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I describe myself as not having a slow setting.

As for DS9, I think the carelessness is partially a function of age. I'm trying to give him specific suggestions that will help him slow down (see my last post in this thread) such as "Check signs as the last thing!" I hope this approach will slow him down without revealing that it's slowing him down, if you see what I mean....

Val

I think we could switch kids and not know the difference.

Tonight he was practicing a new scale on the piano. Naturally, he attacks it with the same top speed he uses for scales he already knows -- with the expected noisy results.

"Okay, son... if you just slow it down -- even a teeny, tiny bit -- you'll play it through without mistakes and you'll be done with that scale for tonight."

"OK."

!ZOOM! (Cacophony of errors; cats dancing on the piano, etc...)

"Son... IF YOU WILL JUST SLOW IT DOWN..."

!ZOOM! (Cacophony redux ...)

"SON!!! SLOW DOWN! ..."

!ZOOM! (Ditto...)

Ad nauseum.

And either he relents, slows down & nails it... or he gets just enough practice through the above iterations... and nails it anyhow (accompanied by a very smug "Neener-neener!" on his face).

Every once in awhile, when he's not really paying attention, he accidentally slows down and is done with a given section on the 1st or 2nd attempt. When I try to point out what just occurred -- and how it might be in his best interest to duplicate this approach -- he looks at me like I'm a talking dog or something. Drives me up the flipping wall.

To his much-deserved credit, he's really improved his patience when it comes to tearing apart a new song section by section, measure by measure. Without exaggeration, it nearly brings a tear to my eye watching him methodically work through difficult passages with determination I previously thought to be impossible.

So maybe there's hope for the Speedy Gonzales gene, too.

Ha! Me too.

Try this from my Army days:


Slow is Smooth.

Smooth is Fast.

This comment:

The "slow is smooth, smooth is fast" saying has its origins in the military. With that context the meaning is fairly obvious: moving fast, or rushing it, is reckless and will likely get you killed. If you move slowly, carefully and deliberate however, you are really moving as fast as you can without needlessly increasing the risk on your life. (Or that you will get it wrong.)

An equivalent statement applies to getting from point A to point B when you aren't familiar with the terrain:

"The long way is usually the quick way."

Val

In Spanish, we have to similar statements:

'Cuando el Rey tiene prisa, le dice a su mayordomo: Visteme despacio que tengo prisa'
= 'When the King is in a hurry, he says to his majordomo: Dress me slowly that I am in a hurry.'

and

'No hay atajo sin trabajo.' = 'There is no short-cut without (extra/hard) work'.


About homework: I live in The Netherlands and kids here do not get any homework until they are 10 and then it is just once or twice in a while.

At earlier ages the most they get is a recommendation for parents to practice a little at home.

I personally like that.

In secondary school they get quite some homework though but I do not have yet direct experience.

Well Dandy if you ever figure it out let me know as well! I hear the same thing every year from every teacher...he needs to slow down, he rushes, he makes silly mistakes. The worse thing is that the school/teacher often takes it as a sign that he needs to work on the basics...AGH!!!!!!!!

And way better to learn this lesson in middle school where the grades don't 'really' count than in High School or College!

LOL - I just read ahead and saw your post about Aleks!
Over the years, I would say that it has generalized somewhat, as long as we keep DS within his 'readiness level' - if the work drops below it, then forgettaboutit. Also, DS13 now has external motivators - like the desire to get into a fancy collge even though his mom thinks the local State University is just as good, and a much better value - that are making DS really generalize that lesson throughout his schoolwork. Personal mentors and favorite teachers that your child wants to impress might be a different external motivator.

Smiles,
Grinity

Still ((hugs)) it's a tough transition!
Grinity

Aleks.com got the message through to my DS for the first time...3 practice problems if you get them perfect, 10 if you make a silly error!

Smiles,
Grinity

Yes! Aleks.com is the best "teacher" in that regard, and DS magically discovered he could get done more quickly... by *gasp!* slowing down a little.

If only ALEKS taught language arts, or some of the other drudgery that results in 20-30 "problems" of an identical nature. Last year's teacher finally let me pare down the number of worksheet problems based on my guess as to how many DS really needed. Will definitely be approaching this teacher soon.