Optimism-Virtue
My students came back to school last week after their long winter break. I always begin the first day back by asking them how they spent their holiday and what they enjoyed most about it. Invariably, the children begin by listing all of the presents they’ve received. Their lists get pretty long. I noticed that several [...]
Being Cheerful- Virtue
When I walk down the hall at the school where I work, I enjoy seeing the children as they line up for lunch. As they walk past me, I often hear cheery hellos or see their hands waving to me. It always puts a smile on my face. Most children by nature are happy people. [...]
Generosity- Virtue
Like many new immigrants at the turn of the twentieth century, my grandfather lived a life we would not recognize today. Poverty was rampant, food was scarce, clothing was patched, and toys were non-existent. The average American today is materially richer than ever before. Most children have a wardrobe of clothing, plenty of good food [...]
Sandy Hook Wake Up Call
The tragic events last week in Newtown Connecticut have left their mark on our nation. We are stunned and outraged. The news services reported that people are being asked to turn in their guns for money. Schools are beefing up security and practicing more safety drills with their students. The talk around town is [...]
Meaningless Words- Parenting
I remember sitting in a college class a few years ago and the instructor was explaining to a student that her paper was not acceptable because “you can’t write the way you talk”. The use of the English language has changed dramatically. It’s sad to say that children today do not use a variety of [...]
Honesty- Virtue
Very often at the beginning of the school year, when I collect the first round of homework assignments, some of my students when queried will give me a variety of excuses as to why their homework is not finished or is missing entirely. I tell them straight away that homework is their responsibility and I [...]
Visual Timers- Parenting
This is the last post in a three-part series on the use of ‘visuals’ to help children follow directions and routines. This week I would like to discuss visual timers like the one pictured below. A visual timer is used so that your child can actually ‘see time’. Oftentimes, parents tell children, [...]
Visual Schedules- Parenting
I was talking with someone the other day and they asked me how to get children to do what is asked of them. Last week I talked about using picture schedules and this week I’d like to discuss visual schedules and how to use them. First/then schedules are visual schedules that are commonly used in [...]
Picture Schedules- Parenting
What is the morning routine like in your house? For most of us, it’s that mad-dash, beat the clock rush from the moment we wake up our children until they are safely out the door on their way to school. Some children go though the routine pretty well, but others need continuous prodding to complete [...]
Trust- Virtue
Trust is a virtue that needs to be taught to children. One way I’ve taught it to my own children is in teaching them to be home on time. When they go out, they now know to either wear a watch or look at a clock at their friend’s house. They weren’t always consistent about [...]
Manners- Virtue
Teaching children good manners has become an outdated business. I don’t know why this is so, and it is such a pity. In the past 100 years, parenting views have gone from ‘Children should be seen and not heard’ to allowing children to become, sad to say, unbridled and wild. Although there are many areas [...]
Answering Back- Parenting
Children today are more brazen than ever before. At the beginning of the year when I give children in my classroom a direction like “It’s time to put your game away”, they often are quick to answer back with “why?”. Or, if the children happen to hear me talking to another adult, they often [...]
Kindness- Virtue
A few years ago, I had a child in my class, Joey, who only thought about himself. He wasn’t a mean child, but he didn’t go out of his way to be nice to his peers. Joey told me that he wasn’t even nice to his mother. In school, he barely made an attempt to [...]
Rewards- Parenting
When my son was five years old, he played on a soccer team. I remember how proud he was wearing his soccer uniform. He happily ran around the field and never scored a goal; it didn’t matter to us as long as he was happy. At the end of the season, each member of every [...]
Accountability- Virtue
I would like to describe a scenario which happened at my elementary school. One day, the principal made an announcement on the PA system about cheerleading tryouts. Signs were posted, permission letters were sent home to parents and cheerleaders from the middle school came to enthuse the girls with spirit. The next week, the principal once [...]
Mixed Messages- Parenting
Times have really changed for children. When I was a girl, I knew what was expected of me; boundaries were clear and defined by my parents and teachers. I want to discuss a few words that in today’s world have undone that teaching: ‘friends’, ‘no thank you’, ‘ok?’. When I was a child, we were [...]
Being a Good Sport- Virtue
Children’s lives today are focused primarily on themselves. This view is pervasive in every aspect of their lives; in school, at home and in the media they watch. How often do we see advertisements like the phrase ‘kids rule’ and the like? How many places of entertainment are geared only for children? In this child-centered [...]
Playing with Peers- Parenting
It was glorious outside today. The temperature was in the mid-seventies and breezy. My children came home from school, took a snack and went bike riding. I didn’t see them for the rest of the afternoon. When they came inside, they had that wonderful fragrant smell that children get after being outside for a long [...]
Boundaries- Parenting
We knew a family many years ago who lived in a large, beautiful house. One day, the mother found her two year old child in the street. Much alarmed, she snatched her little boy out of harm’s way and diverted his attention to the swings in the back yard. That night, the worried parents discussed [...]
Less is More- Parenting
Two summers ago, a few mothers and I started a summer camp for our daughters. Each mother took one day of the week and was in charge of activities for that day. Mine was trip day. Each week we went on a trip: bowling, Chuck-E-Cheese, swimming in a lake, ice cream and a picnic in [...]
