Blog

The concept of “Wait Time” as an instructional variable was formerly developed by Mary Budd Rowe back in 1972.  “Wait-time” was the period of silence between a teacher’s question and the students’ responses.  It was found that the period of silence that followed a teacher’s question and students’ completed responses, rarely exceeded 1.5 seconds in typical […]

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In earlier articles, I wrote about the need to advocate for your child should you think there is a problem.  In this article we will explore the “rules of the road” when it comes to advocating for your child once you suspect a difficulty. We have all heard the horror stories of parents who tried […]

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The frustration of children with dyslexia often centers on their inability to meet expectations. Their parents and teachers see a bright, enthusiastic child who is not learning to read and write. Time and again, dyslexics and their parents hear, “He’s such a bright child; if only he would try harder.” Ironically, no one knows exactly […]

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The Economics of Literacy To be perfectly honest it is hard to find a problem in today’s society that is not linked to literacy levels. We live in extraordinary times and extraordinary times require extraordinary measures from all citizens of this country.  Currently in Canada we have 46% of our Canadian adult population who struggle, […]

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“Mom, I’m just not smart like the other kids.” Hearing this statement, as a parent could be your worst nightmare. Perhaps your nightmare is your child coming home from school with an increased level of frustration, as homework time takes forever the list of assignments and unfinished lessons continues to accumulate while your child’s self-esteem […]

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What is it about teaching reading that arouses such passions in both parents and teachers?  Reading effectively is no less a vital skill than crossing the road safely, but we have more children who can cross the road than can read effectively.  Reading is difficult, it is a hard skill to master – if it […]

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A while ago I was watching an educational documentary on elephants.  The expert being interviewed was talking about the old adage, “An elephant never forgets.”  Did you know that is actually true?  And here I thought that that was just one of my mom’s ways of reminding me that I needed to work a little […]

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How many of us have to really think about what some of the washing instructions symbols mean?  I know the hand wash only and the hang to dry but after that I get a little rusty.  Perhaps I have spent too much time in hot water and then left myself  “hang to dry”. The Denim […]

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From K to three you learn to read, from grade four and for the rest of your life you read to learn. What if you miss the window? Most of our school systems are set up in a certain way. They assume that by the time a child reaches grade four, he or she will […]

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The advent of the Internet, in some respects, made the job of parenting a little harder.  We want our children to experience the vast wealth of knowledge available on the Internet and communicate with their friends online.  Besides, it frees up the telephone.  You remember the telephone, don’t you?  The thing that rings right around […]

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