Attention

Do you remember the first time your child rode a bike all by herself?  You let go of the seat and ran alongside while she wobbled along?  It was thrilling and a little terrifying at the same time, but very shortly, she was loving the feel of riding comfortably and independently. Learning to Read Is…

On a recent radio interview, the host asked me if there was one thing that parents should watch for that would tell them that their child is struggling in school? The Conversation Parents Have With Themselves There are actually many things, not just one, but the first thing that came to my mind was the…

My favorite teacher growing up was my 4th grade teacher, Mr. Baird.  Mr. Baird had a way of making every student feel like a million bucks and he made things kid-friendly.  We did a lot of really interesting hands-on science activities and he turned boring things like memorizing all of the prepositions into fun contests.…

Weak underlying mental tools cause smart students to struggle in school My husband is fond of saying, “If the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”  But the bottom line is that even though a hammer may be an excellent tool, it isn’t the right tool to do all jobs.…

Raquel was a third grader reading at a first grade level when she was diagnosed with ADHD.  Her parents were not sold on the diagnosis or the suggested “solution” of medication so they kept searching for answers. What Testing Showed About Raquel When we tested Raquel, we found that she actually had dyslexia.  Her weak…

As a parent, when your child is struggling, you may feel like you can hardly breathe.  You search for answers and will do almost anything to help, if only you knew what to do. When we got to the end of our parent night last week, one of the moms said, “Now, I can exhale!”…

REAL Changes for Struggling Students Have you ever fallen short on a New Year’s resolution?  Yep!  I know I have.  New Year’s resolutions usually fall by the wayside because we don’t have a strong enough reason to make the change, or we don’t have a plan to get us through the tough parts of creating…

Don’t Let the Holidays Hijack Your Child! Keeping kids on track all the way to winter break How the Holidays Disrupt Homework Happy Holidays!  The calendar has finally caught up with the TV commercials.  So what does that look like for kids still in school for one more month and families still dealing with homework?…

Stop the Homework Battle and Get Your Confident Child Back This is my, “I hate homework face!”   If homework is a battle in your home, you probably see some version of this face on a fairly regular basis at homework time, though I’m guessing it’s not this orange! Parents just like you, exhausted by…

From Struggle to Flight Dragon’s Teeth in Maui is one of my favorite places in the world.  Here in the coves created by lava flow, you can see sea turtles battling the currents and undertow as the waves pound in and out.  They are incredibly resilient and just keep going no matter how much they…