At a party recently,  I got talking with a woman who is a veteran kindergarten teacher.   She is the epitome of the caring,  thoughtful,  insightful, and wise teacher who has a passion for working with young children with their first experience in a school setting.  I asked her if things have changed for the better or not with regard to kindergarten teaching.  Her answer
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When children are struggling with learning disabilities,  parents have concerns about how to help their child manage difficulties related to academics and they also have concerns about their child’s self-image. In her book, ‘Overcoming Dyslexia’,  Sally Shaywitz devotes a chapter to ‘Protecting and Nourishing Your Child’s Soul’ (inspiration for my blog entry title) and she makes so many great points.  She emphasizes that a
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It can seem overwhelming at times dealing with the challenges of raising a child with learning differences (LD) and/or other related conditions such as attention deficit/hyperactivity (ADD/ADHD). Fortunately, most communities have wonderful organizations with dedicated staff and volunteers, often themselves parents of children with conditions like ADD/ADHD, who provide information and services for parents like yourself. One such organization on the peninsula in the
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The editors of The New York Times discuss their answers here. The article includes a contribution from Maryanne Wolf, author of Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain.

An oldie but a goodie: “How Not to Talk to Your Kids: The Inverse Power of Praise” For extra credit, check out Carol Dweck’s book, Mindset.

Several years ago, a study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development(NICHD), found that as poor readers worked through an intensive program based on phonemic awareness and phonics, not only did their reading improve, but their brain functioning changed as well. Specifically, as poor readers became good readers, their brains showed increased activity in an area of the brain called
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The nation-wide organization CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) is promoting awareness of this condition that affects thousands of individuals and their families with AD/HD Awareness Week – September 14th-20th.  The theme for the week of awareness is the importance of early diagnosis. Related to that theme, CHADD has announced the release of a survey whose findings shed light on differences found
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Here’s a great resource that all parents of IEP students should know about:  BookShare!  It’s a way to download books to your computer or other electronic device and with a little help from software, have the books read aloud to the student.   For details and more info, see: http://www.examiner.com/x-21388-DC-Special-Education-Examiner~y2009m9d8-BookSharean-online-community-of-readers-for-students-with-disabilities

The President gives a speech directly to America’s students welcoming them back to school. He emphasizes their hope and potential but makes clear they will need to take responsibility for themselves and their education to reach that potential.
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Fascinating article about printing vs. cursive, pencil grip, and how we perceive letters: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/09/04/opinion/20090908_opart.html