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Vinny Randall Davison
May 22, 2015, 5:47:48 PM5/22/15
to watch-vi...@googlegroups.com
Today, I am turning over the reigns to my mom...she thinks she has something to say and frankly, I'm busy playing and learning about gorillas, a recent fascination that started by watching Tarzan.
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I preface this by saying I think good teachers have an incredibly powerful influence on children--I chose to be educated as a teacher, my sister is a teacher, some of the most formative people in my life are teachers and coaches, and I respect how difficult teaching (especially in today's world) can be.
Over the course of the last few weeks, as we wind down the school year, I have been asked the same question on multiple occasions, "Is Vinny starting kindergarten next year?" My answer is pretty "canned" at this point, "No, he will be completing another year of preschool, at a different venue." Some, simply accept this, knowing he would be one of the youngest in his class with a July birthday, but some probe further. "Don't you think he's ready for kindergarten? Academically!? Socially!?" Could Vinny succeed academically in kindergarten next year? Yes, without a doubt. Does he know how to share and work with others? Yes, he does (although, he still likes to hold the hands of others and boss them around). His academic readiness has nothing to do with our decision to repeat preschool. Our decision is based; however, on the fact that I can do more with him at home than any teacher, at any school, could do with him in a typical classroom. Now, if I am that blunt in my reply, I get a silently shocked (read: silently judgmental) response. Public school kindergarten classes in Anthem, AZ have a 17-27:1 ratio. There may be paraprofessional aids, there may not be, depends on the budget that year and the school. Although I have no doubt there are some absolutely amazing teachers in the Deer Valley Unified School District, there is no way a teacher responsible for 27 students can create a child centered learning environment for each and every one.
Bob Doman, founder of the National Association for Child Development (NACD), describes child centered learning better than anyone I have ever read. I would encourage all educators, parents, or caregivers, to read this article. http://www.nacd.org/newsletter/1114_tornados_brain.php
Doman's analogy regarding child centered learning and tornadoes is spot on. For Vinny, horses have been his own mini tornado. It started with all animals, then more specifically farm animals, then he fell in love with horses. This can be seen in his imaginative play, the shows he chooses to watch, the books he wants to read, and weekly activities (riding lessons) that get him really excited. If a child centered learning environment is absent, children are simply learning dissociated bits of information that are meaningless in their world. Some bits may be retained, but most will not. In a one on one setting (well two on one, but Marlee wants to do the exact same things as Vinny right now), we can take the time to foster this tornado and touch on math, reading, and science along the way.
Vinny is now processing (the amount of information he can store in his working/short term memory) at a solid four, getting five pieces of information with more frequency in all realms (visual, auditory, and digit span). The reason for this is because the pictures we use for visual processing are of animals and the words we use for auditory processing are all related to horses. The concept of child centered learning was solidified for us a few weeks ago when Vinny sat down and read his first book, an eight page short story we made for him all about horses. We made the book after he could correctly read 50 sight words. This took awhile, until we started presenting words that mattered to him, like horse, bridle, stable, hay, etc. Once we related the sight words to his tornado he was learning five to ten a week. To be exact, the book was about Vinny riding horses, with pictures of his horse show, coach, and friends from Jordan Stables. It was read to him (input) 12 times, then he started outputting (reading by himself). Because the book was about his tornado, he cared, and he learned. A book about race cars would have not yielded the same result. The next book we are tackling is about our trip to the zoo, sticking with the animal theme. We are going to shoot for 10 input sessions, then ask for output. Pretty cool, right?
If you are wondering whether or not we will home school, the answer is likely no, we will not. We also believe that social/emotional intelligence is important. This is gained, in many cases, by being around and learning to work with, different types of people. So, we will look at small charter or private schools that we feel can help foster Vinny's love for learning new things (not kill it by presenting information for rote memorization, regurgitation, and standardized testing). Choosing an educational venue for our children is one of the largest, and most important, decisions we will make. However, understanding child centered learning and fostering this at home, as a parent, is equally important, in my opinion.
Now for the fun stuff!
Let's start with Easter weekend (man we are behind, sorry!)
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Posted By Vinny Randall Davison to Vinny Randall at 5/22/2015 02:47:00 PM
********************************************************************************
I preface this by saying I think good teachers have an incredibly powerful influence on children--I chose to be educated as a teacher, my sister is a teacher, some of the most formative people in my life are teachers and coaches, and I respect how difficult teaching (especially in today's world) can be.
Over the course of the last few weeks, as we wind down the school year, I have been asked the same question on multiple occasions, "Is Vinny starting kindergarten next year?" My answer is pretty "canned" at this point, "No, he will be completing another year of preschool, at a different venue." Some, simply accept this, knowing he would be one of the youngest in his class with a July birthday, but some probe further. "Don't you think he's ready for kindergarten? Academically!? Socially!?" Could Vinny succeed academically in kindergarten next year? Yes, without a doubt. Does he know how to share and work with others? Yes, he does (although, he still likes to hold the hands of others and boss them around). His academic readiness has nothing to do with our decision to repeat preschool. Our decision is based; however, on the fact that I can do more with him at home than any teacher, at any school, could do with him in a typical classroom. Now, if I am that blunt in my reply, I get a silently shocked (read: silently judgmental) response. Public school kindergarten classes in Anthem, AZ have a 17-27:1 ratio. There may be paraprofessional aids, there may not be, depends on the budget that year and the school. Although I have no doubt there are some absolutely amazing teachers in the Deer Valley Unified School District, there is no way a teacher responsible for 27 students can create a child centered learning environment for each and every one.
Bob Doman, founder of the National Association for Child Development (NACD), describes child centered learning better than anyone I have ever read. I would encourage all educators, parents, or caregivers, to read this article. http://www.nacd.org/newsletter/1114_tornados_brain.php
Doman's analogy regarding child centered learning and tornadoes is spot on. For Vinny, horses have been his own mini tornado. It started with all animals, then more specifically farm animals, then he fell in love with horses. This can be seen in his imaginative play, the shows he chooses to watch, the books he wants to read, and weekly activities (riding lessons) that get him really excited. If a child centered learning environment is absent, children are simply learning dissociated bits of information that are meaningless in their world. Some bits may be retained, but most will not. In a one on one setting (well two on one, but Marlee wants to do the exact same things as Vinny right now), we can take the time to foster this tornado and touch on math, reading, and science along the way.
Vinny is now processing (the amount of information he can store in his working/short term memory) at a solid four, getting five pieces of information with more frequency in all realms (visual, auditory, and digit span). The reason for this is because the pictures we use for visual processing are of animals and the words we use for auditory processing are all related to horses. The concept of child centered learning was solidified for us a few weeks ago when Vinny sat down and read his first book, an eight page short story we made for him all about horses. We made the book after he could correctly read 50 sight words. This took awhile, until we started presenting words that mattered to him, like horse, bridle, stable, hay, etc. Once we related the sight words to his tornado he was learning five to ten a week. To be exact, the book was about Vinny riding horses, with pictures of his horse show, coach, and friends from Jordan Stables. It was read to him (input) 12 times, then he started outputting (reading by himself). Because the book was about his tornado, he cared, and he learned. A book about race cars would have not yielded the same result. The next book we are tackling is about our trip to the zoo, sticking with the animal theme. We are going to shoot for 10 input sessions, then ask for output. Pretty cool, right?
If you are wondering whether or not we will home school, the answer is likely no, we will not. We also believe that social/emotional intelligence is important. This is gained, in many cases, by being around and learning to work with, different types of people. So, we will look at small charter or private schools that we feel can help foster Vinny's love for learning new things (not kill it by presenting information for rote memorization, regurgitation, and standardized testing). Choosing an educational venue for our children is one of the largest, and most important, decisions we will make. However, understanding child centered learning and fostering this at home, as a parent, is equally important, in my opinion.
Now for the fun stuff!
Let's start with Easter weekend (man we are behind, sorry!)
Dying eggs was not for the faint of heart at the Davison household!
Marlee was amazed...
Vinny was excited...
...and then Marlee tasted an egg :) Gross.
Coolest egg of the four dozen we colored...Marlee's hand print.
On to the egg hunt...Vinny: 52, Marlee: 8
Marlee's golden egg prize...one kiss and she went back to the chocolate.
Vinny's golden egg prize...who he named Dixie Easterland, and rode around all day after Willy made reigns out of a resistance band (see...tornado, he even made the duck into a horse).
Easter photo shoot!
My favorite outtake! Vinny was not happy about Marlee taking a "paci break."
Meeting the Easter Bunny
The weather in Arizona has been perfect, not too hot, not too cold. We are taking full advantage of being outside and enjoying all the cool things Phoenix has to offer. A trip to the zoo was a big hit with the kids.
As expected, Vinny was very happy to touch, pet, and feed all the animals.
Marlee was not as excited about the prospect.
Going on an aerial tour with his Dad, to see the zoo from a bird's eye view.
He does not like the way their tongues feel, but he could not get enough of this particular giraffe.
The big winner of the day, a peacock with full extension of its tail feathers.
We also got out the big bouncy water slide for an afternoon's worth of entertainment! In case you were wondering, Marlee is now 18 months and is registering in the 99% for height and 98% for weight (as evidenced by these adorably chunky thighs).
Even more fun with the goggles!
The weather in Arizona has been perfect, not too hot, not too cold. We are taking full advantage of being outside and enjoying all the cool things Phoenix has to offer. A trip to the zoo was a big hit with the kids.
We'll update again soon, Vinny is on the last of his yearly visits with specialists. So far we've gotten not so great news from the ophthalmologist (eyes), decent news from the orthopedic specialist (right leg and arm function), and are hoping for excellent news from the nephrologist (kidneys). Have a terrific Memorial Day weekend :)
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Posted By Vinny Randall Davison to Vinny Randall at 5/22/2015 02:47:00 PM
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