Listen to this
Listening is a skill.
That was one of my favorite teacher-isms to use with my seventh-grade students. I would throw it out there whenever I was asked to explain a direction for the 17th time or questioned by the 10th student – in a matter of 10 minutes – about how many paragraphs they needed for their essay. But my favorite time to say it loud and clear was when it was one student’s turn to speak and another decided to carry on his own conversation or interrupt the student who had the floor.
But struggling with listening isn’t just a problem in the classroom. Listening is hard to do at home, too. And I’m not talking about the kids here. According to Julie Scandora, author of “Rules Are Rules,” parents need to listen to their kids with respectful ears, not condescending ones.
She says, “Children don’t seem to get as much respect as other members of society. They experience the same emotional obstacles as adults, but this is often overlooked by grown-ups. Parents need to treat children with respect and ensure a trusting relationship.”
Among Scandora’s tips to help parents open the communication lines and build that trust: Simply, listen. Short and sweet, sure, but not as simple as it sounds. That’s why I always followed up my terrific teacher-ism with an even better refrain: Listening is a skill…on which you can improve.
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