Children and introversion
I hear the dribble of Lorraine: or what’s wrong with being quiet or an introvert? With help from Paul Simon, Eva Cassidy, Susan Cain, The Ramones, the Clash and the Specials!!
Date posted: Thursday 17th July 2014
 Paul Simon and Kathy Chitty on the cover of Simon’s first album. |
 Paul and Arty: matching jumpers. Arty: slightly creepy persona? |
I hear the drizzle of the rain/ Like a memory it falls/ Soft and warm continuing/Tapping on my roof and walls.
Paul Simon: Kathy’s Song
I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with Simon and Garfunkel: while most of the boys I knew at school loved them, I hated their guts. It’s not really anything to do with Paul Simon’s mawkish lyrics or Art Garfunkel’s oh-so-pure voice and slightly creepy persona, but more about the negative association their songs quickly built up in my little 10-year-old mind as I was being walloped. (more…)
Quiet children: are they ‘shy’ or ‘introverts’?
Date posted: Monday 26th November 2012
I spend a lot of time thinking about children who are quiet, and particularly those who are unhappy about joining in during group activities. We often assume that these children are ‘shy’, but what does this mean? A good way to think about shy children is see them as really wanting to contribute through talking, but their anxiety about ‘performing’ in front of a group prevents them from doing so. This bothers them, and if adults put pressure on them to talk, this can increase their self-consciousness and create anxiety.