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 […]
“Why does my daughter beat herself up because her twin’s talent is in math and he can do it easily while she struggles. He constantly corrects her?” asked a mother of gifted children. To answer this questions we need to do the following: Examine the power of beliefs formed at an early age. Examine our
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Labeling children can often be more destructive than helpful, and can prevent us from discovering the real reason behind the behaviors being manifested. I recently heard a fourth grader I am homeschooling in math and language referred to as being ADD. His supervising teacher said, “I’m sure you already have noticed signs of ADD.” I
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Working with procrastinators for over 48 years has been very telling. Some procrastinators are simply over scheduled and lack time-management strategies. A good number of procrastinators put off hard things. They will avoid those tasks that take more mental energy, while others hold deeply rooted secrets that interfere with the ability to complete tasks on
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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,
Math Placement: Can You Really Get Them Ahead? Read More »
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?
Children’s Beliefs Impact Performance Read More »
At the ripe age of one month or even before, children begin forming ideas about who they are and how they will survive in this world. By the time they enter school, they have already formed opinions about their strengths and weaknesses. They learn this from all their interactions with family, friends, strangers, and all
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
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If you are a parent dreading the start of school you’ll understand this poem that my mom andI wrote about 26 years ago. I sit at this paper and I stare and I think, That homework and those projects Had me right on the brink! The next year’s project-what will it be? A model? A
Dreading the Projects This Year? Read More »