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Tag: learning
When I was in middle and high school, I would often meet my friends on Sundays at the local public library, where we would work on our homework and conduct research for projects. We would thumb through the card catalog, searching for books or magazine articles that we could use as sources. Now, students can […]
I can distinctly remember that yellow piece of paper with six little words, “Please call at your convenience. IMPORTANT.” “Uh oh,” I thought. Written on a pad from the “Desk of Mrs. Hinchey,” my fifth-grade teacher – poor Mrs. H wasted quite a few sheets of her personalized paper trying to get in touch with […]
I heard the sirens shortly before 6 p.m. It was as normal a Wednesday evening as you could have as the parent of a 6-year-old and an 8-year-old. I was at my desk in the backroom tinkering with an old HAM radio. The kids were watching a show on Netflix after a busy day during […]
Aside from an occasional yoga class, I would have never considered myself the “meditating” type. Type A? Totally. Zen master? Not so much. That was, until I was preparing for the birth of my first child and my doctor suggested mindful meditation as a way to help me be well (see: less of a stressed […]
Number bonds. Tape diagrams. Counting up. I sometimes feel like my third-grade child is speaking a foreign language when he asks for help with his math homework. “Um, what does that mean?” I ask. He can’t always explain. “Didn’t you learn how to do this today in school?” I ask. He shrugs. Completing math homework-the […]
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 […]
From the hundreds of thousands of parents who refused to have their children participate in standardized testing over the past two weeks in New York, it’s pretty clear that people have issues with testing. But that doesn’t mean we should get rid of standardized tests. According to most school leaders, these tests are part of […]
“You did a great job!” you say, excited by your child’s test results. “You’re so smart!” As parents, we are delighted when our children do something that we believe is wonderful. We want them to know we think they’re amazing – whether it’s in school, on the playing field, in a music lesson or in […]
Students of all ages are acquiring a language that will serve them well in the future: They’re learning computer code. Educators say learning code exposes students to more than technical skills; they’re gaining critical thinking and problem solving skills that will serve them well in any future job. “Learning to program opens up a new […]
Learning doesn’t need to screech to a halt during the summer, given the educational opportunities available to kick around. Take the World Cup, for example. You can’t look at a newspaper, watch television or scroll through your Facebook feed without catching some reference to this international soccer event. The World Cup is a great jumping […]