https://youtu.be/9r2dmbrg7Dw I’m old enough to remember the leap from Atari to the original Super Mario Brothers. The very first thing you did in that game was walk across the screen and hit a brick with a question mark. Boom. Out popped a mushroom. You ate it, you got big, and you felt powerful. As a […]
https://youtu.be/8kl5az-5LzE As a former teacher with a Master’s in Education, I’ve seen how the traditional school system handles confidence. Usually, a student works for three or four months toward one major grade or report card. That is a long time for a child to wait for a “win.” If they struggle in month one, they […]
https://youtu.be/L6dEAvPM0HA If your child seems to be in a bad mood the moment they put down their tablet, you aren’t alone. As a former elementary teacher with 10 years in the classroom and a Master’s in Education, I’ve watched the “plugged-in” culture take over. It used to be that kids just watched a few cartoons […]
https://youtube.com/shorts/bth-3hIAhEM Every morning in Oak Creek, hundreds of kids wait for the bus. As a former public school teacher with a Master’s in Education, I spent ten years watching this ritual. I can tell you exactly which kids are at risk of being picked on before they even step foot in the classroom. It’s all […]
https://youtube.com/shorts/YUf2FBaRiiI You want your child to quit their favorite activity? I can tell you exactly how to do it in one easy step: Tell them everything they did wrong the entire way home in the car. I call this the Backseat Coach Sport Killer. As a former teacher with a Master’s in Education, I’ve seen […]
https://youtu.be/OqqQ_B-sSiM When I was a band and orchestra teacher, I realized something very quickly: I couldn’t teach a child to play the violin if I couldn’t get them to look at me for two seconds. I used to use a 5-second countdown in my classroom—“Eyes on who? Eyes on you!”—just to get them to “dial […]
https://youtube.com/shorts/8-f_y0iSXSU Parents are still telling their kids the same thing we were told in the ’80s: “Just ignore the bully and they’ll go away.” As a former public school teacher with a Master’s in Education, I can tell you that ignoring a problem doesn’t make it disappear—it makes it manifest into something bigger. Bullying isn’t […]
https://youtu.be/FcoygDaDrP8 If you’ve ever watched your child stand in the outfield of a T-ball game, squatting down to pull grass while the play is happening at home plate, you’ve seen the “ADHD Gap” in action. As a former elementary school teacher with a Master’s in Education, I can tell you: it’s not that your child […]
https://youtu.be/PqPkEKwQlSc I remember when the shift started about 20 years ago. I was a young elementary teacher, fresh out of my Master’s program, and suddenly the trend was: everyone gets a medal. My colleagues said we didn’t want to discourage anyone. I remember shaking my head then, and 20 years later, the results are in: […]
https://youtube.com/shorts/2zJwSx4xva4 It starts out “cute.” You’re at a grocery store or a family gathering in Oak Creek, and you tell your toddler to say hello. Instead, they dive behind your leg, peeking out from the safety of your shadow. But here’s the reality check from someone who spent a decade in the classroom: It’s fine […]
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Recent Posts
- The “Yes Mindset” Secret: How to Stop Programming Your Child for Negative Answers
- The 30-Minute Chore Trick to Cure Screen Time Tantrums Before Activities
- The Dangerous Truth About Participation Trophies (And What Kids Actually Need Instead)
- The Push-Up Test: Why Modern Kids Are Losing Their Physical Grit
- Why “Ignoring the Bully” is the Worst Advice You Can Give Your Child