Thriving at School Interview with John Stewart

Thriving at School: A practical guide to help your child enjoy the crucial school years.

Thriving at School aims to help children flourish in the crucial early school years and beyond. This easy-to-read, practical guide is designed to help parents develop their children's attitudes, values and good habits and so help them become happy and effective learners. Highly regarded authors Dr John Irvine and John Stewart consider ways to help a child succeed in the classroom, be stimulated to learn, deal with difficulties in the playground, and get on well with others at school and at home.

The authors write: "Current research shows that our children's success in life will depend less on their 'traditional' IQ and more on their emotional intelligence - their ability to form successful relationships, be more understanding of others and form a postitive outlook on life. They will need the new Three Rs: the values of respect, responsibility and relationships. These values underpin every student's capacity to thrive at school."

Dr John Irvine is an educational psychologist, a consultant psychologist, a counsellor and a widely recognised specialist on children's behaviour. He is the author of significant books for parents such as 'A Handbook for Happy Families' and 'Who'd be a parent?'

John Stewart is Head of the Junior School at Central Coast Grammar in NSW, a highly experienced educator and has been teaching in Australia and the UK since 1993. He has a Masters of Education degree from Cambridge University and is the author of an innovative multimedia online textbook, Writeonline.

Finch Publishing
Authors: Dr John Irvine & John Stewart

Thriving at school

A practical guide to help your child enjoy the crucial school years.According to the authors, John Stewart and Dr John Irvine, of Thriving at School current research shows that our childrens success in life will depend less on their traditional intelligence or IQ and more on their emotional intelligence their EQ. Children need to learn the values of respect, responsibility and relationships if they are to thrive in school and also in later life. The authors comment that: "These values underpin every childs capacity to thrive at school, to form successful relationships, be more understanding of others and form a positive outlook on life."

Thriving at School aims to help children thrive in the early school years, which will help them till the end of schooling. Thriving at School is a practical and easy to read guide to help parents in shaping their childrens attitudes. These attitudes should help them along with their values and habits ensuring they become happy and effective learners.

Some of the key issues discussed in Thriving at School are:

* Knowing when a child is ready to start school
* Dealing with school complaints, reports, procedures, discipline problems etc.
* Thriving in the playground
* Learning with special needs
* Understanding a childs individual learning needs and abilities

* Helping children get along with others, handle bullying and deal with separation anxiety, and more.

The books format contains cartoon-like-images, large fonts, breakout boxes of information, subtitles, tables and anecdote. The book also contains a resource, index and suggested reading section.

One half of the author team is Dr John Irvine. Dr Irvine is an educational psychologist, a consultant psychologist, a counsellor and a widely recognised specialist on childrens behaviour. He is the author of significant books for parents such as A Handbook for Happy Families and Whod be a Parent? Dr John Irvine and John Stewart joined together to write Thriving at School. John Stewart is Head of the Junior School at Central Coast Grammar in NSW, a highly experienced educator and has been teaching in Australia and the UK since 1993. He has a Masters of Education degree from Cambridge University and is the author of an innovative multimedia online textbook, Writeonline.

John Stewart, Thriving at school Interview

What was your inspiration behind this book?

John Stewart: Dr John actually. He came to me and said that there was a need for 'modern change', we need a focus on the needs of children and the changing ways of how they learn. I used my experience to update the book. Writing the book was a great way for me to learn also. Although it was a challenge.


What are some of the basics in knowing when your child is ready to start school?

John Stewart: Knowing when they are ready, I guess that institution, being institutionalised, and not being in front of a close friend or a Kindergarden when its all games and fun. The span focus being on rigor. Making sure that your child is ready in terms of coordination, being interested, able to focus and show that they actually want to learn. There are checklists throughout the book and anecdotes from parents, funny stories that make you laugh but also help you learn. Youll know when your child is ready, and so will they, so ask them. You can never be too old for school but you can be too young. If you see that your child is happily mixing with others, has a group of friends and goes to friends houses this will show that they know how to take turns in relationships with others. Also look at your childs drawings; kids drawings of people and house are important. If there are three to four recognisable features, that arent guesses, it shows they are ready.

Also talking, its good that there is a large focus on speech therapy and the pronouncing of sounds, as well as letter correspondence. That is why nursery rhymes are important in childhood. Things like being toilet trained and being able to dress is also important. It is important that they can dress themselves, especially with things like buttons, buttoning up shirts, showing fine motor control, it is still important to help them but fine motor control will slowly develop. Take the term Kindergarden for example, growing happy children. Where they should be up to is not a race, learning and education are not races, it is an enjoyment. My soul goes out to the hearts of the Kindergarden teachers, they are patient and they have a classroom full of little minds exploding with ideas.

Another idea to knowing when your child is ready is to ask. Ask the teacher at the pre-school. Whats important about the book is that it says lets contact with others, throughout strategies, case studies, teacher tips and anecdotes from teachers and parents. The book isnt too serious; it is serious that the children be placed into education too soon, as its there to be enjoyed. Willingness for a child to take risks shows a growing confidence, especially them being separated from their parents. I remember a child once, I was doing a school tour, with his family and he was running around, looking everywhere, he was so excited and he said "I cant dream this big!" Showing the wide imagination children have and their creative edge.


Who is your book mostly aimed at?

John Stewart: The book is aimed at three distinct levels, parents. For parents searching for strategies they find answers. The book has tips and checklists, which is easily accessible, providing support throughout the whole book. Also the book is aimed at Grandparents, how they can see back on information and provide information to their children, who now are having children. Its an easily way for them to communicate. It is also aimed at educationists; it is readable, laughable and provides strategies for them to provide to parents. Teachers become confident through reading the book and can talk to parents. They can also photocopy pages so when parents do approach them they can speak easily and also provide them with a photocopy from the book, maybe one with a checklist.


Your working background would have helped you a lot with writing this book?

John Stewart: Absolutely! I have four kids and my wife taught me a lot too. I am in the current role of Head of School, but I have also worked overseas, in an independent school, an international school a boarding school. As well as co-educational schools and single sex. Now I back working in Aus as Head of School at a junior school. My passion is with children, even if its skipping with the junior school or chatting with the boys and girls in year six.


How was it working with Dr John Irvine?

John Stewart: Brilliant! He has such a status; he is someone that I learnt from a taught me! Dr John has a great wealth of knowledge, you can learn from those who know. It was good to share and interact together with the anecdotes and learn about Dr Johns philosophies and theories. As we tackled the book I learnt a lot. I began to feel confident as anybody who needs an answer to a question has to feel confident in the question, and this book provides that. It shows that they are parenting correctly, or shows parenting from another angle, that creates positives and benefits.


Have you always wanted to be a writer?

John Stewart: I have written text books on how to write. I wanted to dabble in the ideas and communicating ideas that produces a sharing process of my ideas. Writing the book also taught me that I had to get up early, as I was working at the school as well at the time. I also learnt how to condense my ideas into a book. Something that was easy to read but still showed the point of view.


How lengthy was the process behind writing this book?

John Stewart: Eighteen months. I was one of eight children, so I basically grew up in a school, with parents, four boys and four girls. Being surrounded by siblings started me on the road to learning, and now having four children of my own and going through the process of marriage and focus of growing and having more than one child. And seeing how different one child can be compared to another.


Whats your favourite part about being a writer?

John Stewart:My favourite part was being able to introduce the concept of emotional learning. It shows the best in a child. Also showing the new three Rs. Not the normal reading, riting, rithmetic and but the new three. The learning to engage in learning the respect for others, respect for self and the respect for the personal property. The second being the responsibility for a parent and a child for their own learning, the children need to know where their responsibility should be. And the last R being relationships the key feature for the next generation of cyber learners. It is a first that children know more than adults, in the cyber world. Child are teaching adults. Social skills in a social age. The right values and the right attitude and then confidence that moves to habits. It is a self realisation


What category of people would you like to pick up your book and purchase it?

John Stewart: Well I think that anybody that is really interested in children, which we all are. Lets all try and enjoy kids. Too as I said before for the grandparents that are worried and now can say "Oh! Thats so great!" and become confident in their grandchildren and their children. There is a focus on normal but the large focus is on being above normal. No longer wanting normality. All of a sudden it is created. The individual needs to be needed. The book is for anybody who has an interest in child, has children or educates children.