SFC Blog: Families Matter: Exploring Your Child's Feelings with School and Mu...:
There are many discussions that focus on academics, test scores and student performance but there is another critical component that needs to be in place for a child to have a productive school year and it starts with one simple question. Is your child happy? Psychologists who work with school-age children talk about how important it is to speak with children about how they feel about their roles as students in schools and it is just as important to acknowledge positive attitudes as it is to intervene when there are negative feelings. Buried among statistics and test scores is one of the most nourishing tools in a parent’s ability to help a child with school performance; exploring a child’s feelings about school and the world around him or her.
Martha Graham, a famous dancer and choreographer in the early 20th century, wrote in a letter to one of her students: "There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique, and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium; and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, not how it compares with other expression. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open." Graham's words ring true. There is only one of you in the world: The way you think, the way you see things, the way you respond, the way you nurture yourself and other people, the way you go about doing mundane things. The way you love, the way you express, the way you tell a story, the way you write. The world will know of and witness only one you . The totality of you -- talents, nuances, thought proc...