Sunday, March 31, 2013

3 HUGE Mistakes We Make with Kids, and How to Fix Them



I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
Thomas A. Edison 


I'm a huge fan of Martin Seligman (and Edison too obviously...the man had NO quit in him). Seligman has written some amazing work in the field of positive psychology and it well known for his theory of learned helplessness. One of my favorite things he has written about is our perception of failure. You see, failure is actually a GOOD thing! It is our perception of failure that impacts us negatively in so many ways, not simply the failure itself.

Saturday, March 30, 2013

How often do you daydream?



My wife is a daydreamer, my kids are daydreamers, and I am most certainly a daydreamer. We all spend our time drifting off into the clouds, but this is a good thing.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Welcome to WiseLearners.com



My name is Angel Rodriguez. I'm a educator, adoptive dad, scholar, neuro-geek, and amateur stuntman (according to my kiddos). I have joyfully been helping others learn for nearly 17 years and each has been an adventure. During that time I’ve taught children in Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade and Special Education classes. I’ve also served as an ESOL teacher and Technology Specialist as well. I currently work with families as the Parent Instructional Support Coordinator (I’d much rather just say I’m a teacher) at Kanoheda Elementary. This school is part of the Gwinnett County Public Schools, which is the largest school system in the state of Georgia. Although I miss having my own kiddos, I’m blessed to have had the unique opportunity of teaching families how they can best support the education of their children. I get to offer workshops, trainings, and coordinate school events for our families. I loved being able to work with 20+ families per year before working in this capacity, but it has been a dream come true to have the chance to work with 900+ families per year and help make an impact.


In addition to working with families as an educator, I’ve also served as a foster parent for 8 years. My wife and I specialized in working with families in crisis, caring for children diagnosed as having severe physical, mental, and emotional disorders, which included Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD).