Archive for 2016

Embracing Differences

Friday, August 12th, 2016

laptop-158648_640Your Child’s Differences Do Not Have to Hinder Their Creativity

If you were to ask any leading child psychologist, they would tell you that every child is different. It is easy to see these differences when we look at it from a physical standpoint. There are no two people who look exactly alike. Although there are similarities, unless you have an identical twin somewhere, you have your own specific look. Where we understand this physically, it is difficult to grasp the concept on a mental level.

Everyone who has ever has a child has desired the best possible for that child. The fact that children learn differently than one another seems to make no bearing on our parental desires to see our children succeed. Much of the focus on how a person learns is given to those that may not have the same mental capacity as the general public.

Supposed Disabilities

One of the most common words used to describe someone who may not fit within our societal viewpoint of what it is to be normal is the word disabled. For years it is this word that has kept people from reaching further. There is a wall that seems to be put up when someone is considered disabled and they are viewed as less than the seemingly normal people of the world. It is important however that we tear down this wall and allow for the supposed disabled people to have a voice within our society.

It may be true that some people may not possess the same talents that others do, but this should never be considered a disability. This can be said of all people actually because some people excel in math while other people are more drawn to science. Just because someone has a learning disability or is considered to be a little slower than most does not mean that the person has the inability to realize their own talents.

Creativity at Its Best

Science has yet to unlock all of the mysteries that surround the human brain. They will claim that they understand its inner workings, but in reality they are merely forming opinions based on past events. The truth is that the past events that these scientists are studying are based upon people who were not given the chances that supposed disabled people are given today so they are actually irrelevant to the studies.

People with disabilities often display amazing capabilities in one area or another. These special talents are often quite amazing to behold. There are some autistic people that are basically human calculators while others are accomplished pianists. The key to getting to those talents is finding out how exactly the individual learns as opposed to simply getting them into a classroom with others of similar distinction.

How to Unlock Creativity

Teachers do an awesome job at working with kids and those that work with children that are supposed disabled are even more special. They understand the individuality of these kids and therefore are able to come up with different tools and techniques to teach them properly and allow them to reach their full potential. Many teachers have invented new tools to aid in their teaching and even when they are not available to the general public, the magic of 3D printing is able to bring the idea to life.

Creativity is able to be unlocked when the tools available are able to be understood by the student using them. Computers and 3D imagery enable all students to be able to look at things in a different way. It gives teachers the ability to adapt their teaching strategy to better fit with what the individual child needs. Many of these students seem to take on an entirely different viewpoint when placed in front of a computer or given one of these teaching tools.

Computers and Teaching

We use computers on a daily basis in life and we begin to forget how beneficial they can be to people who may not communicate so well with others. The basis of a computer program is a series of ones and zeros that make no sense to the average mind, but when you mind works differently than the average, much can be understood from a computer. The potential for learning from a computer and the knowledge that can be gained from the program can work to potentially unlock many of the things that seem to hold supposed disabled people back.

It is not a matter of making all people alike, but adapting the way we teach those that are considered disabled. The road to success may be a long one, but it is one that is vital to the success of the individual person. No matter how we are born or what learning capacity we may possess, we are all human and all humans need an outlet for creativity and the ability to learn

Brought to you by our friends at cgtrader.com.

PeKu Publications – Stages of Success – Act 4

Wednesday, August 10th, 2016

As the owner of a startup, or a business, you (hopefully) are reviewing statistics on a regular basis. At PeKu I take time each Monday to analyze a variety of reports. There’s nothing better than seeing an increase in readers or discovering that a new promotion was successful. Yes, it is pure happiness to see your company thriving.

PeKu Is 8! How Can That Be?

Monday, July 18th, 2016

birthday-cake-380178_640After the blur of June, it’s not a surprise that a lot of July has been discombobulated. The first full week was abbreviated after the 3-day holiday weekend. While last week was my first normal workweek in quite some time, it also meant that there was some catching up and reconnecting to be done. Starting my second normal workweek feels good, and I’m *almost* certain what today’s date is.

Even outside of the craziness of my life, there still is a shocking aspect to PeKu’s birthday. Eight. Years. Old. This startup that I built in 2008, after deciding to leave my first career as an elementary school teacher, has been active for eight years. It’s changed in so many ways, far too many to write about here, but still is a thriving publishing company.

What does PeKu look like at 8?

  • 14 articles published each week
  • 3 unique publications staying vibrant
  • 6 team members writing articles
  • 2 team members doing engineering & design work
  • 1 team member managing social media
  • 1 mascot cheering us on

Other fun facts:

  • All team members have been with PeKu for a minimum of 3 years.
  • This was the fifth year that PeKu gave a scholarship to a graduating senior in my hometown.
  • Over the past year we created an account for Your Parenting Info on Instagram, bringing our total to three accounts.
  • We also created Flipboard magazines for all three publications.

Although we’re a couple weeks late, I wanted to take today to celebrate PeKu and all of the growth its made. (Be sure to return to Editorially Yours next week to see what I personally have learned. It’s bound to be exciting!)

Putting It All in Perspective

Monday, July 11th, 2016

hospital-834152_640PeKu Publications turned eight on July 1st. Ten days later I haven’t written my annual post describing what we’ve accomplished and how we’ve changed over the past year. I’m also not writing that column today; I’m saving it for next week. Today there are more pressing topics to cover.

It’s been a challenging time for me, personally and professionally, over the last six weeks. When I published my last Editorially Yours, I didn’t realize all of the change that was about to come. At that point I was preparing for a high school graduation, PeKu’s birthday, and the beginning of summer. All of those events have occurred, but an even larger event took precedence.

Six weeks ago, I wrote that Editorially Yours column while I sat in a hospital room with my little brother. Diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer in February 2015, he had been through 15 months of fairly successful chemo treatments. But on Sunday, June 6th he was admitted to the hospital with some difficulty breathing and pain in his midsection. Although I knew that the prognosis wasn’t good, I didn’t realize that the next three weeks would be spent with him in a hospital, hoping for the best but knowing that time was getting shorter every day.

Thankfully because of the nature of my roles as Editor-in-Chief at PeKu and Dean of Content and Instruction at WV Academy, I was able to be with my brother almost daily. I would work while he slept or late at night when I got home. Of course, this meant that I wasn’t working a full schedule, and work items were prioritized. Articles were published; student assignments were reviewed; payments were sent; projects were assigned; courses were launched. However, nothing new or innovative was rolled out.

I kept my boards and advisors abreast of these work decisions, and they were supportive. I made sure that everything kept moving forward on the work front, but creative projects were tabled temporarily. Two weeks ago I eulogized my little brother; it was a challenging task, but one that I embraced heartily. I couldn’t have him back, but I certainly could help to reinforce memories of him.

In the past two weeks I have endeavored to return to the normal pace of work and home, while at the same time remaining a support to my sister-in-law and nephews. I can honestly say that I’m not back to 100% work form, but I am close. There are a few creative projects on the list for this week; I have moved from treading water to actually swimming.

These last six weeks have shown me that there are more hours in the day than we fully use, that it is possible to do more than you think you can. Most importantly it has validated my belief that the importance of human contact is immeasurable. Although the month of June was devoid of creativity, it was filled with connectivity. And I wouldn’t change that for the world.

As the Year Draws to an End

Tuesday, June 7th, 2016

rsz_colorful-1220769_1280No, you don’t need to check your calendar or the weather. It isn’t December, and it certainly isn’t cold outside. In fact, the weather is perfect to sit on my porch or relax in my hammock. Regardless, from my perspective June evokes a sense of finality. It’s this interesting contradiction of blooming and ending. What I see outside my office window doesn’t necessarily align with events on the calendar.

When you’re a kid, the school year ends in June (at least in New Hampshire). You’ve completed a grade level and now have seemingly endless weeks of summer fun stretching in front of you. Post-college most people move into careers that don’t operate around a school year schedule, but my first career was as a teacher, so I still had a sense of year end in June. After a year of watching my students bloom, it was time to recharge and modify curriculum before the next group began. Leaving education to build PeKu, I had thought the feeling of year end might dissipate, but it really hasn’t.

PeKu is a perpetual publishing machine, which means no more summer break for me or my team. However, there are factors both business and personal, which keep this sensation of year end in June alive. PeKu (or Wasabi Media Group, as it was then called) launched in July 2008. So, for both sentimental and analytical reasons, June does mark the end of the year. Additionally, I’m a mom, so the rhythm of the day changes in June, as the kids go from catching the bus/driving to school early in the morning to rolling out of bed in time to hang out with friends/go to work.

This year, my younger child graduates from high school, giving this June has an even stronger sense of finality. She will head to college at the end of summer, and that will mark the end of school-aged children for me.

As another year of school and PeKu draw to a close, I look outside my office window and see our peonies in full bloom. I am reminded that it has been a good year and another one is about to begin.

Exciting Topics in May by Peku

Monday, May 23rd, 2016

Watch this video to see what our mascot, Peku, finds most exciting at PeKu in May.

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