I spoke with a third grade boy about his impression of the first weeks of school. The following are his observations: It was hard sitting in a chari all day. I like to stand, but she kept telling me to sit down and sit still. That made it hard for me to listen to her. […]
A 3rd Boy’s Eye View-The First Week of School Read More »
Start the new year off with strategies that engage and eliminate the guesswork out of how to meet the needs of each student. Munn Publishing announced the release of my book Ask More Learn More-Creating a Culture of Curiosity.on Amazon today Have you ever wondered why some students excel while others struggle to stay engaged?
Teachers are competing for attention and they think it is the devices they are competing with. Some think it is the speed at which students are accustomed to viewing images at hundreds of images a minute. They are right to a certain extent. But the real competition is what is happening in the brain when
The Secret to Engagement is Brain Chemistry Read More »
Ailment #1:“I don’t know what to do it Blues” or “The teacher didn’t teach me this blues.” Cause: Many children are accustomed to their parents re-teaching homework concepts. For this reason they do not feel a need to listen carefully in class. In order for the brain to store information for more than 2-3 seconds
The Homework Doctor Has the Perfect Prescription to Cure Common Homework Ills Read More »
Parents eagerly await the dismissal from school to find out how their children’s day went. They ask the question, “Did you learn anything new today?” and the response is a discouraging, “No.” Many times our children come home exhausted. They have grown accustomed to carefree days and are suddenly thrown into a structured day that
Strategies for Learning About Your Children’s School Day Read More »
I was asked,” How important is parent and teacher communication?” My answer will surprise you. “Not as important as student to teacher and child to parent communication. I believe we need to teach children the Art of Self-Advocacy“ When students learn how to be self-advocates, communication between parent and teacher is less important. Reasons for
Question: How important is Parent and Teacher Communication? Read More »
Parents controlling their children’s device use is admirable, but in many cases it’s futile. By doing so, parents are creating a situation that makes children want to sneak it. Having encountered students who would wake at 1 am, unlock the drawer that contained the device, and be found playing it under the covers, I can
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Checking in with students about their goals and how they feel they are doing is crucial to help them maintain their mental health. Hundreds of students are suffering silently, because of they have perceptions of how they should be performing. They are questioning if they can maintain their current level of performance. The stress of
CRUCIAL to Student Success: Mental Check-ins Read More »
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
Why Do Students Misjudge Their Capabilities? Read More »
My first failures in the classroom led me to discover Homework Solutions that promotes self-advocacy in students. Students fear mistakes. As young as 4 years old, I have seen children fall apart because they made a mistake. By time these same children enter third grade, they either know the value of a mistake or the
Self-Advocates Succeed! Read More »