President's Message: Don't Throw the Baby Out with the Bath Water

by Dr. Blanche Podhajski

It’s happened to me twice now.  Both in September and November, as my husband and I are flying home from visiting family, he takes his nose out of the newspaper and says to me:  “you’ve got to read this.”  I love when he does this because the two articles he shared really gave me food for thought. Both articles were from the Wall Street Journal weekend edition.

In September, “Opting Out of the ‘Rug Rat Race’” was Paul Tough’s adaptation of his new book How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character.  Tough contends that parents are overly concerned about their preschool children’s intellectual skill set, what he calls the “cognitive hypothesis.” Rather, Tough says what matters most in young children’s development is a totally different set of qualities such as persistence, self-control, curiosity, conscientiousness, grit and self-confidence. Tough cites a study conducted with GED recipients who, while demonstrating the same knowledge and skills as high school graduates, did not have the same positive outcomes in life because they lacked the essential ‘non-cognitive” skills.  I surely agree with Tough that motivation and perseverance are essential, as are the qualities that contribute to character.  I happily bought the book.

On my November trip, the article that caught our eyes was “Using Just 10% of Your Brain?  Think Again.” Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons, two psychology professors, dispel popular “neuromyths” and express concern about confusions they cause in classrooms.  The first addresses the title of the article – the “10% myth” since we use our entire brain.  No brainer there.  Another was that individuals learn better when they receive information through their preferred learning style, be it auditory, visual or kinesthetic.  Now, this myth really struck home because it has been false for so long and yet persists.  There is a huge difference between learning “styles” and learning abilities. Identifying “auditory” and “visual” learners is as research based as using Ouija boards.  The authors recognize that good teachers sense when students are struggling and have individual needs – I would include all children in this category, though, and not just those with disabilities.  And teachers need good professional learning opportunities to identify student strengths and needs based on evaluative data.  But the myth that really deserves conversation is the one that suggests that environments rich in stimuli improve the brains of preschool children.  All parents want to enrich their children but the numbers of commercial products being sold to promote little Einsteins is appalling.

What I really took away from both of these provocative news accounts was reminiscent of the old adage to not throw the baby out with the bath water.  Sure, grit is important and we all need to be flexible and resilient.  And, environments can be rich without parents needing to be rich enough to buy things.  The research is unequivocal about how we can prepare preschool children for school success.  We need to read WITH children, build vocabulary, share an awareness of sounds through rhyming and syllable awareness, and show how letters link to sounds.  These can all be done enjoyably and cheaply.  It’s no myth that we can prepare children to enjoy reading.

Dr. Blanche Podhajski, president and founder of the Stern Center, has over 30 years experience working with individuals with learning differences. She teaches and consults with educators throughout the country and is a frequent presenter at regional and national conferences.