Do American parents focus too much on intelligence?

The link below is a brief article discussing research that finds American parents are very different than other parents around the world, even when compared to other modern/western parents. In particular the research looks at the primary focus of parents.

The findings did not surprise me from an educator standpoint. I often had to reassure parents that through play and social interactions children were building the foundation for math, science, reading, writing, etc. PLUS they were gaining a very different type of intelligence than what we typically think if as intelligence - Social-Emotional Intelligence. This type of intelligence, in my humble opinion, is severely needed and sadly lacking in our society currently. Who cares if you are a math whiz if you cannot function with others and/or manage your emotions?


I am VERY curious to hear your thoughts on this! Please post below.


http://www.slate.com/blogs/how_babies_work/2013/04/10/parental_ethnotheories_and_how_parents_in_america_differ_from_parents_everywhere.html

Articles from the National Association for the Education of Young Children - How Parents can Support Children's Play

See, it is not just me; I have research from the experts to back me up! Want your children to learn? PLAY WITH THEM!! You might just find your second childhood too! Here's what NAEYC (PS - this is a great source for information, not just for teachers but for families as well) says:

http://families.naeyc.org/learning-and-development/child-development/how-support-children%E2%80%99s-approaches-learning-play-them

http://families.naeyc.org/learning-and-development/child-development/10-things-every-parent-should-know-about-play 

VERY Moving Video

This video makes me tear up every time I watch it. This is why I do what I do and believe what I believe folks!

http://youtu.be/GbSp88PBe9E

Long Time No See!

Well, it's been just shy of a year. Where does time go really? I can tell you this past year has been much more than I ever bargained for. I thought I had it all figured out finally. Boy did life decide to show me just how little I had figured out!

Not far into working two full time positions I decided to quit my teaching position. It was a heavy decision to make. I did not want to leave the classroom but knew I was no longer in the right place. I wanted to take the time to pursue my other passions, get my feet wet in other areas. More than that though I think I needed the time to process just what it was I wanted out of life.

By early summer of this past year I felt certain that I was on the right track. I was looking closely at a long stay in Brazil to further learn the culture, including a martial art I found centered me beautifully. I was hoping to be able to teach once I was in Brazil. I tasted freedom (of what I am still unsure) for the first time in a long time. I was doing what I felt was the right thing for me, without being tied down to anything or anyone. I was sure I wanted to have this life I was creating.

This is of course when life decided to show me up. In September, I found out I was pregnant. What a shock that was! Not long into the pregnancy I started to reevaluate where I was at and where I wanted to be. I suddenly saw everything differently. Gone was a trip to Brazil (at least for now), the carefree world and lifestyle I had created, and seemingly that freedom I had just began to enjoy.

I have made many changes since that day in September. Mostly, I have just taken more hours than I can count to reflect, process and prepare. In the end, I have come to the realization that the freedom I was tasting last year is simply a state of mind. Yes, I now have more responsibilities and my world is changed forever, but that carefree life is not gone. Not even close. Now I have an excuse to engage in the freedom of child's play! Below is a link to a youtube video that sums up my feelings quite nicely.


"Play keeps us vital and alive. It gives us an enthusiasm for life that is irreplaceable. Without it, life just doesn't taste as good," Lucia Capacchione.
http://youtu.be/4_aXMaNpWWU

I encourage every parent to drop what they are doing, throw out the stress and worry, and engage in some good 'ole PLAY!