Customer Reviews

The Myth of Laziness

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

First of all let me say that this is a very good book and the only reason I gave it 4 stars is because at least half of information in this book has already been covered in Dr. Levine's previous book "A Mind at a Time". If you have not read it this book is a great choice. If you have you might find "The Myth of Laziness" redundant at times.

The central message of the book is exactly the same as in "A Mind at A Time" namely that academic non-performance is a result of many distinct factors and cannot be adequately addressed as long as people trivialize it as "laziness" or "dumbness".

Levine identifies several specific cognitive deficiencies that can result in non-performance: attention, memory, language, spatial ordering, sequential ordering, motor, higher thinking, and social thinking. Armed with correct diagnosis of the underlying causes the teacher can tailor an effective individual approach to help a student who would otherwise be doomed to languish in remedial education classes with all the stigma of retardation that's attached to it.

If you are just curious about the research in this field you would probably be better off with "A Mind At A Time". If you are a practicing education professional you might benefit from reading both books.

This book is organized as a series of case studies building up to three chapters of recommendations.

Levine's insight into children is stunning. It is why people come from all over the country to see him in North Carolina. I am sure he wishes as ardently as anybody that his genius were transferrable. While this book gives one an appreciation of his methods, it also highlights how subjective the judgments really are. Any parent who has been through the rounds of physical therapists, speech therapists, child psychologists, ritalin, Prozac, tutors, school counsellors, etc. etc. will know that not all experts have the same powers of perception, and they certainly don't all agree.

I of course love the advice with which I agree. Turn off the TV! Have the kids read. Practice writing. He gives some very concrete and useful advice on how to do this... forms you can copy and suggest that your child's teachers hand out with assignments.

As another reviewer suggests, examining the unique balance of skills and weaknesses in each child, and tailoring life and learning plans to meet their special needs, takes a tremendous amount of resources. Public school classroom teachers charged with 35 young minds, or a modestly paid and trained counsellor responsible for a whole school cannot possibly be expected to handle every child's issues.

There are always alternatives -- many, confusing and conflicting -- for parents with the money and time to investigate them. The sad reality is that society just can't devote enough resources to give all kids the attention that would benefit them. How to apply Levine's insights and techniques to as many kids as possible within what voters are willing to spend is an interesting question.

Mel Levine's first book `A Mind at a Time' succeeded in taking a common sense approach to the important subject of learning types. This book does the same thing, but focuses on one specific functional challenge - that of a lack of productivity.

1. Levine continues to assert that different learning styles require different teaching strategies. As a result, he does not believe that any child is inherently lazy. While this is likely true for young children, it does not seem to be necessarily the case for adolescents or adults. (Levine would disagree) That is, laziness can be learned and even chosen later in life. In fact, I often find myself choosing the way of the sloth - to my own frustration and embarrassment.

2. Levine identifies a number of causes of low performance. Some of these are internal like organizational problems, poor ability to verbally express, or poor writing skills. However, these types of things don't seem to be `causes' as much as they do `results' or `symptoms'. He does go on to briefly discuss external factors like socioeconomic background, family life, and negative role models. Now these seem to be more root-causes - however, he doesn't spend much time on these, which I found to be disappointing.

3. The thing that I do like about Levine is that he develops suggestions for what parents can do to encourage productive output in children. Additionally, he provides objective means for identifying if the problem is internal or environmental. I happen to believe the vast majority of people fall into the latter category - at least as the initial influence. However, it seems laziness becomes a choice as well. So, there's a bit of controversy here - which makes the book interesting and relevant.

4. Lastly, Levine doesn't leave the reader in an ethereal and contemplative world, but brings problem solving down to a real-life level by providing worksheets, which assist children in planning stories and reports - to get their minds working.

5. It seems it's so necessary to start fostering creativity, activity, and expression at a young age. Additionally, abundant parental praise related to accomplishments is also very needed. In short, this is a good book, however it would have been helpful if Levine had focused more in the area of relationships.

Heard the taped version of THE MYTH OF LAZINESS, written and
read by Dr. Mel Levine--a professor of pediatrics at the University of
North Carolina Medical School.

Levine persuasively makes the point that children and adults
aren't really lazy when they can be seen not working up to their
potential . . . rather, he contends that "everybody yearns to be
productive" . . . and what happens is that they are simply
experiencing "output failure" due to different neuro-developmental

weaknesses.

While the aforementioned may come across as gobbledygook, it
really isn't because of Levine's use of case studies . . . you'll
be able to relate to the seven children and adults profiled, either
because you will see yourself and/or others you know.

I liked the last few chapters best because they were devoted
to concrete suggestions for what can be done to help supposedly
lazy folks . . . tips on how to cultivate writing skills, as well as
how to set up an organized home office, are presented . . . also,
teachers are urged to take into account the individuality of their
students' learning skills.

Furthermore, I found several worksheets in the book version (that I
skimmed after listening to the tapes) that can be most helpful
to help students plan their stories and reports.

I am a college student, and my mother is a high school administrator. During a break I found this in one of her stacks of books and read it on a whim. The result took me by surprise: The majority of this book resonated deeply with me, and has had a profound affect on my schooling ever since. I am a consistent underachiever, and I realized that I am like many of the kids Dr. Levine is working with (this is a revelation one of the parents in the book had as well). Understanding that I'm not "just lazy" allowed me to look objectively at what I have going for me and have already achieved, while reminding me that my significant problems in studying are exactly that-problems-and therefore I can work around them or try to improve myself in those areas.

It's important to note that this is not a self-help book, and I wouldn't count on too many people having an experience like mine. However, I found this book to be excellent way to understand why seemingly capable students (me, for instance) have difficulties, and how to fix those difficulties. I don't believe that Dr. Levine lays all of the blame on educators as if they don't try to reach difficult students; his thesis is that people (parents; teachers; and, even though he doesn't say it, the students themselves) sometimes don't know how to approach a student who is having difficulty, and therefore cannot help this "lazy" student.

This book is just as relevant as Dr. Levine's earlier books, such as "All Kinds of Minds" and "Keeping a Head in School," which I read when my son was in grade school. I've also attended a conference where Dr. Levine was the keynote speaker. All of his advice was a tremendous help to me in understanding the reasons why our son was struggling so much in school. He was the classic example of the "lazy" student. Fortunately, he was in a small private school where teachers recognized the problem immediately, he was tested, and by understanding his learning disabilities when he was 6 years old, he successfully completed K-12 and is now in his sophmore year at college. I firmly believe the reason he is where he is today is that we kept him out of public schools, in environments where the teachers understood the way he needed to learn. He was never labeled as "disabled" or "special needs", or put into "special classes." The only difference between the schools he attended and public schools is that the teachers were not bound to the inflexible "teach to the test" format and could offer a range of learning experiences for their students based on individual ability. Teachers who "get" Levine's teachings know how to approach these kids, and our son is living proof that such enlightened teaching methods achieve success for the student.

A previous review, written by a teacher, is a typical example of the mind-set of some public school teachers toward students who don't fit the public school model of learning. Blame the student -- it's not the school system's/teacher's problem that they're unwilling to recognize there's no such thing as a "one size fits all" approach to education. Yes, there may be some students who, because of home environment, will have difficulty ever achieving their potential, but too many kids have been written off too soon because of the rigid public school bureaucracy.

It wasn't easy to find the money for tuition for 12 years of school, and we're struggling to pay college tuition/expenses now, but we'll never regret a single sacrifice or a single dime we spent. And we'll always be grateful to Dr. Levine for continuing to educate the public about misunderstood children.

As a career coach I deal with clients who feel embarrassed about their own lack of motivation. And there's a lot of hype these days about "assessments" that are one step away from witchcraft. Here's the Real Deal.

Levine argues that most people want to learn and succeed in their lives. What holds them back often is the way their brains are wired. (Okay, he's a lot more scientific.)

I can personally relate to some of his examples. I've always had trouble controlling pieces of paper and my desk always looks as though I'd dumped a wastebasket upside down. Throughout my life people have sighed, "You've got to get organized!" Yet I've learned to accomplish a lot by compensating -- once I realized it was a cognitive deficit.

And, as Levine points out, adults have an easier time than children. We don't have to excel in so many different areas.

Levine acknowledges his own quirks. Don't give me anything you want back, he says, and if you want me to sign something, stand there till you get my signature! I can relate to those too.

The lesson is that nearly everyone has strengths as well as functional deficits. If a child doesn't have the coordination for basketball or baseball, he or she can try another sport, like weight-lifting or wrestling.

Levine presents knowledge in the form of case studies, which are both educational and easy to follow. He's honest: there are few Cinderella stories and happy endings. That's the part of the book that's most difficult to deal with. His center provides some of the best testing and counseling in the world, yet not everyone will be responsive. It's not enough to receive a diagnosis: you also need a supportive environment, especially if you're a child.

I didn't care for Levine's chapter on "what might have happened."
I'd rather have seen composite cases or cases with details disguised, with stories of "real" endings. And people need to be aware of non-psychiatric settings that allow people to make progress. I've taken well-designed, non-competitive exercise classes that helped everyone's coordination -- including some who could barely shuffle into the class when they started.

However, Levine deserves credit for not succumbing to the simplicities of the self-help genre. You won't find self-diagnostic tests or "ten things you can do..." here. He's
drawn the line in the sand: he's writing as a physician and scientist.

Perhaps the greatest contribution of this book will be to alert teachers, managers, parents and everyone to the great variety of learning skills and the possibility for cognitive deficits. Too many children are ridiculed and even punished for "laziness" and worse, and even adults can be hassled by ignorant bosses, spouses and friends.

I bought this book because I took several courses with Dr. Levine while he was at Boston Children's and because of the children in my practice. It is superb. I have started recommending it to the parents in my practice. It explains very succintly and precisely various types of learning issues and how to handle them. It also helps parents be their children's advocate. Children should not be kept back unless the teachers know what is happening to that particular child. Children are starting school too late and too much is required of them when developmentally they are not able. Why is it that teachers accept differences in their colleagues but not among children. It is time that we stop putting round pegs in square holes. It is time that teachers teach better with more compassion and understanding. This is what Dr. Levine has been trying to do for years.

Depending on what sort of "laziness" you are dealing with, you might find this book to be extremely helpful; or you might find it to be not at all helpful. By laziness, Mel evine is referring to not wanting to read, not wanting to write, not wanting to complete class assignments, and so forth.

He covers a number of case studies and tells how various learning difficulties contribute to apparent laziness. I found his insights to be impressive and right on target in most cases, but I also thought that in a small minority of cases, he misunderstood the student and missed important clues.

You are probably more likely to like this book and to find its suggestions helpful if you are from a white collar family than a blue collar family. I came from a farm family, and it became more and more apparent to me as I read Mel Levine's book, that what he valued as "work" and what my parents valued would have clashed greatly. In fact, I was called "lazy" for pursuing the very kinds of things that Mel Levine is trying to get others to pursue. When read from my background, Mel Levine's background as a upper middle class (or above) doctor serving upper middle class (or above) clients came through loud and clear.

Overall, I found the book interesting, insightful, and possibly helpful, depending on what you are dealing with.

Dr. Levine's book, The Myth of Laziness is great at breaking down why children and adolescents can have struggles with academics and even day to day tasks. I am also a developmental and behavioral pediatrician and in my work with children, parents, and teachers, have found that demystifying why a child/adolescent is struggling is the first step to developing a plan of both intervention and accommodation.

Too often, however, the struggling child becomes a struggling adolescent before the problems are determined, if at all. This leads the individual to learn that it is much easier and less stressful to get a D or F by not doing the work rather than struggling with it for hours just to be told it is not worthy of a higher grade. Some do give up in elementary school but most continue to try until they hit middle school, when the demands multiply exponentially and they still haven't mastered the foundational skills.

Dr. Levine wants people to actually spend time watching how the child attempts to take in, process, store, retrieve, and output the information. There are many soft neurologic signs that provide clues to the intensity of mental energy that is actually going on to try to comply, such as mouth movements, and the famous tongue sticking out, the fingers/knuckles on the other hand moving slightly as the student is trying to write, the keeping of the eyes close to the paper as they try to write, and for more than a few an increase in general motor movement as the brain goes into overdrive trying to send energy and information to the brain. One can also see the child close their eyes or appear to look upward as they are trying to figure something out, which is another involuntary sign of mental activity.

These are signs that Dr. Levine teaches the physicians, teachers, social workers, and psychologists who take his classes in Chapel Hill. Unfortunately the larger number of those in the education field are unaware of that since it is not taught in the colleges.

His books try to give a picture of how to look at the child's processing and learning styles and how to work with them.

These students don't start out lazy and unmotivated. They learn to be this way as a life saving strategy from appearing stupid.