As you’re aware, there’s a big day coming up next week: Halloween. Hard to ignore. And for some of us, hard to resist. Growing up, Halloween was my second favorite holiday, right behind Christmas. For me, it was all about dressing up and canvasing the neighborhood with friends in pursuit of my favorite “food group,”…
In the 2006 movie comedy, Failure to Launch, the parents in the film are faced with an adult son who is living at home well past the time he should be. He hasn’t gone through the normal progressions that lead to healthy independence and the ability to manage life on his own. While the son…
At the end of this month, I’m back to school (literally) for some continuing education. I do this to maintain my certification as a part-time snowboard instructor at Mt. Hood Meadows. There’s a lot of similarity between the methods I use when teaching/tutoring here at Basic Skills and the way I instruct on the mountain. …
When my dad saw that I was interested in playing golf, he gave me a book to read written by Ben Hogan. Ben was one of the all-time greats in professional golf in the 1940’s and ‘50’s. Critics attributed his success to two things: a repeatable swing and an unstoppable work ethic. That would support…
In this current time of “educational enlightenment,” the use of repetition as a learning strategy is sometimes scoffed at. We’re led to believe that technology has replaced archaic practices such as memorizing, drilling, and reciting. This idea couldn’t be more wrong. My thinking on this subject was challenged a few years ago at a continuing…
Keep your eye on the horizon and experiment…. and use a variety of teaching methods! Like most of you who traveled any distance to see the eclipse two months ago, the drive home took a very long time. You may have tried various alternative routes to beat or avoid the traffic. Maybe your choices saved…
If you were asked, “What will you teach this morning,” you might answer something like, “Math, spelling, vocabulary, penmanship, and reading. That answer is a start, but math, spelling, vocabulary, penmanship are simply content areas. What specifically are you going to teach this morning? In other words, what part of the above content are you…
Did you survive the predicted “end of the world” on Saturday? Yeah, me too. I think I’ve survived a dozen or so announced events. Even so, I had my Saturday to do list completed by 2:00 p.m. so Jenny, my wife, was happy. Jenny and I grew up in Southern California. We’re used to this sort…
How do you know your student has gained the knowledge or skill he or she has studied or you have just taught? Savvy students can often “game the system” and bluff their way to completing learning activities or passing tests without really knowing the content. Sometimes this happens because publishers underestimate students’ ability to detect…
The fifth and final tip of the week that is foundational to your success as a home school parent is that of setting deadlines. Setting deadlines for work, projects, tests, quizzes, etc. gives you and your children something to aim for. If you don’t set deadlines, your daily experience is likely to feel like a…