By Amy Cushner, Associate Head of Early Childhood-Sixth Grade

Yes, it is a New Year! To be precise, it’s a new school year. Dawning is a flurry of actions. Setting alarms to wake up (not fun), having to think, planning and coordinating all the things: carpool, daily schedules, clothes for school, rushing to get the summer reading project done and spending a lot of money on clothes, supplies and swag.

Now breathe. When the list is long and time is short, we turn to multitasking, and that is not efficient. In The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload, Daniel Levitin emphasizes the importance of focusing on one task at a time rather than multitasking. He notes: "To keep information from being lost, the brain has to slow down, which means doing one thing at a time. Every time we switch tasks, we have to reorient ourselves to the new task, and that takes time and energy.”

What’s the solution? Here are some of my favorites!

1. Make your sticky notes: Write one thing on each sticky note that needs to be done — make it easy, break it down into sub-tasks. (Example: talk with kiddo about what time school starts and decide what time to wake up each day.) Once written, line up the notes in order of priority. Next, choose the top three that you seek to accomplish today. You’ll find that once the top three are completed, you will feel a sense of momentum and synergy. Maybe you’ll choose another sticky note to tackle? Last, throw that sticky note away! Nothing feels better than crumpling it and shouting, “I’m done with you!” 
2. Use the Pomodoro Technique: This time management method involves working in short, focused bursts (usually 25 minutes) followed by short breaks. This helps maintain energy and attention and prevents burnout. I use this technique all the time, especially on big, long tasks like cleaning my house. I can feel overwhelmed by the details and time involved, leading to procrastination. The Pomodoro Technique forces me to breathe and shortens the finish line to “just see what you can get done in 10 minutes, 15 minutes or 20 minutes.”
3. Buy in and delegate: “Teamwork makes the dream work!” Involve others in the process, specifically, the kids. In John Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Law 14 notes the value of buy-in and involvement in processes. For the first two suggestions, involve the participants it affects: the kids! Have them work alongside to create the sticky notes and use the Pomodoro Technique. Not only are they seeing how to break down a task and make it accomplishable, but the delegation can come when you ask, “Which one would you like to take?” “How many minutes do you want to give the Pomodoro clock?”

Ah, now, that felt good! A deep, calming breath. The adjective has shifted from overwhelming to accomplishable. Be the tortoise: slow and steady always wins the race! Like the tortoise, you’ll be able to breathe, stop for moments to rest and finish a winner. 

Amy Cushner is Associate Head of Early Childhood-Sixth Grades at the Shelton School in Dallas, Texas. She holds an M. Ed., is a CALT, Qualified Instructor in MSLE programs for written language disorders and is Montessori certified, Elementary 1. Most important to Amy, she has 30 years of joyful experience in working with children with learning differences and their families.

By Amy Cushner, Associate Head of Shelton School

Yes, it is a New Year! To be precise, it’s a new school year. Dawning is a flurry of actions. Setting alarms to wake up (not fun), having to think, planning and coordinating all the things: carpool, daily schedules, clothes for school, rushing to get the summer reading project done and spending a lot of money on clothes, supplies and swag.

Now breathe. When the list is long and time is short, we turn to multitasking, and that is not efficient. In The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload, Daniel Levitin emphasizes the importance of focusing on one task at a time rather than multitasking. He notes: "To keep information from being lost, the brain has to slow down, which means doing one thing at a time. Every time we switch tasks, we have to reorient ourselves to the new task, and that takes time and energy.”

What’s the solution? Here are some of my favorites!

1. Make your sticky notes: Write one thing on each sticky note that needs to be done — make it easy, break it down into sub-tasks. (Example: talk with kiddo about what time school starts and decide what time to wake up each day.) Once written, line up the notes in order of priority. Next, choose the top three that you seek to accomplish today. You’ll find that once the top three are completed, you will feel a sense of momentum and synergy. Maybe you’ll choose another sticky note to tackle? Last, throw that sticky note away! Nothing feels better than crumpling it and shouting, “I’m done with you!” 

2. Use the Pomodoro technique: This time management method involves working in short, focused bursts (usually 25 minutes) followed by short breaks. This helps maintain energy and attention and prevents burnout. I use this technique all the time, especially on big, long tasks like cleaning my house. I can feel overwhelmed by the details and time involved, leading to procrastination. The Pomodoro effect forces me to breathe and shortens the finish line to “just see what you can get done in 10 minutes, 15 minutes or 20 minutes.”

3. Buy in and delegate: “Teamwork makes the dream work!” Involve others in the process, specifically, the kids. In John Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Law 14 notes the value of buy-in and involvement in processes. For the first two suggestions, involve the participants it affects: the kids! Have them work alongside to create the sticky notes and use the Pomodoro technique. Not only are they seeing how to break down a task and make it accomplishable, but the delegation can come when you ask, “Which one would you like to take?” “How many minutes do you want to give the Pomodoro clock?”

Ah, now, that felt good! A deep, calming breath. The adjective has shifted from overwhelming to accomplishable. Be the tortoise: slow and steady always wins the race! Like the tortoise, you’ll be able to breathe, stop for moments to rest and finish a winner. 

Amy Cushner is Associate Head of Early Childhood-Sixth Grades at the Shelton School in Dallas, Texas. She holds an M. Ed., is a CALT, Qualified Instructor in MSLE programs for written language disorders and is Montessori certified, Elementary 1. Most important to Amy, she has 30 years of joyful experience in working with children with learning differences and their families.

By Amy Cushner

Shelton Associate Head of School

Summer is the season of many adventures and much advice on keeping kids busy to avoid boredom and survive summer. However, for the next two minutes, I’d like you to be bored with me. Be bored: think, stare, huff and puff. Within those two minutes, you may find yourself restless, thinking, ruminating and problem solving about how to end the boredom. Hooray! You’re bored!

Boredom is a gift.

Boredom is a gift rarely given to children. Boredom is empowering! It allows children to persevere through nothingness to get to somethingness. (Very Seussical!) Invention rises out of moments of transition and inaction. Sculptor Anish Kapoor says, “I've learned over the years… that it’s precisely in those moments when I don’t know what to do, boredom drives one to try.”

How to be bored?

• Model boredom: Show kids that it's okay to be bored sometimes. Engage in quiet activities yourself, like reading, drawing, or simply sitting and thinking, to demonstrate that boredom can be a natural and positive part of life.
• Schedule downtime: This can be a period after school or on weekends where children can relax and find their own ways to stay entertained (sans technology!)
• Go on a walk: Walking encourages activity without intended result. The slower pacing allows new thoughts to creep in, nature to be noticed and considered, or a problem to be solved.
• Create a "Boredom Space": Designate a space in your home where kids can go when they feel bored. Stock it with open-ended toys, art supplies and books to inspire creativity and independent play.

It takes two to make a thing go right!

Both structure and boredom are equally important. Benjamin Franklin, who was a gifted inventor, published his schedule that included both focused work and time to “Put things in their places, supper, music or diversion, conversation, examination of the day.” With a little of both, a survivable summer awaits with a little added sprinkle of invention.

“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!" 

— Dr. Seuss

Amy Cushner is Associate Head of Shelton School, Early Childhood-Sixth Grades at the Shelton School in Dallas, Texas. She holds an M. Ed., is a CALT, Qualified Instructor in MSLE programs for written language disorders and is Montessori certified, Elementary 1. Most important to Amy, she has 30 years of joyful experience in working with children with learning differences and their families.

Shelton Executive Director Emeritus Joyce Pickering and Associate Head of School Amy Cushner are featured in a Greenspring Center for Lifelong Learning podcast on "Early Signs of Learning Differences to Look for in the Primary Classroom." Pickering and Cushner outline development during the Primary years, emphasizing the importance of early identification and intervention for children with learning differences. They highlight how Montessori materials and lessons can be adapted to support diverse learners and caution against a "wait and see" approach, which can result in missed opportunities for early intervention and additional suffering for the child. Instead, they recommend implementing adaptive strategies as soon as a child is identified as at risk, ensuring that the child receives necessary support. 

Dr. Joyce Pickering is a 50-year Montessorian, speech and language pathologist, and learning disabilities specialist who has devoted her life to addressing the needs of students with learning differences. She is the author of "Montessori Strategies for Children with Learning Differences: The MACAR Model," with Sylvia O. Richardson, M.D. 

Amy Cushner is certified in Sequential English Education and the Association Method programs for the remediation of written language disorders, as well as advanced levels of Montessori Applied to Children at Risk. Amy holds a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership, Montessori-credentialed (E1) MACTE, is a Licensed Dyslexia Therapist (Texas), Certified Academic Language Therapist, QI, and has worked at the Shelton School for 30 years.

Listen to the podcast at this link.