Every December, I spend time reflecting on what will be my “word” for the following year. This December I had a very...
My Word of The Year Is Needed Now More Than Ever!
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A Parent’s Blog: Tips on Working from Home and Homeschooling
Working from home and homeschooling our children have become our new reality over the past few weeks, and I imagine we...
20 Phrases Every Parent Should Say To Their Children
A few weeks ago I spoke with a parent about her child’s academic progress and she was greatly concerned about her daughters’ confidence and self-esteem. Since the beginning of 5th grade, she has noticed a decline in her daughter’s confidence level. Her daughter has been down on herself and hasn’t been feeling very positive; in fact mom described her daughter as being “very negative and down” towards her overall life and school skills. Mom was distraught and overwhelmed with sadness and was not sure how to help her daughter. Mom asked me, “I always tell my kid how proud I am of her, do you have any suggestions on ways that I can praise her as to help build her confidence?” I gave her some ways to praise her child at home and gave her some ideas on how to help support her at home and how to get the school involved. However, this conversation really stayed with me over the past several weeks. I kept thinking, how many parents are going through the same struggles with their child? How can other parents help their children develop a sense of confidence and empowerment? How can parents help their children […]
Keeping ADHD Students Focused
Having a student in your class with ADHD can be challenging, but understanding your student and their learning style can help make the challenges you may face manageable. Below are some tips teachers can use to help students with ADHD focus during class. Understand the learning style of your student: Understanding the learning style of your student is a team effort. Work with your student, their parents or guardians and other individuals who can help you clearly define your student’s personality in order to identify your student’s strengths and what methods help them learn best. Figure out which activities keep your student focused the longest and which activities tend to agitate your student or cause them to lose focus. For instance, does your student respond well to a routine or a specific subject? Or does your student stays focused longer when they sit in the front of the classroom? Create a tailored plan for your student: Once a learning style is identified, create a plan that’s best suited for that student’s learning style and that clearly defines any activities that may keep the student engaged or cause them to lose focus. The plan should cater to the strengths of your […]
Children Learn What They Live
I recently attended an educational meeting and the presenter spoke shared this poem with all the attendees. I have read this poem many times and when I was a classroom teacher I always had it on my desk as a reminder of how important my role was as a teacher. Today as I read this I am still an educator but most importantly I am a parent. I read this poem with such a different perspective. I share this poem with all of you to keep as a reminder of how special our roles are as parents and as educators. Children Learn What They Live… by Dorothy Law Nolte If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn. If children live with hostility, they learn to fight. If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive. If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves. If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy. If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy. If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty. If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence. If children live with tolerance, they learn patience. If children live with praise, […]
Spring Break Fun
Are you homebound with your children during spring break? Do you need some fun, educational activities to do with them? We put together some fun and out of the box activities that will keep your child learning during the break. Trip to the Museum: Give them a map, have them read the map and be the guide. Equip them with a camera so they can take photos and maybe do a photo journal of their trip when they get home. Journalist: Become a journalist for the afternoon. Your child can pick a person they may want to interview, have them come up with a few questions and ask away! If you have more than one child you can have your other child be the videographer. Get the whole family involved! Art Fun: Invite your neighbors over for a fun art exhibit. Have the children draw a few pieces of art work. Give them a “rubric” so the art work can be rated. For example, rate the work from 1-5 (5 being the highest score). Some categories may include the most creative, the coolest, the most colorful etc. Movie Critics: Set up a movie night in your home. After the movie […]
Teaching Kids About Violence
Team Tutor family joins the nation in expressing our sadness at the tragic events at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this horrific event. We put together some strategies and helpful tips to help guide you when talking with your children about violence. Try to keep routines as normal. Kids need the security of their daily routines, including attending school. Monitor exposure to the media. Be open and honest with your kids and share as much information as they are able to handle. Promote open communication. Allow kids to share their fears and worries with you. Control your own stress and behavior. Kids often follow their parents’ lead when it comes to behavior. Model the behavior you want your children to exhibit. Here are some additional resources that may be helpful during this time. National Child Traumatic Stress Network Crisis Management Institute National Association of School Psychologists American School Counselor Association Do you have any other suggestions that can be helpful for our children? Please share your thoughts.
What You Say Can Impact a Child!
This is a blog from one of our parents. We thought it was powerful and wanted to share with our readers….. Tell us what you think? What would you do? I have this amazingly beautiful bright little girl! She is a 3rd grader who loves to play soccer, basketball and the guitar. She makes friends easily and has many of them. she does very well in school and even loves going to school. This year she hasn’t been feeling that same passion for school. Just recently her teacher has said a few things that have crushed her little spirit. My daughter tends to be a bit anxious and loves to make sure things are in its “place”.. she is not diagnosed with OCD but definitely has some tendencies. This info has been shared with the teacher during the fall parent/teacher conference. My daughter pushes herself to do the best she can. She strives to do well in school and will do the 1.5 hours of homework a night that has been given to her without a complaint. (I think this is way too much for a 3rd grader but that’s another blog!) But my major issue with this teacher […]
Aha Moments
In my 15 plus years as an educator, I have worked in a variety of settings from the classroom to small group to one-on-one instruction. I have enjoyed each venue for a variety of reasons and each has produced many memorable moments. I find it particularly rewarding when I’m present to witness a student’s “aha moment” – that pivotal moment when the light bulb goes on and they accomplish a goal or grasp a new concept. It’s even more exciting when I have a part in making it happen. For the past four months I have been introducing the Wilson reading method to a small group of students – for those teachers out there, you will appreciate this blog even more! We have been working on cvc words and building each student’s reading fluency. It has been a very long journey and just this past week one of my students finally showed dramatic improvement. He read a 7 sentence passage fluently! Upon completing his passage, his eyes widened and he flashed me the biggest brightest smile I had ever seen. He was so very proud of his accomplishment! I looked at him with pride and said, “this is what we have […]
Children Learn What They Live
I recently attended a meeting at my children’s school. The presenter spoke to the entire 2nd grade class along with their parents and shared a poem with us – Children Learn What They Live by Dorothy Law Nolte. I had read this poem many times when I was a classroom teacher. In fact, it was a permanent fixture on my desk and served as a constant reminder of how important my role as teacher was. I hadn’t thought about this poem in many years. It was amazing to hear it again, especially now that I have children of my own. Today, I am still a teacher, but more importantly, I am a parent. As such, this poem offers a new and different perspective. I wanted to share it with everyone so we can a remember how special our roles are as parents and teachers are. Children Learn What They Live by Dorothy Law Nolte, Ph.D. If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn. If children live with hostility, they learn to fight. If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive. If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves. If children live with ridicule, they […]
Teaching and Inspiring one Lesson at a Time…
I have the best job ever! At times I feel so lucky to have chosen this career! I’ve always had a passion for working with children, dating back to my first babysitting job at the age of 12. When I taught elementary school in Philadelphia, I loved being in the classroom. The excitement of starting a new school year with a new class of kids every September was intoxicating. And I adored watching the growth of each and every one of my students. Now I get the pleasure of working with students in small group settings and individualized sessions. I not only get a chance to understand a child’s academic strengths and weaknesses, but I also get a true feel for his or her learning style. You see, all aspects of a child’s personality really shine through when you work together in such an individualized manner. Just recently, a student I’ve been working with had one of those “light bulb” moments. It was the highlight of my day! I feel such great satisfaction in knowing that his hard work, determination and persistence is parlaying into such great progress. As I work to inspire him to be a strong and successful […]