Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 124

In this episode, Dr. Shaw turns her attention to the crisis in schools here in 2023 wherein social skills, manners and basic behavioral standards are lacking, even among some of the youngest students.   Many teachers blame this phenomenon on the fallout of the COVID pandemic, and in all likelihood, the disruption in education caused by the events of 2020 and 2021 are to blame... but there is also a solution to the problem and that is for teachers and parents to set the stage differently for the education of children today.  Here, Dr. Shaw discusses her own lifelong approach to the classroom which puts social-emotional learning first.  Her philosophy is that if children are not in a comfortable, trusting and respectful environment from the start, then there's no foundation on which to teach reading, writing and math.  Dr. Shaw practiced this approach long before there was a pandemic disruption, so her words of wisdom in this podcast are truly valuable.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 123

In this episode, Dr. Shaw veers into a topic that is related to all of her work on social and emotional learning, but is somewhat different since she takes a stand on current events in this broadcast.   Dr. Shaw has become troubled recently by some trends in education that are, in her mind, counterproductive, backwards thinking and quite dangerous.  She has been outraged by things that are happening in the State of Florida where teaching courses and using course materials that are not approved by the State can be a felony.  Much of this restrictive thinking centers of issues of race and the denial of history, and it involves an imposition of censorship that is uncalled for in modern education.  Moreover, Dr. Shaw is a well-known advocate of learning by making mistakes, and if our cultural mistakes made in the past are erased, there will be no learning lessons for the present and future children in our society.   This is a passionate and fascinating discussion, and it lines up with what is in the national news right now.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 122

This brief episode is a direct follow-up to the previous podcast in this series as Dr. Shaw continues to address her journey during which she is facing a health crisis.  Since they began nearly 2 1/2 years ago, these podcasts have all generally been geared toward advice for monitoring and molding the behavior and social-emotional growth of our children and grand-children, and although the line of discussion in Dr. Shaw's current arc of podcasts has included much self-reflection, the life lessons contained herein are still very relevant for any parent, grandparent, or educator.   In this discussion in particular, Dr. Shaw addresses the notion of "attachment" and what it means to surrender to a loss of something as well as what it means to replace a behavioral trait such as vanity with an ability to sacrifice things to which we are attached for a higher good and more valuable purpose.   These lessons are valuable to any adult and can be modeled for our children. 

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 121

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw gets a bit deeper into revealing her own personal learning lessons currently coming to her as a result of a medical challenge.  She deftly shares her own personal experiences while also demonstrating how her lessons are consistent with lessons that parents should be sharing and modeling for their own children.  Education is always the foundation of what Dr. Shaw shares, and since these podcasts are about children but geared for parents and educators, her discussions on this theme as well as her others are always most appropriate for adults.   At their core, the life lessons than can be among the most important to pass along to our children are often introduced by life's more challenging moments for adults.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 120

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw delivers a succinct lesson in parenting for this early part of the New Year, and it was inspired by an episode during which a child was exhibiting some unattractive behavior during the recent holidays.   It's easy for a child to get over-tired, over-wrought or over-stimulated by sweets and treats during the holidays, and Dr. Shaw witnessed an incident that served as an important microcosm for what can go right or wrong with behavior.  A child became a bit hysterical and the child's parent did what she knew how to do to mitigate the situation, but Dr. Shaw's philosophy as explained here, is a much more effective strategy for addressing what happened.  There can be long-lasting implications resulting from how a child's behavior is responded to, and Dr. Shaw does a nice job with this quick story of putting parents on the right track.  

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 119

In this brief podcast, Dr. Shaw re-ignites a conversation about teaching RESILIENCE to our children, but the topic actually came up via a very recent personal experience for her.  Dr. Shaw had a medical scare recently, and among the many thoughts brought on by that incident was the notion of keeping a positive attitude and not allowing thoughts that are are negative, non-contributing or distractions in any way.  She learned and shares some valuable lessons about life from this recent experience, and, as is generally the case, Dr. Shaw suggests some excellent scenarios by which one can regularly practice their humanity, and their resilience.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 118

In this brief episode Dr. Shaw examines a couple of fascinating subjects regarding how both children and adults handle some aspects of interpersonal relationships.  Dr. Shaw starts by talking about an issue that her granddaughter experienced, and that issue blossomed into a fruitful discussion about generosity of spirit and about the expectation that a friend may or may not value the same qualities in a relationship that you do.   The truly interesting part of this story is that Dr. Shaw, obviously decades the senior to her granddaughter, had a recent experience that was quite similar, and the mirroring of the two sets of experiences with friends led to several valuable lessons including lessons about knowing your audience, understanding that you must consider how a message might be heard differently than intended, and that age and maturity may not dispel all uncomfortable situations when it comes to interpersonal relations.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 117

In this episode, Dr. Shaw emphasizes an important concept that she touched on recently in earlier podcast episodes, namely "marking and noting" behaviors as an important ingredient in modeling.  In fact, because she is repeating her focus on this topic, she also veers into a discussion about the power of repetition in educating young children.  She shares some examples of both repetition and marking and noting from her own life experience as well as from her extensive classroom experience.  These are concepts that are an essential ingredient in her formula for communicating effectively with children, and are worthy of their own repetition.  

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 116

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw focuses on an action that a parent or teacher can make to truly relieve pressure from a child's psyche and that's the notion of noting and marking a mistake.  We all make mistakes all the time, but for many children, there might be shame or other strong negative emotions connected to making an error in school or at home.  If parents and teachers put effort into noting and marking their own routine mistakes and keeping it light when mistakes occur.  Take away the burden of a mistake and encourage the freedom to experiment and learn by making mistakes.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 115

In this week's episode, the conversation turns to a topic that incorporates a number of the parenting strategies that Dr. Shaw has discussed in the past, but the scenario here is unique.  Dr. Shaw addresses situations where parents are friendly because their children are classmates, but the dynamic changes because the relationship between the children evolves in one way or another.   This discussion arose from real life experiences that Dr. Shaw has witnessed recently, but it also is something she has experienced as a parent.  Discomfort arises when parents who at one point were not only friendly but quite supportive of one another then find themselves taking sides in an emotional or even physical rift between their respective children.   It's a situation that requires care and attention and the kind of behavior in which the parent must model appropriate behavior for the children.  Dr. Shaw also relates how she handled a particular situation with her own daughter and a friend, and in that story she not only helped her child but satisfied her own needs as a parent.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 114

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw discusses the notion of letting someone "off the hook."  Dr. Shaw doesn't believe that when someone is exhibiting negative behavior that we should not provide an excuse that it's okay to be that way... we should not attribute behavior from our children, for example, to a "phase" that they are going through.  When one is angry or cranky, that feeling is an acceptable feeling and all feelings can't be helped, but it is not okay for that angry or moody person to not be accountable for their behavior.  Sometimes, it's helpful to point out to a child when we are in a negative space, we still cannot use that mood or feeling to hurt someone else.  

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 113

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw discusses her philosophy that one of the most important aspects of life is how we show up.  What she encourages is that when negativity is in the air, we should surrender to how it is, not take anything too seriously and remember that the moment will pass.  Negating the feelings instead of surrendering to them is being less true.   Learning to not take a negative moment personally is a winning formula, and teaching ourselves and our children the best strategies for dealing with having a bad day get us past it.   Allowing ourselves to feel our feelings is essential, but creating negative behavior as a response to negativity is not the best way to show up.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep 112

In this episode, Dr. Shaw elaborates on a phrase that she uses quite often in discussing parenting strategies.... she will often say to "mark and note" something with your child.  Here, she dives deeper into what it really means to mark and note an action or an activity or a feeling and how marking and noting something aids a child in their education.  Dr. Shaw points out a simple and obvious example of marking and noting something for a child, and she also veers into a conversation in which she shares a slice of her own life and how she marks and notes her own behavior as an enabler.  The key here is the desired result of marking and noting events in one's own life or your child's experience.  There is value in focusing on what is happening in any given moment, and when one stops to point it out, there are social, emotional and educational gains.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 111

This episode is the second of a two-part mini-series of podcasts related to the theme found within Dr. Shaw's philosophy that nothing in life is only one way, and this particular half of that theme is focused on maintaining high expectations.  Dr. Shaw explains that while some folks feel that there is a negative side to having high expectations in that those expectations might not be reached, there is great benefit to having high expectations for your children and for yourself.  She provides illustrative examples and shares her own experience over many years of classroom instruction.  She also points out that the attitude exhibited by some that says that "if you have no expectations you won't be disappointed" is simply a way of getting yourself off the hook for the effort and results that holding a high bar can actually generate.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 110

This episode is the first of a two-part mini-series of podcasts related to the theme found within Dr. Shaw's philosophy that nothing in life is only one way, and this particular half of that theme is focused on the benefit of not having attachments.   A key observation is that there are elements in our world that are completely out of our control and those can have an impact upon us.  The best way to respond to those moments that we are influenced by an external element is to just be present and in the moment.  In terms of parenting, our children remind us what is most important to us... and we practice what we value in order to teach our children those most valuable lessons.   Dr. Shaw says that a great mental place to be is to simply embrace life in all of its fullness and with neutrality.   That doesn't mean there aren't likes and dislikes... it just means that without judgement, it makes situations better. 

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 109

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw discusses the topic of ENABLING.  She actually draws upon her own recent first-hand experiences and the lessons that she's learned personally in handling a particular interpersonal relationship.  While "enabling" is most often associated with an adult-to-adult relationship, and while the example story that unfolds in this podcast does involve adults, there is an aspect to how one handles situations in which one is an enabler that is quite helpful in parenting situations.  Often the enabler is attempting to not just help, but to satisfy a need or to define oneself in a particular way.  It's a fascinating topic, and as always, Dr. Shaw's perceptive inward and outward observations can be quite edifying.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 108

In this podcast episode, Dr. Shaw goes a bit more in depth on the topic of last week's podcast where the discussed centered on how to help your child pay attention to how they feel in social situations so they can make better decisions.  Expanding on that, Dr. Shaw poses questions like ... what do we really do when we are not comfortable in a social situation?  how do we have the confidence in ourselves to be true to ourselves?  how do we manage our needs in an uncomfortable social situation?  Clearly there are situations where our children are not fitting in, but they may lack the confidence or the strategy to get out of that situation.  Dr. Shaw lays out various ways to navigate out of those kinds of scenarios.... and it is challenging because most of us have been compromised socially in our own lives.  It can take a form of bravery for a child (or an adult) to find solutions and choices that can resolve these challenges.  Again, paying attention and monitoring the feelings associated with the social setting will contribute greatly to creating to quality relationships. 

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 107

In this episode, Dr. Shaw continues to focus on ways in which parents can both monitor and model behaviors in some key social situations for their children.  Her philosophy is that children do not have the experience or the wherewithal to understand that some of their social settings might make them uncomfortable for some reason, and it's important that children are given the know-how, perhaps by example, that it's okay to have those feelings and that it is in fact okay to exit situations that make you uncomfortable.  Dr. Shaw uses her own life for illustrative purposes, both referring to times when she was a child and as an adult, talking about times when she was unfulfilled in a situation but stayed in that situation in order to not be alienated.   If children are shown positive examples by their parents, educators and other adult influencers whereby they are given the knowledge and permission to understand and act according to their feelings, they will be better adjusted as life progresses for them.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep.106

In this podcast, Dr. Shaw begins a slight shift in the focus of her podcast series.  During September, she had been focused the strategies for setting the stage for success for your children in the new school year.  Here, however, she pivots in a new direction and begins sharing some of the background that is being developed for a new book for adults.  After writing 22 children's picture books for socio-emotional learning, Dr. Shaw created a parenting guide for effective communication with children, and now she is developing something akin to a memoir that is tentatively titled "Showing Up."  Her strategies for parenting all overlap with her own personal value systems, and in this podcast she shares an interesting tale about her extended family that serves as a terrific illustration of how the way you show up as a model for your children will have a lasting impact on the kind of adults they will become.  It's a brief but fascinating message with an important lesson built in about human nature.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep 105

In this episode, Dr. Shaw continues and concludes her mini-series on the handling of the start of a new school year, specifically the strategies that set the stage for success.  For Dr. Shaw, it's all about preparation.... her prior two podcasts were about being organized and front-loading, and this episode is about the value of THE DAILY ROUTINE.   In some ways, the first two components of this lineup of topics are built into the daily routine, and together everything feeds into the efficiency of your life of parenting and child-rearing.  For children, there is greater personal success when there is a feeling of independence and of accomplishment.  Preparation reduces stress, and a smooth flow to the day truly serves the needs of everyone in the family.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep 104

In this episode, Dr. Shaw follows up with the second part of her mini-series of podcasts geared to parents who want to "set the stage for success" with their children.   Being that it's September and the start of a new school year in many parts of the U.S., Dr. Shaw felt that it was important to share some wisdom regarding how to best approach certain aspects of parenting with preparation.  The conversation in this brief podcast is about FRONT-LOADING, a favorite topic of Dr. Shaw's, and here she discusses ways that a parent or an educator can front-load.  She delivers some perfect examples of how she did it as a teacher along with ways that a parent can model front-loading for their children.   The bottom line is that front-loading means do lots of work at the beginning of a task and one can do less later on.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep 103

This episode marks the first of an informal 3-part series, and this edition opens with the notion that it's September, it's back-to-school by now for all regions of the U.S., and that there's a piece of advice from Dr. Shaw that can be very helpful.  Her tip is to be organized. While that sounds simple, we all know that parenting in general and getting children out the door and off to school specifically can be challenging.  Here, Dr. Shaw discusses the how's and why's of being organized with your children... and actually, she talks about teaching the children to be organized on their own.  It's a brief but fascinating discussion, especially since Dr. Shaw admits that she used to feel that being organized was repressive but she learned how liberating it really is.  She also outlines some of the valuable life-lessons that exist for children who are in charge of their own organization... plus it's a major time saver.  Dive in and learn how to get your children organized, and a number of daily family activities will be so much smoother and the children will actually feel more accomplished and independent.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep 102

In this brief edition, Dr. Shaw discusses a situation that not only falls into her area of specialization as a teacher, but it also has personal significance for her based on her own family experience.  Here, she shares thoughts and feelings about children who are struggling readers.  Dr. Shaw admits that she was one... that her daughter was as well... and she reflects on the pressures and the potential feeling of under-achievement that might be arise for a child who takes longer than some other children to grasp the skill of reading.  Dr. Shaw offer sound advice about handling the possible stress and strain associated, and she provides a list of tips for the best parenting modes for dealing with a struggling reader at home.  This is a quick but powerful podcast, and we hope you find it helpful.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 101

In this episode, Dr. Shaw imparts a valuable lesson that works to serve the listener both in their own life as well as when in parenting mode. Dr. Shaw speaks here about dealing with social or interpersonal situations where one is "on the outs." There are strong feelings that can come up when one feels not included... there can also be a tendency to rationalize what's going on or to assign blame.  Dr. Shaw uses a real situation close to her own heart in order to illustrate at least one way to navigate the feeling of not being included.  Understanding ways to deflect ill will and ways to be confident can be incredibly valuable, not only for adults but certainly for children whose sense of safety and security is in a formative stage.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep 100

This is Episode 100 in this series, and Dr. Mindy Shaw utilizes that milestone to accomplish a couple of key things in this podcast.  Among the topics covered this time is a recap of some of the key educational guidance that she has been providing for parents everywhere both here in the audio world and in her series of books

which you can find HERE.  

She also takes a good amount of this episode to share a very personal recent experience that has given Dr. Shaw the opportunity to re-learn some things.  That same experience has also helped her to crystalize a key philosophy for education and for life... that it's all about how you show up in any circumstance.   

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 99

In this very brief edition of this podcast series, Dr. Shaw shares her point of view on pressuring our children to learn.  This topic was inspired but recent tutoring that Dr. Shaw has been doing with a child who is struggling slightly as they are learning to read.  Dr. Shaw shares her own family's experience with this situation, and she also shares what she learned about putting undue pressure on a child about their pace of learning.  Different children have different personalities and skill sets, and she encourages not to add unnecessary drama to your child's life by imposing an emotional attachment to their pace of learning.  The learning will come, and it's an important lesson for all parents and educators.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 98

In this short episode, Dr. Shaw discusses what she simply calls "Straight Talk," and the topic is one of great importance for parents who seeks to have effective communication with their children.  The subject comes up often from parents and the main question asked is, "How do I discuss difficult or uncomfortable subject matter with my child?" Dr. Shaw has several great tips included here, and she gives simple, real-life examples of the kinds of topics that might be challenging.  This subject matter is also covered in her wonderful parenting guide on effective communication with children, and you can find that book here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08WJRX7JF, but while you're here, give this edition of the podcast a listen.  Dr. Shaw's guidance is simple yet powerful.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep 97

This podcast is a continuation and follow-up from a recent episode and it extends the discussion about defending one's position in human interaction.  Dr. Shaw cites an example from her own life wherein she could have been argumentative and defensive, but because she is aware of NOT defending her position and to actually observe and understand what could be seen as an opposing point of view, she actually ends up learning from the situation.   Energy is not wasted in this scenario on a discussion of what's right or wrong as it doesn't matter what's right and wrong... what matter is having the ability to see the situation through the eyes of another person and to learn and grow from that observation and from the compromise it might inspire.  It's a difficult instinct and a muscle that must be developed, but it can be an extremely helpful for children who can only gain by seeing all sides of a situation. 

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 96

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw discusses the fascinating topic of strategically balancing the strong tendencies in children.   She uses the example of being a fighter, and Dr. Shaw starts out by admitting that she had that quality and that that quality or tendency is often seen as a negative.  Dr. Shaw points out that there are absolutely positive aspects when a child is prone to having a strong personality or is a "fighter," and she offers some interesting illustrative examples of how that behavior might play out.  As she often does, Dr. Shaw brings the conversation around to maintaining effective communication with your child so that there is clarity when a strong personality trait results in correct or incorrect behavior.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 95

In this edition, Dr. Shaw tackles some fascinating aspects of the education process.  She begins by contrasting teachers who teach a lot of "stuff" and who inherently include a lot of "fluff in the stuff," and there are teaches that ascribe to the philosophy that Dr. Shaw lived by and that is to teach less stuff, but went much deeper on the essentials of education.  She then introduces the concept of Guided Practice which is a type of learning where there is less independence for the child and more guidance.   With less independence, there is less of a chance that the child will learn something incorrectly, and Dr. Shaw provides a great illustrative example of guided practice.  She then moves the discussion into methods for self-learning in which one doesn't accept their own old stories or habits.  You can do that by carefully observing yourself and then you can model your own advancement by noting it for your child.  

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 94

In this brief but insightful episode, Dr. Shaw talks about the concept of choice and making choices.   She points out that while it can be true that perception becomes one's reality, it can also be said that the choices we make become our reality as well.  She feels that life allows us to make choices, but that our choices don't come easily.  For starters, we have to be conscious and aware to guide ourselves to making good choices.   Sometimes we are the cause of our own suffering because we don't make the right choice, but if we can teach ourselves and our children to be aware enough to change your behavior before making the wrong choice, one can avoid choosing the wrong situation to be in.  It's a deep and complex concept, yet Dr. Shaw gives some nice illustrative examples of the steps to making this work.   Make the choice to listen to and understand this strategy about choices.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep 93

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw takes on the challenging subject of how to hear what might be considered criticism and to not take it personally.  Dr. Shaw has always been an big advocate of the concept of not taking things personally, but that can be especially delicate ground to tread upon when dealing with your children who are often in a system of education or other social settings where external rewards are a large part of the system.  It all comes down to teaching children, as well as ourselves, to understand who we are in our truth, and to distance ourselves from the potentially negative feelings that can happen when we hear something that might be considered criticism.  

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep 92

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw tackles the tricky subject of teaching our children to do the right thing FOR THE RIGHT REASONS.  Dr. Shaw is a big believer in intrinsic rewards as opposed to external rewards, and she examines what that means.  Schools and other systematic institutions often bestow prizes, rewards and other forms of recognition to children and to adults, and that can create a false motivation and an unrealistic expectation.  The real gift is to act out of truth and to recognize that the accomplishment itself is the real reward.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep 91

In this episode, the ever-evolving nature of Dr. Shaw's podcasts becomes evident as she once again uses a personal experience and the observations generated by that experience to examine the human psyche.  Her experience was the result of attending a recent retirement party for a fellow teacher, and the emotions and feelings that came up for Dr. Shaw at that event gave way to an examination into useful information.  The story she shares opens the door for the listener of this podcast to alter their approach to both their own day-to-day as well as their approach to certain aspects of parenting. 

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep 90

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw was inspired by recent personal losses to pose this question... would I live differently if every moment truly counted?  The answer is clearly a "yes," so why do we live the way that we do?   Regarding parenting, a corollary of that same question is what do we value?  And what are our definitions of success?  Her recommendations include providing clarity for the specific goals that we set for our children.  Not only should we set a goal, but we should discuss WHY that goal matters.  In a phrase, let's not take things for granted.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep 89

In this brief podcast, Dr. Shaw shifts away from her usual focus on direct parenting in order to cover a topic that offer good guidance to any adult.... to value what's important in life.

Dr. Shaw was inspired by the recent loss of a family member of a close friend, and her encouragement here is to always remember what's essential and critical in our lives and by doing so, we will have the greatest fulfillment that life can offer.   We can get caught up in what we THINK is important, but it's often something that doesn't matter, and in fact it can be in the way of one of life's rich moments. 

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 88

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw address a topic requested by a listener and that is the notion of good sportsmanship among children.  Dr. Shaw is a believer that good sportsmanship, like so many other social-emotional skills, has to be taught.  It can be taught by good modeling by a parent or adult, and it can especially be taught in a family game situation.  Examples of that modeling might happen when your family might be playing a board game at home or out playing mini-golf has a family... there may be a framework for your game where you are keeping score, but the emphasis needs to not be on the score, it needs to be on simply having fun.  The side of competition that is ok according to Dr. Shaw is when you compete with yourself to be the best you can be and not when you compete against others to see who wins.  Yes, there are games where someone wins and someone loses, but to participate and enjoy the game is the most important lesson for a child or for anyone, and Dr. Shaw encourages good sportsmanship in all walks of life.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep 87

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw talks about the need to balance playfulness and boundaries.  We need to remember that while we are having much needed fun, we also have to model being responsible.  Dr. Shaw gives some examples of that kind of modeling, and she reminds us that while it's fun to be in the role of playmate with our children that we also have to remain in the role of the parent.  Again, it's all about modeling.  She also answers a question from a listener about teaching a child about sharing, and the answer is simply to demonstrate sharing and marking and noting the action.  Dr. Shaw also provides a nice illustrative example of teaching sharing.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep 86

On this short episode, Dr. Shaw takes a moment to remind us that the motivation behind our dedication to parenting and family is based on the power of love.  She once again follows up on observations viewed at a recent family gathering, a wedding to be exact, and her key reminder here is that creating and raising a family is all about developing and maintaining quality relationships within the family unit that are all based on love.  After all, love is the root of all positive emotions.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep 85

In this episode, Dr. Shaw takes a moment to examine an aspect of human behavior that comes up in both parenting and in all interpersonal exchanges, and that is the topic of defensiveness.   Dr. Shaw recently participated in a family gathering and found herself in a situation where there was some confusing communication among the family members, and that communication led to a situation where she might have found herself defending herself.  However, she chose to keep the the peace, and she used the model of backward design that she also uses in education to set her goal first, and act in a way that will facilitate reaching that goal.  It's a great reminder about how to use your energy in the best possible way during certain types of interaction.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep 84

On this brief episode, Dr. Shaw tackles the topic of INCLUSION.  She describes where the concept of inclusion begins... and, as with many things, it begins within one's self.  By eliminating judgement of yourself, you will model not judging when it comes to dealing with others.   Dr. Shaw talks about how the young children in her life, her grandchildren, are fortunate to have the model of inclusion in their lives.   Bottom line... broad thinking leads to accepting and celebrating our differences.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep 83

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw talks about an issue that has been on her mind and she calls it "honesty," but as you can hear, it runs deeper than that.  Her focus here is on being honest with oneself and the manipulation of feelings and interpersonal relationships.  Some of her examples involve adults, but the mechanism and the theory she discusses applies to parenting as well.  It's another interesting take on life's small moments, and as always with Dr. Shaw, it comes down to being present and in the moment.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 82

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw talks about one of the topics found in her series of children's books for socio-emotional learning (SEL)... GREED.  Her granddaughter Olivia, who is a real-life partner with Dr. Shaw in developing the SEL curriculum found in Dr. Shaw's books, recently re-read the GREED book and enjoyed its content.  That event inspired this podcast wherein Dr. Shaw not only talks about the concept of what greed is for a young child, but she closely associates the feeling of greed with not "being in the moment."  During this podcast, she explains that in detail and uses an example from her days in the classroom to illustrate.   The books, by the way, can all be found here:

www.tinyurl.com/DrShawAuthor 

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 81

In this brief episode, Dr. Shaw continues with her recent theme of "finding joy" and she covers that subject with an interesting point of view this time around.... she talks about enjoying being with our children and promoting the sense that it's not always about work.   Dr. Shaw focuses in particular on the notion of finding a trait or characteristic in your child that might be different from your own personality or not quite your ideal.  Her advice, using several personal examples, is to enjoy the differences and have you and your child learn from one another.  It's a brief but fascinating observations, and we hope you enjoy it.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 80

In this brief podcast, Dr. Shaw discusses the notion of finding joy in life.  She begins with a reminder that we are what we pay attention to, and that by paying attention to the negative things in our lives, we are missing the many opportunities to find joy in things large and small.  She offers a simple example of how to find joy in a daily occurrence, and she also points out that children find joy because they are more naturally open to it. It's an interesting reminded that modeling works both ways... the parent can model for the child, but the child can also model for the parent.  This is a quick discussion, but it's also a lovely reminder of what can be.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 79

In this episode, Dr. Shaw responds to questions that have come in to her regarding children who are exposed to bullying.  While bullying has long been an unsavory practice among young children and adolescents, the notion of discussing that behavior and standing up to it is a relatively new topic of conversation.  Dr. Shaw shares her vast experience with children to offer some important perspectives, examples and strategies related to the social-emotional challenge of bullying.  She begins with her poignant definition of courage and takes the conversation forward from there.  Once again, Dr. Shaw's solutions and strategies for resolution of a troubling situation are reasonable, do-able, simple but profound.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 78

In this episode, Dr. Shaw once again responds to a question posed via her website, and the question this time around is one that has come up in the past: how do you as a parent talk with your child about subjects that might be difficult or uncomfortable to talk about?  Dr. Shaw walks us through examples of what kinds of subject matter might come up... unpleasant stories in the news for example... and she offers solid parental guidance on the best possible approach in those situations.  Her guidance includes being developmentally appropriate with you child as well as honest.  Her key guidance is that your child should never be burdened with subject matter that isn't theirs to handle.  This is a valuable conversation and worthy of our attention.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 77

On this brief episode, Dr. Mindy Shaw brings on a special guest, her granddaughter Olivia who was a big part of the inspiration for Dr. Shaw's series of children's non-fiction picture books for social-emotional learning.  It was conversations between Olivia and her "Min Min" that helped Dr. Shaw to apply her 30 years in the classroom with young children into a compendium of stories covering life lessons and life events.  The books are complete with short talking points at the end of each story.  Olivia, who just turned 7 years old, is a poised and well-spoken youngster, and Dr. Shaw uses her brief time on with Olivia on this podcast to demonstrate the authenticity of her communication with young children.

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 76

On this episode, Dr. Shaw tackles a delicate subject and that is the balance between being a helper to your child and being an enabler.  While this discussion was inspired by a friend with a child that's well beyond their elementary school years, the framework for creating a relationship with your child whereby behavioral boundaries are set can begin quite early on.  We've all heard the expression "tough love," and Dr. Shaw actually uses the phrase "firm love" to define the kind of socialization that many children require.  This is a brief but meaningful discussion about a complex subject that can be confusing to some parents, but Dr. Shaw sheds light on the dilemma and on what's needed in terms of parental action. 

Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 75

In this episode, Dr. Shaw takes a brief but deep look at the way in which we are defined by what we pay attention to.  She lays out some clear and direct examples of how we can choose what we pay attention do in simple life situations like having an argument... are we paying attention the position we are holding onto or to the end result we desire in the grand scheme of our discussion.  Dr. Shaw also reminds us that children are socialized into what they pay attention to, and she cites a recent example of young children learning from the modeling of those around them whether they are elders or just older siblings.  It's a valuable lesson for parents looking to help teach appropriate behavior to their children by modeling and noting it.