Posted on 8/28/2018
It has long been known, but only spoken of in hushed tones by university professors sitting in darkened rooms wearing Fat Elvis masks, that pre-Kindergarten “jump-start” (aka, “push-down”)...
Read MorePosted 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 MorePosted 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 MorePosted 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 MorePosted on 9/3/1989
In last week's column, I said that for a child to benefit from homework, the child must have full "ownership" of the responsibility. Parents should help when help is truly needed, but must be...
Read MorePosted on 3/7/2019
I have a young kindergartner (won't turn six until this summer), although he is doing good enough in kinder, he is very easily distracted - bright light distraction. During school and homework at...
Read MorePosted on 2/7/2019
A few months have passed. This school year seems to have been a big step for my now 12 year old. We have been struggling most of the school year and just got his grades for the second quarter. The...
Read MorePosted on 2/5/2019
My 14 year old son had a very rough transition to high school this year. Although he has the ability, he is not performing well and has failed two classes last semester. This semester is not...
Read MorePosted on 1/30/2019
We have an 8yo boy. His teacher let us know he “often gets distracted in the middle of a task, needs multiple reminders to turn in work, write down his homework, and to focus on the task at...
Read MorePosted on 11/5/2018
I have a 10 yo who says she is good at nothing, not intelligent, not good at school. She is not putting effort in nothing she is doing. She doesn't want to do her homeworks and doesn't care if...
Read MorePosted on 3/10/2018
How do I get my son to take responsibility for his actions, his chores and his homework? I have tried everything from reverse psychology to taking privileges away from him and nothing seems to...
Read MorePosted on 2/3/2018
My daughter is six and in the first grade. She will not turn seven until June. Thus far, we have had two teacher/parent conferences. The first conference in the fall, the teacher said she didn't...
Read MorePosted on 11/7/2017
I am completely on board with John's homework recommendations, but I have some struggles that have only intensified since Kindergarten. In my opinion, teachers are consistently asking the kids to...
Read MorePosted on 11/7/2017
My 10-year-old son, who is in fifth grade, is having some trouble at school. At this parent-teacher conference, his teacher expressed he is too talkative, rushing his work, and has poor...
Read MorePosted on 9/6/2017
I am the Dad of an 11 year old (6th grade). She is not giving good effort at school. My wife and I have told her it is her responsibility and she needs to get help from the teachers, study...
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