General Information

I remember going to a “Haunted House” on Halloween when I was in the 6th grade. At one point, we were given peeled grapes in the dark and told that they were eyeballs. It was so deliciously creepy! What is it about that little thrill of fear that is so fun? Maybe it’s that we…

Have you been to a pumpkin patch yet? When my kids were young, this was one of our favorite Fall activities. Such excitement and such a hard choice – picking exactly the right pumpkin! October Is Dyslexia Awareness Month In addition to pumpkins and Breast Cancer Awareness, October is Dyslexia Awareness Month. I find that…

David Letterman and Jay Leno both used to do “man-on-the-street” interviews. In spite of all kinds of documentation on the contrary, a “man-on-the-street” interview would reveal that many people equate a learning disability with low IQ. Parents with smart but struggling students see far too much evidence of their child’s ability to accept the low…

Chris Botti is one of my favorite artists. When asked the key to success as a musician, he said, “Four things – Practice, Practice, Practice, and being friends with Sting!” It is generally accepted (and generally true), that if you want to be good at something, you have to practice, practice, practice. In his book,…

I learned something this weekend. I was in New Hampshire and while I didn’t expect a foliage change yet, many people that we ran into were apologetic for the lack of colorful fall leaves. They sadly predicted that the leaf change this year would not be as good as expected because it is too dry.…

Last week, I got to spend some time with a dear friend who is a third grade teacher. This friend was not only my college roommate, but is also a phenomenal teacher. School had already started for her and she was telling me about a little boy in her class who was the most delayed…

With Back-to-School excitement waning and the reality of the new grade level expectations kicking in, struggling students are probably starting to become apparent. The first and most obvious symptom of a learning challenge is poor attention. This may cause worried parents wonder if their child has ADHD. In our experience, attention challenges can mean many…

People are creatures of habit. If we create structure and habits around homework from the very beginning of the school year, there will be fewer battles and negotiations later! Important Note: These may seem obvious to you, but they are not obvious or easy for many students. Each strategy will take instruction, practice, and monitoring…

I woke up this morning a little bit panicked from a dream I was having about the first day of school. I was attending a new school that was essentially cabins spread out in a huge area in the woods. (I know – crazy – but it was a dream)! My mom was with me…

Have you ever tried to write your name with your non-dominant hand? It’s pretty funny, right? And really challenging! So when we see a person who is ambidextrous and can use both hands equally to do things, it’s seems pretty amazing. In baseball, switch-hitters (players who can bat either right-handed or left handed) are in…