Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Kids Who Outwit Adults...


"Kids Who Outwit Adults", by John Seita and Larry Brendtro, is a must-read for any educator, parent, social worker, therapist, or anyone else who encounters a troubled, hurting child. There is so much that this book provokes in thought and emotion regarding our collective responsibility to take very good care of our kids. If you're interested in positive youth development, you should definitely read this book.

Dr. Seita is a remarkable individual. As a young child, he was apprehended by the State Social Services Department as a result of his mother's lack of ability to care for even his basic needs. Dozens of foster homes and youth care facilities later, 17-year-old John met a new social worker, Larry Brendtro, and many years after that Dr. John Seita co-wrote "Kids Who Outwit Adults" with the same guy, also now addressed as Dr. Larry Brendtro. I have not met another person who can speak so eloquently and genuinely from both ends of the childcare spectrum.

Including a foreword by actor, Matt Damon, the book was inspired by the movie written by he and fellow actor Ben Affleck, "Good Will Hunting." The book references scenes from the movie to begin each chapter as a mirror reflecting the ideas within the chapters. The book also includes numerous anecdotal references to cases Dr. Seita has dealt with as a professional child advocate, and also from his own personal experiences as a youth in care. Underlying the content of the book is the notion that "private logic" is at the heart of every perception people have and perhaps, especially kids. Dr. Seita states,
It is not so much what happens to people that influences their behavior but the meaning they make of their life experiences. Adler also suggests that children construct their private logic and coping strategies as they make sense out of the following issues:
I am...
Other people are...
The world is...
Therefore...
I am of the belief that every child has a story. How kids (people) finish Alfred Adler's prompting statements above are major indicators of how their story affects their perspective. At the heart of a child's story are the experiences and challenges that form the person educators see in front of them every day at school. We make many assumptions about students based on what we see; the lens we look through will influence (I would argue more than any other element of our interaction with kids in school) our practice, our attitude, and our reaction to every child we encounter as educators. We must not take this issue lightly.

Our perceptions of students are more powerful than most have given the time to consider. Physical appearances, mannerisms, language, attitude, and behavior; are all contextual elements of every child, but to those most disadvantaged emotionally, physically, psychologically, and financially, the variables affecting their context are multiplied exponentially... they simply have bigger fish to fry when compared to the typical challenges we present to them as part of a regular school day. Their hearts and minds are not tuned in to school.

Consider the young student who hasn't eaten for days and is used to not eating nutritious food on a regular basis. Consider the child who has never known a loving relationship with a trusted adult in their entire life. Consider the child who has been routinely abused in any number of ways since birth... to these kids from a contextual perspective, we are the strange ones. They don't "live" in our world, they live in theirs, and it's all they've ever known. We need to be vigilant to recognize these kids, and we need to understand that it is grossly unfair to judge them by a standard that doesn't recognize the unique nature of their background... their story.

If we make it our business as teachers to learn kid's stories, our efforts will prove invaluable as far as understanding why for some kids, the math test is not the most important thing on their mind on any given day... then we can begin to put first things first; helping kids deal with their issues on the way to establishing human connections that will improve our ability to teach and their ability to learn.

Learn kids' stories.

6 comments:

  1. I can't wait to pick up this book! I am a masters of social work student, graduating this spring, and I think it's books and stories like these that can replenish our soul and often reminds us to slow down and really get to know a child. It's often through those connections with a trusted adult that a child succeeds. Thanks for sharing!

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  2. I did my Master's Degree in leadership and counseling and was reconnected to a body of writing that I had lost since undergrad school a bit. Please check out Reclaiming Youth International, (http://www.reclaiming.com) and check out the library on their website... you won't be disappointed.
    I have had the pleasure of working with quite a few of the authors int the Recliaming.com library in workshops and PD sessions- well woth it!
    p.s.I am a huge fan of Dr. Martin Brokenleg... check out "Reclaiming Lost Youth- Our Hope for the Future"

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  3. I happened to stumble accross your comments. Thank you for your thoughts; you made my day. Good luck in your work going forward.

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  4. Wow! Thanks for reading and commenting John. It was a highlight of my career to meet you at a conference in Edmonton some years back, and we were thrilled to host you here in Red Deer 3 years ago at our Alternative School Programs retreat.

    I have yet to encounter a person who after reading "Kids Who Outwit Adults" on my recommendation didn't describe it as career (perhaps life...) changing.

    My sincerest gratitude,
    Sean

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  5. Morning Sean---stumbled once again to your thoughts. Million thanks, you made my day again.

    God Bless,

    John

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you John.
    I'm wondering if you would be interested in contributing a guest post here at my blog. I haven't explored this element yet, but I couldn't think of a better person to offer words of wisdom... your topic, whatever you'd like to write.
    Cheers, and hope you're having a great week.
    Regards,
    Sean

    ReplyDelete

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