"At birth each child comes equipped with a golden tent of creative potential all folded up inside.  It is the task of the individual, throughout life, to unfold that tent -- and to the adults in each child's life to assist that process." Hildegard of Bingen

Tagging Free Throws

Today the Kidlet, age ten, shot 10 free throws and made 3 at
basketball practice. Her AAU team, made up of 12 fourth graders and 1
third grader, averages 50 percent as a team at practice. They have had
5 practices so far this year and have their first game this weekend.
She has gone from making zero to making 2 or 3 out of 10, with out
much outside of team time practice.

One child always makes 8 or 9 out of 10. My kid has decided that she
needs to put in time to up her personal average. She says that being
at 50 percent is realistic for someone her age. She asked me to help
her put her plan in to action. She has been clicker trained her entire
life. We use TagTeach for cello, sports, household manners, school
work, chores, etc. Asking to be TAGGED for something is an everyday
thing. This is the first time, however, that she has come up with her
own plan.

She read Free Throw: Seven Steps to Success at the Free Throw Line by
Dr. Tom Amberry and took notes.

She made a note card with his seven steps listed in her personal short
hand - which she  calls her TAG POINTS. She will carry the card with
her for the rest of the week and read it over out loud several times a
day in an attempt to memorize the steps in order. I don't think that
it will take her very long, but that is how she likes to memorize
poems and such. She TAGs herself and pulls a bead on her tagulator or
eats an M&M for each reading.

Then she plans to copy the steps in order, five times in a row. After
that she will write them from memory, five times in a row.

Then she will practice first the steps in the living room, with out
shooting the ball for 30 reps twice a day for a week, with me using
the Tag Points that she created. Once she has the technique down, she
will teach the steps to me, tagging me along the way.

In the mean time she'll start shooting 100 shots per day in sets of
ten with me rebounding for her, tagging her and tracking the makes and
misses, which I will chart for her.

Tomorrow she will watch a video of Dr. Tom teaching his technique.
(This is the only part of her plan that came from me.)

HER GOAL is to go out each day to shoot. I don't believe it is
realistic as we are both very busy. But we will see.

The purpose of life is to live it;
to taste experience to the utmost;
to reach out eagerly and without fear
for newer and richer experience.

– Eleanor Roosevelt

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires." -William Arthur Ward

Choose being kind over being right, and you will be right every time. -- Richard Carlson

"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only
plan, but also believe." -Anatole France

How to Trigger a Meltdown

Nagging
Pushing for desired response
Criticize everything the pupil does
Don't provide any suggestions for improvement.
Take away something that's important
Physically force compliance with requested action.
Don't give choices

Ask me how I know. Sigh.

Temporary rewards can bring permanent change.

By Gareth Cook


Choose a specific, positive behavior. “Have at least three bites of a vegetable every dinner for a week.’’ (Good.) “Don’t annoy me.’’ (Not good.)

Choose smart rewards. Work with your kid to choose the prize, investing them and ensuring it’s one they truly desire. A few selections from the LEGO catalog were all it took me to solve an Olympian parenting problem: thumb sucking. But a reward need not be large.

Stay positive. In our house, we call them “challenges.’’ It is not about “fixing’’ a negative. Don’t nag. Let it be their choice. Pile on the praise.

Small steps first. Faced with an overwhelming task, start with easy goals, and small rewards, and slowly build. So, you might start with “avoid thumb one day between breakfast and nap.’’ Consider a detailed progress chart.

Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. -- Voltaire

We have a collective responsibility to the least of us. - Phil Ramone