Hope in the New Year

Hope in the New Year

Hello subscribers, There’s hope in the new year! If you’ve tried everything and your child is still struggling academically, please read the guest article written by Susan Leckband of the HELP (Help Elevate Learning Processing) organization below. Their services and expertise may be the very thing your child needs to succeed. Be sure to click…

A Rule of Life as a New Year’s Resolution

A Rule of Life as a New Year’s Resolution

Last Friday, I wrote about the particular power of a single New Year Resolution, that of taking responsibility or ownership. This resolution had a profound effect in the life of Maxwell Perkins, a famous editor who worked at Scribner’s years ago. You can read about it here. The idea of “taking responsibility” means accepting where you find yourself and resolving…

Early Bird Testing Discounts Begin Today!

Early Bird Testing Discounts Begin Today!

Beginning today for a limited time, register and pay for remote testing to take place in 2025 and save $5.00 to $13.00 per student! This offer applies to private, semi-private, and remote group testing. Go to www.basicskills.net/testing for more information. Discounts are applied at the time of check out on the PayPal payment page.   Below is our…

The Final Rule

The Final Rule

The final rule in this series of posts, brief tips on how to help our older children read critically, is to encourage them to read with their eyes open. In other words, all books are bound to contain some errors. I’m not talking about factual errors although that can sometimes be the case. I’m mainly thinking…

What Was I Thinking? Things I’ve Learned Since I Knew It All

What Was I Thinking? Things I’ve Learned Since I Knew It All

That’s the title of a book written by Steve Brown, one of my favorite authors and speakers. His life and theology has been to a certain degree a series of U-turns- thinking that he understood something, only to later on change his mind. He’s open about this, and very much the opposite of the person…

Ignoring This Leads to Misunderstanding

Ignoring This Leads to Misunderstanding

Earlier this fall I started a five- part series of posts on how to teach our children to think critically.  Rule number 1 was “be gracious” to those who hold contrary views. Why? Because somethings can’t be reversed. Posts, texts, tweets, are permanent, apologies and retractions notwithstanding.   On to rule number 2. Ignoring this rule leads…

Solvitur ambulando – It is solved by… Walking! ~Augustine

Solvitur ambulando – It is solved by… Walking! ~Augustine

I don’t know about you, but I’ve ingested way too much digital content lately. Of course, the catalyst for why I’ve been overindulging was the election.  That includes the analysis of the results, the implications of the results, and of course the back and forth of who is to blame or is to receive credit for…