Pattie Hughes's commentsComments On: EverythingArticles Blogs Journals Photos created by: EveryonePattie Three Fun Yoga Poses for Kids - Blog Entry05 Feb 2007 09:00 PM My girls love doing yoga with me. Child's pose is another good one that is easy for them. Are Single Sex Classes the Solution? - Blog Entry01 Feb 2007 07:11 AM I attended an all girls Catholic high school for the first three years of high school and a public school for my senior year. If I had the choice, my daughters would attend an all girls school. The difference in the girls when the boys aren't around is amazing. The girls were academically smarter, more agressive academically and not concerned with how they looked, and didnt' try to avoid being smarter than the boy they liked and so on. When I switched to public school, I was amazed at how many of my classmates "played dumb" around the boys. There's also significant research that shows that girls do better on their own and that girls' schools provide a more challenging learning environment for girls. Not to mention studies that show teachers tend to encourage boys more than girls in mixed classes. Great Breastfeeding Books - Blog Entry29 Jan 2007 09:02 AM Thanks for the suggestion, Valorie. I've never nursed multiples, so I appreciate the suggestion. I Have to Meet with My Child's Teacher about Possible Retention - Blog Entry27 Jan 2007 07:52 PM Valorie, I had 18 in my class about half in K and half in first grade. Our principal used grant money to buy an additional class to allow for smaller groups. Dawn, the studies are available on the National School Psychologists website. PM me if you want the link to read the studies. I Have to Meet with My Child's Teacher about Possible Retention - Blog Entry26 Jan 2007 09:00 PM When I was assigned to a multi age class for student teaching, I was scared to death. How would I teach them at so many different levels? Once I was there, I grew to love it quickly and ended up taking a full time teaching position at the school when I graduated. The nicest thing is that there is some wiggle room for the kids that need to catch up a bit in terms of maturity or in certain skill areas. There are so many benefits for the kids and for me as the teacher too. I Have to Meet with My Child's Teacher about Possible Retention - Blog Entry26 Jan 2007 02:17 PM I definitely agree that it's the whole package, Karri. With my daughter it was primarily a reading issue. She also had some reversals in writing letters and numbers. I suspected dyslexia at the time. Of course, they said it was too early to think about that since it can still be normal at that time. I went researching retention and that's when I found the studies that suggested that retention in a case such as my daughter's wouldn't have long term educational benefits, but could have long term self esteem issues. The studies showed there was a gain in the year of retention and the following year. After that, the gain was lost. The students that were retained were in the same position (ie: bottom of the class) as they were prior to the retention. This issue is why I LOVED teaching in a school with multi age grouping. One year, we retained a boy in K. It was a K-1 multiage class. By January of the following year, he was doing all first grade work. He had matured and was making great gains. We bumped him back to first grade status and he went on to second and did great. Unfortunately, this is not often possible in most schools. Whole Language and Reading - Blog Entry26 Jan 2007 08:02 AM It's interesting to watch the pendulum swing between whole language and phonics. Whole language came about after the kids of my generation failed to read through phonics. A true holistic approach uses phonics in context with whole language. This balanced approach is the best way to reach all learners in the classroom. When I was a teacher, I found that each student relied on different strategies and it was a matter of finding what worked for each individual. So, I vote both. Great blog! I Have to Meet with My Child's Teacher about Possible Retention - Blog Entry26 Jan 2007 07:58 AM I recommend finding out the reasons for the retention to make the best decision for your child. My oldest was nearly retained in first grade due to reading issues. We opted to move her ahead to second grade after researching the issue and discovering that retention doesn't result in long term gains for most children. She is in third grade now and doing fine. Retention is best if there is an overall problem in learning, rather than just one area. When Birth Doesn't Go As Planned - Blog Entry16 Jan 2007 09:46 AM I just posted another blog about emotional recovery after a c section. |
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