The Goal

 Have you ever set a goal for yourself, then wondered how in the world you would accomplish it?  We all do.  Sometimes the task is huge and maybe we're not quite as knowledgeable as we want others to know.  But we don't want to admit it.  Unrealistic...or attainable...  Right???  Okay, maybe it hasn't happened to you...but it has happened to me.

Years ago we learned about an interesting program for children with special needs.  It involved a unique interaction between the kids and dolphins.  Dolphins are smart.  They are able to sense things that we humans sometimes miss.  Dolphins (you've seen it with some dogs) pick up on a persons ability and feed on it.  They'll be gentle with the fragile older woman and rambunctious with the teen.  People realized that dolphins have this uncanny way of sensing things and saw that disabled people were also relating to the dolphins in a good, positive way.  They took it a step further and found that often disabled children would be particularly motivated to "work" if the reward was a treat with a dolphin.  Speech and occupational therapists found this work/reward system to be successful in many children.

Back to Matthew.

After we learned about the program I called and got more information.  It sounded like great fun.  Yes, it was expensive but maybe we could see some benefit.  We got on their waiting list.  The wait was long...I'd almost forgotten about it when, in the spring two years later, I got a letter inviting us to schedule a in the summer.  I was so excited!  Something fun.  It might help Matthew.  We can call it a vacation.

Until I read the qualifications:  Cannot be afraid of water.  Uh, oh.

Let me just tell you that Matthew has a healthy respect for water.  He doesn't take a shower because he doesn't like water on his head.  He never gets too close to the edge of a lake or river, always choosing to throw rocks from 'way back there'...  And swimming lessons???  Yeah, right.  We tried.  Many years we tried.  Always the same, screaming kid, scared of the water.

I know you're laughing thinking, "Good grief, that should have been that.  But the pictures???"  And you'd be right.  That should have been that. 

But we said, "Let's do it.  We'll schedule for the end of summer."  Talk about setting a goal.  I was not sure we would make it.  Still, we'd give it our best shot.

Luckily, Phoenix has a special pool that offers lessons to those with special needs.  I signed Matthew up.  I think they would only let us sign up for a month at a time.  Day one came and we got to the pool.  Matthew had been there before and it hadn't been pretty.  In his usual manner he turned around and grabbed on to me wrapping his arms and legs better than any octopus.  I would say his voice was loud and boisterous but shrill and shrieking would be more correct.  I love that pool.  It's 5ft at the deepest so the entangled two of us walked out to mid pool.  When I finally managed to get him unwrapped he discovered he'd grown.  He was standing in the middle with water only to his waist!  Score one for mom.

But learning to swim was a different story.  No, he did not want to put his face in the water.  No, he did not think it was fun to float on his back.  No, he was not going to jump off the side of the pool.  The teachers were good.  They worked patiently with him each day.  Day after day.  Every two weeks he was evaluated.  I think you had to reach Level 3 to be an independent swimmer.  He was at Level 1.  May ran into June and June into July.  One thing I have learned about Matthew is that the more times he does something the closer he is to mastery.  (I know...that's the same for most of us...)  We decided that once a day wasn't enough and began going back to the pool in the evening.  Rebecca also got some lessons and showed us how it could be done.  We were well tan that year.  We knew all the lifeguards and teachers by name, along with their class schedule and future goals.  But still Matthew was barely putting his face in the water.  Still screaming.  Still scared. 

August rolled around and I was pretty worried.  He had made progress but was still at Level 2.  Should I call the dolphin place?  Dear God...hear my prayer...  Had I really set a goal we could not reach? 

Then it happened.  We're in the pool (as usual).  Matthew screaming and flailing (as usual).  But then the teacher stepped away.  HE WAS SWIMMING!  Oh my goodness!  It was so exciting.  As soon as Bob got off work we went back to show off.  It wasn't a fluke.  He was swimming! 

One week later we were on the plane to Florida.  The size of the lagoon where the dolphins lived was pretty intimidating.  I won't lie and tell you the first day or two was easy but he did it.  He worked hard, tried to say the words, and loved his rewards.  On the last day I overheard one of the trainers telling another that the dolphin wasn't listening to him.  He was right, the dolphin was responding to Matthew.

So if you have what might seem an insurmountable task think of Matthew.  A lot of patience.  A lot of effort.  And a super lot of determination.  Amazing what we can do.

Paper Versus Digital

Books, that is.

This week I was asked my opinion about differences using text books and digital books.  It's an interesting question and I hope you'll toss in your thoughts.  Coincidentally, this topic came up over the weekend with Rebecca.  Some of the medical schools have all their books on an iPad; some still use texts.  We also hear about public schools making the switch to digital books and know it's a matter of time until everyone has a Star Trek style book reader.

Our family has had some experience using digital books both for learning and for pleasure reading.

One observation: Some people, like my parents, absorb everything they read and can have great discussions about a book.  Some people, like me, zoom through the book and barely remember the title...even if it's a good book.  I need to hold something in my hand and take notes... (Come to think of it that's how I watch TV too...no wonder I can watch reruns of NCIS over and over and think they are new episodes.)  In other words, learning styles vary and so will what works best for each of us.

But back to the books.

As a homeschool family we were able to evaluate what worked and what didn't when it came to teaching the kids.    For Rebecca we used a curriculum that could be purchased in workbook form or digital.  We chose the computerized versions for a number of classes.  What I observed was that when the information was detailed and needed memorization (for example: dates and facts of history) it was hard to do on the computer.  Yes, we could highlight portions but it seemed more difficult to retain the specifics. Often we would print out chapters giving Rebecca the ability to highlight, circle and otherwise note things on the paper.  Maybe it was using another part of the brain?  It would make sense.  In college Rebecca had a similar experience when one of the science books was unavailable except as a download.  I don't remember how many of the chapters she printed but I know we went through a lot of paper that semester.

One more example is my own experience when I do continuing education studies.  Done online I find myself, not reading the information, but instead looking for an answer.  Digital is great for doing key word searches.  But when done this way I'm not sure how much of the material I've retained.

We have also experienced the plus side of digital books.  I'm sure you, like me, remember history books that were outdated the moment they went to print. Today's digital books can be updated with just a click.  In addition, it's great to have thousands of books at your finger tips.  And, importantly, they cost less than paper texts and no more backache from carrying all those heavy books.  I also love that digital text books often have ability for videos and other interactive media.  Continued improvement of the text to speech readers is exciting.  Read aloud information may be processed better by auditory learners.

Looking back at pleasure reading might give more insight.  Do you love to wander through the library or book store just looking for the right book or would you rather pick a book based on a photo or description and download it for instant reading?  Does the idea of a dog eared paperback tucked in your back pocket for later reading get your attention or would you rather pull out your ebook reader and with a swish of your finger return to the last page you read?

Perhaps the question is more philosophical than anything.  What is the comfort level of the user?  Those of us who have grown up flipping pages and visually working our way through chapters may not want to make the switch (or do you?)  Kids who start with computers and now touch screen tablets may very well view all this differently. 

Still, I hate to think that paper books will become antiques like mimeographs.  What do you think?