The "Best" way to Educate and/or Parent Children

What is it with the human desire to find the "Best" way to do something? And why is it that we, meaning the general population of human beings, feel that there can only be one best way to do something and/or that if one way or thing is good then all the rest must be inferior?

 It's especially troubling that this mindset even finds its way into arguments surrounding teaching and parenting because anyone who's every made it into their core education classes while still just in college knows from day one that there is no ONE best approach to teaching. We hear it over and over again, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to teaching, because children are all different, with different interests, different backgrounds, different cultures, different values,  different needs, different strengths, different learning styles, different temperaments, different base knowledge, different experiences, different talents, and the list can go on. So, how can there possibly be ONE best way to teach or parent every single child when they are all so different?

Maybe there's so many different parenting methods available and practiced because there are so many different children in the world. So, how do you know what the best way is to teach or parent your child? The best way to teach a child is based on the individual child's needs and interests. If you have 25 kids in your class, chances are there are 25 best ways to teach any given lesson on any given day. And just because one particular method worked well one year doesn't mean it will work for the 25 kids you'll have next year. This is also true about parenting. There is no one best way to parent a child, to discipline a child, to motivate a child,...etc. Yet, there are constantly articles being published from professionals to mom bloggers and sometimes just random people, that pit one child rearing technique or teaching method against another. Even articles that are meant to simply be informative end up coming across sounding belittling to any one not accepting of or practicing that particular method.

This "Versus" attitude sneaks its way into every conversation from individual aspects of parenting and teaching such as whether or not to use "time out" to "what time you put your child to bed" to conversations about entire methods such as whether you should use Attachment Parenting or Common Sense Parenting. And it really just needs to stop. What we need to say when we hear of a new method of child rearing or teaching is "Hmm... that sounds different. I want to learn more about that because there might be something from that method that I might be able to add to my repertoire as a parent or teacher."

I'm a big fan of being eclectic when it comes to which method to use when raising and/or teaching a child. The more you know the more you have to pull from. I talk about teaching and parenting a child interchangeably, for two reasons, 1) I am both a teacher and a mom and 2) Parents are a child's first teacher. So, it all applies. I have my favorites, but I keep what I learned about other techniques in mind and often pull aspects from different methods and implement them when needed. I strongly believe that every teacher and parent should learn as much about the different theories and methodologies in early childhood education as possible and use what works best for them and their child(ren). All techniques and methodologies have their high points and drawbacks and over emphasizing any aspect of parenting or teaching can lead to disaster.

The only blanket statement I can make is that if what you are currently doing is making both you and your child miserable, you probably need a new method. How will you know if it's the right method? When you've found something that helps both you and your child(ren). One that is affective, teaches your child boundaries, works consistently, has consistent consequences and rewards, develops positive self esteem, and creates a positive relationship between you and your child(ren).