Search Results for: blog failing reading

More Kindergarten Reading Skills

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My huge focus thus far for education has been on reading. There is much more to reading and reading instruction than many parents and some teachers realize. Reading is an integral part of a child’s success and education. In previous articles I have described various areas of reading such as phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency. I then began taking you for a look into reading at different grade levels. In one of my more recent articles I gave you some insight on how reading should be carried out in the kindergarten classroom. I also began listing some reading skills that … Continue reading →

Why Do Middle Students Lose Interest in Reading?

Kindergarten students have one major thing in common. When they walk into the classroom, they want to learn to read. They cannot wait to learn words and be able to read books by themselves. Checking out a book from the school library is one of the biggest things that can happen at school. This excitement for reading usually continues for a few years and then begins to slow down. Students seem to lose the interest in reading and the joy in taking home books. I saw this happen year after year when I taught eighth grade. Most students found that … Continue reading →

The Reading Tips Continue

Yes, it is back. The raising a reader tips continues. Two articles were simply not enough. Encouraging your child to read is important enough for three articles. In my last articles, I discusses ideas such as helping your child choose books of interest, visiting the library, reading for a purpose, and keeping reading material available. The list continues below. One concept that children often find difficult to grasp is the fact that a book does not have to be finished in one setting. As a young child, children experience short picture books or simple text stories. The books are designed … Continue reading →

Scripted Romance

Many years ago I let my husband off the hook—the one where he gets hung up for failing to come through on Valentine’s Day.  I used to have lots of expectations until I began to realize something….his love for me is shown on a daily basis.  So why expect him to do something extravagant one day a year? Now, I’m not knocking those couples who go all out for Valentine’s Day.  Maybe it’s the fact we’ve been married for more than two decades or it could be we have grown too comfortable—who knows? I just know that my husband feels … Continue reading →

“The Gift of an Ordinary Day”

I recently read a book written by Katrina Kenison, “The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother’s Memoir.” I first heard about it through one of the blogs I subscribe to. What immediately appealed to me was that it was about a mother facing that stage of life in which she is learning to let go of her teenagers. However there was more to the story than that. It was also about a mother’s quest to simplify her life. The family makes a couple of moves that are impacting in a variety of ways. They end up moving from what … Continue reading →

Learning to Simplify

Life is more complicated than ever before. Most homes have two incomes and if not are caught in a constant struggle of making ends meet. Kids are involved in sports, music, social activities, art classes and anything else they can be signed up for to ensure they are fit for society. Our homes are filled with computers, laptops, furniture, books, curriculum, magazines, toys, gadgets, and everything new or sentimental we cannot throw away. Our lives are filled with obligations to family, church, friends and finding a way to keep our heads above water. We are all busy and we are … Continue reading →

Waivers from No Child Left Behind Raises Concerns

The Department of Education is allowing all 50 states to apply for a waiver from the No Child Left Behind Act. This law was created during the Bush administration. How will the waivers affect students who have special needs? The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB ) was created in 2001. The main purpose of this law was to make schools, and teachers, accountable for how well, (or how poorly), their students are learning. The criteria that is being used to determine which schools are doing well, and which are “failing”, comes from standardized testing. The scores that come from … Continue reading →

Positive Encouragement Can Help Kids With ADHD

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Parents of children who have ADHD understand that there are no simple, quick, answers about how to help their child. Treatment for ADHD can include medication and behavior modification, and those things take time before they can become effective. What about trying some positive feedback? At least one researcher thinks it could help. Think for a moment about something you were working on that was difficult for you. It should be something that you didn’t find particularly fun, and that took a long time before you saw any results. For many people, this could describe a diet. Most people do … Continue reading →

The Wrong Order

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Order is an important thing. Whether you’re talking about how to put a hamburger together or how to put on your pants, the ordering of how things are done is important. If I zip up and button the pants before I put my legs in, I’m going to have trouble. While this seems obvious to must of us concerning our daily routines, it is not obvious to children. Our son has recently demonstrated his sometimes confused sense of order to tasks that we take for granted. Years of simply doing things have habitualized certain behaviors and tasks into things we … Continue reading →

The Proposal

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Last time I talked about some tips for good presentations. Today I want to talk about weight falling off of your shoulders. Many students are now done for the semester. Some of you are still studying for finals. Still others are prepping for summer school. Whatever you status in academics please know this: a time for a break will come. Keep studying, prepping, reading, writing, or painting. Just recently I walked through what amounts to the final gateway between me and a degree: my dissertation proposal defense. The situation is really quite simple. I tell a number of smart people … Continue reading →