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
I have never experienced a more stressful time in our country and for teachers specifically in my 50 years in the classroom and as a parent. The media won’t let us stop worrying about one thing or another. Teachers aim to provide a nurturing safe space for their students so they can feel some relief
I recently met with a fifth grader. HIs mother thought I would be the best person to catch her son up so he could be in the top math group. Her son was very disturbed because he was not placed in the highest math class. When asked why that was important to him, he replied,
Kids say the darnedest things. My friend’s granddaughter was excited about her first day in first grade. We’ll call her Suzy for story telling purposes. The teacher was sweet and Suzy loved her immediately. That’s a good thing for a parent who is leaving her child in the care of someone for the first time.
Working with children who have been on-line for a year and watching them transition into the regular classroom, I have witnessed some new challenges for parents. During Covid on-line instruction, parents were pulled into the learning environment more than ever before. Children who were somewhat independent prior to on-line are now demonstrating increased dependence on
If asked, will your child say they are terrible at math or good at math? Would they say they are a good student or a bad student? Do the words artistic, athletic, or creative show up on their list of descriptives about themselves? Or are meth challenged, poor reader, or is clumsy on their list?
Never in my 48 years in education have I witnessed so many children suffering from fear and anxiety. Their worlds were turned upside down which is bad enough. Their fears are chiefly driven by two contributors: News and the Lack of Strategies. Historically, news creates fears because fear is a motivator to listen. Our primitive
Starting off the year with a proper mindset will make the difference between a successful year and one that is steeped in challenges. The first place to start is by determining what kind of year students want to have. A beautiful thing about teachers is they allow their new students to start the year with
It may not be long before we are traveling like the Jetsons. If one is old enough to remember the cartoon, it was the mother who had the first automatic vacuum. It took 50 years for scientists to discover how to make it a reality. t’s called the Roomba. Surprising enough, it has been cartoonists
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.