Don’t Be a Pop Quiz Parent

pop quiz parent

At the neighborhood barbecue, I squirmed in my lawn chair. I was embarrassed, not so much for myself, but for Erica, the six-year-old at our table who was being grilled by her father, Tom. ”How much is 6 times 9?” Searching for the answer, Erica looked up at the pavilion ceiling, then down at her […]


To Lead A Child To Learn

steps to reading

Helen Keller wrote, ”Anybody can lead a child to a classroom. It takes a teacher to lead a child to learn.” Keller is perhaps the most famous of students of the 20th century. Her teacher, Annie Sullivan, taught Helen, who became blind and deaf at the age of 19 months, how to communicate and connect […]


Ten Conversations

ten conversations

A small red book holds a lot of wise parenting advice. Shmuley Boteach in his book, 10 Conversations You Need To Have With Your Children, tells us about essential and ongoing chats we should have with our children. Boteach, a rabbi, and former host of The Learning Channel’s Shalom in the Home and father to […]


Learning To Lead And Follow

learning to lead and follow

The adult is the most important part of a child’s environment. We may fill a child’s space with all kinds of learning activities. We may be able to give a child all types of advantages. What becomes significant, too often in hindsight, is the quality of the adults as being the indicator of a how […]


Learning To Be Friendly With Error

learning to be friendly with error

If failure is not an option, neither is success. An interesting idea. But isn’t it true that we learn most effectively when we’ve had to figure out a problem through trial and error? On my typewriter (remember those things?) during my early 20’s I had a saying taped to it that read: Babe Ruth struck […]


Learning To Stop And Think

learning to stop and think

Impulsivity is a sign of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and probably most 36-month-olds’ behavior would meet the criteria for being ADHD. Some of the criteria follow: makes careless mistakes, has difficulty sustaining attention in work or play activities, does not seem to listen, does not follow through on instructions, has difficulty organizing tasks, avoids […]


Learning To Speak Effectively

learning to speak effectively

Over the past few posts we’ve been discussing tools for our children’s success in a future that we may have difficulty imagining. We do know that there are timeless learning tools that have enabled humans to adapt to new challenges. We are in the middle of a decade of uncommon problems. Unfailing tools are needed. […]


Learning to Engage

Learning to engage

Knowing and not doing, is really not to know at all.  To truly know and experience something, we must engage.  We can watch all the football games in the world, but until we learn to throw an accurate pass, run past a halfback, or have been tackled, we really don’t know football, we only know […]


Learning To Set Goals

learning to set goals

Goal setting seems to be an adult-oriented skill set. How do we help our children learn to set goals? Having given adult workshops on goal setting, I realize that many adults lack basic understanding on how to formulate goals along with the strategic and tactical steps to achieve a goal. In my elementary classroom my […]


Learning How to Care

Learning How To Care

Many things in life seem to be a closed system, as if certain concepts flow through an electric circuit. To get respect, give respect. To have a friend, be a friend. Care for others and they’ll care for you. The key to success in learning to care is in understanding what actions constitute caring, just […]