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Capital Region BOCES
Archive for 2015
My nest is empty and, for the first time in oh, about 30 years, my house is pretty darn clean. In the weeks that followed the August departure of my youngest son to a college several hours away, I indulged myself in the good life: impromptu getaways with my husband, late dinners in nearby restaurants, […]
My oldest son just started third grade. About once a week, he asks if he can stay home. Sometimes his stomach hurts. Sometimes he’s tired. Other times he says he just needs a break, and he lists the many friends whose parents let them stay home whenever they want, according to my son. I almost […]
School has been in session only a few weeks, and now it’s time for Open House. For many parents, the experience is one of shuffling around crowded hallways and classrooms with only a vague understanding of what it’s all about. However, Open House can be an important event for parents, teachers and children. Here’s how […]
They came through our living room like astronauts from a dark planet: not saying a word, dressed in olive green Kevlar, wearing gas masks and carrying pick axes. They were there to help of course, but I didn’t care. It was a terrifying sight for eight-year-old me. The images of those first responders, firefighters searching […]
Ten years ago they were all the rage. Backpacks with wheels topped the list of supplies for anxious parents everywhere responding to media warnings of a generation suffering bad posture and back pain from lugging around heavy school book bags. Today, it is hard to find these tricked-out rolling bags on school campuses. Perhaps their […]
With only three weeks until the start of another school year, my two sons are relaxing on the couch, basking in the air-conditioning and watching television. Having just returned from swimming, there is not a thought in their heads about boarding the bus and going back to school in less than a month. I, on […]
As parents, we want to instill in our children the joy of learning. Yet, we can make a mistake by allowing their world to be carved into “school” and anything “not school.” Artificial barriers that segregate “learning time” from other parts of our children’s lives can squelch their natural curiosity. Kids are born curious. They […]
Learning can happen anywhere and everywhere – at home, in the grocery store, at the library or on a walk through the neighborhood. Take advantage of summer months to reinforce basic skills before your early learner heads to kindergarten this fall – or to brush up on skills with your elementary student. Encourage reading Help […]
This season of moving up ceremonies and graduations makes us think back to our own high school years. It seems, looking back, that life was so simple then. From our adult perspective, those molehills were really just molehills. Yet back then, in the moment, they were towering, steep mountains that seemed impossible to climb. With […]
The students filed excitedly into the cafeteria, choosing seats near friends as they waited for the presentation to begin. The end of school was just around the corner, but that’s not what had these fifth graders abuzz. They were about to hear a preview of next year – the start of middle school. They had […]