Education Week published an article on parent-teacher conferences (9-30-15) entitled Parent-Conferences Get a Makeover and written by Sarah D. Sparks. In the article she shares how districts have changed their format to academic parent-teacher teams (APTT). The idea is to create meetings where parents and teachers meet and share what they know about the… Read More »
Today begins Teen Read Week. It’s a time to look at what teens read as well as encourage the teens in your life to read, read, read. It part of a national literacy initiative of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association. Each year it is held during… Read More »
“Doing good does more than give you a warm glow – new research shows that volunteering can actually add healthy years to your life.” The opening quote came for an article in The Costco Connection dated June, 2015. The article goes on to say that volunteers live longer, healthier lives and reduce their risk of… Read More »
Do as I say, not as I do is NOT the best way to share yourself with kids. Instead, it’s important to model behaviors you want your children or children in your care to emulate. So, what are those behaviors? (1) Manners How we treat others says a lot about who we are. Kids are… Read More »
With all the sites for educators available a person could spend all day every day online reading and looking at ideas from educators who share their success stories. Here are a few basic, easy-to-implement ideas that caught my eye. (1) Ask students to pass papers sideways across aisles or to the back of the room.… Read More »
It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Commitment to the days or weeks you volunteer helps the teacher plan ahead. Be there when you say you will. The kids will notice. Continuity in following school rules and guidelines matters. Those ideas are in place for important reasons. Collaboration with the… Read More »
Ever think about volunteering your talents in a neighborhood school? Great! Ever wonder what you have to contribute to that neighborhood school? Lots! Not everyone is a teacher at heart, but we all have worthwhile skills and talents we might share with students. Whether it’s for preschoolers or high school seniors, we all can step… Read More »
I always loved school as well as getting ready for the first day. “Back in the day”, all we carried to school was our crayons, our lunch and our jacket; everything except crayons was provided by the school (pencils, paper, scissors, even Kleenex). We showed up with our new box of 12 Crayola crayons (the… Read More »
Learning is a complex process. There is so much to take in, analyze, synthesize and organize. Sometimes we forget about the impact of our creative elements. Here are a few ideas of ways to stay creative. 1. Listen and view the natural world that surrounds you. It’s the proverbial “take some time to smell the… Read More »
As the school year begins for many families, the Costco Connection magazine is filled with back-to-school items. One article that caught my eye was entitled Math + fun = success. Laura Overdeck, a mother of three from New Jersey, has created a non-profit “that delivers nightly math stories to tens of thousands of parents.” (p.… Read More »