Expect More: Children Can Do Remarkable Things

Book excerpt: This book encourages teachers, parents, grandparents, and volunteers who work with children to expect more. It focuses on the skills children will need to compete in a highly competitive global economy. From systems thinking, to interpreting complex visual images, to integrative thinking our children need a whole new skill set. For too long science and social studies have been moved to the back burner. Ironically these subjects hold great interest and opportunity to investigate concepts in depth. We need to bring them to center stage. Throughout the book the author provides many concrete examples of ways for teachers and parents to engage children in meaningful conversation and problem solving. Somewhere along the way we seem to have stopped challenging children and started enabling them instead. Perhaps this is through no fault of our own? As teachers and parents we genuinely care about children. We feel for them when they are sick, when they are bullied or when they are struggling. Quite simply it is our nature to protect. With the best of intentions we tend to try and eliminate the struggle. But the struggle is essential to growth and a personal sense of accomplishment. As children work their way through challenges they build the confidence and habits of mind needed to embrace the next challenge that comes along. This book is an invitation to adults to expect more of themselves and of the children they care about. The invitation is yours to accept!