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Lessons in Love and Loss From My Dog

October 16, 2011

Julie A. Riess, Ph.D., is the Senior Advisor on Child Development and Education at Families and Work Institute. She is a developmental psychologist and the director of the Wimpfheimer Nursery School at Vassar College.

This article was originally published in the Poughkeepsie Journal by Gannett Publications on October 16, 2011.

His name was Sammy. Sammy Sosa Riess. It isn't quite clear why, since he never hit a baseball in his life. I suppose it was because he was born near Chicago, in a year when Sammy Sosa was inspiring baseball fans everywhere. Sammy brought hope, laughter and renewed energy when he took up residence in a lukewarm Cubs fan household. Puppies are like that.

Building Babies Brains: A “Back to the Future” Tale

October 02, 2011

Julie A. Riess, Ph.D., the Senior Advisor on Child Development and Education at Families and Work Institute. She is a developmental psychologist and the director of the Wimpfheimer Nursery School at Vassar College.

This article was originally published in the Poughkeepsie Journal by Gannett Publications on October 2, 2011.

Have you ever held a newborn in your arms and thought, "What a nice blob?" Have you bounced a 4-month-old on your knee and thought, "Geez, being a baby must be so boring!" Maybe you've rolled a ball back and forth to a 9-month-old and thought, "I bet my dog is smarter than this baby at playing ball!" Perhaps you've heard a 1-year-old speak their first word and thought, "It took you long enough!"

In our modern society, the incredible abilities of babies are sometimes considered commonplace, or even yesterday's news.

Creating Literacy Skills Through Shared Meaning

September 27, 2011

Julie A. Riess, PhD, is the Senior Advisor on Child Development and Education at Families and Work Institute.

Portions of this article were originally published in the Poughkeepsie Journal through Gannett Publications on 7/24/11 and 8/7/11.

Did you know that from the first moment you speak your baby’s name or sing a lullaby you are developing your baby’s early literacy skills?

We tend to think of literacy as “reading and writing” but more broadly literacy refers to the creation of shared meaning and shared communication. The dance of communication between infant and parent is essential to building a world of shared meaning for the child.

Fast-Tracking to Kindergarten? How About a Good Track to Learning in Kindergarten and Beyond?

May 23, 2011

An article in the New York Times by Kate Zernike presents two divergent views of early education. One taken at Kumon preschool enrichment programs is of a child, just out of diapers, sitting at a table writing the numbers 42, 43, 12, and 13; of a three-year old learning to read; and of a six year old able to recite the past, present and future tense of the word "practice." It is a world of work sheets, of drill and practice, all motivated by external rewards, like extra stickers.

The other is a world of young children playing with mixing bowls on kitchen floors, in sandboxes and balancing blocks, calculating how tall to make a block building.

In the middle of these two worlds are the parents. In the article, parents describe themselves as uncertain about how to provide the best education for their young children, but quite certain about not wanting them to "be behind the curve" when starting kindergarten, of wanting their children to be able to compete. They are quite certain that education is the key to a successful life. These parents are ready to give up other things, even during a recession, to ensure their children have a good early education. One parent quoted in the article said, "I'm scared for the future of our country. These children are going to be central to our social security, to our political decisions."

These are the two divergent views of education that have been pitted against each other for decades -- either of pouring knowledge into children to build bigger and better brains or of putting them out in the sunshine and giving them opportunities to explore and play.

The Right Kind of Praise Can Make a Difference

May 16, 2011

Every semester, I post a sign on my office door for one week: "It's that time of year. Please do not disturb unless urgent." It is the marker to others, and to myself, that the end of the semester is near. While students stay awake studying and writing, professors are up reading and grading. In academia, it is the storm before the calm.

When I was a student, the call of spring seemed tantalizing, but tolerable; I could take in small bits and still be productive.

Three decades later, neither my body nor my mind can work efficiently in an unstructured environment. By the time I set up a cushioned chair to support my back, don a baseball hat and sunglasses to allow me to see my laptop screen without glare, put on SPF 80 sunscreen and take Advil for a possible "sun headache" … the great outdoors somehow loses its appeal.

Instead, I sit on a comfortable, supported chair in a quiet, air conditioned library and gaze out the window at a world in full bloom. My mind wanders to being outside, but for graduation, not grading. I imagine the graduates sitting before me, surrounded on the hillside by proud parents, family and friends. I wonder about each of their paths to arrive at this day, and their journeys yet unknown. I think about my own.

At Vassar, graduation tends to be an oddly appropriate event. Usually, praise and acclimations bestowed upon the graduates are related to effort and hard work, perseverance and resiliency. Authentic accomplishments are recognized, not only in the graduates but in the commencement speaker's own life work.

The roads, rivers and superhighways beyond the college's main gate are not portrayed like a rainbow path on a Candyland game board. No one hands out a road map. Diplomas are not stamped with "certificate of guaranteed success."

And not once have I heard the words, "You did it! You're so smart!"

So what's this got to do with a column on parenting in the early years? Everything.