What difference does it make to be born in America(By Daddy again)

Smart kid seeks self identity at very early age. That is the case for Shannon. She makes a lot of comparisons between herself and other kids to get a concept of who she is and what makes her different to others. One interesting question she asked me lately is: what makes her different than the Chinese kids born in China? That gets me thinking: What difference does it make to be born in America?
(To be continued ...)

Thinking vs Talking(by Dad)

Shannon likes to talk. And some of her teachers think it is a weakness of her. Well, I beg to differ. She talks a lot because that is the way she thinks. She thinks out loud and likes to bounce around her idea with others. It is a not a weakness, it is a strength. When people thinks silently, a lot of effort are spent on keeping notes of short ends and making sure the thinking flows in a confined and focused way. It is not a very efficient way of thinking, at least in my own experience, when I think silently, my thinking tends to flow in all direction and sometimes staggers in one point and not moving ahead. By thinking out loud and communicating with other people, you essentially offset to your listeners the task of keeping the thinking focused and making sure it is moving forward.

The question is how to effectively guide her thinking and talking so that the thinking process move forward and move fast. In other words, ask her good questions.