Doc Meek

Posts Tagged ‘brain coach’

Friday, October 19, 2012, at Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA

“Today I am grateful for the Moms who asked me to share again some secrets about kids learning to run their own brains, to engage active learning skills. I first published these secrets in a series of 7 articles back in 2010 and I am re-posting them here now.” – Doc Meek

“Today I am grateful for mothers and grandmothers!” – Doc Meek

Cheerful Grandmother with cheerful child 

Image from: http://www.sunriseseniorliving.com/blog/September-2012/Stereotype-Of-Cheerful-Grandmother-Has-Basis-In-Science.aspx

This is the seventh (7th) article in a series of seven (7) articles designed to help us run our own brain, and to help our children and students do the same, more easily and have more fun doing it. If you missed the Introduction or any of the previous six (6) articles, just click on the titles below:

(Intro) Learning to run our brain: 10 minutes daily

(1) Learning to run our own brain: Fear of failure

(2) Learning to run our brain: Vital need for HOPE . . . always

(3) Learning to run our brain: What are qualifications for the daily “brain coach?”

(4a) Learning to run our brain: Simple easy examples of how to proceed

(4b) Learning to run our brain: Remembering names

(5) Learning to run our brain: The eyes don’t see–the brain sees

(6) Learning to run our brain: Tasks of the “back 90″

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Separate the Mother role from the Teacher role

When I worked with families in helping children to overcome learning difficulties, often there would be a battle going on at home which one mother described as “the homework wars.”

I would ask what was being taught. The mother would give me the school subjects being “taught.” I would then say:

Those subjects are not actually what is being taught. What is being taught is to hate learning and maybe even to hate your role in that. Is that what you want?

An emphatic “No” from the mother.

Then maybe we should take a larger perspective here.

School is not life.

Life is life.

And school–though important–is only part of life.

As Dr. Levine often says, “These kids are in general OK. We just need to get them safely into adulthood.” 

When school was taking the child’s whole day–all of it unpleasant or painful–I felt that a better balance should come into play.

The child would go to school all day and then do homework all evening until bedtime. Not good.

No more homework until further notice!

I would ask the mothers to stop trying to be the school teacher, since the child had had enough of school teachers at school, without finding one at home every day until bedtime.

I asked the mothers to do what mothers generally do singularly well: just love them! Learn to have fun with them. So at least a part of the child’s day is pleasant and enjoyable and, in particular, human and humane. 

Sometimes I would write an official letter to the school, requesting: “No more homework until further notice.”

Then the mother and the child could get on with life, while I and an external-to-the-home “brain coach” could help the child overcome his or her learning difficulties.

Grandmothers are great too

Sometimes the mothers were too busy to simply enjoy recreational time with the child and so we would bring grandma into play. If the child had no grandma near, we would borrow one from the neighborhood or even from a nearby “old folks home.”

The Grandmas loved it!

Here’s to Moms and Grandmas!

Doc Meek, Thurs, Oct 19,  2012, at Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA

–

“What if you are smarter than you think?”

https://docmeek.com

THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC.

CANADA: Dr. Meek (587) 400-4707, Edmonton, AB

TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 81, Nuku’alofa

USA: Dr. Meek (801) 738-3763, South Jordan, Utah

For optimum brain health, ensure your heart health:

Photo from: http://www.workshopway.org/workshop-way.htm

Monday, June 28, 2010: This is the third (3rd) article in a series of seven (7) articles designed to help you or your child or your student run their own brain, and have fun doing it. If you missed the Introduction or the first two articles, just click on the title below:

(Intro) Learning to run our brain: 10 minutes daily

(1) Learning to run our own brain: Fear of failure

(2) Learning to run our brain: Vital need for HOPE . . . always

What are the qualifications for the daily “brain coach?”

If you are going to be effective, you need to have a “brain coach” who will work with your child or your student (or yourself, if you are the one having fun learning how to run your very own brain). 😮

There are only 2 qualification for the “brain coach,” both crucial (not just “nice to have”):

(1) Essential: That the “brain coach” likes your child/student (or you, If you are being coached)

(2) Essential: That your child/student (or you) likes the “brain coach”

Formal credentials, training, degrees, age, gender, etc., are not relevant for purposes of being a “brain coach.” Of course it goes without saying that the “brain coach” should be responsible and trustworthy. And the logistics of being available every day are important. No one is going to drive 20 miles every day for 10  minutes of coaching. It is usually necessary to have someone close at hand.

Who can I get to help for 10 minutes each day?

A no-cost, or low-cost person is best. A neighbor? Someone from your church or club who lives nearby? An older student who is in the same school (or a school on the same block),  as the student being coached? Use your imagination. 😮

Retired people are excellent, if they have patience. Sometimes babysitters work out, if they have a good relationship with the younger one being coached, and the younger one likes them.

NRA (No Relatives Allowed) is the general rule, especially near-relatives

“Why can’t I be the brain coach? I’m here all the time,” say the mothers.

True. You are there all the time. Very handy.

“You care too much,” I tell the mothers.

Here’s the problem. Here’s why the NRA (No Relatives Allowed) rule is important for the child or student.  The relative’s “very loving and overly-concerned feelings” usually run too high, and can get seriously in the way of learning.

Usually the relative “cares too much” about the child’s or student’s responses. In sessions where the child or student is not “getting” SSS (Something So Simple) for the brain coach, the brain coach (the overly-concerned relative, remember) will often end up saying SALT (Something About Like This):

“Now, Harold, this is the tenth [or fiftieth] time we have gone over this; let’s do it again, and see if you can get it right this time, OK?” This is often said through gritted teeth hidden behind a “Hollywood” smile. Regardless of how it is said, the dire implications are crystal clear.

The translation [for the child or student] is: “I must be dumb.”

Kids have good “radar.”

A long-range radar antenna; photo from Wikepedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radar ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Brain coach broadcasting “tight tummy”=”beaten brain” for the child

The mother can easily teach the neighbor’s child. How about switching places with the mother next door for coaching/learning purposes?

What a relief! 😮

Bright brains can still need much time to “get it”

Even the brightest of  brains can take extended time to “get” some concepts. Einstein was called a “dolt” in school.

Why does it take so long to “get” some things? We do not know.

What we do know, is that every one of us has areas that we don’t “get” . . . yet . . . even far into adulthood. “Smarts” and “wisdom” don’t come easily in some areas of our lives, regardless of how intelligent and wise we are in other areas, eh?

The “brain coach” position requires high trust and easy learning strategies:

– “Chunk it down” (break everything–everything–down into small easy-to-learn segments)

– Make all the steps easier than necessary (this is easy to say, and may not be easy to do; this challenges the “brain coach.” eh?)

– Make it humorous, foolish or ridiculous if you have to, to solve the “easiness” criteria; in fact this is a good idea anytime, since the brain loves “oddball” and “far out”  as some of its best learning tools)

– Smile 😮

– Smile:o

– Smile 😮

It’s not a contest to see how much you can change the child/student (you can’t change anybody anyway, in case you haven’t noticed  . . . yet). 😮

It’s just a simple sharing of brain strategies that are fun and easy to learn. Doc Meek can teach the “brain coach” in person, over the phone, by email, or by website blogging.

Simple example of how the brain learns best . . . easy . . . hopeful

Let’s say you are teaching a child/student how to use their brain to remember the spelling of a word. In this simple example, you would teach them how to spell such words as these:

Easy, rapid, quick, bright, smart, fast, hope, intelligent, and so on. 😮

You do NOT teach words such as:

Stupid, dumb, slow, etc. (If they never learn to spell these words properly, so much the better!).

To running our own brains better! 😮

Doc Meek, Mon, June 28, 2010, Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA

—

“What if you are smarter than you think?”

https://docmeek.com

THE LEARNING CLINIC WORLDWIDE, INC. 

CANADA: Dr. Meek (587) 400-4707, Edmonton, AB

TONGA: Mele Taumoepeau, P.O. Box 81, Nuku’alofa

USA: Dr. Meek (801) 738-3763, South Jordan, Utah

For optimum brain health, get optimum heart health: