School-related Issues

Should Schools Take Elementary Kids on All-Day Outdoor Field Trip–in February?

January 28, 2012

When, at the beginning of the school year, I heard that my child’s class would be attending an all-day outdoor field trip, it sounded like it could be a lot of fun. But then I  found out the field trip would be held in FEBRUARY–one of the coldest months of the year here on the [...]

Read the full article

Benefits of Playing Video Games — and How Gaming Inspires a Love of Learning

July 31, 2011

Most of the buzz you hear about video games in the parenting community is the bad stuff. How video games take time away from homework (true), can cause isolation (true in some contexts, but certainly not all), and cause obesity (true in some contexts). But you don’t hear much about the good stuff. Well, here’s [...]

Read the full article

Teachers Finalize Elementary Student Grades – But Kids Required to Attend Classes for Two More Weeks

June 10, 2011

On June 7, my son’s Maryland elementary school held its end-of-the-year awards assembly. At this ceremony, kids were given awards for accomplishments during the fourth quarter of school, as well as for the entire school year. Kids who managed to get all As and Bs on their report cards were given “Honor Roll” certificates, and [...]

Read the full article

How to Imrpove Your Child’s Test Scores | 5 Steps to Improvement + 11 Ideas For an Effective Plan of Action

May 11, 2011

It’s often a shock when you first find out that your child has received a bad test score. But whether you child’s scores have been slowly falling over time or have taken a sudden drop, it’s important to deal with the situation positively–and quickly–to fix  the problem. Steps to Improving Your Child’s Test Scores 1. [...]

Read the full article

How to Help Your Child Choose the Best Musical Instrument to Play | 4 Questions to Ask

May 9, 2011

With my son entering fifth grade next year, the time has come (so the school tells me) for him to choose an instrument to play for band. Choosing the right instrument at this stage is more important than it might seem at first because it will determine what he can choose when going into middle [...]

Read the full article

School Competitions : 7 Ways to Turn Failure Into Success

April 30, 2011

After months of practicing advanced math for hours every week, my fourth-grader’s math team finally had their big day today. Out of 20 teams, their team didn’t place in the top five. Beyond that, they have no idea how they did. All they know is that they didn’t win, despite all their hard work. For [...]

Read the full article

Underprivileged Elementary Schools Receive Free Meals Grant for Students–but Teachers Eat the Food | News

April 6, 2011

About 2 weeks ago, my son brought home a letter stating that his elementary school had been chosen by the Maryland State Department of Education to participate in the Meals for Achievement (MMFA) program. Through the program, all students would be served breakfast in their classrooms–free of charge, regardless of income. The program would last [...]

Read the full article

GOP Sends State Police After Democratic Leader Who Refuses to Do His Job – 3 Lessons To Teach Your Kids

February 18, 2011

When I first heard about this on the news yesterday, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Apparently, Wisconsin Democrats fled the state house to avoid a quorum being reached; in other words, the democrats wanted to make sure that the number of lawmakers in attendance at the state house was not high enough for [...]

Read the full article

← Previous Entries