A pioneer in the field of early childhood education, Dr. Sally continues her work as a writer and Mommy Perks is thrilled to have her writing for us. Based on her many previous books, Dr. Sally is now bringing us tips, activities, and parenting techniques. Check in every week to see what she has for you on Monday Morning Coffee, Tuesday Afternoon Tea, and Wednesday Evening Wine.
- Shara (owner of Mommy Perks, Early Childhood News and Resources, Kids Perks, Personal Child Stories, Reliable Bloggers and co-owner of Pine Media.)
Dr. Sally shares…
It is my pleasure to have this online experience with Shara. Visit any one of her websites and you will see that every word she writes contributes to making the world a better place for moms, dads and their children: Mommy Perks | Kids Perks | Personal Child Stories | Early Childhood News and Resources. As part of her team, I give her all my support and will do whatever I can to help in this worthy pursuit.
Bio
Sally Goldberg, Ph.D. was the first parenting expert on “Parent to Parent,” a FOX TV Channel 7 weekly news segment. Dr. Sally is a professor of education and parenting book author.
A prolific magazine writer, Dr. Sally has been published often in a multitude of magazines across the country. Her regular columns have appeared in Florida Wise, Florida Baby, Today’s Parent, and Viewpointe. Her unique, logical, and down-to-earth advice has been quoted in numerous magazines and newspapers including Parent’s Magazine and American Baby. Consumer Reports featured her concepts in two major editions of Best Baby Products.
Dr. Sally worked for many years as an instructor of early childhood education on the adjunct faculties of Nova Southeastern University, Barry University, and the University of Phoenix. Well-known for her tools and strategies for self esteem development, Sally was a national conference presenter and a frequent guest on TV and radio.
Dr. Sally was one of the nation’s first parent coaches and founder of Dr. Sally Parenting, Inc. She has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Cornell University and a Ph.D. from the University of Miami. Check out: Amazon’s Complete Selection of Sally Goldberg Books
And now… Dr. Sally is turning her time and attention in a totally new direction: Parenting Tips with Dr. Sally.
Dr. Sally’s Story as told by Dr. Sally
When my older daughter Cynthia was born in 1976, she came into the world with a disability, a condition that put her behind the starting line in every area of development. I arrived as her mother, a first grade teacher with a basic understanding of the beginning of education. The job was clear–get Cynthia off to the best start possible, a start that would help her form a foundation that she could build on for the rest of her life.
Simple? Yes! Easy? No. Who can do such a job? Who can even begin to think about such an overwhelming task? Who has the knowledge and expertise to do this? With no one to turn to, it had to be me. With teacher education as my background, I began to think that maybe I was in just the right position to accept this challenge. Her birth gave me the love. and my profession gave me the knowledge. Some information was available… but not too much.
“The beginning” held the key. I had originally chosen to become a first grade teacher because I intuitively liked the idea of getting children off to the best start possible. Developing productive patterns from the start made sense. Unlearning bad habits or re-learning misinformation made no sense. While first grade in 1971 was the beginning of education, I often questioned that timing. Maybe earlier than six-years-old was a better time to lay important educational groundwork. Maybe learning to read is more natural than we think and can be learned in a more informal and enjoyable way at an earlier time.
In 1976 when I found myself faced with Cynthia and her at-risk learning condition, I began to think that maybe the baby years were the true beginning. Maybe if I made some educated guesses and tried some new techniques, I really would know what to do. It was possible that learning to read while learning to talk was a realistic idea. There was little to lose and much to gain.
Faced with my challenge, I did what any other mother in my situation would have done– read all there was to read and buy all there was to buy. Outstanding education books like How to Raise a Brighter Child by Joan Beck, The First Three Years of Life by Burton While, Loving and Learning by Norma McDiarmid, and Teach Your Baby to Read by Glen Doman made an impression on me at the time. While the term “educational toys” didn’t even exist at the time, I found three wooden Finnish toys that I thought were just great–a rattle with visible parts that rattled, a crib gym designed around the concept of cause-and-effect, and a unique one-piece bending toy that combined purpose and fun. I really liked all of these. These few high quality books and these three well-constructed toys pointed me in the right direction. They gave me just the right push I needed to begin my work. Eventually I made a whole series of learning toys and games. Cynthia and I ended up being a great pair. The more I taught her, the more she learned. Then the more she learned, the more I taught her.
And so the process continued all the way up to current times. Today many other teachers are part of the picture. While music, art, dance, drama, poetry and sports are all special loves, Cynthia has many other areas of interest and expertise. All teachers recognize two major characteristics–her love of learning and her limitless determination to reach higher and higher goals.
The Process
I began my pursuit to help Cynthia with observing her as a baby. What was she actually doing? The answer was playing. She played with cards, paper, plastic containers and other simple household items. She also gravitated to people and responded well to family and friends with whom she interacted often. I noticed that repetition and familiarity were behind what and whom she remembered.
Then one day I thought, “If I make her toys that exhibit basic concepts like colors and letters, maybe, through the process of repetition and familiarity, she would learn them.” Before long, I made such toys, and not long after that she showed that she remembered them. Numbers and shapes were next, and soon she was reading over 100 words.
By the time she was three, she started to attract attention. One mother said, “Our children are much older, and they don’t have any kind of disability, but they do not know anything like your daughter does. How did you teach her?” she asked, “If I get a group of mothers together, would you give us some workshops on how you taught your daughter?” she continued. Even thought I really did not know at the time what I had actually done, I was flattered by the request and said yes. In no time she got the mothers together, and I started figuring out my end. Soon I organized all the toys I had created. Then I figured out a way to explain them. In time I gave a series of six workshops to my neighbors. For each one I gave out separate handouts, and it was those handouts that I eventually turned into my first book Teaching With Toys: Making Your Own Educational Toys published in 1981 by the University of Michigan Press.
During that time Cynthia and I had a golden opportunity to peek into the field of early development and find out a little more about it. By chance we were able to validate some information about early learning that had formerly been known only in a theoretical way. Through concrete practices we could see day in and day out that effective input brought about worthwhile output. Through our own experiences we then knew first-hand that the early years were indeed the all-important learning years.
The Magic
Was it normal love and my educational background that truly made this happen as I had originally thought? It had to be something else. What was it? A power. Parents hold a power that guides them to do just the right thing for their child at just the right time. It is some kind of energy that a parent releases in just the right amount when needed to solve a child problem. The solution can be as simple as calming a crying baby, or it can be as complicated as nursing a sick child back to health. No matter the challenge, parents have this extra strength to go to any length to help their child. Yes, by using my maternal power, I was able to provide for Cynthia the foundation that she needed to succeed.
While the first successes had to do with beginning concepts and learning from homemade toys, the next ones had to do with skills like reading, writing, listening and thinking and learning from home-designed games. There was math, motor, mid-line development and much more. Before long I explained everything in Growing with Games: Making Your Own Educational Games, published by the University of Michigan Press in 1986.
The Missing Link
With this information and all that came after it, today children and parents are still in need of guidance and direction. Why? With the abundance of information available–in books, magazines, and on the Internet, what could be missing? It has to be something deep . It has to be something like genuine strength from the inside out. It must be something like a solid combination of a strong mind, body and spirit. Hmmm, sounds good, but what does all that mean? How do we make sense out of that?
Experiences
It is experiences that make the difference. People are a product of them. The more positive and productive they are the more positive and productive the person will be. Experiences take place 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, and every year. There is no break. Every minute is important. While it is every child who should have the finest experiences, it is every parent who should know how to provide them.
The Next Step
A blog! What a good way to teach this kind of information! I can divide it up into three parts: tips, activities, and parenting techniques. In this way, not only can I provide the most up-to-date useful information, but I can also deliver it in small user-friendly sequences. Last but not least, I can give you feedback about what you are doing and how things are going.
Today
I am the proud mom of two beautiful daughters. Cynthia holds down a job at a local book store, volunteers as a greeter in a nearby gallery, and flourishes in the arts, writing her own inspirational poetry and performing in a musical troop. Her sister is a speech therapist who enjoys an amazingly full life of her own. Writing is my expertise, and I get to enjoy that right here on-line with you.
