There are different ways of moving forward. Help children do so vigorously, proactively, and sensibly.
Here’s how.
Setting the Stage by Way of the Setting Sun…
Let’s say you want to take a picture of the sunset, and you can capture its beauty right outside your door or from your apartment balcony. Then you are fortunate.
However, if you want to take a photo of the sun setting over a lake, or glistening on a mountain, or reflecting across desert sands, then you’ll likely have to go that extra mile or more (literally) to find and seize the image you envision. You can frame the scene. You discover it, make it your own, and create a picture that’s uniquely yours.
It’s important not to settle but to be willing to stretch boundaries, to be adventuresome, to try new techniques, to welcome tenacity, and to go beyond what’s conventional or convenient. And it’s important to teach children to do likewise.
Extending Parameters and Being Tenacious
“I’m through accepting limits ’cause someone says they’re so,
Some things I cannot change, but ’til I try, I’ll never know!”~ Defying Gravity, from the Broadway Show Wicked (Stephen Schwartz, Composer)
How can parents realistically “push limits” when trying to provide their children with the best possible supports and learning opportunities? A lake, mountain, or desert may not be accessible. What resources can parents seek and find? What learning experiences can they offer that might be a suitable match for their child’s learning needs? What’s practical? What motivates mind, body, and spirit? What fits the family dynamic? What compromises are necessary? These are all legitimate questions, and each is worth pondering.
Finding an “Optimal Match”
Finding an “Optimal Match”—that is, an appropriate alignment between learning provisions and an individual learner’s wants and needs—requires effort, resourcefulness, and …
