Summer learning loss.

It's the new buzz term for kids’ brain hibernation over the summer vacation. It happens a little bit to all students, but most significantly to those who have few opportunities to exercise their minds.

Can One Passing Comment To a Child Really Make a Difference?

In previous blogs I wrote about our community’s role in education for our youth, opportunities to be involved with young people in a positive way, and listening to the opinions of young people.  During the summer months as kids are interacting with lots of different adults, let’s consider the power of adult influences on a young person’s life.

Summer Learning Loss: Four ways kids approach summer vacation

It’s always interesting to me when an old topic takes on new urgency – as though it were a new phenomenon.  “Summer Learning Loss” is one of those.

One of the questions posed to stakeholders in the Asheville City Schools strategic planning process is: How well does ACS prepare students with the skills they need to be successful in employment or at college?

I’d venture to say there are the old, current and evolving roles.

The Asheville City School system is designing a new strategic plan.  I had the recent honor of being interviewed as a stakeholder in the schools.  The questions were well thought out and it gave me a chance to reflect on my children’s experiences in their very different journeys from kindergarten through graduation, and my own experience as a parent, nonprofit administrator and a four-year term member of the school board.  I plan to write several blogs about the questions and my thoughts about them not just for Asheville City Schools, but all public education systems.

Whenever I go to a conference that costs me or my employer money, I expect to bring back at least three things. 

• I want to get at least one new idea I can put to use quickly. 
• I want to make at least one connection with another person who is doing interesting things in their work and who I can follow up with later.
• And I want to be inspired.  I look for a passionate speaker who makes me want to do a better job and be a better person.

Last month I wrote about ways to ask young people their opinions.  Well, we’ve been practicing.  We just completed community conversations with 5 different groups in Buncombe County.  As part of conversations in over 35 communities around the country, our local discussions will be folded into a national report on the kind of community people want to live in and what gets in the way – particularly around young people who have dropped out of school or who are out of work. 

Getting at Results

Young people say that they have ideas but no one hears them. Last summer, I had a session with high school students and they said:

• School staffs don’t ask students their opinions or if they do ask, they don’t listen. They gave some examples including food service and a tardy policy.
• Students need to keep trying to make their voices heard.

Basic Recipe:

Ask for an opinion

Listen to the answer

Repeat what was said

Don’t express your opinion

“How involved are you in the lives of young people?” This question came up as part of a recent dinner conversation. Those of us with grown children tended to say that we were involved in the lives of other youth when our children were at home, but not so much since then. We talked about children who were friends with our kids and if we influenced them in a positive way. I was reminded of "Callie", a beautifully spirited young girl whose home life was chaotic. I remember sharing with her our house rules along with the news that when she was at our home, she became part of the group expected