VIEWER GETS TO CREATE THE BLOG - that's right, you!

VIEWER'S CHOICE

I had a crazy idea, and then thought.... it's not crazy, it's perfect for an early January Blog.  For those who don't know me, I'm Enrique, and I'm an educator, public speaker, performing artist and composer, inventor of children's books, music and more.  The more consists of being a devoted father to two incredible kids, now 18 and 22, the cook in my household, and living life to the fullest with my partner, friend, life-long love, and wife, Marie.

So, it's early January of 2017 and here we go!  Today's blog is one where you get to create the direction we take and where you can interact with me directly.                                                    

Below are some images.  Each image is numbered.  Choose as many images as you like and ask me any question... be bold, passionate, curious and courageous (hint... the images and sequence of images are related)

                                                                                                                                                            

Know that while a large part of my educational activities focus on early childhood, I have worked with all ages of students.  I encourage you to visit the highlighted links above to get to know me a bit more.  That may give even more food for... questions.

Have fun!

Enrique

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WHAT WOULD THE WORLD LOOK LIKE IF...

WE LIVE IN A BIG WORLD, A BIGGER GALAXY, AND AN EVEN BIGGER UNIVERSE

Our world seems to be getting smaller as we grow and grow and grow.  A powerful microchip fits easily not in our palm, but on a small part of one of our fingers.

Welcome to those of you who are new to my blog and to PreKandKsharing.  My name is Enrique and I'm an educator, artist, dad and amateur chef.

Enrique in between rehearsals for the multi media Theatrical Show "Dancing in the Universe" premiered at the Eller Dance Theatre.

Most of blogs have MANY images and give you VERY SPECIFIC ideas on strategies you can use in your classroom and in your home to improve how children and adults learn.  All of them are related to artistic approaches of some kind.  Today's blog is simple, yet profound... this blog is for you, the adult learner.  Here is how you can experience it.

Look at each image below and each question that accompanies it.  Write down your feedback and keep it for yourself or better yet, respond on Twitter at #teacherfriends.  I keep that hashtag on my TwitterDeck and I promise I'll respond.  You can respond with a question, an answer, a comment, an image... you choose... HERE... WE... GO.

What would the world look like if every child/student was so engaged that they were eagerly anticipating what was about to happen?

My son, Nick, when he was 1 year old... our love is unconditional.

What would the world look like if every child/student was not just solving problems, but solving them creatively?

Jack Marchant (left), Nick, and Miles Marchant (right) and all three are creative problem solvers!

What would the world look like if every child/student was not just searching, but searching for deeper meaning?

Corey Ferrugia (left, Founder of MyTown & MyTown Music), Spencer & Ryan (songwriting students) and me of course!

What would your classroom look like if when you saw a child copying another child, you said "What great shared learning you are involved in!"

Miles Marchant (left), my daughter Sam (age 7), and Tigger, a.k.a., my son Nick (age 3)

What would your personal world look like if all your projects were connected to your priorities?

Dr. Carroll Rinehart (right) and our projects and priorities are definitely connected!

What would your personal world look like if all the people in your life were supportive of your priorities and projects?

The absolute love of my life and wife, Marie Sierra...she has always supported me :)

My son Nick (current, 16 yrs old) supports me and I support him... cue up Kumbaya

My daughter Sam (left, current age 20) and we support our artistry...ahhhh!

What would the world look like if we spent more time asking great questions?

Think about who you guide and influence.  It might be one child and/or one adult.  It might be thousands of them.  Think about what kinds of questions would be followed by silence (the sound of thinking) and what kinds of questions that might lead to?

Ok... so, if you're really hungry for some concrete ideas on things to do in the classroom go to my listing of all the blogs I've written with PreKandKsharing.  

Have a wonderful November and Happy Thanksgiving and remember to Live, Love, and Learn like a Child!

How to Raise a Problem Solver

Are you as worried as I am about the children of generation Z (born 1995 – 2012) and their ability to solve problems?  With the increase in the number of helicopter parents (parents who “swoop” in to make everything all better) and a generation of highly sensitive kids, how well are our children going to be able to identify and solve their own problems?

This isn’t actually a new problem but it seems to be getting worse.  Many years ago I taught college courses part time and it was back then that I noticed an increase in the number of parents coming to see me during my office hours, complaining about the grade I gave their young adult child.  Instructors today tell me it’s gotten even worse, with some parents even popping in to see the class for themselves.

Making the commitment to raising your children to become problem solvers first requires that you accept the fact that every problem can only have one owner.  That person must be held responsible for solving the problem but can certainly seek out and incorporate help from others around him or her to solve the problem.  If your teenager puts a dent in the family car, she owns that dent.  She may obviously need help in getting it fixed, but she still owns it.
To begin with, every time your child or teen comes to you with a problem, you must first determine yourself whether your child owns the problem or you own the problem.  If you own the problem, take immediate measures to solve it quickly.  If your child owns the problem, be ready to help him or her solve the problem.  The following incident is an example to learn by.

My son came running into the house one Saturday, holding his arm and complaining about a small abrasion from a fall he took out in the yard.  A quick examination of the boo-boo and a few questions left me feeling confident that there was no internal damage and there really wasn’t any blood that I could see.  Because I did not feel that there was anything I needed to do that my child couldn’t do for himself, it became his problem to fix.

I first acknowledged that the minor scrape was a problem for him by saying to him, “It looks like your arm might hurt.”  He nodded.  I then helped him begin problem solving by saying to him, “What do you think you could do to make that arm feel better?”  My coaching him to solve the problem felt uncomfortable to him so he said, “You’re my Dad, YOU do something.”  I replied with, “You’re right, I am your Dad and I’ve always done things in the past, but this time, I want to know what YOU think you can do to make that arm stop hurting.”  Instantly, my son said to me, “Can we wash it off and put a bandage on it?”  I replied with a smile, “What a great idea!  I could help by getting the box of bandages down from the cabinet for you.”

Within a matter of minutes and of course, with some “Ouches!” he washed the boo-boo and applied the bandage, and off he ran to continue his play outside.  Today that young man is in his early 20s and solving problems every day as a much sought after restaurant manager!  Let your children and teens solve their own problems with your guidance and coaching, while you’re nearby to help them do it.  What problems will YOU begin letting your child solve on his or her own today?