The Right Side of Normal

When LionHeart wasn't reading at age 5, I was concerned.  When he wasn't reading at the same level as his big brother at age 6, I was more concerned.  By age 7, I was in a state of panic!  There were doctor's appointments and testing.  I rejected the terms dyslexic and learning disabled that are slapped on so many African American boys.  Then I stumbled upon a book that set me free.  The book's title is The Right Side of Normal by Cindy Gaddis. I read the characteristics of the Right Brain Learner and I instantly saw an image of my LionHeart. These words embody the essence of him: imagination, picture based (3-dimensional), global, whole, association, intuitive (heart), resistant, internal perfectionism, process and space. As I continued to read, I discovered that Right Brain Learners typically begin reading between the ages of 8-10.  The discovery brought tears to my eyes.

After LionHeart's recent showcase performance with Tam Tam Mandingue and Farafina Kan, I realized I had not fully respected that LionHeart had been learning deeply all along.  I elevated traditional learning (sitting down with curriculum) above experiential learning (cooking, physical movement, technology, art, music), and downplayed the latter.  I had an epiphany right after his drum teacher put his hands on LionHeart's head and told him that he had four responsibilities for the upcoming performance.  A the age of 8, LionHeart was charged with not only remembering complex African rhythms (no music to read -- it's coming from the heart and spirit), but also which song went with which ensemble (he's playing with three), which song to play for the dancers, and when to solo.  Obviously, there's no learning disability; it's just that music speaks to the way he learns.  In the words of Dr. Umar Johnson, a noted African-American child psychologist, a learning disability is the opinion of the evaluator, not a scientific fact!

When I began to reflect upon all of LionHeart's activities where he experienced the most success and delight, it became crystal clear that he was already learning in a way that he could understand.  He gets it and he feels accomplished. In his study of Capoeira, he is learning Portuguese and the complex movements of the Afro-Brazilian martial art.  He's also learning to play a third instrument: the Berimbau!  The more I read about the Right Brain Learner and how different his timetable is from a Left Brain learner, the more I began to relax and trust that as long as he is learning, everything else will fall into place.

Playing a few bars from a Stevie Wonder tune his brother taught him.

In his study of piano he is learning the language of music - no small feat.  He loves to create, he loves costumes and loves to learn through technology and games like Minecraft.  In fact, we are taking a class with Minecraft Homeschool right now.  Why, why, why have I been discounting all of this as "extra" instead of making it his main work? Well, I'm a product of the traditional educational system that puts value on only one kind of education - organized, sequential, book-based information, which is the gift of the left brain learner, according to Gaddis.  In a school setting it makes all other children look disabled if they don't learn in the same way.  Why would I continue to speak Spanish to someone who obviously speaks Swahili? If I teach him in a way he can understand, he will learn.  He will thrive. Sadly, many children never get the opportunity to be taught in the way that they learn and end up feeling angry, worthless, depressed, or worse, just give up and live down to the low expectations.

My Right Brain Fashion lover.

Understanding and teaching to what Gaddis describes as the universal gifts of the Right Brain Learner opens up his world of learning.  Right Brain Learners are characterized as being highly imaginative and  possess the ability to think in pictures.  Gaddis lists some of their creative outlets as computers/video games, art/photography, puzzles/mazes, fashion/sewing, building/electronics, theater/showmanship, math/numbers, music/dance, and cooking/gardening.  Uh, can you say LIONHEART! This description couldn't be any more exact! I can certainly build his learning around these areas.  Gaddis says in her book that "by extensively engaging in preferred creative outlets up to the 8 to 10 year time frame, the creative child develops the traits and strengths necessary to navigate the left-brain tasks they'll encounter at the next stage."  Makes perfect sense to me!

 

Lion Heart loves to work in costume.

As a Left Brain Learner with right brain tendencies, I crave order and sequence.  Teaching out of order pains me.  But I had to learn to adjust.  According to Gaddis, the Right Brain Learner is a global, big picture learner.  They want to know the whole before the details will ever matter.  I was perplexed that LionHeart understood the concept of multiplication and division, but struggled with basic math facts until  I read that I should allow him to experiment with Algebra and Geometry, which will motivate him to learn math facts – the details.  Recently, I took an online class called Natural Math where these concepts were explored.  Experiencing multiplication through fractals was a delight-filled experience for LionHeart. I was able to present it in a way that he understood.

I cringe when I think about the kind of learning I would have continued to push on LionHeart had I never discovered this book.  Gaddis describes schools and many curriculums as using a scope and sequence that favors the gifts of the left brain dominant person - “product-driven, sequential learning, that is word and symbol focused.”  The Right Brain Learner is process driven, wants to know the why, wants to experiment and discover.  Creativity and exploration drives the learning of  Right Brain Learners whom Gaddis describes as “creative children that love to learn, but hate to be taught.”  John Holt says something similar in his book How Children Learn.

LionHeart loves Hip Hop, especially Break Dance.

Most schools will label (ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, learning disabled, dysgraphia, dyscalculia) or attempt to "fix" or "remediate" a Right Brain Learner because he struggles when taught in ways that are considered the norm.  Gaddis goes on to say that "labels were created to explain the difference between your child's intelligence and his inability to perform in the classroom."  As parents, we are not bound by that faulty reasoning.  We can learn about and understand the natural learning path for our Right Brain Learners.  It doesn't mean our children won't learn the skills needed to attend college or be successful in life.  It means, as my grandmother used to say, "there is more than one way to skin a cat."  Teaching to the strengths of the Right Brain Learner can be easily accomplished if you homeschool.  But, what if your child attends a traditional school?  The Right Side of Normal has 495 pages of perspective-shifting information and resources that parents will find useful in helping to facilitate strength-based learning that celebrate the unique gifts and talents of Right Brain Learners.

LionHeart loves to make art, especially drawing and painting.

When I stumbled upon the website, I knew I had to review this book for my blog.  I wanted other parents to be liberated from thinking something was wrong with their children if they were struggling with what I call "paper-based learning" - the usual textbooks and curriculum.  Although I was given a digital copy to review, I'm old school - I need paper.  So I'm ordering a copy that I am sure will become my highlighted, sticky-note tabbed reference for ways to support my Right Brain Learner as I continue on the journey.

If you click on this link, you can read a 28 page excerpt.