The 8 habits below are the same habits I executed in my home with my 3 children. My oldest son is currently in a PhD program for Electrical Engineering / Nanotechnology. My daughter, a Spelman College graduate has been accepted to every medical school she has applied to and is pursuing medicine. My youngest son is a special needs student who will require parental care all of his life. I have added a bonus on caring for special needs children. I don’t share the information about my children to brag but to tell every parent ALL OF OUR CHILDREN ARE MASTERPIECES waiting to be developed. As my running narrative has maintained, what we do with our children daily for 18 years or 6,570 days as I constantly talk about determines their success. Our children are our canvas you as parents are the artist. Below are 8 steps to painting your masterpiece.
A world class education does not come from overpriced private schools, vouchers, designer clothes or gated communities. It comes from homes were love is defined as sacrifice, discipline, high expectations and frequent inspections. It demands an investment of daily regimen, constant nurturing and giving more of a commitment to our children than playstations, X boxes and our jobs. Below are the 8 Habits of Excellent African American Students and attached to each habit is a comprehensive resource guide for each topic.
Although this guide is user friendly to all children I have dedicated this to African American children due to the epidemic statistics they suffer nationally in our school systems.
8 HABITS OF EXCELLENT AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS
1. NO TV AT ALL between Monday and Thursday, none. A child / teen gets home between 3:00pm and 5:00pm. A snack and dinner will require 1 hour. Give them 1 hour of down time but structure this time with choices of play. This free time could consist of activities such as checkers, reading, puzzles, writing, drawing, chess, board games, etc. I personally do not like video games but if you must a 30 minute limit should be in place. Two hours of uninterrupted focus should be for study and homework. Once homework is finished study begins. African Americans watch more television than any other group, just over 4 hours and 40 minutes per day. IMAGINE IF OUR CHILDREN STUDIED 4 HOURS A DAY.
TV facts
2. THE STUDY OR HOMEWORK ROOM should consist of no other sounds than jazz, cultural, classical music or silence. Give your child the choice. Listening to Jazz allows African American children to master their own musical heritage and focus on their work, not the music they would choose to listen to. Try to include a world map, globe, paper, writing utensils, glue, crayons, flashcards, calculators, etc., to make this room the official study room. The homework room can be any room in the house but dedicate it to your child’s education. Money is not a barrier as dollar stores have all of these items and lets be realistic how much money do we waste in athletic shoes, video games and designer clothes.
Study Skills Links & Resources
Fact Monster - A fun site with study tips, games, and more; Study Guides & Strategies - Tons of useful information; Academic Skills Center - Another site ...
3. DON'T RELY ON THE SCHOOL to provide all the education for your children. It is not the schools responsibility to love your child it is yours and love means priorities, discipline, goals, rules, manners, boundaries, respect. It is not you teachers job to raise your child, it is their job to teach them, if you have not given your child the basics, they are not teachable. When your children tell you they have no homework give them homework yourself; discuss a topic you and they share interest in and have them write a paper about it, then discuss it together. Use the Internet to locate learning activities that are both fun and educational. Ask the teacher to provide more homework in the future especially in areas that your child struggles in. SAT test can be taken over the Internet for free to increase your child's score and assist with college scholarship opportunities. Make sure you have your teachers email and be proactive, if you are only in contact with your teacher when their is a problem then that is a problem.
Super Teacher Worksheets - Free Printable Math Worksheets, Grammar ...
Free math worksheets, printable grammar sheets, multiplication facts practice, ... This page also includes reading comprehension activities. ...
4. FIND YOUR CHILD'S NATURAL APTITUDE because every child has a gift. Below is a general guide to various forms of intelligence. Give your children the chance to develop and cultivate these skills. When a child finds their gift's and you as a parent cultivates that gift it creates natural immunities because a high self esteem for your children protects them against peer pressure, premature sex, gangs, drugs and poor academic performance.
Multiple Intelligences
This page provides general background information about the theory of multiple intelligences, practical strategies for using the theory in learning and ...www.thomasarmstrong.com/multiple_intelligences.htm - Cached - Similar -natural
Linguistic intelligence ("word smart"):
Logical-mathematical intelligence ("number/reasoning smart")
Spatial intelligence ("picture smart")
Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence ("body smart")
Musical intelligence ("music smart")
Interpersonal intelligence ("people smart")
Intrapersonal intelligence ("self smart")
Naturalist intelligence ("nature smart")
5. SEND YOUR CHILDREN TO BED as early as 8:00am - 8:30pm for elementary students, 9:00pm - 9:30pm for middle students and 9:30pm - 10:30pm for high school students. My son and daughter missed 5 days total between them from the 1st through the 12th grade not because they are any healthier than any other children but because they simply got enough rest. This is critical for optimal mental and physical development. Lack of sleep is detrimental to learning and interferes with concentration and memory (which is why so many AA children are prescribed Ritalin.) Lack of sleep also weakens the immune system, can lead to higher occurrences of health problems and cause accidents.
The relationship of sleep on academic performance in adolescents
Jun 10, 2009 ... According to a research abstract that will be presented on Wednesday, June 10, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated ...www.news-medical
6. SET GOALS AND EXPECTATIONS for your children that include weekly incentives and rewards. Do not wait on report cards to reward or discipline your child. With email there is no excuse in not communicating with your child's teacher. Provide weekly incentives for them. The rewards can include weekend use of Internet, video games, bowling, skating, allowances, etc. Have all of your child's teachers phone numbers and email addresses posted in a visible area in your home so that you can contact them biweekly.
goal setting for kids
We have produced a range of goal-setting sheets to appeal to all age-groups and hope you will find one to appeal to your children. Goal setting cards ...www.activityvillage.co.uk/goal_setting_for_kids.htm - Cached
7. A PEACEFUL HOME is mandatory for providing children a safe, secure and structured environment that allows your child to focus on his higher needs. Homes that have loud conflicts, domestic abuse, alcohol and drug use and a constant group of negative people in and out of the home reduces the ability of the child to succeed on any level. My youngest child is a special needs child* and operates at his best (like most children) when he feels safe, secure and valued. All positive behavior should be praised internalizing peace which creates the immunity of high self-esteem within your child.
Creating a Peaceful Home
A fresh look at this classic from which many self-help books were taken. ... What are some steps we can take to ensure that our home is as peaceful as possible? ... Establish rules and consequences for
8. A SPIRITUAL FOUNDATION must be established as early as possible for the above variables to work. Children and adults who have a spiritual void most often fill that void with materialistic addictions, negative peer assembly, premature sex and apathetic scholastic descent. I have two young adults who are currently finishing their college careers at two of the finest colleges in the country. I make this point with them; educational pedigree's, six figure salaries, vocational titles and luxury automobiles can't heal broken hearts, loss of loved ones, loneliness and illness. Unless you recognize an acknowledge that you have a creator and that it is you mission to honor him by daily deed, your world anointed certifications will be blown away leaving you naked when storms come. This is what I offer them, this is what I offer you.
Religion and Academic Achievement Among Adolescents
... demonstrates
9. BONUS HABIT, OUR SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN. As I mentioned, my youngest son is special needs, he operates between 3 and 5 years of age in intelligence and will always need an adult with him. To fathers of these children especially if they are boys I say this, if you abandon them they will not make it and it will severely impact them. If I am not working my special needs son is with me all the time and he is the greatest joy of my life. In brief, these children should be exposed to everything, malls, swimming, skating, music, family, bowling, movies, computers. Your special needs child has a talent it is your job to find it.
The Ultimate Guide to Special Needs Teaching: 100+ Resources and ...
Jun 25, 2008 ... Teaching Strategies and Pastoral Care: This detailed guide goes over ... Toys for Special Needs Children: Use
The writer, Ray Davis is founder of Fatherhood6570 and can be reached at this blog or by contacting Raydavisgroup@aol.com.
