in my brain. Helping to cultivate a love for learning is one of the best things we can do for our children especially in the fast-paced world they will be in as adults.

I took typing in high school and just loved it. The methodical sound of the typewriter keys making a steady click, click, click which was echoed throughout the room by other typewriters. That clicking is a relaxing sound to me which is why I insist on keeping my old computer keyboard – I refuse to have a silent key pad. Learning to type is like riding a bicycle – once you learn, you do not forget. However, if you do not learn the basics of typing, how can you improve upon them?

As school begins and you are in the throes of school rules and education, I have three suggestions:

Encourage your children to take typing classes when they are available and if they are not, buy Mavis Beacon. The animated woman actually makes typing interesting and it is a positive, upbeat program.

Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing® Deluxe 20

In Secrets, Friends and Sharing I wrote about the opportunity I received in elementary school to have a free speed reading class. If your child has the opportunity to learn speed reading, encourage them to take advantage of the program. Until tonight I did not realize that the education I received back in elementary school, during the dinosaur era, was so expensive. Be prepared for the price when you click the link. The bigger your family, the cheaper it is…If you have eight children and both parents, divide ten into the price and, hey, it isn’t so bad!

Wikipedia provided the background information on the beginning of speed reading which I found to be SO INTERESTING!

“It was not until the late 1950s that a portable, reliable and ‘handy’ device would be developed as a tool for increasing reading speed. The researcher was a school-teacher named Evelyn Wood. She was committed to understanding why some people were naturally faster at reading than others and was trying to force herself to read very quickly. It is told that while brushing off the pages of the book she had thrown down in despair, she discovered that the sweeping motion of her hand across the page caught the attention of her eyes, and helped them move more smoothly across the page. She then utilized the hand as a pacer, and called it the “Wood Method”, which was renamed to Reading Dynamics in 1958. She coined the term “speed reading.”

Evelyn Wood Reading Dynamics® The World Famous Speed-Reading Program

Most importantly, remember that your child is an individual. If you were a straight A, 4.0 student that never had to study, it doesn’t mean that your child will be like you. Do not put unrealistic expectations on your child’s education and learning ability. Everyone learns at a different pace and with a wide assortment of talents. We do not all have to be math whizzes or speak eight languages. “Encouraging words” go a long way with children.

I have a fantastic mother. During my elementary years I remember coming home from school with some kind of math homework and I asked her to help me. It was some kind of “new” math and although she had helped me get the right answer, we had to do it the “new” way or it was counted wrong. She sat down, looked at it, smiled, and told me that she simply did not understand my math and therefore could not help me. I believe she wrote a note for me to take to school the next day and I really have no idea what it said because she said not to read it (yes, I was that kind of child). I remember the teacher was always available for questions and took her time explaining anything I did not understand. I never asked Mom for help after that, but I also didn’t think badly of her either. She encouraged me constantly and told me that I could do or be anything, but that I needed to study hard and make good grades. Then she would always say the magical words…”I believe in you.” Those words were the foundation that I stood on especially when things got tough and I started to feel stupid or fear took over. Needless to say, Mom still hates numbers, however, she has more talent in one finger than I possess in my whole body so she doesn’t really need to know calculus!

Remember your children as individuals. Assist in their education in the way that it is easiest for them to learn and at a speed that enables them to flourish. Most of all, let them know that YOU believe in them. Those words will resonate in their mind and follow them just like that little bowl of Cream of Wheat.

I typed my posting up to this point and then started surfing for a picture of the little kid walking to school with the Cream of Wheat bowl over his head and I couldn’t find it. What I did find on the Cream of Wheat website was a recipe link. I wondered what kind of dishes could be made with Cream of Wheat!

Take a look at these Cream of Wheat recipes.

***Nerd Alert***Did you notice that the Food Fact on the second page changes every time you click the page?! I won’t tell you how long I sat reading it.

This is the last day that this pink
flashing box will appear on my blog…LOL