Jason Kantor
@thejasonkantor
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Teacher & Executive functions coach | Mainly work with kids with dyslexia | Passionate about helping kids learn to read and find their innate genius and talents
Joined September 2021
6 years ago I tried to kill myself twice . Today, I’m a mentor to teenage boys, a homeschool teacher and happier than I’ve ever been . Here is how a clear mission, exercise, a healthy diet, and proper sleep helped me overcome my depression . Here's the Jason Kantor story 🧵.
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Earlier this year I worked with a 16 year old teen (a boy) who expressed to me that he wanted to change his gender . During one of our sessions he just blurted out that he had been considering it for the last few weeks and he thought that maybe the root of his struggles were.
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@Theholisticpsyc This is something I spend a lot of time talking about with my students. Every teen I have ever spoken too (100s now) have thought that they need to have it all figured out by 18-22 when they enter and finish college. The amount of stress and anxiety this causes is immense.
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This is a core principle in Montessori and I would say most homeschooling families as well . One of the best things we can help children do is develop is autonomy
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I was on an Amtrak train yesterday and 2 rows in front of me was a mother and her young daughter - the daughter was probably 6 or so. The mom did math and spelling practice problems with her daughter all throughout the train ride. They would do a few questions. Take a little.
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A school imagined by the 14 year old homeschooler I tutor in English . School day from 8-3:. The first 30-40 minutes of the day are a "wake up" or a free period - do whatever to get your mind right for the day . Then everyone goes outside —> All learning is done outdoors . What.
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@Theholisticpsyc I have noticed that with the teens I work with, they basically revel in the fact that they are depressed. They seem to be happy because they are "fitting in." Its amazing that mental health awareness is more mainstream but this isn't okay.
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"High school should be creating a diamond but instead its crushing my child into powder" . This is what a parent recently told me in regards to her son and his experience in high school . She told me she knows he’s going to do well in the work force because he’s intelligent and.
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I used to tutor an 11 year old boy who: . -Didn't do any physical activity.-Was on screens for the majority of the day (both at school and then at home).-Ate virtually only processed foods (he would come to our session every time with a bag of candy - I saw him 2-3 times a week).
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I spoke with 8 different parents over the weekend - All from different parts of the US . Each one told me that there was no way they'd be sending their kids to public school or traditional school. Some of their reasons were:. -They don't care about the standards or the testing.
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@Theholisticpsyc I work with a lot of kids who have childhood trauma and #7 is so important. If more kids grew up okay with failure, we'd save them from a lot of mental anguish and help them be so much more successful.
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A father and his son are sitting across from me at a coffeeshop. The dad is drinking a latte and the son is drinking a hot chocolate and eating a croissant. The dad starts ripping up a receipt and a napkin and then begins giving his son an impromptu math lesson . They go over.
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Conversation with my neighbor about college:. Her: "Are you still homeschooling that teenage boy?". Me: Not anymore! He graduated last Friday. Her: "Oh thats wonderful! Where is he going to college?". Me: He isn't, at least not anytime soon. Her: "Oh. how is he going to get.
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Kids/Teens DO NOT innately hate hard work and they wouldn't be lazy or unmotivated if they had the right kind of work to do . They will play video games for hours and hours a day - hate them or love them, kids work hard to level up and be good in them and video games aren't easy.
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@Theholisticpsyc Most of the kids/teens I work with have anxiety for this reason. When we talk about why theyre feeling the way they are and we get to the bottom of it, its almost always because they are trying to appease what their parents are pushing onto them. Social media doesnt help either.
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A high school graduate reached out to me on Instagram yesterday and asked me if they should skip college . And if I thought college was necessary. My advice was:. 1. If you truly know what you want to do and you must go to college to do it (doctor, lawyer, therapist, etc.) then.
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One of the teens I homeschool is graduating this year and is not going to college. Some of his friends are going and hes been a little nervous about not going. Hes feeling self-conscious because college is what everyone is "supposed" to do. I told him that he has absolutely.
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Children need “boring" and simple days. Days that aren't jam packed with events and activities. Constant stimulation is hurting their imagination and creativity. If they are stimulated every second of the day, when are they learning to develop their own stories? Their own.
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@wiseconnector No one is coming to save you. People can help/inspire along the way but ultimately its always up to us to change ourselves.
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I tutor my neighbor's daughter 3 times a week and it's mostly just helping her catch up on missing work - homework, classwork, projects, etc. She is in the 8th grade but unfortunately grade levels behind in every subject - she can barely read or do basic math. And unfortunately.
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@Theholisticpsyc One of the teen boys I work with got me a gift at the end of this school year and was hesitant/shy to give it to me. He said he didn't want to seem weird or weak for being sentimental. I told him exactly what you said here. Being sentimental is a gift and beautiful. Embrace it.
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The teen I homeschool and myself had a unit on cars this year . The basic structure of a car - the parts, etc. How an internal combustion engine works. He absolutely loved it and it was his favorite thing we learned about all year. I needed to change the brakes on my car and now
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@Theholisticpsyc I primarily work with kids who have dyslexia, adhd and other neurodivergencies and they are some of the brightest kids I have ever seen. When they realize their "disorder" is a gift instead of a curse, they excel like you couldn't believe. Its truly the best thing to see.
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@bycourtneym My parents always played "i-spy" with us. That would keep us entertained for 20 minutes at a time 😅. It was definitely fun to do intermittently.
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Homeschooling is amazing. That is all. That is the tweet.
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@Theholisticpsyc The teen I homeschool grew up with an abusive and reactive mother. We do conscious breathing every morning before class starts and I have him tell himself that he can handle any situation on his own (on a frequent basis). They really do work - its helped him so much!.
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Children's lack of understanding of what is socially acceptable or not never ceases to amaze me. I'm sitting in a coffeeshop and a child, probably 3 years old, sits down right next to me - and I mean right next to me - and starts asking me about what I was eating. I told him I.
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@Theholisticpsyc Such an important lesson I try to teach to kids/teens I work with. It will save them from years and years of heart ache. You'll never be able to change what happened but you can always change how kind you are to yourself as you process and deal with what happened.
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@DanWuori My little cousin just turned 2 and every time he sees an animal that isn't a dog or cat, he says "baby cow" . He's doing the same exact thing this little girl is doing! . Thank you for sharing all these amazing videos. I learn so much.
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@Theholisticpsyc I've been helping a teen learn to read and his mom texted me this morning telling me how confident her son has been feeling in himself and how hes actually starting to love learning and school. I'm proud of him and all of his hardwork and progress!.
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The teen I homeschool just did his taxes for the first time and he ended up making roughly $27,000 last year . For context, in the last year he went from being just a regular employee at a bike shop to the head mechanic of his shop . For a 16 year old this is pretty damn good in.
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@JeremyTate41 One of the boys I homeschool went from below his grade level in reading to 4 grade levels above once he began homeschooling. Homeschooling is just another great alternative education system.
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I overheard 2 teenage boys talking while at the gym - they were probably 14 or so . They were complaining how they wish they could just work instead of go to school. One of the teens said schools should offer some sort of proficiency exam to prove foundational understanding of.
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@Theholisticpsyc I learned this with the boy I homeschool. He has childhood trauma and his dad taught me that people in his position will "test" the ones they care about to see if they will stay and not leave. Learning this completely changed how I view people's behavior.
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After spending time with my teenage cousins this past holiday and the conversations I’ve had with 100s of students. I think it's safe to say we grossly underestimated how uneducated teenagers are about how the real world works and operates. Stuff like:.-How banks and money work.
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I've spoke to a bunch of parents the past few weeks and each one has told me:. -Their child hates school.-They hate learning.-They dread going to their classes everyday.-They're unmotivated. Why do we keep shrugging this off as normal? How much longer can this go on?.
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@Theholisticpsyc Theres a big difference between telling a child no and lovingly explaining to a child why they can't have something. Being told no and showing kids why they should work hard for certain things doesn't have to be traumatic!.
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@valiant_memes Absolutely. We all do it, especially at that age. Some are probably more dangerous than others.
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@Theholisticpsyc I tell my students all the time that worrying about the past is only causing you more anxiety and worsening your feelings of depression. Its a difficult lesson to teach to the youth but one that is so important. We all need to learn and embrace this.
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I've asked hundreds of students this question now:. What would school look like if you had complete control to choose? . Most people would assume that kids say something like play video games all day, hanging out with friends or doing anything that's doesn’t involve learning. But.
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@MrDanielBuck When I was a student teaching, one of the kids threw a chair at my teacher and I had to block it or she would have gotten hit. He wasn't expelled or suspended. He was back in class the next day.
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I see a lot of talk about homework on Twitter lately. And I think valid points are made on both sides. But homework wouldn’t be an issue if kids were actually learning at school. And on top of that homework is basically pointless. Kids dread school and don’t care about it so most.
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I started homeschooling a 13 year old boy this week. His experiences with school in the past have been nothing short of terrible and because of that, his mom told me he was nervous for us to start . When I showed up on Monday for our 1st day and after we exchanged our initial.
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For the homeschooling haters who say these kids can't get a good education and will be behind their public/private school peers: . Here are the results from an exam that a teen I homeschooled took a few weeks ago. His local school district required him to take a Reading and Math
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Homeschooling can be amazing but it can also go very badly. The teen I homeschool's best friend is also homeschooled and he just sits around all day on Tik Tok. He sees an English teacher once a week for an hour and that's about it. My girlfriend's cousin is also homeschooled and.
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@Theholisticpsyc One of the best things we can teach the youth is how to heal and love themselves. The help and healing they get from others only goes so far. We have to help them, help themselves.
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The teen I homeschool is graduating after this school year (a year early woohoo!). Earlier today we were talking about life after graduation. He asked me what he should expect . I told him a drastically different change in your lifestyle . With school, you always had something.
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@Theholisticpsyc I just had a conversation with one of the teens I work with about #1. He told me I seem so confident and sure of myself. I said what we see on the outside is not a reflection of whats going on inside. The youth needs more openness with this - to let them know its okay and normal.
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Overheard at the rock climbing gym I go to:. *Kid crying*."I cant do it. I just cant do it.". Instructor to kid: ."Yes you can dude. Trust me. Just do it like I taught you and you got it". Kid: ."Okay ill give it another shot". *kid climbs the wall*. He screams out in excitement:.
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@JamesClear How to be okay with and learn from our failures. We aren't taught how to not give up when things get tough. So many more kids would be happier and more successful if they learned to not give up when failure arose.
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The teen I homeschool told me this earlier today during class:. Him: "You know what I don't understand?". Me: What don't you understand?. Him: "We would tell someone who works a 9-5 to try and get up, walk around the office or whatever to get steps in, try to go get sunshine and.
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Here are 5 Reading and Math resources. That many parents (especially on here) have told me they have had a lot of success with in helping their child:.
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I've been working with teens one on one for the last six years and I've noticed a difference in their demeanor, anxiety, outlook on life, optimism, and just overall happiness from when I first started. It's worse now than it was six years ago. They are more depressed and overall.
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I was functionally illiterate until I was 10 and entered the 5th grade. By the time I started high school - 9th grade - I could read confidently (for the most part) and was no longer behind. And now I'm a teacher who teaches kids how to read (funny how life works) . Here are the.
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Its highly recommended for someone who works a 9-5 job to periodically:. -Get up.-Get sunshine.-Get fresh air.-Move their bodies. Yet. Kids have to sit all day at school (under fluorescent lights). With hardly any:. -Movement.Sun.-Fresh Air. So it should come as no surprise.
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My cousin just had her first child and my family celebrated this weekend. During the party, education came up and everyone asked her what kind of schooling she is going to give her daughter . Without hesitation her and her husband said homeschooling. When asked why, her and her.
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A friend sent me this photo yesterday and it got me thinking. How much should school do? . Is it a school's job and responsibility to fill in all of these gaps?. Is it school's job to prepare kids for "the real-world" or is that on their parents? . What do you think?
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Whenever I am done teaching something to the kids I work with I have them . "Elevator pitch me" . Its become one of their favorite activities . They have to explain to me whatever I just taught them as if we were in an elevator together and they had to be concise and succinct.
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$104. This is how much the teen I homeschool and I made from our pizza business after we split the profits. We hit nowhere near our initial goal ($3000 to help fund a trip to Thailand) . We incurred so many problems we didn't initially expect:. -Braking equipment and needing to
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@Theholisticpsyc When I became aware of this, it transformed my ability as a teacher. When we realize children acting out in class are part of a trauma cycle that they have no idea exists and had no part in creating, we can be more empathetic and understand they are acting out of their control.
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A new family tradition I started: . I get all of my cousins a disposable camera and tell them to capture their christmas day . Then I get the photos developed and at the next family event we share our photos . They all text me now the week before Christmas DEMANDING I have
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@Theholisticpsyc I see this so much. One of the girls I worked with this year told me that she didn't want to make change because her chaotic life was comfortable and what she knew. I've had a few others teens tell me the same thing. So many don't even realize their chaos is a comfort zone.
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@Dustin054345553 @ConceptualJames Chronically online unfortunately. Falls into the category you are describing.
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The one with the backwards hat on is the teen i homeschool. When I first started teaching him he was one of the laziest kids I'd ever met. Was on tik tok for 8+ hours a day and wouldn't play sports or do anything physical . I could hardly get him to go outside or do activities
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Parents this is super cool. Homeschooling or not this is an awesome activity I'm sure any child would love
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Last night after I ate dinner I was on a walk around my neighborhood and I walked past a house with three kids outside in the front yard around age 10, 7 & 4 . They were all jumping and screaming with joy and running around the yard. Then I notice a car pulling into the driveway.
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Almost every single kid, and teen especially, that I have worked with has told me they wished their parents and the adults in their life would just listen to the more . Without giving advice . They just want to vent and get their feelings out without a lecture on how they could.
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@Theholisticpsyc So silly indeed. Grateful for people like you spreading new messages and trying to help spark and initiate change!.
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@Theholisticpsyc Sometimes the cycle breaker gets a nudge from a caring/loving person in their life who helps the glass break for them.
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An alarming amount of students I meet, mainly high schoolers, can't read an analog clock . Is there an argument for teaching them how to read one other than:. "What if there are no digital clocks around and you need to be able to tell the time?". Parents of young children: . Are.
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“A child struggling in an unnatural environment is not a natural consequence.”. I heard someone say that about public schools yesterday. And it perfectly sums up what so many kids go through. A public/traditional school is not a natural environment for most kids. -Sitting under.
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Earlier today a teen asked me: . "We have the ability to be more connected than ever yet we are lonelier than ever. Why is that?" . How would you answer that?.
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@Theholisticpsyc This is something I focus a lot on with my students. Your entire identity is not just your opinions and more importantly, you can disagree with people and it be okay. You can even be friends with them too. .
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I just finished teaching a 6 week introduction class on business to 11 year olds . At the end of the last class all of the kids asked if we were going to continue and start a new class . I said assuming all of your parents agree, I'm thinking that we do a part 2 to this class.
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I was talking with a friend last night and he said something to me about anxiety that I thought was interesting:. “One reason for our anxiety could be how much noise there is going on around us. Both literal noise and noise as in stimulation. Cars, planes, trains, lots of people,.
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From a conversation I had this week about phones/screens with a homeschooler I tutor in English: . Her: I averaged like 3 minutes a day on my phone for the week. Me: Oh yeah? How'd you pull that off? Thats really impressive. Her: I am always doing stuff, like sports. This is.
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“Run the dishwasher twice”. To put it simply, someone had revealed to their therapist that they felt crappy about not having the energy to hand wash their dishes. The therapist suggested that they just put their dishes through the dishwasher twice. They point out that you’re not.
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Its amazing how mad and defensive supporters of public/traditional school get the moment parents talk about how it failed their kids . "Not all are bad! My district has the highest test scores in the blah blah blah". "Homeschooling? Are you serious? Your child is going to be.
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The teen I homeschool's job is prepping him to be a store manager in 2 years. They pay for and put him through tons of trainings (he loves it). And they are totally investing in him. He could barely read at 13, had really low confidence and didn't believe in himself . Now hes.
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@JamesClear Being able to find the fun in any situation is a superpower. Anything can be fun with the right mindset.
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I spent the first 20 minutes of my hour long session with the homeschooler I tutor in English . Having her teach me all about horses and horseback riding. It started with me asking her how she gets the horse to jump over obstacles . That led into her giving me a lesson on the.
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If grades ceased to exist but your classes and school stayed the same, would you be motivated to go?. How do you think the teen I work with answered this?. He said:. "HELL NO! Why would school even exist then? Its whole point is for tests and grades so we can get into a good.
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@Theholisticpsyc Gratitude. My parents, father especially, did the best they could given their circumstances.
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@Theholisticpsyc Setting smaller goals and accomplishing those on a consistent basis is going to help buid our confidence and show us that we can take on larger, more ambitious goals!.
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@Theholisticpsyc #1 is a lesson I spend so much time on with the kids/teens I work with. They can be the smartest kids at school but if they can't handle rejection, they will always be a few steps behind. Showing them that rejection is one of our greatest teachers will help them forever.
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*Most* tests in public/traditional school are pointless and ineffective
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Today’s homeschool class:. We went on a field trip to an Indian Restaurant with the intention to do some research. He’s been interested in learning how to cook some Indian food and instead of only watching YouTube videos. We thought actually going out and trying more or less.
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@Theholisticpsyc I noticed this with a lot of teens/young adults I work with. The ones who had rougher childhoods always seem to be into extreme sports and are insatiable adrenaline junkies - stuff like intense mountain biking and dangerous adventures. Peace and tranquility make them nervous (as.
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So many kids that I have talked to in my teaching career thus far have told me they want to start their own business . Typically I'll ask them something like: . Whats one thing you wish your school could help you do or a class that you wish they offered? . So many of them say.
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A 14 year old homeschooled girl I tutor in reading/English wants to start her own business, specifically she wants to start up the business her dad used to run before he passed away . As we were running through the logistics and what running this business would actually entail. I.
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@rebelEducator One of the most effective (and most simple) things Ive done to help the boys I mentor is to get them physically active. Whether thats lifting weights, mountain biking, rock climbing- if they're doing it regularly, they make tons of progress, especially with their anger management.
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A parent asked me this question yesterday: . What can they do to get their 15 year old excited for other activities besides gaming?. My answer was 5 things (in no particular order): . 1. It starts with us . We have more influence on kids/teens than we often realize or give.
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"If I were in a normal school I'd be considered stupid right? Or at least behind because I struggle to understand this stuff?" . This is what the teen I homeschool told me after our reading comprehension lesson where he's been struggling to read/understand Romeo and Juliet.
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Over the weekend I was having a conversation with the teen I homeschool and he asked me why I’m always doing hard things. Why do I always do strenuous exercise, get out of my comfort zone take on new challenges and seek new experiences. I told him that this is how we grow. All of.
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