TRYING VS. DOING - Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 263
In this episode, Dr. Shaw continues her look at the way in which we teach and use certain words with our children, but this time around the focus is primarily on the difference between "trying" and "doing." Dr. Shaw explains her misgivings about the use of the word "trying" and she provides a number of illustrative examples of why that word can be not just confusing but damaging to a child's own expectations. Â
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BE MOTIVATED BY YOUR FEELINGS - Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 262
In this episode, Dr. Shaw continues to examine the ways in which we trap ourselves into a layer of negativity because the feeling we may be having is labeled as negative. She examines words like "disappointment" or "melancholy" and explains that while we all have feelings that come from negatively stimuli, we need to transform ourselves out of that negativity through self-examination and the motivation to do better.  She also points out that this kind of training begins between parents and their children. The way we react to a child who is sad can either keep them in their negative space or move them forward with a healthy attitude about whatever had made them sad.  Just like with making a mistake, the negative moment is an invitation to learn as it presents the opportunity to see and transform your feelings.
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REVERSE THE NEGATIVITY - Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep.261
In this week's episode, Dr. Shaw picks up where she left off in the last episode by continuing to discuss how to release the negativity in many of our interactions. Specifically, she looks at how we use certain words and hold their definitions as inherently negative... words like punishment or mistake or disappointment.  She also discusses how when we praise someone, particularly our children, and our praise is insincere, what are we teaching our children and ourselves?  She uses some concrete examples of how this works and what better strategies might be, including being sincere and going one step further by being specific.  And regarding the negative words, Dr. Shaw questions why we have such trouble agreeing to disagree and not putting blame on anyone since "blame" carries its own negative thread as a word.  Then, with the word "disappointment" in the forefront, she explains how to turn a situation where your child is disappointed. She recommends honoring the disappointment and then putting your energy into positive movement away from the negative. Â
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STOP SUFFERING - Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 260
In this brief but direct episode, Dr. Shaw reiterates one of her favorite themes and that is to not be the cause of your own suffering. Often when we are disappointed, we accept the outcome. Instead, she recommends that when you encounter a response to something that runs counter to the result you want, look at the situation as an invitation to let go of your attachments and explore another avenue. That exploration can be exciting and inspiring, and is far better than the negativity of disappointment.
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BE FREE FROM LIMITATIONS - Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw - Ep. 259
In this episode Dr. Shaw takes a look at our lives that are filled with excuses, and those excuses are born out of our preferences. She admits that she is always assigning meaning to things, and she wonders aloud what life would be like without our preferences. She uses a friend and her daughter as an illustrative example... the friend's daughter says she has a condition that makes her behave in a certain way, and that may very well be, but having a condition doesn't (or shouldn't) permit someone to be disrespectful or act in another anti-social way. Yes, people might have a disability or labeled conditions... Dr. Shaw likes to call that being "differently abled"... but that different ability doesn't prevent someone from being successful in the world. There is a different between learned behavior and behavior guided by a condition. To have our children grow up to be respectful, that has to be taught, and if we have a condition, we have to learn how to navigate the world and have the self worth to do so. Don't allow your "label" dictate how you are in the world, especially if that label is not in your best interest.
About Teaching Humanity Remotely with Dr. Mindy Shaw
Lifetime educator, Dr. Mindy Shaw, maintained a philosophy in her classroom of 4 to 8 year olds to "teach humanity daily" in addition to the more traditional skill sets of reading, writing and math. Now, in an era of remote and hybrid learning, the notion of teaching humanity is somewhat threatened. She has created a series of e-books and paperbacks so that parents can have the tools they need for also teaching social and emotional skills, and in this series, Dr. Shaw discusses what it means to teach humanity both in general and in an era of learning via computer.
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