Did you struggle in school?
Were you expected to keep pace with other students?
Were your grades compared to those of your siblings?
We all know having an education is important and we can recognize that with education there is some sort of finish line. But what we also need to remember, is that it isn't a race!
Like most people I had the subjects at school I was good at, and the ones I wasn't. Often the struggle is because we learn different things at different levels. I was well advanced in English but quite behind in Math, however, the system had me learning both at the same level. And of course the more I struggled with a subject the farther behind I got.
Children need to learn at their own pace
In my many years working with children as an educator I saw kids struggle with learning. And many of these problems existed for these kids because they were being taught in a way that was not their learning style. Everybody has a learning style that is more dominant than the others. And, if they could be taught the subjects they struggle with using that learning style they would not have as much difficulty.
The key is to acknowledge that a child is struggling because they are not being taught in the way that is best for them to learn. Too often the difficulties are blamed on the child when in reality the blame should be on us, the ones responsible for helping them learn.
Children will learn. But if they learn differently than what is being offered it will be harder for them to learn, may take longer for them to grasp the ideas. We need to recognize that learning is not a race. When given the proper environment and motivation, children will learn, but they will do it at a pace that they can manage.
Determined Dog is one of the books in the Emotional Animal Alphabet series. This dog struggles in school but is determined that he will learn. This story encourages children to find out how they learn best, so they can learn things better and to not let their learning difficulties stop them from the joy of learning.
You can get a copy of Determined Dog from the Quite a Character bookstore.
Understanding your child's learning style
There are three main learning styles.
Auditory - learns best through listening
Visual - learns best through seeing
Kinesthetic - learns best by doing
Understanding your child's learning style can help you direct the learning that helps them learn the best way for them. (especially if there is a subject they are struggling with).
Visit the Center for Parenting Education to learn more about learning styles and how to incorporate them to your child's learning advantage.
“Education Is A Journey, Not A Race”
— Rudolph Steiner.
Often children will learn better when they are interested in the topic that they are learning about. Check out my blog post on Thematic Learning to get ideas as to how to do this!