Dear Parents and Educators,

Please read this article to/with a student or young person you care about. It is important that all learners know how the brain learns best. The brain learns best when it is allowed to concentrate on one thing and one thing only.

Save this article to read together again at a later date. New concepts take time to digest and to assimilate. New habits take time and a conscientious effort to develop.

People who want to develop big muscles know that it takes a lot of work. Body builders work their muscles hard and long until their muscles are fatigued, or very tired. This hard work actually damages the muscles' cells, but not beyond repair. While the body builder rests, his/her body is at work repairing the strained muscles. The body actually repairs the strained muscles by developing new layers of cells on top of the tired cells. The cells pile up and up and that's how muscles get bigger and bigger. Your brain grows stronger and smarter from lots of hard work, too.

Your brain has many parts. One part is for balance, another is for vision, the right side of your brain is for speech, reading and writing. There is also a section for thinking with numbers. It's sort of your math section. Just like the muscles in your arms, your brain needs to be exercised in order to become stronger and smarter.

Your brain is made up of billions and billions of special cells called neurons. These neurons also run though-out your body and are called your nerves. Neurons collect information from your eyes, ears, fingers, from your nose, and everywhere else. The neurons then deliver the information to your brain. Now you can think about what you've experienced.

Your brain is best able to understand and remember what it is experiencing when you let it concentrate and work hard on one thing at a time. To concentrate means to think only about what you are busy learning. Be nice to your brain! Let your brain do one thing at a time and it will understand and remember well what you've learned.

When you study and concentrate for a long time, like when you study your math facts really hard for several minutes, the math section of your brain is working hard to understand and remember what you are learning. Your brain is getting stronger. Your brain is happy!

Concentration makes it possible for the neurons in your brain to actually carve a pathway, like a tiny fast highway, that can travel directly to the section in your brain that remembers the information you've learned. The brain can now give you your answers, really fast, whenever you need them.

"What's six time eight?" Bingo! "48." You get the correct answer back instantly and your brain will remember the correct answers forever. It really pays to concentrate!

Your brain rules! Keep up the good work.

Mary Robinson, M.Ed., is the director and principle tutor at the Tutorial Center of Waynesboro and Augusta County. For information, she may be reached at 649-1130.