Raising Intelligent Kids

It is paradoxical that many educators and parents still differentiate between a time for learning and a time for play without seeing the vital connection between them. -Leo Buscaglia YES!! There is a vital connection between play and learning! I enjoy teaching students through play. Kids certainly learn more and retain the information better when they are having fun learning! Unstructured play is important to develop imagination, creativity and many other great qualities. As an educator or parent, also consider using structured learning games. You create the objectives and know what you want the student to achieve, and choose or design a game based on that. Remember to keep it lighthearted and fun! You will be amazed at the improved motivation and how much is learned in a much shorter time!

Mistakes are how you learn... It’s so important for students to be provided a supportive environment where they feel comfortable making mistakes. No matter how brilliant a child is…mistakes are going to happen. Students should be given encouragement and guidance to help them feel confident despite mistakes. Ideally, students should see mistakes as opportunities to learn something new. Every child is different. Some take mistakes too seriously and sometimes even see them as a reflection of their own self worth. Students should know that their teacher believes in them and knows they are able to overcome challenges. Some children may need a different approach. Perhaps the material is too complex or they are not interested in that topic. Providing choices, learning games or approaching the topic in a new way may help increase motivation. Some students that act like they don’t care may also be the very ones that care so much that they have become overwhelmed and have shut down. Also, it i...

Are you wondering how to get your child ready for kindergarten? This article will give you useful tips and tricks to start the process. When you think about kindergarten, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the ABC's and the 123's. However, even more important, are the softskills that will help your child to thrive in kindergarten. 1. Help your child practice 2-3 step directions. When they are in school, they will hear things like, "Go to your cubby, get your book, and bring it to the carpet." The more practice they get at home, the more prepared they will be for school. 2. Another great thing to practice at home is focusing on one activity such as an art project or helping in the kitchen for 15-20 minutes without interruption. Once in school, students will need to be able to focus on their work. 3. In addition, students will have certain times where they are working independently. Try to gradually decrease the amount of time you are helping them whil...

While working in the field of educating children, parents often ask me, "How can I help my child at home?" Although, I have different answers for different situations. For example, I may suggest to the parent of a kindergartner, to point out letters and numbers on signs as they are driving through town (environmental print). For a third grader just starting to learn fractions, I might suggest letting their child help out in the kitchen using measuring cups and spoons. For all students, however, I will always recommend reading to your child, encouraging your child to read, and making sure your child sees you reading. I truly believe these are the most important things anyone can do at home for children of all ages. Reading fosters sequential thinking (beginning, middle, and end), problem solving (problem and solution), increased vocabulary, and comprehension. Reading at home helps children do better at school in reading based activities such as reading fluency...

Photo by Derek Thomson on Unsplash The summer of 2022 is going to be huge for travelers! After staying home for the pandemic, people are restless and ready to go places. I wholeheartedly believe in giving kids new experiences and adventures.  Encountering new vocabulary, historical places, and works of art encourage abstract thinking, creativity, and can improve comprehension!  Here are my top tips to make traveling with your kids a little easier. Photo by Simon Maage on Unsplash If you and your family are planning a trip that involves flying this summer, be aware that this is the summer of "revenge travel." After being cooped up for two years, families are traveling in record numbers. However, the airlines (and the weather) are not quite ready for the onslaught of travelers . Be prepared for canceled or delayed flights and long waits at the airport. You may even have a long wait after boarding the plane, as I did on a recent flight. We were told that the plane could not ta...

    Avoid summer slide in elementary students by:   1.)  Reading with and to them daily.  Reading is a great conversation starter. It really can help you with your relationship with your kids. Reading helps children develop new vocabulary, which in turn, increases their reading comprehension. Reading is also great for the imagination and can help build confidence and self-esteem!   2.)  P lay learning games.  There are so many benefits to playing educational games that go beyond just the subject matter! First, kids learn how to interact with adults and other children. Games foster a sense of good sportsmanship and can increase social-emotional learning. Second, learning games encourage strategic, creative problem solving. Third, educational games help kids to pay attention to the learning because kids love to have fun! 3.)  Provide tutoring services.  Tutoring provides one-on-one attention or a small group setting to help your child focu...

I recently saw a meme on Facebook, you know one of those pictures or videos that just keeps spreading around, that said “All children are gifted but some take longer to unwrap their packages”. I have never been a fan the word “gifted”. In a school setting, it just means that kids identified as gifted are eligible for certain services or programs. Special Education is basically the same thing - aren’t all kids special? Obviously, all kids are special and each child has his or her own unique talents and skills.Technically though, all kids are not qualified to participate in gifted programs or special education programs and never will be. This does not make them or their individual needs less important. Although there is much evidence for the heritable factors of giftedness the term itself seems to de-value hard work, perseverance  and an aptitude for one or more subjects. One thing I never like to hear in my classroom is, “I’m bored”. I teach my students that if you are b...

For those of you that follow this blog, you may have noticed a long break in my blog entries. This is because I have decided to take on the challenge this school year to pursue my National Board Certification. I had been told that this process would be a lot of hard work and encourage me to reflect on my teaching. It most certainly has been a lot of hard work. For those of you unfamiliar with the process, it consists of four pieces of writing, two videos and an assessment. The entries are due in mid-May so now that it is almost April, the pressure is on to get everything done on time. I feel like I had a good start and began work right away. I enjoy writing and for the most part am not struggling too badly with that. Although despite getting a good head start, there seems like there is still so much to do. My biggest concern with the writing is that I’ve worked so hard and want to pass so badly that I’m obsessing about what “they” want me to say. The part that has been most d...

1. I resolve to spend more time with my kids, not just being with them but interacting with them and savoring every moment. 2. I resolve to set time limits for technology - for the whole family. 3. I resolve to set a good example for my kids by making the most of myself starting with exercising, eating healthy foods and taking time to enjoy hobbies. 4. I resolve to be a good role model by using my manners,  avoiding gossip, respecting others and obeying the golden rule. 5. Finally, I resolve to slow down and enjoy the journey of parenthood.

I love this time of year! There’s music in the air! A lot of that music is being made by kids at their winter concerts. What a joy for a parent to see their child display their talents for all to see. I know when I watch my kids play, my heart swells with pride. Playing an instrument is so good for kids. Remembering to take their instrument to school or maintaining a practice log teaches responsibility and organizational skills. Practicing (and practicing!) teaches a child perseverance and the results of hard work. There have even been studies linking playing an instrument to higher mathematical ability and higher IQ scores. I encourage you to get to know your child well and help them to know themselves. As a team find out what your child’s interests and talents are. Help them to hone their talents while they are young and still open to new experiences. Having something they can do well, will increase their self-confidence and may lead to lifelong skills. You will love to watch ...

I recently had the opportunity to observe teachers at another school which was a rare but welcome opportunity for me.  I learned so much from watching them and know that since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery I will certainly be using many of the things I saw in my own classroom. This experience got me thinking about how important it is to learn from watching others. Our first teachers are our own parents. I learned the value of consistency, honesty and keeping your word from my own parents. I hope that my own children receive a very solid sense of morality from watching me. I hope my kids notice when I make mistakes and own up to them. I want them to watch me look my husband in the eye and tell him I’m sorry for snapping at him because I’m tired and hungry and have had a long, hard day. Although they think I’m weird when I speak passionately about my causes and what we are passionate about may differ, I hope they learn that there are some causes worth standing ...

I recently wrote on my blog about stressful jobs but there is no more stressful job than that of a soldier. I am a strong believer in peace and working things out through negotiation. Whether or not to fight is not a soldier’s decision. I admire the bravery of the men and women in our armed forces. They certainly do a job that I could never imagine myself doing. They support their country not just with their words but also with their actions. For that, I thank them.

I’ve heard that the two most stressful professions are firefighter and school teacher. I actually heard this many years ago when public schools had more freedom. Today’s teacher has stress coming from many different directions. One source of teacher stress is the government. Education is a huge part of the budget. The legislature keeps creating new laws that leave teachers and principals with goals that are impossible to achieve and money for schools hinged on those goals. Students will have less money for services that they need such as special education classes, English Language Learner teachers to help them transition to a new language, gifted services, fine arts, physical education and materials for the classroom. This is creating a group of students who are not doing as well as their predecessors who had the advantages of these services and materials. The media (yes, they are controlled by the government) then transmits a one-sided view to the populace. We see lots of stories ...

I have a theory about gifted children. This theory of mine started close to home with my own two gifted children. My son was born screaming at the top of his lungs and mostly didn’t stop for the first four months of his life. Right before he started talking, he frantically pointed at everything he saw and demanded to know the name of it. Once he began to talk, the word “why” was peppered into almost every conversation. He was a fairly typical toddler, getting into everything and making messes that he did not clean up. But not too much later, he seemed to revel in lining up his matchbox cars, one next to the other. He definitely showed a preference for having a place for everything and everything in its place. One morning, when he was about three, I pulled out a pair of shorts and a shirt for him to wear. He said, “Mama, that shirt is navy and those pants are black, that doesn’t match at all.” What three year old would care about that? Upon starting elementary school, his work...

As the national Move On with Reading program get underway. Many parents will not have a choice in whether or not to retain their child but for most parents, retention is not required but may be a viable option for your child. I recently got a phone call from an old friend. She knew I was a teacher and she wanted some advice regarding her son. His teacher was recommending retention at his current grade level. My first question for anybody facing this decision is, “How old is your child?” I believe that if you do choose to retain a child, it is better for his or her emotional health to make this decision as early as possible. There is a big difference socially between retaining a kindergartner and retaining a fifth grader. I also think that the size, stature and temperament of your child should play a part in this decision. If your child is small for his or her age, an extra year will help him or her grow both physically and emotionally. If your child is big for his or her ag...

1. The most important tip for parent-teacher conferences is to show up. Involvement from the home is very important to a child's education. Parents may learn things about their child or their school day that they didn't know. They will also get ideas for how to better help their child succeed in school and tips for what they can do at home. Be informed of the date and time of conferences by checking your email regularly, checking your child's backpack or asking your child about notes from school especially toward the end of the quarter or semester. 2. Stick to your scheduled time unless prior arrangements have been made with the teacher. When you are late, please know that there may be another conference scheduled immediately after yours, therefore you may not get the full scheduled time with the teacher. 3. By the same token, don't stay beyond your scheduled time as it may have a domino effect causing each conference following yours to run late. Many teachers ar...

She's the queen of cool And she's the lady who waits Since her mind left school It never hesitates She won't waste time On elementary talk 'Cause she's a twentieth century fox -The Doors The world is ever changing and teachers need to change with it. I have been very fortunate in my teaching life to have had the opportunity to learn from great teachers. During the first two years of my teaching career, I taught and implemented the Writing Workshop program by Lucy Calkins. Columbia University sent experts on this method of teaching writing to my school to help train the staff. This was fantastic for a new teacher, as I was then, to really start off on the right foot (or write foot!) with writing instruction. Although I don’t strictly follow this program any more I still bring elements of it into my classroom. In my classroom, the students are given the option to share their writing with others. After a student has shared I try to highlig...

Dear Daughter, Today, I want to tell you the keys to happiness. Number one, don’t complain. In the words of Carl Jung “What you resist, persists.” The more you think about what you don’t want, the more likely it is, that is what you will receive.Thinking positive thoughts and  visualizing all that you want will help you live in abundance, health and love. Key number two is to see the best in others. Dwelling on the negative and what you would like to change in people, only creates more negativity. Instead, think about the purpose of that person being in your life. Are they there to teach you something about yourself? Did you cross paths with this person to truly learn about compassion and love in the face of adversity?. It was actually you who told me, “All people do something good, even if they don’t know it.” The third key is to be grateful. When you are grateful for everything, all that was, all that is, and all that will ever be, you won’t even need to remember ...