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Blaming the Teacher

There is a disturbing trend that is growing. Perhaps it is the absence of proper formation in high schools. Perhaps it is the increased media saturation on television and mobile devices. Perhaps it is a byproduct of the soundbite culture and a loss of the ability to pay attention or pay respect. Any one of these things (and I suspect many others left unmentioned) could contribute to a disturbing trend among young people I’m tentatively calling “blame the teacher.” In many ways this is nothing new. Talk shows have long been riddled with children blaming their parents for their own … Continue reading →

Genealogy and the Classroom – Beyond the Family Tree

I remember my very first exercise in genealogy. I forget what grade I was in, but I remember that the assignment was to make a family tree. My mother helped me draw a pedigree chart on a boring piece of white paper. I am not sure where we got all of the information about my ancestors from, but we were able to fill out the chart and I handed it in. Even though I remember doing the assignment, it was not really a very memorable experience for me. In fact, it left me with the impression that genealogy is somewhat … Continue reading →

Whatever Happened to Balance and Common Sense?

Whatever happened to balance and common sense? Last week I watched a Dr. Phil show that talked about over the top ways of disciplining. In some situations the discipline actually led to death. There was one segment about a 12-year-old girl in a junior high school who was arrested because she had doodled on her desk. Of course, damaging school property is something that needs to be addressed. However keep in mind that this young girl had first of all, used an erasable marker that would have taken a few seconds to wipe off and second of all, she didn’t … Continue reading →

Marie Osmond—Her Lips are Flapping But is Anything Coming Out?

Here we go again… Apparently, there are very few stars in Hollywood who understand that there are benefits to remaining mum on certain topics. No, discretion is not a celebrity strong point and Marie Osmond is a perfect example. The former “Dancing with the Stars” contestant has decided the world would be a better place if we all knew how she felt about the Miley Cyrus Vanity Fair picture brouhaha. Yesterday, Osmond went public blaming Miley’s dad, Billy Ray Cyrus for leaving his 15-year-old daughter alone during the photo shoot (F.Y.I. Miley’s grandmother and teacher remained with the teen when … Continue reading →

Who Should be Responsible for Tardies and Absences?

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One aspect of education that can be both a positive and a negative is parents. Parents can be a true asset to teachers and to children. Unfortunately parents can also be a great interference of a child’s physical and mental growth. Often times we end up blaming the child or punishing the child for things that are actually the parent’s fault. However it is much more difficult for schools or teachers to punish parents. One such occurrence that I can think of is tardiness and absenteeism from school. Elementary school students typically have no control over when and if they … Continue reading →

When the World Seems Un-Single Parent Family-Friendly

Things have changed in the world and it is definitely “easier” to be a single parent these days, at least it there is normally an environment that seems more hospitable to single parent families here in the United States. The reality of taking care of a family as a solo parent is still tough, but many of us have found more support and understanding for our situation. Even with these changes, however, there can still be those times when things do not feel so hospitable and the world seems pretty un-single parent family-friendly. Fortunately, there are things we single parents … Continue reading →

It is NOT Always the Child’s Fault

I am all for personal responsibility and definitely for children learning how their own behavior choices play out in natural consequences. After all, we do have to prepare our children to live in the real world with real people and real institutions. But, I wrote the yesterday about how our children’s behavior can be different depending on where they are and what they are dealing with and sometimes, there are other elements at play that the child just cannot control. Yes, I believe that our children do need to learn how to cope and deal with all sorts of situations … Continue reading →

Coping With the Blame Game

Playing the victim and trying to blame someone or something else for mishaps and mistakes seems to be a natural coping mechanism for many children. There’s something of the survivalist in our children as they attempt to protect themselves and deflect our attentions by blaming anyone and anything else in order to avoid the consequences. One of our challenges as parents is to help our children learn how to take responsibility for their own actions and learn to NOT play the blame game… We do a lot of talking in our home about “personal choices.” Well, if truth be told, … Continue reading →

The Cedar Post – Jack Rose

We’re told not to judge books by their covers. When you’re wandering through the stacks at a library, you’ve often judging books by their spines and most often by their titles. I don’t know why “The Cedar Post” jumped out at me, with its boring name and its innocuous pale green binding, but I’m so glad it did. It’s a work of fiction meant to teach a lesson, and it does it better than any other book I’ve read with the same goal. The story is centered on Jon, a teenaged boy growing up in Declo, Idaho, who feels discouraged … Continue reading →

Back To The Basics – Teaching High School Students To Read

Teaching high school can definitely have challenges. My biggest challenge is something that perhaps you might not think of. The biggest challenge that most people think of is discipline. Believe it or not, discipline is not it. My biggest challenge as an English teacher in the Resource Department is reading. As sad as it is, most of my students can’t read. I find it incredibly sad that I have seniors that can’t read. Most of them do have some reading skills but can only read at about a second grade level. I hear people all the time blaming different people … Continue reading →