Parent Education
One Little Way to Enlarge Your Child's World
From the desk of Leigh Ann… “There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.” ~ Jacqueline Kennedy Research has shown that one of the most important things a parent can do to help instill a love of learning in their child is to read to…
Read MoreRespect
From the desk of Carol C… The school year has started for most teachers and children. Open House is over, and now it’s time to begin to establish a positive relationship with our students and their families. I believe it is our responsibility in cooperation with the families to establish a relationship of trust. This…
Read MoreHelp! My Child Reads Above Grade Level
From the desk of Alice… I recently had a conversation with a friend who told me her first grader had scored well above average on his reading test and she wanted some suggestions for summer reading. She clarified her child’s test results indicated that he was reading on a 5th grade level at the end…
Read MoreGetting Your Child to Read During Summer Vacation
From the desk of Carol C… Last weekend I asked several parents what they did to encourage their children to read outside of school, especially during the summer. Some told me their children were always engaged with reading. Others gave me some practical ideas that worked for them. Here are the tips that brought the…
Read MoreMake 'em Behave
From the desk of Carol C… “Don’t kick that wall again!” “Why can’t you walk in a line without talking?” “What is it about ‘clean up your room’ that you don’t understand?” “You don’t even try.” Anybody who has dealt with children of any age will recognize the statements above or something like them. …
Read MoreNo Words
From the desk of Alice… After the Newtown shootings in December I kept thinking I would find some words to put in a blog. The words never came. After Monday’s tragedy in Boston, I just couldn’t land on any other blog that seemed to say the right thing. As I scanned my files and the…
Read MoreAnd the Answer Is…
From the desk of Carol C… I’ve thought a lot about the role of questioning in our classrooms and its effect on students. Questioning, if used to help students think more critically is a vital part of any high achieving classroom. Lately though I’ve started thinking about the answers we give children. Whether kids are…
Read MoreWhere Did You Get Your Eyes?
From the desk of Hope… I was in a kindergarten classroom last week and a student came up to me and asked, “Where did you get your eyes?” Hmmm. I wasn’t quite sure how to answer but it didn’t matter because she was quickly shooed off to do her seat work. She promptly got busy…
Read MoreAcademic Difficulty at School
From the Desk of Carol C… In the last few days I’ve read a blog article entitled “Comprehension Issue or Assignment Issue?“. It captured my attention and created questions in my mind. (Good reader!) Is this an example of parents overreacting? Are the children refusing to do homework or rushing through something they view as…
Read MoreWhy Picture Books Matter
From the desk of Carol C… Let me start off by saying that I love picture books…not all of them mind you but a vast majority of them. I’ve always loved them, so a few years ago I became concerned after an article in the New York Times reported that the sale of picture books…
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