John's Articles
Parent Help With Homework Is a Generally Bad Thing
Posted on 9/13/2016
Amanda Johnson, a second-grade teacher in Laramie, Wyoming, has caused quite a stir both among her colleagues and constituents and—because her educational incorrectness was covered by national...
Read MoreKudos to Catholic School's 'Problem Solving' Sign to Parents
Posted on 9/7/2016
Just when I am teetering on the edge of despair concerning the state of child rearing in America, dwelling much, much too obsessively on the damage being done to children and the nation by parents...
Read MoreTake the Drama out of Math Homework
Posted on 8/30/2016
Q: Our sixth-grade son has always been an excellent math student. This year, however, he melts down every time he does math homework. Within minutes, he becomes highly agitated, begins crying,...
Read MoreSelecting the Right Private School
Posted on 8/16/2016
Q: We are looking for a private school for our 4-year-old. Regardless of the school we ultimately choose, we want to keep him there through eighth grade at least. We live in an suburban area so...
Read MoreLeave Him to His Own Devices
Posted on 9/29/2015
Copyright 2015, John K. Rosemond Q: My 14-year-old son started public high school this year and immediately fell into his old bad habits. He’s intelligent and capable of making...
Read MoreAnxiety and Panic Attacks in Teenagers
Posted on 2/24/2015
<b>Q: My 13-year-old son has developed overwhelming anxiety about going to school. This began a year ago, but has gotten steadily worse since then. At this point, he fights me every morning about...
Read MoreMisplacing a Sense of Purpose
Posted on 12/9/2014
Q: My buddy’s wife walks their 11-year-old into the classroom each day. Then she takes out his assignments and helps him get ready. We’re talking about a very capable kid who has no...
Read MoreNewly Academic Nature of Most Preschools
Posted on 11/25/2014
Courtesy of my friend and parent coach Janet Carter (www.ourchildishways.com), comes an interesting story: The parents of a 4-year-old girl went to a preschool parent conference to...
Read MoreRoadblocks to Success in Classroom Discipline
Posted on 10/14/2014
A first-grade teacher asks what she can do about a girl in her class who is completely undisciplined. After nearly two months of this teacher’s best efforts, the child’s behavior is no better. She...
Read MorePersonality Issue, Not a Behavior Problem
Posted on 10/7/2014
Q: My 7-year-old son does well in school and sports and has a good number of friends. However, he often allows himself to be intimidated by other boys. He is a rule-follower and is more...
Read MoreApache Blackhawk Parenting
Posted on 9/23/2014
A second-grade teacher writes: “I teach in a very competitive school where parents have developed a ‘mob mentality’ for bullying administrators and teachers. They have gone beyond helicopter...
Read MoreParents Helping with Homework
Posted on 9/9/2014
Q: I homeschooled my oldest, an 8-year-old boy, until this year. He started third grade in public school in August. As a homeschooling mom, I was not a micromanager and don’t want to...
Read MoreTo Help or Not To Help?
Posted on 6/3/2014
I recently asked a group of 50 teachers: “Raise your hand if you agree that when a child comes to an adult asking for help with an academic problem, the adult should help.” ...
Read MoreDefiant behavior at school
Posted on 5/13/2014
Q: For the past few months, our usually compliant 4-year-old son has been having problems with defiant behavior at school. He often refuses to do what he is told by the teacher. What concerns us...
Read MoreHomeschooling After Hours?
Posted on 12/24/2013
Q: I homeschool my two children, ages seven and nine. The school day lasts from eight-thirty in the morning until two o'clock in the afternoon, after which they usually do homework for an hour or...
Read MoreConsequences
Posted on 11/12/2013
Q: We have discovered that our 17-year-old son recently went to school, checked in, and then, a short time later, left. To our knowledge, he's never done this before. His explanation was that he...
Read MoreExplaining School Shootings
Posted on 10/29/2013
A radio talk show recently called to ask how parents should explain school shootings to their kids. My answer: It depends. I prefer, for the most part, for parents to say nothing unless their...
Read MoreTeaching: Then and Now
Posted on 10/15/2013
The most valuable course I took in high school was typing. I took two semesters of it my sophomore year at Proviso West High School in Hillside, Illinois. By the end of the second...
Read MoreKicking Out of the Garden of Eden [Explained]
Posted on 10/6/2013
Kicking the child out of the Garden of Eden John's "Garden of Eden" statement: Other Q and A or articles about this method may be searched by using the keyword "Garden" Below is detailed...
Read MoreBenefit of the Doubt
Posted on 9/3/2013
The statute of limitations has expired concerning the following tale, so I can finally tell it. In October of my now 40-something year-old son Eric's seventh-grade year, he informed me...
Read MoreGifted ... With Laziness
Posted on 8/20/2013
Q: Our 9-year-old son Bobby is very intelligent and capable of doing good work in school when he wants to, but he is generally just downright lazy. As a result, he makes mediocre grades and we...
Read MoreGifted and Talented Programs
Posted on 6/4/2013
Q: Our 9-year-old daughter is going to the fourth grade next school year. She loves school and has always done very well. She recently took a series of tests and we've learned that she qualifies...
Read MoreSchool Start and Birthdays
Posted on 5/21/2013
Q: Our son's fifth birthday is in August. He did just fine, socially and academically, in preschool, but the counselor at the school he's slated to attend has recommended that we hold him back a...
Read MoreWhat is Bullying, Exactly?
Posted on 2/12/2013
The principal of a middle school recently confided in me that "this bullying thing has gotten completely out of hand." He wasn't referring to bullying itself, although that's certainly out of...
Read MoreLast Chance for Major Change
Posted on 2/5/2013
Q: Our 17-year-old is a highly spoiled underachiever. As a junior in high school, he's failing two classes and borderline in the rest. We know that his problems are largely due to our parenting...
Read MoreNine year old: Homeschooling problem
Posted on 1/28/2013
Q: Our 9-year-old (only child) is home-schooled. He starts out well for about one hour, but then the wheels start falling off. He has to constantly be told what to do, but if you don't stand over...
Read MoreMother-Son-Dance?
Posted on 1/28/2013
Q: Our two sons are in the fifth and sixth grades at a private school that just held a father-daughter dance. Now the school has announced that it's putting on a mother-son dance so as not to...
Read MoreBoys goofing around
Posted on 1/1/2013
Q: Our son is in Kindergarten at a small private school. Most of the children in his class are boys. From the beginning, he's been somewhat of a behavior problem. Each time we get a notice from...
Read MoreLeave the Homework to the Child
Posted on 8/23/2011
<i>As the new school year begins, it's time for me, once again, to make my perennial case against parental involvement in homework.</i> First, it is significant to note that as...
Read More8-Year-Old Boy - Grade Retention Issue
Posted on 5/24/2011
Q: My 8-year-old son is the youngest in his third-grade class. Some students are more than a year older because parents are holding back boys these days. I am concerned because he is struggling...
Read MoreParochial Schools Offer Best Education
Posted on 3/11/2011
A few weeks past, I summarized the problems plaguing America's public schools, including administrative bloat, drastically lowered academic and disciplinary standards, an addiction to...
Read More15-Year-Old Boy's Grades Dropping
Posted on 3/8/2011
Hold fast to restrictions on slacker son Q. Our son, a 15-year-old high school sophomore, was an honor student until he got to high school and took up with kids who think good grades are...
Read More15 Resolutions For Parents
Posted on 1/4/2011
15 resolutions for parents Given that this is the first column of a new year, I'm proposing a number of parenting New Year's Resolutions for my readers to consider. The list is by no means...
Read MoreFifth Grade Boy School Issues
Posted on 11/2/2010
Parent wishes school would act on discipline Q: Our son's fifth-grade teacher has recently sent home notes to the effect that our little darling isn't paying attention and is missing homework...
Read MoreGrades and Today's Parents
Posted on 10/5/2010
One of the differences between parents of the 1950s and today's is that the former did not care what grades their children made in school. Mind you, they insisted that their children do their...
Read More4-Year-Old Boy Preschool Education
Posted on 8/17/2010
Many preschools go about it all wrong Q. Our 4-year-old grandson is enrolled in a pre-kindergarten class where all the kids are beginning to learn to read and write. The problem is that he...
Read More5-Year-Old Son - Phonics is the Best Way to Teach Reading
Posted on 7/6/2010
Phonics is best way to begin teaching reading Q: Our son was already registered for junior kindergarten before we became aware that you believe in phonic-based reading instruction. He will be 5...
Read More17-Year-Old Boy Underachiever
Posted on 2/9/2010
Getting back on track Q. Our 17-year-old is a perennial underachiever. He's had up and down grades all through school. Other than this one problem, he's a great kid - respectful, sensitive,...
Read More15-Year-Old Boy to Drop Out of School and Join Military
Posted on 11/24/2009
Corrections: The following correction appeared after this story was published: A recent column in which I advised the parents of a teen to let him drop out of high school, get his GED, and join...
Read More6th Grader Required to Watch TV by School
Posted on 10/20/2009
Along the same lines: A mother relates that her daughter's sixth-grade science teacher assigned the class to watch "American Idol." The mother writes, "We told our daughter to forget it, it wasn't...
Read MoreKindergartener Questionnaire
Posted on 10/20/2009
KINDERGARTEN QUESTIONNAIRE A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY Q. My kindergartener brought home a questionnaire that asks: Do you like your class? Do you have friends in your class? Does your teacher...
Read MoreBack-To-School Tips for Parents
Posted on 9/8/2009
BACK-TO-SCHOOL TIPS FOR PARENTS Several teachers asked if I would reprint a column that first appeared about 10 years ago. The subject is my five top back-to-school tips for parents. Before...
Read MoreParents Should Not Ask Principal for Teacher Reassignments
Posted on 8/25/2009
ADVICE MADE ME A FRIEND TO PRINCIPALS, FOE TO PARENTS Several weeks ago in this column, I encouraged parents to not ask principals for teacher reassignments, as in "I think my child, who has a...
Read MoreParents Concerned About 10-Year-Old Daughter's Teacher Assignment
Posted on 7/28/2009
PARENTS CONCERNED ABOUT CHILD'S TEACHER ASSIGNMENT Q. Our 10-year-old daughter has been assigned to a third-grade teacher whom we feel is not a good "fit" for her. This teacher has a reputation...
Read MoreProblems in American Education Will Be Solved Through Home Reform, Not School Reform
Posted on 5/19/2009
LEARNING STARTS AT HOME Public school reformers are like a fellow who scoops a bucket of water from one end of a swimming pool, carries it to the other end, dumps it back in, and then repeats...
Read MoreParents' Firm Stance Brings Fast Results
Posted on 2/17/2009
PARENTS' FIRM STANCE BRINGS FAST RESULTS This column is about a school-age boy who recently learned a valuable lesson in the hardest of ways. At their most recent conference, the boy's...
Read MoreConsequences Do Not Compel Human Beings
Posted on 12/23/2008
CONSEQUENCES DON'T FORCE GOOD BEHAVIOR American parents believe in behavior modification. They believe that the same principles that govern the behavior of a dog also govern human...
Read More12-Year-Old Boy Unmotivated
Posted on 4/29/2008
PARENTS OBSESS OVER SO-CALLED FLAWS Today's parents tend to believe that behavior, any behavior, can be modified by properly manipulating reward and punishment. That was in fact the utopian...
Read MoreFirst Grade Boy Zoning Out in Class
Posted on 3/25/2008
'ZONING OUT' COULD BE SEIZURE In a recent column, I answered a question from the mother of a first-grade boy who frequently "zoned out" in class and rarely finished classwork. I recommended...
Read MoreFirst Grade Boy Zones Out in Class
Posted on 3/11/2008
FOR WAKE-UP CALL, TRY EARLY BEDTIME My first-grade son's teacher says he frequently "zones out" and doesn't finish assignments in class, even simple things like coloring each number on the page...
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