John's Articles

High School Girl's Dropping Grades and Attitude

Posted on 3/4/2008

PARENTS SHARE THEIR 3 STORIES OF 'TOUGH LOVE' TURNAROUNDS It's one thing to give advice on the rearing of children, which is what I do through this column. It's quite another to share...

Second Grade Girl's Teacher Does Not Correct Homework

Posted on 2/5/2008

REVIEW CHILD'S HOMEWORK IF TEACHER ISN'T CORRECTING IT Q. My daughter's second-grade teacher does not correct homework but only checks whether or not it was done. I find that my daughter often...

17-Year-Old Boy Wants to Skip College

Posted on 1/29/2008

17-YEAR-OLD WANTS TO SKIP COLLEGE Q. Our 17-year-old son doesn't want to go to college because he hates school, says nothing interests him, and that going would be a waste of our money. He...

5-Year-Old Girl Being Mean to Others

Posted on 1/8/2008

TAKE HARD LINE ON CHILD'S CRUELTY Q. My 5-year-old attends pre-kindergarten. Her teacher has called and sent home notes because my daughter and two other girls (who all got along at the...

Young Girl Being Picked On At School

Posted on 10/9/2007

YOUNG DAUGHTER'S SOB STORIES NEED THE FINAL CONVERSATION Q. My daughter has several friends in her fourth-grade class that seem to love drama. They pick on one another a good deal, and my...

5-Year-Old Anxious About Going To Kindergarten

Posted on 10/2/2007

Anxious kindergartner Q. Despite the fact that our 5-year-old daughter has an end-of-July birthday, my husband and I decided she was ready for kindergarten. The first week went great. She...

School Uniforms Restrict Kids Choices

Posted on 8/14/2007

SCHOOL UNIFORMS RESTRICT KIDS' CHOICES (THAT'S A GOOD THING) Whenever I hear parents arguing for their children's "right of expression," I can't help but suspect that these are parents who...

17-Year-Old Does Not Want To Go To College

Posted on 6/26/2007

HELP! OUR 17-YEAR-OLD SAYS HE DOESN'T WANT TO GO TO COLLEGE Q: Our 17-year-old son just graduated from high school and doesn't want to go to college. I think he should get a job and take...

Parents Who Expect Too Much of Teachers and Too Little of Their Children

Posted on 4/3/2007

BOOK OFFERS TEACHERS GREAT TIPS A teacher recently suggested I write a book. "What sort of book?" I asked "A book on how to deal with parents who expect too much of teachers and too...

8th Grader - Defiant, School Issues, and Video Games

Posted on 2/13/2007

THROW AWAY THE XBOX, AND YOU'LL CHANGE SON'S ATTITUDE Q:Our eighth-grade son is obviously intelligent, and is in his school's gifted and talented program. Furthermore, he scored in the top 5...

4-Year-Old in Power Struggle with Teacher

Posted on 1/16/2007

4-YEAR-OLD MAY BE TANGLED IN POWER STRUGGLE WITH TEACHER Q: Is it appropriate for a preschool teacher to punish a somewhat shy 4-year-old child for not singing during the music lesson? My...

3-Year-Old Going to Preschool

Posted on 1/2/2007

TODDLERS WHO DON'T GO TO PRESCHOOL UNLIKELY TO FALL BEHIND THEIR PEERS Q: At what age do you think children should start going to preschool? My son is going on 3, and he is home with me. I...

Twins in Separate Classes

Posted on 12/19/2006

PUT TWINS IN SEPARATE CLASSES? CAN'T HURT, MAY HELP, NOT VITAL Q: What are your feelings about separating twins in school? With my girls, one appears to be the leader and one the follower, but...

9-Year-Old Wants to Walk to School

Posted on 11/28/2006

IS IT TOO DANGEROUS TO ALLOW 9-YEAR-OLD TO WALK TO SCHOOL? Q: Our 9-year-old daughter wants to walk the 15 minutes to school and back by herself. She is very trustworthy, but we are worried...

5-Year-Old Enforced Naptime at School

Posted on 10/10/2006

Enforced naptime Q: My 5-year-old son started kindergarten this year. He is an active, inquisitive boy who has not taken a nap in three years. However, the school enforces a 45-minute naptime....

6-Year-Old Properly Challenged at School

Posted on 9/5/2006

Relax, it's kindergarten Q: Several other moms have given me unsolicited advice that I will need to make sure my son, who is turning 6 in a few weeks and entering public kindergarten this fall,...

6-Year-Old Clothing Issue

Posted on 8/29/2006

LET 6-YEAR-OLD DECIDE WHAT SHE WANTS TO WEAR TO SCHOOL Q: My 6-year-old daughter has had issues with clothes for a couple of years now. We lay her clothes out before bed, but in the morning she...

7-Year-Old with Writing Difficulty

Posted on 4/11/2006

TRY THE PALMER METHOD TO IMPROVE CHILD'S HANDWRITING Q: Our 7-year-old second-grade son has difficulty completing written assignments. He is left-handed and has some difficulty with fine motor...

Discipline in Schools

Posted on 3/28/2006

SORRY STATE OF DISCIPLINE IN SCHOOLS From the Truth is Stranger than Fiction Department: A teacher in the Northeast was reprimanded for telling a youngster that he shouldn't do to others what...

Strict Teacher Irks Parents

Posted on 3/21/2006

PRINCIPAL, PARENTS SHORT-CIRCUIT THIS TEACHER'S HIGH STANDARDS Q: As an elementary teacher, I require that my students complete assignments and behave appropriately in order to earn the...

5-Year-Old Fear of School

Posted on 2/7/2006

SON'S FEAR OF BUS IS GENUINE, BUT HE CAN CONQUER HIS TERROR Q: My 5-year-old son was so nervous on the first day of kindergarten that he threw up shortly after getting there. Since then, he...

Child Forced to Write Letter of Apology to Teacher

Posted on 8/30/2005

CHILD FORCED TO A WRITE LETTER OF APOLOGY - HORRORS! A friend of mine in Virginia happened to be looking in on her fourth-grade son's class one day when he talked back to his teacher. My...

5-Year-Old Friendship Drama

Posted on 6/7/2005

WHEN PRESCHOOL IMITATES REALITY TV Q: At my 5-year-old daughter's preschool, several girls, including my daughter, have been competing with one another for one specific girl's friendship. It...

4-Year-Old Transitioning to Pre-K Program

Posted on 5/24/2005

Be confident in your decision Q: We recently moved our 4-year-old daughter to a new pre-K program. The first couple of weeks were fine, but now she cries and doesn't want to go. She attends...

Mom Can't Control How Ex Handles 15-Year-Old's School Issues

Posted on 4/26/2005

MOM CAN'T CONTROL HOW EX-HUSBAND HANDLES SON Q: Two years ago, my husband and I separated after 25 years of marriage. We have a daughter who lives on her own and a 15-year-old son who chose...

Parent Should Focus More on Manners Than Reading for 4-Year-Old

Posted on 3/1/2005

ABCS? PARENTS SHOULD FOCUS MORE ON P'S AND Q'S Through my Web site (www.rosemond.com), a mother recently asked my opinion of teaching her 4-year-old son to read. The child had not expressed...

8-Year-Old Not Wearing Glasses at School

Posted on 11/16/2004

Q: We recently discovered that our 8-year-old daughter is not wearing her new glasses at school. Even though they are really quite attractive, she says they make her look "nerdy." We have tried...

9-Year-Old Homework Overload

Posted on 10/12/2004

IT MAY BE TIME TO CHALLENGE YOUR KIDS' HOMEWORK OVERLOAD Q: My 9-year-old fourth-grade twins attend a "high performance" public school. Their teacher assigns homework every day except Friday,...

Teaching Academics to Toddlers is Worthless

Posted on 9/7/2004

<b>Q: All of the moms in my mother's morning out group are purchasing academic "jump start" programs for their toddlers, some of whom are barely 2. What do you think of this trend, and if I don't...

8th Grader Not Doing Well in School

Posted on 8/31/2004

SHOULD GIFTED CHILD GO BACK TO REGULAR SCHOOL? Q: Our daughter is in the eighth grade at a magnet school for gifted and talented students. Over the three years she's been there, her grades have...

First Grader Not Completing School Assignments

Posted on 8/24/2004

Q: At least twice a week, my son's first grade teacher sends home assignments he should have finished in class but didn't, because of dawdling. It's obvious the teacher doesn't, and won't,...

Smaller Classes Does Not Equal Better Learning

Posted on 6/8/2004

SMALL CLASSES AREN'T A CURE-ALL On his radio talk show, the liberal pundit intoned, "No thinking person would argue that smaller classrooms do not make for better learning." Call me an...

Public School Teachers

Posted on 3/23/2004

MY CRITICS OFFER LITTLE EVIDENCE It seems I've gone and done it again - infuriated some people, that is. In this case, the people are mostly public school teachers. One teacher reported that...

6-Year-Old Not Doing Well Being Homeschooled

Posted on 2/3/2004

MOM'S NOT SUCCEEDING AS TEACHER Q: We have fairly significant behavior problems with our 6-year-old son and have tried various disciplinary approaches with little result. The latest problem...

Back and Forth Homeschooling 6th Grader

Posted on 2/3/2004

Q: I have home-schooled my sixth-grade daughter on and off through elementary school. This school year, I home-schooled her until October, at which time she said she wanted to go to "real" school...

Are Public School Teachers Slackers?

Posted on 1/27/2004

ARE PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS SLACKERS? On the members' side of my Web site at www.rosemond.com, debate simmers over whether today's public school teachers, as a group, are lazy or dedicated and...

2nd Grader Does Not Do School Work to his Potential

Posted on 3/18/2003

A'S ONLY CODDLE THIS UNDERACHIEVER Q My second-grade son has received straight A's on both report cards this year. He receives only satisfactory marks in effort, however. His teacher recently...

16-Year-Old Should Pay for Tutoring

Posted on 3/18/2003

Q: Our 16-year-old daughter was struggling with algebra, so we got her a tutor. She has a part-time job. Do you think she should pay for all or part of the tutoring? A: The best approach was...

Divorced Parents of 8-Year-Old Should "Tag Team" Discipline

Posted on 2/18/2003

TAG-TEAM DISCIPLINE WORKS - IF IT'S WELL-COORDINATED Q: My husband's 8-year-old son lives with his mother. We see him every other weekend and for two weeks in the summer. He has major problems...

"Jump-Start" Programs are Worthless

Posted on 10/29/2002

MANNERS FIRST, THEN MOUSE PADS Q: What is your opinion of the spate of computer-driven academic "jump start" programs for children as young as 3, if not younger? All of the mothers in my...

Unorganized 8-Year-Old Has Difficulty Completing School Assignments

Posted on 6/18/2002

TO TEACH ORGANIZATION, BE PREPARED Q: My 8-year-old daughter had an overall B average in third grade, but she has had difficulty completing assignments since the first grade. Mostly this is due...

1st Grader Labeled Because She Is Struggling

Posted on 5/7/2002

LABELING KIDS ISN'T HELPFUL Q: I thought my first-grade daughter was having a successful school year, but her teacher feels she is struggling and may have a learning disability. Apparently, she...

16-Year-Old Academic Problems

Posted on 12/18/2001

EXPERIENCES OF FAILURE ARE NECESSARY FOR KIDS' GROWTH A mother recently asked for advice on her 16-year-old son's academic problems. He needed nightly help with his homework, she said, and she...

Teacher Wants 3rd Grader Tested for ADD

Posted on 11/6/2001

TEACHERS NOT QUALIFIED TO IDENTIFY ADD Q: This is my son's first year in a new, private school. Already, his third-grade teacher has suggested that we have him tested for attention deficit...

2nd Grader's Teacher Uses Reward System for Good Behavior

Posted on 9/4/2001

DISCIPLINE WORKS BETTER THAN REWARDS Q. My son's second-grade teacher is using a reward system to encourage good classroom behavior. Children earn tickets for behaving properly and can cash...

Parent Should Not Be Homework Buddy

Posted on 7/24/2001

LIMIT HELPING WITH HOMEWORK TO ENCOURAGE RESPONSIBLE CHILDREN Q: Is it possible to get today's children to do their own homework? At the school our daughter attends, the teachers believe...

ADD/ADHD Debate

Posted on 1/30/2001

CRITIQUE OF RITALIN BALANCES WHAT 'ESTABLISHMENT' SAYS I have become the target of those who confuse the messenger with the message. Two columns ago, I reviewed "Ritalin is Not the Answer"...

7-Year-Old Frustrated Doing Homework

Posted on 1/23/2001

DOING HOMEWORK ALONE CAN END MELTDOWNS Q. Our 7-year-old son often, almost nightly in fact, becomes very frustrated doing his homework. If he encounters a problem that gives him difficulty, he...

Book Clearly Explains ADD/ADHD

Posted on 1/16/2001

BOOK CLEARLY EXPLAINS ATTENTION DEFICIT I'm going to break with my general rule forbidding such things and endorse a parenting book. Even if you don't have a child "with" attention deficit...

School's Issues with Parents

Posted on 1/9/2001

HERE'S WHY YOUR KID'S SCHOOL IS AFRAID TO ANSWER THE PHONE A teacher somewhere in America sent me a message one of her colleagues proposed for the new phone system in their high school. She...

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