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Tag: change

Encouraging risk-taking in your kids

Encouraging risk-taking in your kids

March 14, 2019 | Posted in: Elementary, High School, Middle Years

I want my children to take more risks. I don’t mean I want my daughter to steal a car or my son to run away and join a carnival. I am talking about the healthy risks that will allow them to grow into well-adjusted, successful adults. Homo sapiens, like other primates, has an extraordinarily long […]

Grief and loss: How to help your child process life’s difficult moments

Grief and loss: How to help your child process life’s difficult moments

March 12, 2019 | Posted in: Early Learners, Elementary, High School, Middle Years

It’s a moment no parent wants to experience: In my daughter’s folder was a sealed letter from the principal. The words “tragedy” and “loss of life” jumped out at me, and I felt a knot build in my throat as my daughter watched me read. As I read more carefully, I felt at first relieved, […]

Bringing the lessons of restorative justice home

Bringing the lessons of restorative justice home

October 4, 2018 | Posted in: Elementary, High School, Middle Years

Ask most children what will happen if they break the rules, and you’re likely to get an answer along the lines of, “I’ll get in trouble.” But for educators like Pete Mody, the question is, “Will that really help?” Mody, who is the principal at South Glens Falls High School, is one of many educators […]

Do it yourself: The benefits of putting kids in charge of the morning routine

Do it yourself: The benefits of putting kids in charge of the morning routine

September 13, 2018 | Posted in: Elementary, Middle Years

When I was a kid, I don’t remember my mom ever packing my school lunch for me. I’m sure she did from time to time, but for the most part, she made sure that we had things in the kitchen that I could easily grab and throw into my lunch box. I wasn’t the most […]

Fighting the first day jitters

Fighting the first day jitters

August 29, 2018 | Posted in: Elementary, High School, Middle Years

One of the things I have learned both professionally and as a parent is that there often is no better time to communicate than when you have a captive audience. That’s where my truck comes in. With the kids in the backseat, there is no Netflix, no YouTube and no Minecraft – just seat belts […]

Flipped learning can have several benefits for students

Flipped learning can have several benefits for students

May 3, 2018 | Posted in: Elementary, High School, Middle Years

Homework is almost always a struggle at my house, especially when it’s math. I try to help my fifth-grade son but am thrown back into a time warp to my own elementary and middle school mathematics challenges. With both of us floundering, homework time is less than pleasant. I recently learned that some sixth-grade teachers […]

Kindergarten preparedness: What to expect and how to get ready

Kindergarten preparedness: What to expect and how to get ready

March 14, 2018 | Posted in: Early Learners, Elementary

Will your little one be five years old on or before Dec. 5, 2018? If you answered yes, then chances are pretty good that you have already begun the process with your school district to get him or her signed up for kindergarten next year. Congratulations! That’s exciting for both of you…and, yes, it can […]

Children and Technology: How parents can help navigate them through the Digital Age

Children and Technology: How parents can help navigate them through the Digital Age

December 6, 2017 | Posted in: Elementary, High School, Middle Years, Uncategorized

There’s been a great deal of discussion in social, educational, and professional circles about the benefits and challenges of children (of all ages) using technology. I began paying more attention to the different points of view when I took a look at my children’s holiday wish lists. Written at the top were smartphones, laptops, and […]

Making the transition to middle school more manageable

Making the transition to middle school more manageable

June 14, 2017 | Posted in: Elementary, Middle Years

Middle School. A bigger building. New faces. A bell schedule?! Students of all ages go through transitions during their academic career. For children and parents alike, it can be overwhelming moving up to a new school. Being a “little fish in a big pond” can be intimidating, but according to researchers, of all the academic […]

How the school library is beginning a new chapter

How the school library is beginning a new chapter

January 22, 2017 | Posted in: Elementary, High School, Middle Years

When I was in school, many years ago, I spent many hours studying and researching in my school library. The library not only had the greatest variety of informational resources, it gave my friends and me a place to gather and work on projects together. We had to rely upon encyclopedias, newspapers and books as […]