When I was 13 years old, my mother gave me a small book containing one of her favorite poems, “IF” by Rudyard Kipling. At the end of the poem were the words “man” and “son” – she crossed them out and wrote “woman” and “daughter.” My mother told me to read the poem often and try to live by its words. Almost 40 years later, as she was dying, my mother asked me to give copies of “IF” to all of her grandchildren. I did.
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Tips for parents to teach life skills at home!
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Now that we’ve both been home full-time with our respective children (2 toddlers for Nell and a high schooler, middle schooler, and elementary schooler for Meredith) for four months, it’s become even more clear to us how important it is that parents and other caregivers in children’s lives understand how every moment—every interaction—between a child and someone else is an opportunity for learning.
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The risk-factors of homelessness, poverty and single-parent homes for students and their families are often overlooked, instead of taking them into consideration holistically in the classroom. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, there are more than 560,000 homeless people in the United States on a given night. But homelessness is not just the obvious idea of being without a physical home; it also embodies certain aspects—such as the breaking up of families—that silently dehumanize a child’s psyche.
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I woke up recently to the film “Hook” playing on TV. Watching Robin Williams as Peter Pan gave me a warm reminder about the importance of thinking “happy thoughts” in order to be able “fly,” whether as an adult or a child. It prompted me to make a list of the thoughts and memories that make me happy. This list of joyful thoughts provided me with some relief and balance against the stress that I’ve been feeling recently. My list also made me reflect on the stresses that my students continue to undergo during this quarantine—like not being able to graduate on stage, missing their friends, and being away from school in general.
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