Dr. Yvonne Fournier has been a pharmacist, public health administrator, demographer and entrepreneur. She has followed her own roadmap in becoming arguably one of the most prolific of educators and child advocates in America today. And, she is a controversial opponent of the current education system in America.

Born in New York City, Dr. Fournier’s family moved back to its native Puerto Rico when she was a young teenager. After graduating from the University of Puerto Rico with a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy, Dr. Fournier filled prescriptions and reflected constantly on her love for learning. A desire to find the right track for her life sent her back to the university for a master’s degree in public health with a major focus in demography.

As she surveyed, collected, and analyzed demographic statistics, she felt a lack of fulfillment she could not overcome. Fournier returned to the university once again and began working on her doctorate, this time in education philosophy.

Fournier’s Childhood and Early Teens
Fournier rambled the upper west side of Manhattan, scouring the public library, which became her first love. Always thirsting for knowledge, Fournier used books and her imagination to transport her to remote places around the globe. The library quickly became her playground.

Various teachers in the New York City public school system also fed her desire for learning. She credits the city’s public school and library systems as a foundation for her success as an educator. Specifically, she credits the Washington Heights elementary school she attended. There, she was allowed to develop creatively at a very young age and was encouraged to think critically and to apply her knowledge so that she could create new knowledge.

Thankfully for her, a few teachers in the New York City school system were bucking the industrial era teaching format the country had adopted post WWII, even though the country was already moving toward a knowledge-based world with the advent of the golden age of television.

This concept – that America is still following a post WWII industrial education model today – is what has Dr. Fournier at odds with the current educational system in America.

Fournier’s Call For Change
Fournier returned to the states with her husband, who had come to Memphis on a Developmental Pediatrics Fellowship at the University of Tennessee Boling Center for Developmental Disabilities.

She enrolled at the University of Memphis to complete her doctorate in education philosophy then began teaching only to immediately recognize that the United States was falling behind other countries in effectively educating children.

In 1979, she began assessing children, seeing the same problems in both public and private school students, noting that the issues were not stemming from a lack of money for education but were due to an outdated education model. Fournier began emphasizing in speeches and consultations she made around the country that the post WWII industrial model of education must change, no matter what it took.

She vowed not to give in or give up on her message that the United States must change the educational model to a knowledge-based model if America is to continue to compete in a global economy, a message she still delivers today.

To Dr. Fournier, education is about more than memorizing facts, passing tests and receiving grades (the industrial era learning model she opposes). It’s about understanding how students learn.

She believes the industrial era education model must change as well as the labeling of students as “learning disabled,” “unmotivated” or “careless” just because they can’t or don’t want to follow a broken system.

Dr. Fournier’s success can also be attributed to her ability to assess what is right with children while continuing to point out what is wrong with the system. She developed her own assessment techniques, which pinpoint strengths and unlock overlooked nuances in children and adolescents that often lead to misdiagnosis of pathology and learning disabilities.

Fournier Today
One-on-one, Dr. Fournier serves as a child’s advocate and is known for her uncanny ability to see and understand the child’s side of the problem. Tables at her company are filled with stacks and stacks of testimonial letters. They are from grateful parents and serve as a declaration of her ability and success.

Dr. Fournier has been a Scripps Howard News Service Columnist for 20 years. She is the creator and author of Scripps Howard’s Hassle-Free Homework® column which is distributed to more than 300 newspapers around the country. Hassle-Free Homework® offers evaluation and guidance to specific questions from parents who write to her desperate for help.

Numerous features and articles have been written over the years about Dr. Fournier. Her Strategizer® Series has helped thousands of children develop three skills: organizing, planning, and decision-making. These skills foster a child’s independent, lifelong learning ability, resulting in a competitive, resourceful adult in the workplace.

For 29 years, she has headed Fournier Learning Strategies (FLS). Dr. Fournier has assembled a group of like-minded educational counselors and administrators at Fournier Learning Strategies, the leading educational counseling service in Memphis. Founded in 1979 by Dr. Fournier, FLS has counseled and assessed thousands of students in its near 30 years of operation.

Fournier Learning Strategies offers daytime educational programs for homeschoolers from K-12 as well as customized after-school courses at its east Memphis headquarters in the Ridgeway Loop. In addition, FLS has summer courses as well as customized summer programs.

A key to the success of Fournier Learning Strategies, whether through Dr. Fournier’s assessments or in her customized educational programs, is the individualized learning that equips the student with the thinking processes that schools and parents assume children already possess.

It is often said of Dr. Fournier that she has the heart to see past the labels– to see each child and each parent as a gift. Evidence of this decorates her office in the form of thoughtful mementos given to her by grateful families.

Fournier’s Private Life
Dr. Fournier and her husband retired Developmental Pediatrician Manuel Soto-Viera, live with Sophie, their dog. Their son, Civil Engineer Manolo Soto-Fournier, is a product of his mother’s style of education. He most recently worked through a National Science Foundation grant and Washington University in St. Louis as an undergraduate research assistant at the University of Tokyo on earthquake mitigation structural health monitoring techniques. He is set to enter medical school at The University of Tennessee this fall.

Fournier’s Background and Resume
Higher Education

• 1968 – University of Puerto Rico, Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy
• 1971 – University of Puerto Rico, Master of Science in Public Health, School of Public Health
• 1978 – Memphis State University, Doctorate in Education

Teaching and Research

• University of Memphis; Fogelman College of Business and Economics & College of Education
• Rhodes College – Department of Education
• University of Puerto Rico – Medical Sciences Campus
• University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill – Center of Social Investigations

Professional and Civic Boards

• Woman’s Foundation, Founding Board of Directors Literacy Council, Board of Directors
• Free the Children- Board of Directors
• Leadership Memphis – Class of 1991
• YMCA of Greater Memphis – Past President, Board of Directors, Executive Committee
• University of Tennessee – Executive Advisory Board
• Christian Brothers University, Board of Trustees Executive Committee
• Immaculate Conception High School, Board of Directors
• Porter Leath Children’s Center – Past President, Board of Directors, Treasurer
• Parenting Center of Memphis, Board of Directors and President, Program Committee
• Catholic Charities – Board of Directors
• Shelby County Interfaith – Developed Citizen Empowerment Curriculum Mayor’s Advisory Council for Citizens with Disabilities
• Ira Lipman (Children’s School) – Founding Member, Parents Association
• Campus Public School – Parents Association, Secretary
• St. Patrick’s Church Parish Council
• Phi Delta Kappa – Fraternity in Education
• Public Health Association of Puerto Rico
• Kappa Phi Sorority (Pharmacist Honor Society)
• College of Pharmacists of Puerto Rico

Work Partnerships

• Wrote the first Bridges program for Memphis Bridge Builders
• Regional Medical Center at Memphis
• Tennessee Valley Authority
• Amateur Athletic Union
• Fayette County Board of Education, Fayette County, TN – Consultant
• Senatobia (Mississippi) School System
• Cumberland Hardwoods of Sparta, TN
• Youth Service, USA, Inc.
• Brookline (Massachusetts) School System
• Wrote and developed Fournier Learning Systems for Education Corporation of America

http://www.fournierlearningstrategies.com/About/AboutYF/AboutYF.html

Testimonials…

“Dr. Fournier, how do I begin to try to tell you what it has meant to me to have a glimmer of hope that there might be a solution to my dilemma regarding Christopher’s performance in school?”

-Jo H., parent, Memphis, Tennessee

“Dr. Fournier, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you and your educational counselors at Fournier Learning Strategies have accomplished with Tanya.”

-Mary D., parent, Cordova, Tennessee

“Dr. Fournier, I want to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to go over George’s math dilemma with me. You have helped him to the A we both wanted and now he is excited about the summer program he’ll be in at FLS.”

-Nadine A., parent, Collierville, Tennessee

“Dr. Fournier, thank you for helping Anna to learn how to learn! Even the family dog is happier now that the arguing over homework has stopped!”

-Paul W., parent, Olive Branch, Mississippi

“Dr. Fournier, I am especially impressed with your results with our son, Alex. You are a sage when it comes to education. Your counselors are the best.”

-Bill and Robin S., parents, Germantown, Tennessee

http://www.fournierlearningstrategies.com/Testimonials/Testimonials.html

By Dr. Yvonne Fournier, Columnist

Dear Dr. Fournier:

My 16-year-old granddaughter has been fairly conscientious about grades and homework up until this year. She got her driver’s license back in January and we watched as her A’s and B’s dropped to B’s and C’s by the time she finished the tenth grade.

Now she’s a junior and she’s bringing home even lower grades. For example, she brought home a D on an English test and a C- on a Math test (Math is her best subject). I was already worried but then the next day, she brought home an F on a U.S. History quiz!

We’ve given her freedom because we know she’s a young adult but I think she’s shirking her responsibilities and is not devoting enough time to her school and homework. What advice can you give us on how to handle this situation?

Mona B.
Boise, ID

Dr. Yvonne Fournier Photo: Rupert Yen

Dear Mona:

Although the basic question here is about dividing time and responsibilities, there are two issues that need to be addressed:

1. How much freedom should a 16-year-old have?
2. How much time and responsibility should she direct toward homework?

ASSESSMENT

First, let’s look at the issue of independence.

As our children – and grandchildren – grow from babies to teens and into adults, our ties to them gradually lengthen to permit new freedoms and independence. This is simply a fact of life.

For infants, toddlers and young children, the ties are short and tight. Parents carefully scrutinize their children’s whereabouts, playmates, bed times and bath times, to name a few important things. The primary focus during the infants, toddlers and young children ages is on the parent-child relationship.

As adolescence begins, the child discovers that relationships with others can be very rewarding. At this time, parents’ ties need to grow longer yet remain firmly attached. Unfortunately, some teens become strongly tied to their new relationships. Approval and acceptance from friends becomes primary and that competes heavily with parental relationships and even school responsibilities.

Sixteen has been the age offered by experts in the past as a major turning point for children as their ties continue to lengthen from parents.

Driving adds a new dimension to their lives. Even for the child who does not have a driver’s license, the “Sweet 16″ perception of freedom remains. Despite the perception, a 16-year old is not ready for adult responsibilities and privileges.

So don’t fall prey to calling your 16-year-old a “young adult.” Think instead of her as an “old kid” who still needs parental guidance and is still developing her sense of responsibility.

The second issue is also important: How much time and responsibility should she direct toward homework?

Some children can do tasks in less time than we adults would anticipate. The key here is not the amount of time, but the results that are produced. Helping your 16-year-old become responsible for learning is far more important than clocking the hours she spends on assignments. Focus instead on her responsibility for results, and even shorter amounts of time will be better spent.

WHAT TO DO

Mona, establish a system that will help you know when to pull on your parental ties to give your “old kid” guidance.

Once a week, set aside a time with her to go over her grades. A 16-year-old should be able to present you with her weekly class averages and the grades that produced these averages. If she has a low grade, she should have a strategy for bringing up her average in an effort to negate the low grade and produce success in the class or subject. She should also answer this important question: “How will I take care of this problem this week?”

For example, if your granddaughter made low grades on vocabulary quizzes, her strategy for success could be, “Rather than study the vocabulary words from the book next week, I will separate easy words from hard words. I’ll record the hard words on my iPhone, iPod or digital recorder and test myself on them once a day.”

By the way parents and grandparents, the technology our children use is not just for playing games, texting and talking to friends. The iPhone, iPod Touch and iPod devices all have applications or features that act as “tape recorders” and are extremely beneficial for educational use, specifically in the example I used in the above paragraph.

Mona, your granddaughter should include in her weekly plan how she will control her new ties to peers, such as driving, or what sounds to me like possible taxi service for her friends.

As a side note, while adolescents probably possess the necessary intellectual skills to make informed choices, they often lack emotional maturity and their social decision-making is often suspect.

There are many scientific studies that support this so your granddaughter is fortunate that she lives in Idaho and can get a driver’s license at age 16. Many states, because of these scientific studies regarding emotional maturity levels and social decision-making, have increased the driving age to 17 and 18.

Remember, parental ties are pulled to help children learn to identify problems – school, personal/family, or social – and to set up strategies to overcome those problems. The same kind of responsibility-building techniques certainly can be used with issues of independence.

Parents, help your “old kids” learn to develop relationships with independence. Rigid rules on study time will not necessarily give parents the results they hope for. Good grades are great but of little long-term value if your child doesn’t learn how to be in control of her own life.

CONTACT DR. FOURNIER

Have a question about education, education-related issues or your child’s schoolwork or homework? Ask Dr. Fournier and look for her answer in this column. E-mail your question or comment to Dr. Yvonne Fournier at drfournier@hfhw.net.

http://newsblaze.com/story/20091022190704fics.nb/topstory.html