After a few years of working with third graders I had an epiphany about the perceptions held by underachieving students who lacked confidence, or students who demonstrated negative behaviors. I was discovering an alarming number of students with poor self-images who were very capable students. As the demands on kindergarteners shifted from developmental learning to
The start of school is exciting. Students love getting new school supplies and can’t wait to start writing on the fresh pages with hopes of a better year. The first weeks are designed to be easy to help students settle in, but then the novelty of the new supplies wanes as the placement testing begins.
Turn on the television, open the newspaper, or magazine and notice the ads. What are all advertisers doing to get your attention. They use a time tested formula that sells products. 1. They point out something to be fearful of like rashes, aches and pains, male patterned baldness, female facial hair, or weak bones in children. 2.
You can’t get where you want to go if you don’t know what it looks like. Start your children on the road to success by preparing them for a great year. A little visualization of an end of the year report card is where I would start my students every year. Try this with your
VANS shoes is a nationally recognized brand. It is no accident that a man named Paul Van Doren created such a recognizable brand without even a high school education. The education he received came from working and observing from a very young age. As a child of the 1930’s, he experienced scarcity. No indoor plumbing
That is a question. The pendulum swings continually. Every year I dealt with parents whose only wish was that their children be in the high reading and math groups. I am a huge proponent of grouping for a variety of reasons, but only appropriate grouping. If the purpose is to push a child so they
In this article I will address the concerns we all need to be aware of when using the internet and why it is important to help children become educated in the strategies used to capture their attention and sway their opinions and future purchases. A Game of Solitaire- Innocent? Maybe Not! One would think that
Digital and social media exposure makes our children vulnerable to the manipulation of others. Can our children recognize the one most powerful strategy used to persuade? Our grandparents and parents may have used it to convince us we should comply with their wishes. WHAT IS IT? Children become empowered to protect themselves, when they
I love this question. Children do not realize there are many ways to read. Each reading method is determined by the purpose of the text. Excellent readers often read in phrases. In a sense, they are scanning the page and drawing conclusions about what they think they are reading. This is fine when reading for
I’ve been asked, “What skills will be more important today that are no longer taught, that were once taught years ago.” Without hesitation, I know that the Socratic methods used by Socrates are essential today. I would say more important than they were during his time. Why? Our students are barraged by information and are
Victoria is an educational consultant, nationally recognized speaker. Her over 50 years in education has been focused on developing resilient self-reliant self-advocates who know how to tap into their innate ability to independently solve challenges.