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When Teachers Fail to Make the Mark

You know you’re in trouble when your child’s teacher behaves worse than your child. Whereas most parents realize that neither the public nor the private school system is 100 percent sound, I think it’s reasonable to expect that a child should not be subject to violence or ridicule within the confines of a classroom. Obviously, this has not been the case in the past. The news is filled with stories of teachers who duct tape their students’ mouths shut in class to stop them from talking, educators who push kids against walls when they don’t do as they are told … Continue reading →

Allowing Your Child To Fail

Book Review: Allow Your Child To Fail If You Want Them To Succeed, by Dr. Avril Beckford For some parents the slogan, “Failure is not an option,” is their mantra. But in her new book, “Allow Your Children to Fail if You Want Them to Succeed”, Dr. Avril Beckford, an Atlanta pediatrician, tells parents that it’s okay for our kids to fail. In fact, failure will ultimately lead to success. The book provides parents with proven tools and methods that the doctor has used in her 20 years of professional practice. The book is different from a lot of parenting … Continue reading →

Are You Sure Your Child Has ADHD?

A quick google search will lead you to more information about ADHD than you could possibly read. Many parents think that they know enough about ADHD to be able to properly diagnose it in their own children. It’s best to get a formal assessment by a professional health care provider, though. There are many other disorders that share some symptoms of ADHD. Are you sure your child has ADHD? According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of ADHD include: difficulty with sustaining attention on a task, frequent failure to follow through with and complete tasks, and problems with organizing. Kids with … Continue reading →

Is Something Better Than Nothing?

It may be if you are trying to teach your two-year-old manners and are only able to extract a sheepish “Peeaz!” after he’s already stuffed his mouth full of chocolate cake. However, when it comes to preserving the health and well being of your child, most parents aim for the 100 percent mark. I wouldn’t consider myself an all or nothing type mom, though my parent receptors were raised after reading Newsweek’s article on the effectiveness of hand sanitizers, and then seeing Purell listed on my daughter’s new school supply list. According to the magazine’s crack research team, alcohol-based hand … Continue reading →

Flower Child of Education

The other day my husband called me the “Flower Child of Education.” He was referring to my idea that one needs to “de-school” their brain in order to educate properly. One of my favorite quotes is by Mark Twain; “I never let my schooling get in the way of my education.” My husband has heard me quote this many times and smiles each time at my enthusiasm for being a “flower child of education.” As a matter of fact, I love that term so much I may use it for a blog or a book someday. While, my husband intends … Continue reading →

So What is a Parent’s Job, Anyway?

Here’s where I get all ranty. If you’re not in the mood to listen to a rant, tune out right here. Ready? Go. My husband is back at school. He is a teacher. From all of the media outlets this time of year, I hear many murmurings about our education system. Most of what I hear is blame placed squarely on the curriculum, or often on teachers themselves. Our system is failing our children, they say. Everything from lack of budgeting skills to drugs is the part of the failure of the educational system and must be addressed by that … Continue reading →

Is High Fashion Hurting Kids?

Strappy sandals, rhinestone-studded belts, and racerback dresses look great on the catwalk, but wearing them to school could lead to developmental problems, according to a new study. Fashion-conscious moms, who want their kids to look like they just stepped out of a children’s clothing catalog, could be setting up their offspring for failure in class. According to a recent study, wearing inappropriate outfits has the potential to disrupt the entire class and could seriously compromise a child’s development. What’s more, researchers note that the children, who are most likely to be scarred by wearing fashionable duds to class, are not … Continue reading →

Study Proves Families Have a Hard Time Finding Living-wage Jobs

I am continuously surprised at the things that have to be “studied” before the powers that be will even begin to acknowledge that there is a problem. In the business section of my newspaper this morning, there is a big headline: “Study: Living-wage jobs lacking.” The article goes on to say that in our Pacific Northwest, “34 percent of available jobs don’t pay enough to adequately support a single person without children, the study found, while 80 percent of those jobs fail to adequately cover expenses for a single adult with two children.” Well, duh. Later in the article, the … Continue reading →

My Inner City Story: Practices That Work

We have talked about how teaching in the inner city has to be a passion, how teachers are better served by mentors rather than more in-service and staff development, and we’ve talked about the conditions that plague the inner city. Urban education is a unique set of circumstances and forces set in motion and without support teachers frankly can’t do the job that needs to be done. I am personally convinced after my experiences here that the inner city requires innovative solutions. I would even be so bold as to say that we need to throw out much of what … Continue reading →

Tips for Home schooling Multi-Aged Children: Printable Worksheets for Preschoolers

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There are numerous times during the day, when you simply have to work individually with your older children and cannot include the little ones. For me, these are also the times when my preschooler just HAS to have my attention. Preschoolers, with their inquisitive minds and insatiable appetite for getting into things, are many home school moms’ biggest challenge. In an effort to try and figure out how to keep my 3 year old occupied without needing my help, I developed a folder of resources and worksheets that I got free from the internet. When all else fails, she has … Continue reading →