By Lara M. Van Hulzen
Your Child’s Strengths
Jennifer Fox, M.Ed.Viking, 2008, 342 pp., $24.95,
www.penguin.comIn our society, we focus on weaknesses rather than strengths by placing kids in a structured learning environment teaching them facts they merely memorize and spit back out on paper when tested. We don’t explain how what they are learning will help them be successful in what they want to do in the future, and we don’t spend time finding out their specific interests to help reach personal goals. This includes parents, as well as teachers. The author believes, “True teachin
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g talent reveals itself when the teacher struggles to engage students in the process, not giving up until he finds a way to bring about understanding and competence in the student.” This book is written well with lots of information and statistics without bogging down the reader. It would be helpful to youth workers because parents and teachers may not be showing an interest in where kids want to go in life, but a youth worker can. The back of the book gives ample guidance about how to work with kids and move forward in discovering and nurturing their strengths.