Wallowing in College Choices

The college admission packets have started arriving five or six at a time now. Every day I pull a nice colorful stack out of the mailbox and they are all addressed to me oldest daughter. Colleges I’ve never heard of from every town and state one can imagine. I’ve suggested we put up a map with pins and mark all the various places from where these glossy, snazzy marketing packets are coming from. What I don’t know is how all these schools are getting her name and mailing information—she explained it has something to do with testing and some online … Continue reading →

How Important is Penmanship and Handwriting?

When my children were first in elementary school, they spent a lot of time learning “Penmanship”–I remember the pressure to make just the right size and shape of letters–first in printing and then in learning “cursive writing.” By the time they were in the fourth or fifth grade, they were also learning “keyboarding” (which, for us old-timers, is really typing.) Penmanship was a big deal and I remember lots of practice paper, stress and tears over getting things just right. Of course, Penmanship isn’t anything new. We all had to spend a fair amount of time practicing our writing as … Continue reading →

Calls From the School

Even though I may come off as fairly seasoned in this whole parenting scene, I still cringe and sigh when I get the dreaded “call from the school.” Whether it’s for tardiness, information, or naughty behavior, I always feel as though I am the one being called into the principal’s office (well, often, I AM called into the principal’s office) and I haven’t done anything to deserve it! I’ve told my kids that I hate to be surprised by that phone call so if they even suspect that a call might be coming home, they need to get to me … Continue reading →

Encouraging Reading–Why Not Read to the Cat?

At a nearby public library, they have an activity for beginning readers–several “therapy” cats are brought in and young readers get to stop by the library and “read” their favorite books to the cats. I think it is a fabulous idea for the newly reading. It reminded me of when my own children were beginning readers and would read to the cat, younger siblings, the fish, and even rose bushes in the flower garden! We didn’t have a dog at the time, but I could surely see how a trusty, faithful dog might be a fine reading companion as well. … Continue reading →

Using Tools Of Your Trade To Teach Your Kids

As a writer, I have developed a way to incorporate the tools of my trade into my role as parent and teacher. One of the best resources I have found is the annual Chase’s Calendar of Events. This guide provides a daily chronicle of what happened during a given year. It’s a great resource as a homework helper and idea generator for reports and projects. It’s an expensive guide, running almost a $100, but you can probably find a coppy at your local library’s reference department. I lucked out and bought an old guide at the library book sale for … Continue reading →

Miss a Parent-Teacher Conference and You’re a Criminal?

Let me start by saying that I am all for parental involvement in school. I worked in a preschool, and I recently became a substitute for middle school and high school. I think it is important for parents to be involved in their children’s education, but I also think a Texas lawmaker may just be taking things too far. Representative Wayne Smith, a Republican no less, has sponsored a bill to criminalize parents who miss a scheduled meeting with a teacher, or fail to schedule one after being notified, unless they have a “reasonable excuse.” There is currently no definition … Continue reading →

Author Thinks All Homework Should Be Abolished

When it comes to homework, parents often think their kids have too much to do on a daily basis. Of course, probably just as many parents feel that their kids don’t have enough. Alfie Kohn, author of the book, The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of A Bad Thing, says that homework is unnecessary and may cause students to become less interested in learning. In the December 2006 issue of Parent and Child, Kohn says that it’s hard for anyone to justify why homework is necessary. He says there is no evidence to support the belief that … Continue reading →

Using The Comics As A Teaching Tool

Fellow parenting blogger, Kori, recently wrote a blog about how she uses the newspaper as a way to jump-start conversations with her teens. I have also found the newspaper to be an invaluable teaching tool. Every section can be used to teach a new concept or reinforce one that your kids are learning. One section I especially like is the comics, especially the Sunday section. One activity you can use to teach or reinforce the concept of sequencing is to take a three or four comic panel, cut it out and then give it to your child and then have … Continue reading →

Tips for Finding a Tutor

In our local newspaper this morning, there is an article about a new program at our local library to help kids access tutoring. It got me to thinking about our own adventures in finding a tutor for my son a few years back, other families and their tutor searches, and all the various types of tutors and educational help that is available. I thought I might share a few tips on how to find and choose a tutor… While the yellow pages are always a possible resource in a tutor search, and any town of moderate-size probably has a professional, … Continue reading →

When it Gets Too Hard to Help With Homework

I’m an educated woman, I have a college degree, but I’m here to tell you that unless my teenagers are reading “The Scarlet Letter” or doing anything that an old English major/aging cheerleader/columnist for the high school newspaper might be able to help with–I’m pretty darn lame. Somewhere around mid-middle school, my eyes glazed over and it became apparent to everyone that if it had to do with science, math, languages (I took German and no one else in this house is taking that), and more than basic traveler’s geography–I was so not the woman for the job. That’s not … Continue reading →