| The Art of Acceleration... |
The Power of Intent -
chapter one
chapter one
For the sole function of fully deriving the benefits this book has to
offer, I implore you to reconsider your perception of the methods of
elementary and secondary learning in the United States. A tall order
I know; I struggled with it initially myself but only then will you come to
fully appreciate the acceleration methods outlined in this book.
After you have opened your mind to the possibilities contained in
these pages, try to imagine your child moving intellectually from a
basic education concept on up to its advance content – in one
sitting.
The methods and strategies that can be used to accomplish this
may seem foreign perhaps even a bit frightening (hence the plea for
the open mind) but keep in mind the ultimate goal: to raise
confident, well-adjusted children with a love for life-long learning.
This is in fact the premise of accelerated learning. Whether it’s a
sixth grader with the ability to grasp high-school level physics or a
ninth grader totally capable of taking on calculus, your child can
experience the educational freedom paramount to his/her brain
development; thus, ultimately leading to their constructive unfolding
as human beings.
As you read the contents of this book, you will fully comprehend
that the philosophy and methodology of accelerated learning isn’t
just limited to the classroom although that is where you will initially
experience the strongest manifestation of results. When
acceleration is used in the home, the environment begins to
program within a child the habitual notion of seeking the most
efficient methods and avenues for acquiring the best possible
outcomes in all of life’s experiences, not just in school.
By nature, acceleration forges the ability to think. This happens
by means of a myriad of processes. One method; insightful
questioning – may cause the student to infer; make connections that
aren’t always visible at first glance or to process material in such a
way the student makes it his/her own; a skill synonymous with critical
thinking. Another method is using tools that efficiently channels
information to the child. To this day, my children can recount an
economic lesson learned back in 2002 when I simply relayed (and
demonstrated) how they would be personally affected whenever the
country experienced a recession. In kiddie-lingo, it meant a slowing
up of the little “extras” they would normally receive. It had gotten so
that my very young kids would groan at the mention of the word
recession on any newscast.
These methods along with what I like to call a “living” curriculum,
serve as the basis for that real learning I spoke of earlier. Acquiring
information under these conditions facilitates brain wiring that
necessitates achievement and in many cases, propels children to
experience early entry into college.
My personal experience with this fact has been rather delightful!
In November of 2007, my husband, daughter, father-in-law and I sat
together as a group in an auditorium at Morehouse College
extremely proud of our son. It was rather awkward because…we
were the only family members in attendance at this particular
ceremony. It was the Math Department’s 36th Annual Award
Presentation and we were completely out of place. But, then again,
most of the honorees didn’t stand 4 feet 7 inches. Our 11 year-old
son, Stephen Regis Stafford, II had been honored for his
participation in an Honors College Algebra course because he
received the highest average (100% +) in the class.
We were elated and had considered this a triumph! The road
that it took to get him here was one initially fraught with a mixture of
uncertainty and jubilation after we had failed to work out a practical
solution with our son’s former school. We were careful however,
not to translate any of this uncertainty into his educational
experience at home and we took great care to create a learning
atmosphere that was full of zest, innovation and progression.
Once we realized that we had no choice but to provide Stephen
with a home-based education, we set out on our own educational
journey, not really sure where it would lead. As forces would have
it, not only did both of our children excel to heights beyond anything
that we could have ever envisioned while homeschooling but after
using acceleration methods with other children in the community, it
became increasingly obvious that we had embarked upon something
quite radical from how many of us had come to view education.
I am a parent - not one with a PhD, teaching degree or even
certification. The only letter you’ll find behind my name are those of
a degree in business management and in some arenas, this would
be considered a paltry “mentioning” given I’m a member of the first-
generation, post-feminist movement of the 60’s. However, like so
many of you, when my children were born, I resolved to move
mountains to provide my children with a strong head start
academically and a solid path to excellence.
I must admit also fueling this desire was the proliferation of high-
school dropouts and arrested development of those who inhabited
my environment. However, no one in my family (myself included)
could have fathom what would become of what seemed to be such a
basic parental desire.
Over the years, my kids’ education played such an important part
my life that it was almost second nature to discuss schools,
curriculum, homework, etc. with other parents. It would always end
up that, new mothers, family members, even in-laws would bounce
ideas off of me pertaining to certain schools and best practices in
working with their kids after school. They knew I had done my
homework and witnessed some of the results I experienced with my
own children. So I guess it really isn’t too surprising that I now find
myself assisting other parents professionally.
Just before I began to carve out a career doing what I love, I
remember reaching out to a young mother who had given birth to a
son a few years ago. I had given her consistent advice on how to
prepare her young son for high level achievement urging her to start
while he was 2 years old while he can easily grasp things. Naturally
talking her into it was effortless as she was one of the by-standers of
watching me work with my very own children. She immediately
bought basic items like flash cards and workbooks started working
with her little boy. Given Julian’s quickness and her efforts, results
were manifested much earlier.
After only attending pre-school program of a neighborhood
church for just two months, Julian’s teacher met with her to advise
that she may want to consider something more advanced because
he had already mastered everything outlined in their curriculum. He
was just three years-old!! She was euphoric and became quite
confident in her own ability to work with her son at home. Last I
heard, she has become quite savvy in checking out schools by
means of test scores and continues to tailor her home teaching
methods for acceleration for Julian. They both are well on their way
to unlimited academic possibilities.
Still wanting to verify the validity of this accelerated approach, I
was opened to helping other children. I eventually met a delightful
couple of Snellville, Georgia who looked us up for tutoring services
for her daughter who was exceptionally charming and bright for her
age. The couple also had a brilliant son, who no one could seem to
teach or at the very least, get to stay seated in class. He was
labeled as disruptive by family member and school administrators; in
fact the mother expressed a fear of possible ADHD.
offer, I implore you to reconsider your perception of the methods of
elementary and secondary learning in the United States. A tall order
I know; I struggled with it initially myself but only then will you come to
fully appreciate the acceleration methods outlined in this book.
After you have opened your mind to the possibilities contained in
these pages, try to imagine your child moving intellectually from a
basic education concept on up to its advance content – in one
sitting.
The methods and strategies that can be used to accomplish this
may seem foreign perhaps even a bit frightening (hence the plea for
the open mind) but keep in mind the ultimate goal: to raise
confident, well-adjusted children with a love for life-long learning.
This is in fact the premise of accelerated learning. Whether it’s a
sixth grader with the ability to grasp high-school level physics or a
ninth grader totally capable of taking on calculus, your child can
experience the educational freedom paramount to his/her brain
development; thus, ultimately leading to their constructive unfolding
as human beings.
As you read the contents of this book, you will fully comprehend
that the philosophy and methodology of accelerated learning isn’t
just limited to the classroom although that is where you will initially
experience the strongest manifestation of results. When
acceleration is used in the home, the environment begins to
program within a child the habitual notion of seeking the most
efficient methods and avenues for acquiring the best possible
outcomes in all of life’s experiences, not just in school.
By nature, acceleration forges the ability to think. This happens
by means of a myriad of processes. One method; insightful
questioning – may cause the student to infer; make connections that
aren’t always visible at first glance or to process material in such a
way the student makes it his/her own; a skill synonymous with critical
thinking. Another method is using tools that efficiently channels
information to the child. To this day, my children can recount an
economic lesson learned back in 2002 when I simply relayed (and
demonstrated) how they would be personally affected whenever the
country experienced a recession. In kiddie-lingo, it meant a slowing
up of the little “extras” they would normally receive. It had gotten so
that my very young kids would groan at the mention of the word
recession on any newscast.
These methods along with what I like to call a “living” curriculum,
serve as the basis for that real learning I spoke of earlier. Acquiring
information under these conditions facilitates brain wiring that
necessitates achievement and in many cases, propels children to
experience early entry into college.
My personal experience with this fact has been rather delightful!
In November of 2007, my husband, daughter, father-in-law and I sat
together as a group in an auditorium at Morehouse College
extremely proud of our son. It was rather awkward because…we
were the only family members in attendance at this particular
ceremony. It was the Math Department’s 36th Annual Award
Presentation and we were completely out of place. But, then again,
most of the honorees didn’t stand 4 feet 7 inches. Our 11 year-old
son, Stephen Regis Stafford, II had been honored for his
participation in an Honors College Algebra course because he
received the highest average (100% +) in the class.
We were elated and had considered this a triumph! The road
that it took to get him here was one initially fraught with a mixture of
uncertainty and jubilation after we had failed to work out a practical
solution with our son’s former school. We were careful however,
not to translate any of this uncertainty into his educational
experience at home and we took great care to create a learning
atmosphere that was full of zest, innovation and progression.
Once we realized that we had no choice but to provide Stephen
with a home-based education, we set out on our own educational
journey, not really sure where it would lead. As forces would have
it, not only did both of our children excel to heights beyond anything
that we could have ever envisioned while homeschooling but after
using acceleration methods with other children in the community, it
became increasingly obvious that we had embarked upon something
quite radical from how many of us had come to view education.
I am a parent - not one with a PhD, teaching degree or even
certification. The only letter you’ll find behind my name are those of
a degree in business management and in some arenas, this would
be considered a paltry “mentioning” given I’m a member of the first-
generation, post-feminist movement of the 60’s. However, like so
many of you, when my children were born, I resolved to move
mountains to provide my children with a strong head start
academically and a solid path to excellence.
I must admit also fueling this desire was the proliferation of high-
school dropouts and arrested development of those who inhabited
my environment. However, no one in my family (myself included)
could have fathom what would become of what seemed to be such a
basic parental desire.
Over the years, my kids’ education played such an important part
my life that it was almost second nature to discuss schools,
curriculum, homework, etc. with other parents. It would always end
up that, new mothers, family members, even in-laws would bounce
ideas off of me pertaining to certain schools and best practices in
working with their kids after school. They knew I had done my
homework and witnessed some of the results I experienced with my
own children. So I guess it really isn’t too surprising that I now find
myself assisting other parents professionally.
Just before I began to carve out a career doing what I love, I
remember reaching out to a young mother who had given birth to a
son a few years ago. I had given her consistent advice on how to
prepare her young son for high level achievement urging her to start
while he was 2 years old while he can easily grasp things. Naturally
talking her into it was effortless as she was one of the by-standers of
watching me work with my very own children. She immediately
bought basic items like flash cards and workbooks started working
with her little boy. Given Julian’s quickness and her efforts, results
were manifested much earlier.
After only attending pre-school program of a neighborhood
church for just two months, Julian’s teacher met with her to advise
that she may want to consider something more advanced because
he had already mastered everything outlined in their curriculum. He
was just three years-old!! She was euphoric and became quite
confident in her own ability to work with her son at home. Last I
heard, she has become quite savvy in checking out schools by
means of test scores and continues to tailor her home teaching
methods for acceleration for Julian. They both are well on their way
to unlimited academic possibilities.
Still wanting to verify the validity of this accelerated approach, I
was opened to helping other children. I eventually met a delightful
couple of Snellville, Georgia who looked us up for tutoring services
for her daughter who was exceptionally charming and bright for her
age. The couple also had a brilliant son, who no one could seem to
teach or at the very least, get to stay seated in class. He was
labeled as disruptive by family member and school administrators; in
fact the mother expressed a fear of possible ADHD.
My opinion was that he was a six-year old boy with unbridled
energy yes but with glimpses of brilliance discernible in compulsive
outbursts.
She sensed my willingness to help and began telling me about
their troubles with “Trevor” during our mocha outings. So, during
their visits to our home, I began to observe him not letting on that I
was studying his behavior. I would make notes and identify ways to
connect to him and slowly I began the process of introducing
concepts to him through games. Although everyone else could see
what I was doing, Trevor of course, had no clue which made things
easier. I took great care not to invoke all of the negative feelings
he had experienced with school and fortunately for me and him,
Trevor was totally distracted. He only focused on the fun of it all;
working with me and playing with Stephen my son and his vast array
of electronic gadgets.
A manipulatives in the form of games were the perfect set up
and before he knew it, he had become one of a few first graders (if
not the only one in his class) who knew how to multiply. The
approach was so effective and straightforward that the parents, who
looked with utter amazement, asked me if I would consider home-
schooling him!!
Sadly, this arrangement was incompatible with my schedule but I
did my best to convince the mother, who was a stay-at-home mom,
that she was every bit as capable of teaching her own son as I was
but it was a go! She didn’t trust herself enough to do it and her son’
s behavior proved too much for her which in the end is truly a
regrettable commentary. Why? Because the parental act of
teaching a child involves much more than academics. There are
the social and emotional elements that are every bit as crucial as
the intellectual. Studies show that children develop their primary
sense of “self” through interactions with their parents. If the mother
reflects back to her son negative impressions he has already
received from teachers and administrators, it could very well cripple
his self-esteem.
As you would expect, there would be other children in my future
performing beneath their academic potential. As a mother with that
strong instinct to nurture, I loving-concern moved me to teach an
impromptu lesson or two while they were in my midst. I kept the
exercises fun and I found many of these kids, like Trevor, to be
extremely witty and sharp. They showed superior reasoning skills
and other highly developed cognitive ability; yet for some reason,
(reasons perhaps their parents wanted to keep private) their
prowess wasn’t made apparent in the classroom. So, also as with
Trevor, I’d slide in one or two basic algebraic lessons or an
advanced language arts concept and then I would shower them with
sincere praise once they got it. It became addictive on both sides
because their little spirits soared specifically when they got a higher
level concept!
This “experiment” of teaching other kids proved several points.
To the child, he/she learned that education is not the monotonous
or intimidating experience he/she has come to associate with it.
Additionally, I wanted him/her to discover the confidence to face any
challenging subject. Moreover to the parents, I insisted upon
observation of their child’s capacity to learn much more than what
he/she encountered in school. And I was hoping to inspire active
participation themselves in the form of working with their very own
children at home.
In some cases, I was successful but in many more, I would
receive the accolades, praising me for my ability and that was about
all. I was appreciative for the “honor” but it didn’t do much to
improve their children’s situation at home. As far as I was
concerned, the intent wasn’t successful if the parents didn’t heed
the call themselves. But it certainly didn’t stop me from looking for
others who may be more receptive.
Every day that I educated my children and worked with others, I
used a creative blend of tools, techniques and strategies to
encourage interest. Many of which resulted simply from common
sense, intuition, cues from the child and actual research. During
those days, I was nearly obsessed; a lot of my free time was spent
on the internet and visiting various libraries to use reference
materials. I then studied some acceleration methods used by one
favored prominent gifted program. I joined homeschool networks
and online support groups for gifted children and those meetings
proved most validating.
It was refreshing to learn from others that some of my practices
weren’t too “out there” and that they were quite similar to what other
parents had tried. These parents, like I, were experimenting by
means of trial and error. In many of these parental circles, it wasn’t
an unusual occurrence to try methods diametrically opposite of the
opinions expressed by educational experts, grand-parents, in-laws
and well-meaning friends. Therefore, participation in the parental
“war-rooms” trading stories of successes became the order of the
day. These meetings gave many of us the support and confidence
to continue on in our work and to build on the successes we were
experiencing.
But getting back to that need to “do something” for other
children after the ceremony at Morehouse, as a result of I decided
to lend my voice in increasing awareness of the importance of
parental involvement in their child’s learning experience beginning
in infancy. If it had not been for the fact that I started early
childhood learning myself and had become aware of my children’s
abilities, they would definitely be very different children today.
The very uncomfortable truth is that my daughter also was not
identified as a candidate for a gifted program after I had requested
testing in the third grade. I knew that Marti was at least one grade
ahead based on my review of her abilities and their curriculum. We
had transferred to a state known to have a well-publicized inferior
public education curriculum state-wide. The state of Georgia was
second from the bottom of the heap in national SAT scores. But
once again, armed with the evidence of real “home-work”
assignments we took decisive action to pull her to homeschool until
we could identify a more acceptable traditional schooling situation
for her.
It was a similar occurrence with our son. While he easily
obtained straight-A’s in all of his subjects, he too wasn’t identified
for testing into his school’s gifted program. On the contrary, to this
school’s credit, they did administer a test as per our request.
During a meeting with our son’s teacher and an assistant principle
to discuss more challenging provisions, the administrators
presented us with Stephen’s test results which I have to concede
didn’t reflect a student with extraordinary abilities. My husband and
I were flabbergasted! When we presented with our evidence of
Algebra 1 work from home, I believe the comment from the
administrator was something to the affect that, students performed
differently in the home environment than in the classroom; a
statement that proved to be truer than any of us would realize.
We immediately pulled Stephen from his school to homeschool
him as well and three years later, he’s profiled on Atlanta’s WSB-TV
Channel 2 News for achieving the highest average in a college
honors algebra course at the young age of 11! Parents, it is
imperative that you know your children. Learn what they are
capable of at home and in the classroom; preserve this evidence. It
may mean the world of difference in what opportunities they pursue
or which ones elude them!
Our kids are thriving now and are doing exceptionally well. We
are quite pleased with every sacrifice that has been made resulting
in where we are now. That basic intent to start teaching early on
has pretty much rescued our children and put them in positions to
move toward bigger and better possibilities. And based on my
association with other parents, they too can probably say the
same. My wish is for you and your child to have similar
experiences.
energy yes but with glimpses of brilliance discernible in compulsive
outbursts.
She sensed my willingness to help and began telling me about
their troubles with “Trevor” during our mocha outings. So, during
their visits to our home, I began to observe him not letting on that I
was studying his behavior. I would make notes and identify ways to
connect to him and slowly I began the process of introducing
concepts to him through games. Although everyone else could see
what I was doing, Trevor of course, had no clue which made things
easier. I took great care not to invoke all of the negative feelings
he had experienced with school and fortunately for me and him,
Trevor was totally distracted. He only focused on the fun of it all;
working with me and playing with Stephen my son and his vast array
of electronic gadgets.
A manipulatives in the form of games were the perfect set up
and before he knew it, he had become one of a few first graders (if
not the only one in his class) who knew how to multiply. The
approach was so effective and straightforward that the parents, who
looked with utter amazement, asked me if I would consider home-
schooling him!!
Sadly, this arrangement was incompatible with my schedule but I
did my best to convince the mother, who was a stay-at-home mom,
that she was every bit as capable of teaching her own son as I was
but it was a go! She didn’t trust herself enough to do it and her son’
s behavior proved too much for her which in the end is truly a
regrettable commentary. Why? Because the parental act of
teaching a child involves much more than academics. There are
the social and emotional elements that are every bit as crucial as
the intellectual. Studies show that children develop their primary
sense of “self” through interactions with their parents. If the mother
reflects back to her son negative impressions he has already
received from teachers and administrators, it could very well cripple
his self-esteem.
As you would expect, there would be other children in my future
performing beneath their academic potential. As a mother with that
strong instinct to nurture, I loving-concern moved me to teach an
impromptu lesson or two while they were in my midst. I kept the
exercises fun and I found many of these kids, like Trevor, to be
extremely witty and sharp. They showed superior reasoning skills
and other highly developed cognitive ability; yet for some reason,
(reasons perhaps their parents wanted to keep private) their
prowess wasn’t made apparent in the classroom. So, also as with
Trevor, I’d slide in one or two basic algebraic lessons or an
advanced language arts concept and then I would shower them with
sincere praise once they got it. It became addictive on both sides
because their little spirits soared specifically when they got a higher
level concept!
This “experiment” of teaching other kids proved several points.
To the child, he/she learned that education is not the monotonous
or intimidating experience he/she has come to associate with it.
Additionally, I wanted him/her to discover the confidence to face any
challenging subject. Moreover to the parents, I insisted upon
observation of their child’s capacity to learn much more than what
he/she encountered in school. And I was hoping to inspire active
participation themselves in the form of working with their very own
children at home.
In some cases, I was successful but in many more, I would
receive the accolades, praising me for my ability and that was about
all. I was appreciative for the “honor” but it didn’t do much to
improve their children’s situation at home. As far as I was
concerned, the intent wasn’t successful if the parents didn’t heed
the call themselves. But it certainly didn’t stop me from looking for
others who may be more receptive.
Every day that I educated my children and worked with others, I
used a creative blend of tools, techniques and strategies to
encourage interest. Many of which resulted simply from common
sense, intuition, cues from the child and actual research. During
those days, I was nearly obsessed; a lot of my free time was spent
on the internet and visiting various libraries to use reference
materials. I then studied some acceleration methods used by one
favored prominent gifted program. I joined homeschool networks
and online support groups for gifted children and those meetings
proved most validating.
It was refreshing to learn from others that some of my practices
weren’t too “out there” and that they were quite similar to what other
parents had tried. These parents, like I, were experimenting by
means of trial and error. In many of these parental circles, it wasn’t
an unusual occurrence to try methods diametrically opposite of the
opinions expressed by educational experts, grand-parents, in-laws
and well-meaning friends. Therefore, participation in the parental
“war-rooms” trading stories of successes became the order of the
day. These meetings gave many of us the support and confidence
to continue on in our work and to build on the successes we were
experiencing.
But getting back to that need to “do something” for other
children after the ceremony at Morehouse, as a result of I decided
to lend my voice in increasing awareness of the importance of
parental involvement in their child’s learning experience beginning
in infancy. If it had not been for the fact that I started early
childhood learning myself and had become aware of my children’s
abilities, they would definitely be very different children today.
The very uncomfortable truth is that my daughter also was not
identified as a candidate for a gifted program after I had requested
testing in the third grade. I knew that Marti was at least one grade
ahead based on my review of her abilities and their curriculum. We
had transferred to a state known to have a well-publicized inferior
public education curriculum state-wide. The state of Georgia was
second from the bottom of the heap in national SAT scores. But
once again, armed with the evidence of real “home-work”
assignments we took decisive action to pull her to homeschool until
we could identify a more acceptable traditional schooling situation
for her.
It was a similar occurrence with our son. While he easily
obtained straight-A’s in all of his subjects, he too wasn’t identified
for testing into his school’s gifted program. On the contrary, to this
school’s credit, they did administer a test as per our request.
During a meeting with our son’s teacher and an assistant principle
to discuss more challenging provisions, the administrators
presented us with Stephen’s test results which I have to concede
didn’t reflect a student with extraordinary abilities. My husband and
I were flabbergasted! When we presented with our evidence of
Algebra 1 work from home, I believe the comment from the
administrator was something to the affect that, students performed
differently in the home environment than in the classroom; a
statement that proved to be truer than any of us would realize.
We immediately pulled Stephen from his school to homeschool
him as well and three years later, he’s profiled on Atlanta’s WSB-TV
Channel 2 News for achieving the highest average in a college
honors algebra course at the young age of 11! Parents, it is
imperative that you know your children. Learn what they are
capable of at home and in the classroom; preserve this evidence. It
may mean the world of difference in what opportunities they pursue
or which ones elude them!
Our kids are thriving now and are doing exceptionally well. We
are quite pleased with every sacrifice that has been made resulting
in where we are now. That basic intent to start teaching early on
has pretty much rescued our children and put them in positions to
move toward bigger and better possibilities. And based on my
association with other parents, they too can probably say the
same. My wish is for you and your child to have similar
experiences.
Stephen introduced to
Morehouse freshman by
Professor Lee Norris in
June 2008!
Morehouse freshman by
Professor Lee Norris in
June 2008!