School Issues

John's Most Recent Articles

School Principal Asks About Discipline

Posted on 10/25/2022

Q: I am a principal at a private church-affiliated school. Contrary to my graduate school training and most of my peers’ practice, I believe disciplinary actions should "fit the crime."...

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When It Comes to Your Child’s Education, You Know Better Than Them

Posted on 9/14/2022

Q: I have homeschooled my seventh-grade daughter on and off through elementary school. This school year, I began homeschooling her, but she’s now telling me she wants to go to “real”...

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Homeschool Discipline Problems

Posted on 9/6/2022

Q: Ever since toddlerhood, we have had significant behavior problems with our 6-year-old son—defiance and general disrespect, mostly. We have tried various disciplinary approaches with...

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Child Mental Health Therapy: Any Proof It Does Any Good?

Posted on 8/30/2022

In a 6 – 3 decision, the Killingly, CT, school board recently said “no” to establishing a mental health center at its high school. I imagine most folks, upon hearing that, would be dismayed,...

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Should I Tell My Best Friend to Discipline Her Bratty, Bossy Daughter?

Posted on 5/17/2022

Q: My best friend’s 6-year-old daughter is an only child and a spoiled brat. She screams at her parents when she doesn’t get her way, always wants to be first at everything and is extremely bossy...

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Discipline Differences Between Divorced Parents

Posted on 5/10/2022

Q: We see my husband's 9-year-old son every other weekend and two weeks in the summer. He has major issues in school with both behavior and doing his work. He's well behaved when he's with us, but...

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Parents Should Trust Teachers About Children

Posted on 4/5/2022

If the following testimony, received from a thirty-eight year veteran of the teacher wars, was a one-off, it could be dismissed, but the sad, sad truth is that it is but one of hundreds of such...

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Is This Battle Worth It?

Posted on 12/29/2021

Q: I have six-month- and thirty-two-month-old boys. The older one—well-mannered, easy going, very affectionate—attends a preschool program three mornings a week. This is his second year there. ...

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Choose 1 of 2 Paths With Kids’ Anxieties

Posted on 11/9/2021

Q: I recently changed my almost 4-year-old son’s preschool. My son, once fearless, has become reluctant to simply get out of the car in the morning and go into the school. There’s always a...

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Cure for Kid Who Hits

Posted on 10/26/2021

A 4-year-old – I’ll call him Popeye – had a habit of hitting other children in his preschool program. His teachers tried various approaches, including rewarding him with a treat on days when he...

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Recent Questions

Technology, Discipline, and Schoolwork

Posted on 5/1/2023

I want to use the weekly ticket system, or throwing the child out of the garden, to discipline my 12-year-old son (6th grade). The problem lies in that much of the homework now is given via...

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Technology and the Preteen Boy

Posted on 4/26/2023

Aloha, I want to use the weekly ticket system, or throwing the child out of the garden, to discipline my 12 year old son (6th grade). The problem lies in that much of the homework now is given...

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Discipline at home for behavior at school

Posted on 4/19/2023

We have already raised our 4 daughters, the youngest is 24. We are currently, for some incredible reasons, in our third month of fostering to adopt a young child. Things at home are slowly...

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Silly in school and aggressive at home

Posted on 2/16/2023

Hello- my son is six years old and in the first grade. With his birthday he’s a little younger for the grade but seems very immature. He makes weird noises in class and tries to be silly when most...

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16 YO HAS FIGURED OUT THE SYSTEM

Posted on 2/10/2023

My 16 year old son is sabotaging his school by not turning in/doing homework assignments in all of his classes. He does well on quizzes and tests but tells us lies and excuses why the homework...

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Too much information too soon

Posted on 11/13/2022

A child at school told my 3rd-grade son in detail about sex, specifically gay sex. I wasn't prepared to have this talk with him so young. My son repeated something perverted he heard from the...

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The first to cave foreits a win

Posted on 10/4/2022

Our 15-year-old son stays out of trouble & is a good kid. The main issue is school. C student who lacks study skills, time mgmt, organizational skills, & seems fairly unmotivated. We have tried...

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Natural Consequences Are EffectiveTeachers

Posted on 7/9/2022

My 9 year old boy frequently acts like a baby and very odd in a socially unacceptable way like a feral child. When leaving his friends he will say “bye friends” in a silly voice. He also was...

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2nd Grader Needs to Change His Ways

Posted on 6/28/2022

Hi there, I have an 8-year old 2nd grader and his teacher has called us twice about his behaviour in school. He fidgets and moves, sometimes talks and jokes with friends whilst the teacher is...

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4 Year Old Boy in Structured Academic Program? Not on My Watch!

Posted on 5/10/2022

Hello, Our 4 year old son is attending a private school this fall which will have a more structured environment than his daycare. He is a very hyperactive boy and I wondered if there were...

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