John's Articles

Parents and Teachers Should Build Bridges of Communication

Posted on 4/2/1989

AFFIRM PARENTS OF PROBLEM CHILDREN Q. As the principal of a large suburban elementary school, which draws children from a broad socioeconomic spectrum, I have to deal with the occasional...

10th Grader Homework Issue

Posted on 3/26/1989

SOMETIMES HELP IS NO HELP AT ALL Upon entering the 10th grade, my daughter Amy was invited into advanced geometry. It was her first accelerated placement in math, and it turned out to be...

16-Year-Old Grades Dropping

Posted on 3/12/1989

LINK DRIVING PRIVILEGE TO GOOD GRADES Q. A problem has recently developed with our 16-year-old son, who is a sophomore in high school. He's always been a very responsible student and has...

7 Year-Old Homework Perfectionist

Posted on 2/12/1989

TURN 2ND-GRADE TORTOISE INTO HARE Q. Several years ago, you wrote a column on homework management that helped us a great deal. As a result, we've always expected our children, ages 9 and 7,...

8-Year-Old Behind at School

Posted on 1/29/1989

HELP BOY CATCH UP IN SCHOOL Q. Our 8-year-old son has fallen steadily behind in his schoolwork since the first grade. He was recently tested by a school psychologist and found eligible for...

6th Grader Homework Problem

Posted on 8/28/1988

LET TEACHER SOLVE PROBLEM Q. Our son started sixth grade this year. In years past, he's had a problem taking responsibility for his homework. As a result, his father and I have had to stay on...

12-Year-Old Homework Issue

Posted on 7/24/1988

PARENTS, STOP POLICING LAZY 6TH GRADER'S HOMEWORK Q. Short of taking him to a psychiatrist, my husband and I have tried everything we can think of to solve the problem we're having with our...

Preschoolers Do Not Need to Know ABCs (Also Dyslexia Question)

Posted on 7/17/1988

PRESCHOOLERS ARE NOT READY TO LEARN TO WRITE ALPHABET I was talking recently with the parents of a boy who attends a preschool program for 4-year-olds where they've been teaching him to write...

No Need to Emphasize Academics with Preschoolers

Posted on 3/27/1988

PRESCHOOLERS NEEDN'T LEARN ABC'S, READING I do a workshop titled, "Helping Your Child Succeed in School." At one point, I ask my audience the following question: "How many of you knew the...

5-Year-Old Homework Issue

Posted on 2/21/1988

5-YEAR-OLD FRETS OVER KINDERGARTEN HOMEWORK Q. My daughter's kindergarten teacher recently started assigning homework. It really doesn't amount to much - just to practice forming letters and...

5th Grader Homework and School Issues

Posted on 10/25/1987

MAKE CHILDREN RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR HOMEWORK This is a true story about a fifth grade boy and his school year. In October of that year, Tequila's teacher called his parents and told them he...

3rd Grader School Issues

Posted on 10/19/1986

PARENTS SHOULD ENCOURAGE BETTER SCHOOL WORK Q: Last year, our daughter attended third grade at a private school where the academic standards were fairly high. Even so, she did quite well,...

6-Year-Old Writing Letters Backwards

Posted on 9/28/1986

REVERSED LETTERS MAY NOT MEAN DYSLEXIA Q. Our six-year-old started first grade this fall. We've noticed that on quite a few papers he's written certain letters backward. He did this a lot...

Amount of Homework

Posted on 7/6/1986

BENEFITS OF HOMEWORK DIMINISH AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR Q. The private school our children attend places a great deal of emphasis on homework. The children begin having homework from the first week...

Critical Period for Introducing Reading Instruction is from Ages 6 to 8

Posted on 5/25/1986

READING EARLY HAS NO VALUE TO KIDS As I have expressed before in this column, I have a problem with preschool children attending formal learn-to-read programs. Simply stated, they aren't...

What Are Effects Of Retaining A Child

Posted on 2/2/1986

WHAT ARE EFFECTS OF RETAINING CHILD? In a recent column, I advised the parents of a "late-birthday" boy to enroll him in kindergarten on schedule on the principle of "nothing ventured,...

Aptitude Tests Open To Interpretation

Posted on 1/12/1986

APTITUDE TESTS OPEN TO INTERPRETATION Q. Our 17-year-old daughter was recently tested by a private psychologist in our community. Her mother and I had her tested because we wanted more data...

5-Year-Old Boy in Kindergarten - Retain or Promote

Posted on 12/1/1985

5YO KINDERGARTEN RETAIN HOLDBACK NOTHING LOST BY REPEATING KINDERGARTEN Q. Our son started kindergarten in September and turned five in October, only a few days prior to the deadline. We...

How to Handle School Phobia

Posted on 10/27/1985

HELP WITH HANDLING SCHOOL PHOBIA I've received several letters lately about school phobia. Most have come from parents of early elementary-age children who cry at school in the morning and...

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