All Recent Articles

Does Anyone Care About the Collateral Damage?

I tell colleagues and family members that I often feel like a first-class hypocrite in my classroom for trying to instill character and the Golden Rule in my students while believing these efforts will do little or no good.

He Never Saw the Age of Twelve

I went into my latest Google Alerts and found an article that stood out to me. A boy of eleven who was a football and basketball player and a member of the Boy Scouts. This boy was named Carl Joseph Walker who was in the dawn of life so to speak. I see a picture of Walker in his football uniform smiling for the camera in the article. Unfortunately, this young man is now deceased as he committed suicide due to bullying or what we call bullycide.

Preparing For Your Student Teaching Experience (part 1)

Preparing For Your Student Teaching Experience (part 1) by Frank Holes, Jr.

This is the first in a series of articles designed for college interns getting ready for their student-teaching experience. Student teaching is the final step for most teaching programs, and having a positive experience is vital for new teachers. This series of articles will provide many ideas, tips, and suggestions for young educators to make the most of the experience.

Using Brain Research in the Classroom

Understanding the brain's learning systems should be a prerequisite for all educators at all levels. Unfortunately, understanding the brain, its functions and its impacts on the classroom is not taught in many teacher preparation programs and possibly more disturbing is the fact that some educational leaders do not believe in connecting current brain research to classroom instruction. But by having educators understand the brain's learning systems and how to incorporate even some aspects of them into the classroom, students may begin to achieve at higher levels.

Improving Impulse Control Within Young Children

Early childhood is marked by wide variations in behavior but for some young children, the presence of developmentally immature impulse control strains the patience of parents and teachers. Troubles keeping their hands to themselves, inappropriate and goofy statements, and wild and thoughtless exuberance in the company of energetic peers are among the typical troubles that plague the impulse ridden young child.

Encephalitis and Vaccines

Vaccines, encephalitis, and the brain
 

Down Syndrome Facts

Down Syndrome Facts

And Why Do We Teach Them?

After having taught school for 30 years, I have decided that if you don’t change teaching methods with the kids you won’t teach the majority of the kids. Of course, there are some kids that will even learn if you didn’t teach anything, but these students are not the ones that worry us because they are going to achieve no matter what.

Rebuilding your Dyspraxic Child’s Self-Esteem

What is Developmental Dyspraxia? According to the Dyspraxia Foundation:

In our Schools… Bullying is an Adult Problem There Must be an Attitude of Change

Contrary to what many people believe, bullying is an adult problem, not a child’s problem. Adults are entirely to blame for bullying in our schools because they do not stop it. Bullies bully because they can, and because they can get away with it and adults decide when, and who will get away with bullying.