Insights Into Teens: Episode 57 "Academic Expectations"

spk_0:   0:01
insightful podcasts, informative hosts insights into a podcast network.

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Welcome to insights Into Teens, a podcast series

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exploring the

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issues and challenges of today's youth. Your hosts are Joseph and Madison Whalen, a father and daughter team making their way through the challenges of the teenage years onto insights and the teens. This is Episode 57 Academic Expectations. I'm your host, Joseph Whelan, and my intelligent and accomplished co host, Madison Whaling. How are you doing today, Maddie?

spk_0:   1:10
Okay.

spk_1:   1:12
Wow. That's enthusiastic, isn't it?

spk_0:   1:15
Yeah.

spk_1:   1:16
So today we're talking about academic expectations. Well, and what do you think? Academic expectations are?

spk_0:   1:28
Um, if I had to guess, it would be, um, basically, um, if your school wants you to be at a certain level so you can move on to the next grade if your parents wanna have, um, certain grades, Um And even if you wanna have certain grades,

spk_1:   1:50
okay. And you're great level is definitely an important part of academic expectations, but it's not everything. And we're actually gonna kind of glossed over the great part of this because I think everybody knows your academic expectations are to get good grains. Yeah. So the way that we're defining. Expect academic expectations. His academic expectations mean Maur than just learning the subject you're taught and getting good grades. It means growing as a person, intellectually, socially and personally. To do that. Your time and school focuses on four major principles, all of which you are the very least expected to be competent in but hopefully will excel it. Those four things are building, learning capacity, collaborating, making meaning and breaking through. So these air four things that were going to be talking about today and will break them down in their component parts and talk a little bit more in detail without actually, you know, trying to lean on you to get straight A's or anything, since you do that already. So shall we get into it?

spk_0:   3:12
Sure, why not?

spk_1:   3:13
All right, here we go. So building learning capacity is tthe e um, practice of developing learning capacity through gold, setting personal growth, an academic achievement. Um, and there's, 05 major points to how we do this. And I want to get your thoughts on this because a lot of these things we've actually kind of touched on already in other podcasts, about different things. So the first thing they talk about is realistic expectations, straight A's or desirable, but not required. Um, do you think you've got realistic expectations on yourself as a student?

spk_0:   4:04
Um, how? I mean being a straight a student for a few years now, Honestly, my goal is just to try and keep that streak, and I definitely think that's quite realistic. I'm pretty smart.

spk_1:   4:19
Okay,

spk_0:   4:20
Um and I definitely think that is a pretty realistic goal to have in mind. Um, just try to keep up with the good grades. Basically.

spk_1:   4:31
So do you think that your expectations on yourself might be a little high? I might be a little low. Could you expect more from yourself or you're expecting too much?

spk_0:   4:41
I might be expecting too much sometimes because I have breakdowns own occasions.

spk_1:   4:49
OK, so that might be an area of improvement that we can work when we talked about that, Yeah, the next thing that they talk about for building your learning capacity. And we've talked about this too. And that's rest and energy. A good night's sleep and a well balanced diet diet could mean the difference between a B and an A. How much focus do you put on getting a good night's sleep. Is it important to you?

spk_0:   5:19
Um, I I try to get a good night's sleep, but on occasions I do have nice toe where I can't fall asleep like sometimes at like one point in the night. I'm just like I want to go to sleep. I want to go to sleep and I don't. I'm trying to have a better mind set on. At one point, I'm going to get to sleep, and that's helped me more than I want to go to sleep. I want to go to sleep. I want to go asleep,

spk_1:   5:47
right? And we've made changes to your evening schedule is well to try to help accommodate that need, because you would stay up until, you know, whatever you're normal. Time for bed was doing whatever recreational activity you were doing, whether it was video games or Legos or, you know, whatever recreational time you had. And then you found you were having trouble getting to sleep under those conditions, what did we do to try to resolve that?

spk_0:   6:18
Ah, you limited my technology time, and eventually it turned into me just hanging out with Mommy and watching a movie for the next hour.

spk_1:   6:26
Right? So you basically have an hour of downtime. And that hour of downtime was just relaxing. Watching a movie, you know, not being inches away from a screen. You know, with your brain going a mile a minute, like it normally is with technology and stuff. And it's a chance for your brain to just sort of settle down a little bit before you go to sleep. Now, have you found that that's helped you at all? Get, you know, get the sleep sooner and get better sleep.

spk_0:   6:55
I mean, I've never really been no judge. I mean, I've definitely gotten better with sleeping than I have before. I'm not, like, just constantly awake for hours on end. I mean, I'm still awake for a least maybe two hours, but most of the time, I am able to get a good sleep. Unless I just have, like, a bad night. And I need 1/2 some consolation with Mommy.

spk_1:   7:19
Okay, so let's talk briefly about a well balanced diet. Do you consider your diet a well balanced diet?

spk_0:   7:26
Based on the food I been given? Probably.

spk_1:   7:31
Okay.

spk_0:   7:32
I mean, like, I do snack. You're here and there. But let me make sure to give me a well balanced diet. I have a good prank Fist. She always make sure to pack some type of fruit with my lunch. And I have a pretty well balanced dinner. Even though I don't know, we eat all the same foods. You guys. D'oh!

spk_1:   7:49
Right now, do you find during the average school day that you just sort of run out of energy midway through the day? Or are you able to pretty much keep your energies up throughout the day?

spk_0:   8:02
Um, it really depends. Like I are normally eat. I eat like, um, I could eat on the same amount of food every day, and my lunch is pretty early.

spk_1:   8:20
I mean,

spk_0:   8:20
on half days, I could literally just a breakfast.

spk_1:   8:23
Yeah, it's kind of silly how early they've got your lunch.

spk_0:   8:25
Yeah, but, um, thing is, like, sometimes if, like, I just be, like, extra tired, like not getting up. If I didn't get a good night's sleep that night, I might just be too tired. And I do have to admit, sometimes I don't eat all the food I'm given. Um, sometimes I just, like sometimes with pancakes. I don't need them. All

spk_1:   8:52
right. That's just that you're not that hungry. You're Is there another reason?

spk_0:   8:56
I don't know. Um, some days I don't really wanna eat all that. I mean, sometimes it's just I want to get to school faster. Um, other times, it's just I don't really feel hungry, and occasionally it's just okay, I don't want to eat this,

spk_1:   9:15
okay? But you don't find yourself lacking in food or anything, and you're not falling asleep in class or anything.

spk_0:   9:23
No, I mean, sometimes I do feel tempted, but, um, I wouldn't even be able to fall asleep if I even wanted Thio.

spk_1:   9:30
Okay, Well, the next thing that they talk about is focus and and, you know, part of that rest and balanced diet help you to maintain that focus. Um, but the focus itself is really kind of a set of tools that you use in school. Um, like, you know, they say, don't let your mind wander and use, um, focussing techniques, and they offer a few here. I'm curious if you use any of these. So the first thing that they talk about is writing down what the teacher or lecture is saying. So not maybe word for word, but listening to certain keywords, certain key phrases that stick out that might be important. And writing those down helped to commit them to memory and help to keep you focused on what the the teacher is saying to you. Do you take active notes during school?

spk_0:   10:27
Well, sometimes we have focused notes where we, um, great notes about a certain topics that are normally on the board and the teacher goes enough like more explanation on how they are. Um, and I definitely think while writing them down, I'm able to listen to the bigger explanation because some of the like some of the power points might not make that much sense. So we can, like, listen along to a better explanation of it.

spk_1:   10:55
Okay, that makes sense. The next one they talk about is writing down questions. So as the teacher is talking about things and I find myself doing this, if I'm in a meeting or a Webinar, something like that where I don't want to interrupt the teacher while they're lecturing. We're talking of the speaker, but I'll jot down notes that I can come back to an ask later to get better contact on. Do you find that you write down questions that you might have during a lesson?

spk_0:   11:24
Not really, No, because I don't ask a lot of questions in school.

spk_1:   11:28
Do you not need to ask questions or you shy asking questions? Is there a reason for not asking?

spk_0:   11:33
Um, it's kind of half and half of the two years said. Normally I don't need it, and sometimes I'm just a little too shy.

spk_1:   11:40
Okay, One of the other ones that I've heard in the past and I've used and found it to be very effective is to focus on the speakers mouth, because sometimes what we learned the society is when you're talking to someone to look them in the eye, and that's fine in a one on one conversation. But weighing you have a speaker who is talking to a crowd or a group of people. They're not gonna maintain eye contact with you. So in order to maintain focus on what they're saying, the suggested practice is to focus on their mouth and almost make a game of trying to lip read while you're hearing what they're saying, and that helps you to focus on the actual subject. Do you do anything like that in class?

spk_0:   12:30
Not really, No. I find it hard to look at people even, just like trying to look at, like, different parts. I find myself just getting nervous, like when I just see that they just catch my At one point. I just have to, like, look around because I just get a bit nervous. I don't I'm not good with eye contact with people. I don't know. I'm not really used to looking at in the eyes. And sometimes I'll just how I do sort of the opposite. I get scared and I just like, look in other places, hoping that they look away from me at one point

spk_1:   13:00
and, you know, that's sort of a practice that happens when you're in, you know, a public environment and you find yourself, you know, looking at someone or, you know, staring at someone even though you don't intend thio and they sense you're looking at them and they look at you and you're almost startling. You look away. I think that sort of that effect, I get that I can understand that Ah, what about distractions? You know, how are you at handling distractions in the classroom? Other other kids? Maybe somebody walking by in the hall, Something that's going outside, going on outside through the window. Are you easily distracted in class?

spk_0:   13:39
Um, not not really. No. Like I can handle. Like when kids like in my math class since that last two periods, when the second period bell rings everyone else is like getting out the classroom what we're still in. I'm not really distracted by them. I mean, I do hear them, but honestly, I really don't pay in the attention of them. But of the kids just acting class clowns and just like screaming out off

spk_1:   14:02
knowing kids.

spk_0:   14:03
Yeah, the annoying kids that it's kind of hard to handle them. I'm still trying to figure out how to handle them.

spk_1:   14:09
It's tough. It's It takes quite a bit of adjustment on the last one on focus. They talk about here, and this is more for studying, but certainly wing, you're in class as well, getting a lesson, and that is to make yourself comfortable as possible. Now I know chairs in school are not designed to be comfortable not by any stretch of the imagination. Do you find your mind wandering? If you're sitting too long, do you need to get up and move? Do you need to shift around a lot in your chair, like, is it? You're fidgety. I guess when you're sitting in class,

spk_0:   14:43
I mean, sometimes when I actually, like, sit on my leg for a little too long or my legs in a weird position, if I'm too close, if I'm not close enough to my desk, I end up. I'm shifting. I don't do it too often, but it's, um often enough to the point where I can notice that I'm doing it. But I can't help it.

spk_1:   15:03
That makes sense. The next thing they talk about in building your learning capacity is very important, and that's learning how to study. Um, so the first thing we talk about here is sort of what we touched on. Would focus is taking notes. Do you take? Do you think you'd take good notes like, Do you review your notes later on after class and find that they help you?

spk_0:   15:25
I mean, yeah, like, especially with definitions like definitions like if you ever having like picture of science tests and, like they give you like notes in the definitions. And it's like, sort of similar to the paper, like studying over those notes and like knowing what the definitions are, Um, can definitely will definitely help me. And whenever I take note with definitions, um, I definitely can remember because, like, let me just say in history, we're learning about feudalism, Um, and just having the definition of what feudalism is and like having like like having them definitions for topics that we have on the podcast is you see toe like go for a reference.

spk_1:   16:10
Basically, that's good point. Very good for you. They also talk about taking short break. So when you study or even when you're doing your homework, what do you do to take a short break? And I already know the incident because I saw you doing it.

spk_0:   16:25
Um, I just normally, whenever my cat goes, whoa, whoa, I just sit with her occasionally. If I have to go the restroom, I do that. But other than that, I really don't take breaks. And the only other time I've ever taken a break was when I was writing and I basically want in my room for five minutes and guess what I did.

spk_1:   16:45
Would you d'oh!

spk_0:   16:46
I put away my laundry.

spk_1:   16:48
Well, that's exciting.

spk_0:   16:49
I just do like productive breaks. I probably should take a few more breaks, but I want to get my homework done. It's probably not the healthiest solution, but

spk_1:   17:01
well, I mean, it's it's nice to have the determination to wanna work through what you have to get through. And I think of all the things you mentioned anything probably your cat breaks your healthiest ones both for you and for the cat. But that's good. Uh, they also talk about giving yourself rewards. So do you ever do, ah, self initiated rewards like All right, I've got five pages to read tonight, and if I get through the 1st 3 pages, I'm gonna get myself a snack and then we'll come back and finish the other two. Anything along those lines.

spk_0:   17:39
I mean, that's kind of what I was doing today, Um, when I had, like like, that's kind of what I do sometimes when I actually have my homework. Like when I finished my math homework, which is like the main priority, I normally go up and get a small snack, and then I go back to anything else I have today. It was just going and painting something after I finished. Um, one of my things for my projects.

spk_1:   18:06
Okay, So, like, painting was a relaxing thing to get your mind centered again or something like that. It almost like a meditative type.

spk_0:   18:13
Yeah.

spk_1:   18:14
Cool. Um, the next thing they talk about and we talked about comfort already is find a comfortable, quiet place. So when you study, do you sit at the table and study? Do you sit at your desk? Do you lay in bed and study? Where do you find us? The best, most conducive method of comfort for you to study in

spk_0:   18:35
honestly, going at the kitchen table. That's probably the most one because we have, like, nice windows that have they're bringing a lot of light, and it's easy to see. I honestly think if I was just in my room on my bed, I get way too comfortable, so I don't want too much comfort. I just want enough to where I'm not, like in pain and just wanting to, like, get out of there and stop studying. But I also don't want enough comfort to where I just feel lazy and don't do it. But just why I used the kitchen table because it keeps me in my upright position, the chairs on exactly comfortable. But I can handle them, and, um, I just find it easy to study there.

spk_1:   19:18
Well, you know, it's funny with, you know, all the Corona virus stuff going on and a lot of people having the work from home. Ah, lot of helpful websites are popping up to give do's and don'ts, and one of the things they say about working from home is don't work for in your bed For those exact reasons, you'll be too comfortable. You won't be focused and you won't get anything done. S so that's a very good point. But it's funny that you mentioned use good lighting because that's what the next suggestion is for studying here is you want to study someplace where you have good light.

spk_0:   19:53
Yeah, honestly, I really don't have too much good left in my room. I only have like to light should there's one right by my bed, but honestly, it's a little blaring. But the one by the window. If it's like a nice, sunny day out. Honestly, it lets in just enough light toe where is not overly distracting. But it's just enough to where you can actually perfectly see. And I actually really like doing my homework there.

spk_1:   20:17
So if you had better lighting in your bedroom, would you be more inclined to study there?

spk_0:   20:22
I mean, maybe, like a longs. I wasn't, like, completely comfortable. Yeah, honestly, it's kind of hard because my window is in a weird position. It's not really that big. And the blinds are weird and there's, uh, one sugar stuff in it. So okay, I'm not one

spk_1:   20:43
of those details,

spk_0:   20:44
okay? She's You asked me for it.

spk_1:   20:47
Uh, yeah, yeah. Distractions come up again and studying. They suggest eliminating distractions. But what's a distraction for you around the house besides the cat's, Obviously.

spk_0:   20:59
Yeah. Um,

spk_1:   21:06
and mommy and daddy,

spk_0:   21:07
huh? Well, you guys don't know. A day is

spk_1:   21:11
so really no distractions for you to worry about,

spk_0:   21:14
except the cat constantly going way.

spk_1:   21:18
Do have some needy cats that require attention.

spk_0:   21:20
Yeah. Oh, yeah. Wait. There's also another Well, my one cat Leo dolls. There's a different way off, causing a distraction lutely just going up on the table, just walking all over my work. And I'm like, Really, I'm not joking.

spk_1:   21:38
Nice. The last thing they talk about is setting a schedule. So do you On, I guess. You d'oh! I mean, you you don't really need a schedule. You basically take care of this first thing when you get home, right?

spk_0:   21:51
Yeah. Um, I always try to get my homework done as fast as I can, because then I know I have more time to relax when I'm done. Um, And today, even though I really didn't have a schedule and even though I just play it by ear was just like, okay. Have some things I want to get done. Let's try to get them done.

spk_1:   22:12
Yeah. You were very productive today. I was very proud of you.

spk_0:   22:15
Yeah, I'm surprised. Honestly, I thought I was just gonna sit on my bed and do absolutely nothing. And

spk_1:   22:20
you were afraid you were gonna be bored, you know, with the day off. So for you. So the last thing they talk about, um, in building learning capacity is really I guess the most important that is learning how to learn, eh? So the first thing that they will you do, you have to learn how to learn. It's not just people don't just read a book and pick it up all the time. So the first thing that they talk about is toe learn concepts first, then learn specifics. And this one kind of resonated with me with your polygon project for math was, you know, you brought it home and you didn't really know what you needed. The dough. You were kind of confused. So we sat down. We read over the instructions and in reading through it, we were starting to get the basic concepts. And then once we had the concepts down of Okay, here's the rules of how had to be done. Then you were able to dig in, figure out the specifics and then get it done. Um, do you find that approach works for other subject besides math? Because it seems like a perfect approach to math.

spk_0:   23:28
Yeah, honestly, like once you like, get the whole idea down, then you can go to specific. That's basically how ghost like, let's say you had to study for a science test Well, what was the scientists about? Right now, I'm learning about matter and density. So then you could go on deeper and see like, Okay, So what parts do I need to worry about? Like studying the formulas for density on how to find volume, how to find density, how to find the massive an object using volume density, using all the information given to you. Then you could break it down into the to stop problems which were like, Okay, you got a manually. We give you the height, the length the with, find the volume, take the mass, find the density, and, um, that way, like you could break down the two step problems in the more specifics as well.

spk_1:   24:30
Great. So it works across the board. A couple of these are ones that we've already gone over. So they talk about eliminating distractions, which were, you know, that's a thing. Don't fall behind. So what they mean by this is if you struggle with something, come back to it, put on the side. So if you've got a pile of homework to do tonight and you get to your first assignment and you're having difficulty, you just don't get it. It's you know it's not clicking. Don't spend too much time went right off the bat, because then everything else suffers. Right? Um, so take care of that later, but get rid of all the other stuff first. Because you don't want one thing that you're struggling with to cause everything else to get because they not only do you have a subject or an assignment that you're having difficulty riff Now you have to catch up with everything. Um, read everything. How are you with reading everything with your assignments?

spk_0:   25:31
Um, always take Matthew, have thio, read every part of the problem and read all the directions. Some people don't do that. Um, I always make sure I do read the directions like we were learning about exponents, and sometimes it says, simplify the expression, write your answers, the power, and other times it says, just simplify the expression, which means you don't read it as a power. Um, and you have to make sure you, um, notify that so you don't get the question wrong. Like, let's just say, um, the problem was simplified. The expression and it waas five to the six power multiplied by five to the fourth power. Well, I know that's five to the 10th Power, but you can't write that because it says fully. Like if someone just wrote that it would be wrong because it said simplified the expression not right and does ended. Ned, write your answers of power. So you had Thio find what? Five to the power of 10 equaled.

spk_1:   26:41
Okay, so show your work sometimes, right?

spk_0:   26:44
Yeah.

spk_1:   26:45
And pay attention of what the instructions are. Good answer. Challenge yourself. Do you find that you challenge yourself? If you If you have a subject, that's it comes a little too easy for you to you do extra credit. Do you try to do things in different ways to try toe make it a little bit more challenging for him?

spk_0:   27:06
Honestly, sometimes I don't really need to, because the school normally does it anyway. Like, um, when I had my one assignment for reading, we were reading our novel and we had Thio into questions based on the chapters. Well, this week it was a short week, and normally we haven't due on Friday and we only have to read four chapters. Well, this time we had to reach six and have it done a day earlier. Okay, so that kind off messed it up. But I was able Thio get everything I needed to get done, and, um, I was able to complete it.

spk_1:   27:47
Okay, Cool. So the last one that they talk about here is don't be afraid to ask for health. Do you find that you're hesitant to ask your teachers or or other students or anyone for help? If you don't understand something, you're you're having an issue.

spk_0:   28:04
Yeah.

spk_1:   28:05
What do you think you have to do to try to overcome that?

spk_0:   28:09
I don't know. Like I have this feeling that if I try to ask them a question, I'd be bothering them. Even though for teachers, it's basically their job. I

spk_1:   28:18
was gonna say, you know, that's exactly what they're there for, right?

spk_0:   28:21
Yeah, but I don't know. I just can't do that because I don't want to feel like I'm bothering them. I feel like if I ask questions, I'm bothering them.

spk_1:   28:33
Well, the one thing to keep in mind is that a teacher's performance and success is directly correlated to their students. Success so by you going to the teacher and asking for help. They're making you a better student, which in turn makes them a better teacher. So it's kind of a symbiotic relationship. You have to kind of look at it like that. You're there to help each other in that respect. So don't ever hesitate to ask the teacher or don't ever hesitate to ask mommy or Daddy. Or if you have a schoolmate who may be picking up a subject faster than you are. Don't be afraid to ask them here. Could you show me how you did that? Could you kind of explain that? How'd you get to that? You know, don't be afraid to ask. There's no such thing as a stupid question. And you're not bothering teachers when you ask them for help there, there specifically to help you, that's that is their job. So just keep that in mind moving for So we're gonna come back and we're gonna talk about collaborating.

spk_0:   29:40
Wonderful.

spk_1:   29:41
Yeah, So collaborating or developing collaborative skills and values enable you to actively engage others and contribute as effective members of any community. How would you say, on a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate your collaborative ability. 10 being the best,

spk_0:   30:09
um, five or six.

spk_1:   30:13
Okay, that's that's pretty high. Didn't he? Could have that much confidence. I think that's pretty good, I guess. You think that's good? Um, so they talk about some ways to improve your collaboration ability. Um, the first being learned how to listen listening is very important. Um, let people speak without interruption, pick out key phrases and write them down for emphasis for later discussion again taking notes, right. And then make sure you understand the point and the easiest way to do that, cause a lot of times people will speak, and if you don't say anything, they kind of assumed you know what they're talking about. So a lot of times, what I tend to do just to make sure that I get it And to be honest with you in a group, even if I know I get it, I may do this for the benefit of other people, and that is to read, repeat back my understanding of what they just said. So if somebody explains to me how they wanna have something done or what their problem is, I'll repeat that back to them just so that they can confirm that. Yet you got it right. You know, I may do it in different terms, just so it's it's clear for everybody. But repeating that back tries to clarify it for everyone. How are you a listening? Are you a good listener?

spk_0:   31:38
I mean, I always want to be like whenever my friends have an issue. I always want to try and understand what goes on. Sometimes I don't have the best solutions forward, but I guess just listening, um, would be a major key. Parker. Sometimes they just need a let off a bit esteem.

spk_1:   31:56
Okay, well, the next one they talk about here is one that I mentioned already, and that's ask good questions. So the rule is there is no such thing as a dumb question. If you have a question, don't be afraid to ask. We talked about that. Pay attention to the group when you're collaborating and working in teams. If you think someone might not understand something, ah, don't be afraid to ask leading questions. There's a There's a famous phrase that a good lawyer Onley ask questions they know the answer to, and that's so that they conform an argument in their favor. So and I tell my people it worked This for customer service is that even if I know the answer to a question or a solution to a problem, if I ask you the leading questions that allow you to answer those questions and come to that conclusion yourself that it makes you feel empowered, we're both on the same page, and the mission is accomplished at that point. So that's kind of Ah, human psychological thing where if you feel like you've got the answer, you've reached that answer yourself just by me asking you questions. Then you feel for Phil from

spk_0:   33:17
your point.

spk_1:   33:18
Um, think of alternate scenarios. Um, ask questions based on those scenarios, like I do this all the time with my guys. So let's just take, for instance, we have to provide a solution. We have to build a report, okay? And that report is dependent on certain data. Well, I'll ask questions like I did today. Okay, well, we need to build a shipping report in this shipping report needs a look at a customer record, and that customer record might have an address of shipping address in three different locations. Sometimes information's available in all three. Sometimes it's not. Sometimes it's different. So what I'll do is I'll start asking questions. Okay, where you're taking it from Section A. Well, what happens if Section A is not complete? You go to section B or the section, as information in section B has been different Section Bay. So you kind of start role playing in this case. So you start asking questions and what that does is it gets other people to start thinking outside the box, start looking at alternatives. Um, start planning contingency plans. This was something that I learned years ago when I was working an emergency management. So FEMA is great for this. So female will come up with a plan for every contingency out there because if you don't have a plan for things you can't be prepared for, so you kind of start handing some of these scenarios you come up with are completely off the wall stuff. Um, but, you know, you come out with all of them, then you start coming up with an answer for it so that when something happens or a question comes up, you already have the answer to it. And then you can work through that problem when you're working in groups. Do you find that you're taking the lead by asking these questions and trying to get answers or leading people to your conclusion?

spk_0:   35:23
Um,

spk_1:   35:27
are you taking more passive role and sort of let the other kids take the lead?

spk_0:   35:31
Theo gets takes the lead because I don't normally like main roles in anything.

spk_1:   35:36
Okay,

spk_0:   35:37
I just feel as though that's too much too much attention. And people are just sort of waiting for you to slip up. It's something like that.

spk_1:   35:45
Okay, well, the next thing that they do talk about is learn how to negotiate. Do you know how to negotiate?

spk_0:   35:53
What does that mean, though?

spk_1:   35:54
So negotiate is weighing. You have one opinion. Somebody else has another opinion, and you kind of need them to either move to your opinion or you kind of need to meet somewhere in the middle.

spk_0:   36:07
Yeah, I think I'm kind of good at that.

spk_1:   36:10
Where have you had to do that in the past?

spk_0:   36:13
I mean, like, we never hang out with My friends were like, OK, what do we want to do today? and it's like, um, it's like I want to go drawl and they want to go play on the playground. Then we can meet in the middle and say like, OK, we can play, we can drop. We can, like, play for a few minutes and then we can go draw.

spk_1:   36:34
Exactly. So you're learning to compromise there. You know where else you use it that you probably don't realize we go to a convention

spk_0:   36:43
on

spk_1:   36:44
and you want to buy a toy or a picture or whatever it is. And the man says, Well, that's $5 you say, Well, where you take four And the guy says, I have Until CTU gets here, he'll say, Now,

spk_0:   36:57
I don't do that. You do.

spk_1:   36:59
But you do that from time to time. We bring your buying Legos the one day you did that or where you're buying your LPs before they're $3 each. And, well, if I give you five, can I have three of them? And you would get those deals, You know, you would get a discount on that and all that's part of negotiation, right?

spk_0:   37:22
Yeah.

spk_1:   37:23
And you don't even realize you're doing it. Um model what we expect. You know what that means?

spk_0:   37:33
Um, I guess No.

spk_1:   37:37
Okay, So if I want people to be respectful and I want them to be nice to other people, what's the easiest way to do that?

spk_0:   37:50
You, um you showed them how to be nice to people by being it yourself.

spk_1:   37:55
Exactly. So you model what you want other people to D'oh. So in a group environment, if you want other people to compromise and be negotiators and be willing to work together, you have to do that yourself. If you want other people to be, stick to their guns and stick to their belief thing, you do that yourself. It's all part of being a role model, which we talked about before. It's part of leadership, which we've talked about before. So modeling that is no different than what Mom, you're Danny do where we try to set a good example. And sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. People don't always follow that example, But, you know, given your personality and given your history, I think a lot of what you do you model that the other kids especially, you know, some of the younger kids that you hang around with in the neighborhood. You model that that behavior of hay were kids, but we still have to be respectful. We can't be rude. We can't go around ruining people's property and stuff like that. You do it. You don't even realize that you're doing it because that's just the type of person you are and and other kids see that. And they want to be like that, too. And the last thing they talk about is to solicit and incorporate input from the group. So if you're in a group working on a project, you may take that project and break it down in the different parts and everyone goes off and does their part. Um, but it's always worthwhile to engage other people and get their opinions like you like to have a voice in things right? You don't just like to be told what to do. Yeah, So if I come in, you say Manny. Okay, here's my notes for the show today. You know, here's the 10 topics that we can pick from. What would you like to dio? You know that is that soliciting your input and then incorporating that into what we do. So it's your part of it, and you're invested in it at that point and all that helps in the collaboration process, Um, we'll take a little break. We'll come back. We'll talk about making meaning from all these things. So making meeting means to problem solve it means to question, investigate and make decisions using a learning process, using thinking tools and a range of learning strategies to deep in your understandings of concepts. Think scientific process. You're familiar with that concept, so making meaning is using all the tools you have available. Observation, questioning, experimentation. You know, these all go into the scientific method, but it's all the tools you have in your learning tool box that you use to them. Understand the knowledge that you get. So it's one thing to impart knowledge on you and you you have to understand it. It's not just a matter of you regurgitating back what was in the book. Okay, so we did the, um, good to empire. We did our research on that so you could just come back and tell me all the notes that you had on that and you would have the knowledge but you wouldn't have the understanding. So when you make meaning of something, it's getting an understanding of what that subject iss giving an example of something like that you've done recently.

spk_0:   41:42
Um, I guess I'll have to go with my geography botch checked.

spk_1:   41:53
Okay.

spk_0:   41:54
Mass. Um, like, Sure, I can have the knowledge to fund the angles, have the, um, formulas for the areas, but having the understanding of, um, how it's important and why I'm doing it. How will it affect my grade? Stuff like that, um, is definitely a key factor.

spk_1:   42:17
Yeah, absolutely. And they talk about four specific things when it comes to making meeting and and the first being problem solving we've already done. Ah, podcast on problem solving. So you're familiar with that? And I think, honestly, you're pretty good at problem solving. Wouldn't you agree?

spk_0:   42:35
Yeah.

spk_1:   42:36
The next thing we talked about is investigating. Do you think you have good investigative skills?

spk_0:   42:43
Um, I think so.

spk_1:   42:44
That would involve doing research, doing experimentation and gathering information, taking notes. Um, the next when you talk about is having an open mind. Don't blind yourself to other possibilities. Keep an open mind, solicit feedback and input and accept other people's ideas. So we don't have all the answers, right? So sometimes we rely on other people and get their input to do that.

spk_0:   43:15
Yeah.

spk_1:   43:16
Um, you know, I may be in charge of my department, but I don't know everything in my department factor. You know, I can't necessarily even do the jobs of all the people in my department. My job is to inspire other people, coordinate other people to get the work done, and the last thing they talk about is understanding the content. And this is the make meaning part, which I think you've got a very good concept with, um, at the end of the day, you need to know what it is that you're talking to a talking about. You need to review your notes. Um, you need to use your knowledge to answer the questions. So what you'll see going through the study of stuff for the group to Empire is you will ultimately spend several weeks for several months learning all that information. And then at the end of the market period, what do they do? They test you on it and they don't ask you to regurgitate your notes, right? They're gonna ask you questions that are related to your notes that you should have found the answers to already there. They're not always gonna give you the answers. Sometimes you have to find those answers. And you have to know that you found those answers. So that revolution comes out later on, once those questions are asked and you're like, Whoa, yeah, This is the kind of government they had. This is the kind of military they had. This is the kind of technology they used. So all that comes out during the study process, and then the last thing and this is part of the scientific method is to confirm your findings, and you do that through tests and quizzes and stuff like that. So that's really what what the learning process is. And the last thing there's not even enough to cover for another segment. But the last thing is the breakthrough point. What do you think? The breakthrough point iss

spk_0:   45:13
Um, under on the blink.

spk_1:   45:19
The breakthrough point is, when you get it, you know, you go through all this work, you do all the leg work. You do all the reading. You take the tests, and at the end of the day, you know how to do geometry, you know, because there will come a time later on when you're gonna have to put some or most of this knowledge that you're learning toe work. You could be building a house singer General Tree comes in. You could be teaching a class, and you're history stuff comes into play. You could be writing a book and you're feeling stuff comes into play. It's that breakthrough moment when it's not just words on a page, it's practical. It's when you actually have a use for it.

spk_0:   46:08
Yeah,

spk_1:   46:09
um, and it's a that point in time that you appreciate all the stuff that you've learned and all the accomplishments that you've made and all the effort that you put in. Of course, it's nice at the end of the year to see those grades roll into. That's certainly part of the breakthrough moment, Um, and you know, funny enough for me. And my breakthrough moment came years after high school, when I went back to school for computers and micro processing, and I think I told you this story before. But one of the classes that I had to take for the course that I was in was right, angled trigonometry. And I was terrified when I saw that as a requirement, because I was terrible at math and I went into this class thinking that I was gonna fail it. It was gonna lead to be failing the entire course. And the first week that I was in there, something just clicked in my brain and I just got That was my breakthrough moment and everything just sort of It was like Legos. Everything just sort of fell into place and everything connected, and it all worked out. And it was information that I had had in the back of my mind that I had never had a use for up until that point. And then all of a sudden, it all it all worked out. So that was all that I had on Ah, our academic expectations. Did you want to come back with some closing remarks? Marie, let's do that. Go for closing remarks

spk_0:   47:47
already. So for the audience out there, um, it's important to note that academic achievements aren't just getting good grades. I've definitely learned that through this podcast Thank you, Daddy. Um, it's more about learning. Not not just learning. Um, basic math, history, science L A. But also learning life skills like collaboration. Um um, problem solving all that's fun stuff like thes air skills you're going to be using for the rest of your life. Like, no matter what you do.

spk_1:   48:29
Yeah. Any shout outs this

spk_0:   48:31
week? Um, not really sure?

spk_1:   48:34
No. Okay. Well, God, I think I

spk_0:   48:37
think you did pretty

spk_1:   48:38
good. I think you ah, you're firing on all cylinders with these expert academic expectations. And and like you said, it's more than just getting good grades. It's about being a well rounded individual on. That's what your schools are doing. That's what your teachers are doing. They're teaching. You had a how to face challenges, had a face, um, complex problems. Had a deal with these problems, and they're teaching you you might not see it. And this is really the key. You might not see it now at your age, but they're teaching you how to survive there, teach new life skills, and it's all done in a systematic way. Um, and and I I applaud the teachers that we have out there today. They do a fantastic job. Um, and it's It's hard for kids to rationalize it as being anything more than just memorizing stuff in a book. But at the end of the day, it is. It's very important stuff that you're learning. You're growing as a person. I've seen it in the last year, two years of, of how your personality has changed, how your approach thio problems and how your approach to life has changed. That's what you know. Academic expectations are, is that you're going to grow as a person, not just intellectually, but holistically so, And I think you're doing a very good job of it.

spk_0:   50:00
Thank you.

spk_1:   50:01
Before we go, of course, we do want to give ah, some contact information here. We would love to hear from our audience. You can email us at comments at insights into things dot com. You can hit us on Twitter at insights, underscore things. You can get our videos on youtube dot com slash insights into things. You can get us on Facebook at facebook dot com slash insights into things podcast on the Web, you can find us at www dot insights into things dot com. You get audio podcasts at podcast out insights into teams dot com. You can see a streaming five days a week on twitch at twitch dot tv slash insights into things, and you can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes. Stitcher, Spotify, blueberry. Just about every major podcasting source out there. And what else

spk_0:   51:01
and you confined are two additional podcasts and sets, an entertainment hosted by you and Mommy and Insights Into Tomorrow, our monthly podcast hosted by you and my brother Sam.

spk_1:   51:12
Awesome, I think that's it. We're done.

spk_0:   51:15
Everyone,

spk_1:   51:15
another one in the books.