Thanks so much for welcoming all my guest posters this past week! I enjoyed a jam-packed trip to Washington D.C. where I spent 3 days at Mom Congress, 1 day sight-seeing (aching feet!), 1 evening gallivanting at the Reading is Fundamental gala, and 1/2 day of meetings. (I'm more introverted than extroverted so don't expect spoken words for several days. Need. To. Rest.) Did you see that May 4th … [Read more...]
My New Parenting.com Blog and How to Subscribe to an RSS Feed
I'm blogging over at Parenting.com for Class Notes in addition to my blogging here at Imagination Soup and my other freelance work. If you want to keep up with my blog posts at Parenting, you'll need to subscribe to the RSS feed. I realize that over the over 1,000 of you that subscribe in RSS already know what I'm talking about but for those who don't . . . How do you subscribe to an RSS … [Read more...]
Fed Up With (School) Lunch – The Book
I met Sarah Wu when she was Mrs. Q., the anonymous teacher blogger, chronicling her year-long experience eating school lunch. Since then, she's officially come out and published a book which I know you'll want to read. "I know that at some point in your life you ate hot lunch at school. . . I have news for you: School lunch has gotten worse. Much worse." (p.22) Fed Up With Lunch, the book … [Read more...]
RIF Helps Low Income Families Without Books
Do you remember Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) when you were in school? Tables filled end to end with chapter books and picture books. And you got to pick one out for your very own? I fondly remember RIF days. They were so awesome. RIF's goal is to reach families without any books. Nearly two-thirds of low-income families own no books. RIF provides 15 million free books every year to children … [Read more...]
Jumpstart Volunteers In ECE
Start Behind, Stay Behind "1 in 3 children enter kindergarten behind," said Kim Davenport, mom and Chief Program Officer at Jumpstart, a national early childhood education program. She added that kindergarten teachers can predict with 90% which students will graduate and which will not. Scary. The statement has huge implications. If a child is not ready to learn in kindergarten and a … [Read more...]
What Does Secretary of Education, Arnie Duncan, Believe?
"Our country far too complacent. We can not have strong communities with an uneducated workforce," said Arnie Duncan, Secretary of Education, in a recent speech to Parenting Magazines Mom Congress, April 2011. My first encounter with Secretary of Education Duncan was an NPR Q and A with listeners. Folks were upset about the cuts in programs, very upset. I didn't blame them. During this same … [Read more...]
Doctors Make Literacy a Priority
One of the highlights of Mom Congress was hearing about the amazing work people do to help children. Reach Out and Read inspired me because of my own passion for literacy. It's a program started by pediatricians to nurture the roots of literacy and encourage reading aloud to kids. Let me explain. In the Doctor's Office We saw a short one minute video clip that was so inspiring -- a doctor gave a … [Read more...]
Byron Garrett Shares Wisdom and Inspiration
It took all my discipline not to shout "amen" during Bryon Garrett's speech at Mom Congress. Garrett is the President and CEO of Life Works International and advocates for youth, education and family engagement. He spoke with the passion and style of an African-American preacher, and gave us so much information and inspiration, I've been thinking about it ever since. “We must do the best for … [Read more...]
Mrs. Q Goes to Washington
My new favorite woman, teacher, mom and activist is the blogger Mrs. Q. Have you heard of her? She’s the anonymous teacher-blogger who ate school lunch (162 school lunches,) took pictures with her cell phone and blogged about it at “Fed Up with Lunch”. “It’s actually not just food – it’s everything. It’s the basis of learning,” she said last week at Mom Congress. "I was really naive," … [Read more...]
Playworks Makes Recess Awesome
Jill Vialet of Playworks made everyone at Mom Congress do some crazy things. Climb a ladder, swing in a swing, and some other silly movements. Even though I felt silly, it was fun to be moving and got me ready to learn. Vialet founded Playworks to focus on recess. It hires and trains people to go into low-income schools to bring in awesome recesses for kids every day in over 60,000 public … [Read more...]
Michelle Rhee Breaks It Down at Mom Congress
Michelle Rhee tends to polarize people. So, I'll share what she said to us at Mom Congress. Then, you can decide for yourself what you think about her positions. I typed this up as fast as I could (thanks to working my way through college as a temp) and hope that I typed it as I heard it, but I apologize in advance for any errors in reporting. "One of the things we are to do if we are to fix … [Read more...]
What The Gates Foundation Really Believes
When Marguerite Roza, PhD, Senior Data and Economic Advisor for the U.S. Program of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, started her presentation, I pursed my lips, anxiously awaiting the Q and A session. I was really annoyed at The Gates Foundation's position on class size. Except, as I listened to Roza, it became clear that I didn't have all the information. Class Size In fact, The … [Read more...]