As I send my kids off to another year of school, I want them to remember who they are. I want them to know how strong they are. I want them to know that even when things are bad, they will get better. And that sometimes it's our attitude that makes the difference in a situation. Which is why I put together 20 inspiring back to school quotes for my kids and your kids. They're available as a free … [Read more...]
Read This If Your Child is Unhappy at School
written by Natalie, mom and blogger at Afterschool for Smarty Pants I am very honored to be posting on Imagination Soup today, but I am going to talk about a difficult topic. When our children go to school, we all want them to be happy and motivated. We want them to love learning, make friends, and keep growing in their abilities. But what if things don’t go well at school? What if your … [Read more...]
Why I Dislike Homework and How the Research Backs Me Up
Do your kids spend hours a night doing homework? Mine do. And I hate it-- maybe even more than they do. Seriously, I'd much rather that my kids get much needed down-time to: play, nap, read, run, swing, dance, twirl, build, create, draw, invent, or design. Yet I sit inside with them, trying to pretend that I'm enthusiastic and supportive, helping them to stay focused, answering … [Read more...]
Backpacks For Super Hero Super Kids
And now for my better-late-than-never, back-to-school backpack post. (To go with my not-even-close-to-the-first day of school photos.) Cough, cough. Well, even if some moms (me!!) aren't super moms, we know our kids like to pretend that they are superhero kids. Check out these adorable backpacks that would help: SuperME! Backpacks! If only they came in grown-up sizes, --I would totally … [Read more...]
Flash Cards or Finger Paints: Should Academics or Play Be the Goal of Preschool?
by Amy Webb, parent, educator, and blogger at The Thoughtful Parent. If you are the parent of a preschool-aged child, you have probably put quite a bit of thought into what type (if any) of preschool to enroll your child. If you’re like me, you had no idea how complicated a decision this could be until you started delving into the topic. Play Based vs. Academic Preschools One of the first … [Read more...]
Quiz Yourself – Examples of Divergent and Convergent Thinking
Now that you've learned or refreshed your memory on the differences between convergent thinking and divergent thinking, let's look at the application in learning. Can you determine which is which? It's important that you can because it's up to you, parent or teacher, to advocate for more divergent learning in the classroom. Linear thinking, or convergent thinking, is about learning facts, follow … [Read more...]
Push Has Come to Shove
I know you care about advocating for your children’s education. And you think could be better. Or not. Maybe you wonder what with the fuss, education is just fine, thank you very much. Whoever you are, whatever you believe about education, you MUST read Push Has Come to Shove, Getting Our Kids the Education They Deserve (Even If It Means Picking a Fight) by Dr. Steve Perry, principal and … [Read more...]
Why YOU Should Care About Education
This week we're continuing to discuss advocacy but, if you're wondering why should you care, let me explain why I'm belaboring this point for more than a few posts. Everything is going fine. My kids aren’t even in school. Only crazy political people get into this kind of stuff. Any of these thoughts familiar? No doubt, you have a choice to be an advocate for your child or not. … [Read more...]
Parent Advocacy Do’s and Don’ts
Excerpts from a recent interview with Dr. Savitri Dixon-Saxon, mother and associate dean of the School of Counseling and Social Service at Walden University, about her Do's and Don'ts for parents regarding child advocacy in the school. Do's and Don'ts (Printable) I used to teach a graduate course called Education and Social Diversity for education administrators and we often talked about … [Read more...]
What is the mission of your child’s school?
What is the mission of your child's school? Take a look right now, I'll wait. . . . Seriously, go look. . . . My daughter's elementary school's mission statement says this: "students will develop, apply, and refine literacy in the language of words, numbers, and the arts so that they are able to achieve academically and reach their potential." - Literacy - Words, Numbers, … [Read more...]
On your mark, get set, go . . . to school
Alarm clock. Check. Coffee stockpile. Check. Slippers for walk across street to bus. Check. School supplies. . . dang. Not check. It’s all you these first days of school. But, get enough systems in place and you'll be able to hand off responsibility to your child. You'll just need to have a system and do some training. PREP before the school year: Alarm clock set with … [Read more...]