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    "ocrText": "Band program on a\nhigh note\nPage 2\nOUR TOWN\nTHE NAPERVILLE SUN\nFood Guide\nWEDNESDAY, November 16, 1994\nEducator instills mental\ntoughness in 'problem' kids\n\"Why would a kid listen\nto me if I say the same\nthing as Mom and Dad?\nThey want to know why I\nthink I understand\nthem.\"\nMichael Litow\nfounder/director of The\nEducation Center of\nDevelopment Resources\nBy Lisa Laland\nichael Litow actually had a\nM\nparent call him for an\nappointment and say, \"I'll\ndrop my kid off so you can\nfix him.\"\nHe quickly responded, \"I'm not a\nmechanic, you know.\"\nAnother thing be is not is a disci-\nplinarian.\n\"I tell parents that I don't lecture. I\ndon't preach. I don't sermonize - but\nI do listen.\" be said. \"One thing\nMichael Litow will do for a kid is Lis-\n(Photo by James C. Svenia)\nten to him.\"\nesteem. Longtime educator and counselor Michael Litow (right) with sons Vinaie, 17. and David. 11, encourages communication and sell-\nAs founder and director of The\nEducation Center of Developmental\nResources Inc. in Naperville and a\nfor the Education Center on its 15th\nnationally acclaimed educator and\nanniversary.\nbusiness and entertainment to help\ncounselor. Litow has been listening for\n\"There's nothing greater than the\n\"I tell parents that I don't\nmotivate his young clients to succeed\nat home and school.\n25 years to kids. ages 4 to 20, who suf-\nsatisfaction of a parent. or especially\nlecture, I don't preach, I\nOne example IS when he commis-\nfer from learning disabilities, includ-\na kid, saying. 'You know you've really\ning physical and emotional problems.\nhelped me and I really appreciate it,\ndon't sermonize - but I do\nsioned a stern letter sent from the late\nChicago Bears' owner George Halas\nsocial maladjustment, hyperactivity,\nsaid Litow \"When I hear that. it's like\nlisten.\"\nand a phone call from former Bears\ndrug or alcohol dependence. failing\nI'm walking on air. To help a kid. to\nplayer Johnny Morris. both delivered\ngrades. lack of motivation and poor\nme that's the greatest thing in the\nMichael Litow\nto one suburban teenaged client aspir-\npeer relationships.\nworld. I can't express what it does for\ning to play professional football but\nWhat he bears these children con-\nme\nfailing in school.\nveying to him in different ways IS an\nWith his part-motivational, part\n\"You do what you need to do to help\ninherent need for better communica.\n\"street-tough\" style. Litow wins kids\na youngster,\" said Litow. repeating\ntion with their parents.\nand helps them to win by establishing\nteachers who gave him little hope.\none of his favorite mottoes. \"I tell\n\"You can describe some of these\nrapport\nIt was in college that Litow began\nkids. 'You've got to work with what\nkids I see as spoiled and over-\nHe knows their language. he knows\nworking with troubled youths and\nyou have and make it work for you\nindulged. but the truth is there IS not a\ntheir sensitivities. he knows their pres-\nfound be had a knack for helping\nIt's a question of getting them to hang\nlot of meaningful dialogue and interac-\nsures. Most of all. be knows through\nthem. He studied to become a quali-\n10 and develop a mental toughness. I\ntion with their family members.\" said\npersonal experience their learning\nfied psychologist in emotional disor-\ntry to get them to deal with reality the\nLitow. 48. a Naperville parent of two\nstruggles\nders.\nway it is and not the way they want it\n\"In our world today. there's really\n*I don't sit across from them and do\nUpon graduation in 1968. Litow got a\nto be My philosophy is. 'Before you\nno time for people to sit down at a sup-\nthe old clinical thing where I say.\nteaching job at Melody Elementary\nget a kid to try to learn, you've got to\nper table and ask. 'How was your\n'What's your problem. kid?'\nSchool on Chicago's West Side.\nget a kid to learn to try.\nday?' or 'How was school?' A lot of\nexplained Litow. \"It doesn't work and\nFrom there. be went to another\nAs for kids' parents. Litow said it is\nparents are so involved with their\nwhy would a kid listen to me if 1 say\nWest Side elementary school, but\ncrucial for them to take an active rale\ncareers. there's a lack of closeness\nthe same thing as Mom and Dad?\ncouldn't adjust to the public school\nin their child's day-to-day progression.\nwith their kids. That creates a sense of\nThey want to know why I think I\nsystem's bureaucracy.\n\"Parents need to really listen and\nloneliness and feeling of not being sup-\nunderstand them.\"\nAnd the school system didn't easily\nspend time with their kids all the time\nported.\"\nBorn in Chicago's Logan Square\nadjust to his unorthodox teaching\nand not just when things don't go right\nThrough its unique mentoring pro-\nneighborhood. Litow was considered a\nmethods, including his incredibly suc-\nand everybody tends to go ballistic,'\ngram. Litow's non-profit agency. also\n\"problem\" child. also classified by\ncessful idea of offering students \"pay\"\nsaid Litow. \"Also, you've got to love\nwith an office in Forest Park, has\ncredit points for excelling that could\nteachers as \"incorrigible\" and \"learn-\nyour kid for who be or she is and not\nhelped hundreds of unner-city and sub-\ning disabled.\" He flunked the fourth\nbe later redeemed for toys and elec-\nfor the number of trophies and plaques\nurban kids find the incentive and tools\ngrade\ntronic items at an auction he set up.\non the mantle or As on the report\nto make it through school and to make\nLitow was an assistant principal at\nIn high school. be went through a\ncard. Too many times kids are think.\nit in life. He regularly sees clients\na Chicago elementary school in the\n\"Fonzie\" stage. when he ware 8\ning. 'Well. geez. I'm letting (my par-\nfrom all three of Naperville's high\nlate '70s and studying for his doctorate\nleather jacket, greased his hair back\nents) down. 1 just can't measure up.\nschools\ndegree when he decided to start his\nand didn't study.\nLast Thursday. Liton was bonored\nown educational clinic.\nBut be did graduate from Mather\nFor more information on The\nby dozens of former clients - now\nHis center. first opened in Oak\nHigh School and then went to\nEducation Center of Developmental\nsuccessful adults - along with their\nPark. made beadlines soon after it\nUniversity of Miami to study market-\nResources Inc., or to schedule a free\ngrateful parents, at a benefit auction\nopened when Litow began calling 00\ning. absolutely flabbergasting the\nconsultation with Michael Litow. call\nlocal celebrities in sports; politics,\n(708) 420-7807"
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