The Genius in Children

38 essays on parenting and education. What educators know that parents can use to help them with the challenges and joys of raising children.

Parents have thousands of questions. How can we learn from them? What should we do when Isaac won’t get up in the morning? When Mattie keeps getting into trouble? What about dyslexia and the dreaded ADHD? How do we help Ellen stand up to peer pressure? What if our children are harassed? What if their report cards or their test scores are disappointing? What if the homework looks too easy? Too hard? What if they fail? What do you do when your child comes home and says, “Nobody will play with me!” or “The science teacher doesn’t know how to teach!”? What do you do if you hear from another parent that your child is being picked on by the teacher—and your child has said nothing about it? What if your son starts getting interested in boys—and vice versa? What do you do when your son starts using language or behavior you know he never learned at home? When your children try to play you and your partner off against each other? How do you get Marilyn to clean up her room or to do her homework? How do you get Wayne to obey you? Thousands. But very few such questions have generic answers that are any good, because people are different and each relationship is unique. Hence, this is a book of moments in the lives of children, their parents, and their teachers. These are stories of unique characters in action. They do, however, illuminate some of the principles of education and some of the disciplines we need to be good stewards of our children’s genius.

Rick Ackerly is a nationally recognized educator and speaker with 44 years of experience working in and for schools. With a master’s in education from Harvard University, Rick has served as principal of four schools and has been a coach to teachers, school leaders and parents and a consultant since 1999. Rick began his career in 1967 teaching high school and middle school mathematics and history, and has devoted the last 36 years to building thriving learning communities. Rick speaks to parent and school groups across the country. He also presents at numerous education conferences around the country including the People of Color Conference, the California Association of Independent Schools, the Coalition of Essential Schools, the Symposium on Students with Learning Disabilities, Progressive Education Network, the National Association of Episcopal Schools, and the Pacific Rim Conference. He has been an active participant in the annual “Call to Action” conference sponsored by the National Association of Independent Schools’ Office on Diversity and Multicultural Education. His articles about education and diversity have appeared in The Independent School, Multicultural Education, Education Week, the New York Times. Rick publishes a new essay every week right here on www.rickackerly.com.