Tips for College Success
Even though I’m a bit late with this one (oops!), it’s never really too late to get organized, get prioritized, and get on track towards achieving academic and all-around success in college. Freshman year of college is an overwhelming time for even the most prepared...
read moreCommon Core Testing: Should You Opt-Out?
There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the Common Core Standards as they have been widely implemented over the last few years. Parents and educators are gravely concerned about the over-standardization of learning and the overemphasis on testing at the...
read moreDoes This Make Sense? A Thinking and Reasoning Strategy
Some of the best strategies to help students get motivated and become more focused are the simplest. As they say, you can’t reinvent the wheel! I strongly believe that metacognitive strategies are very effective as they get students thinking about their way of...
read moreIf You Ask, You May Receive: Learning to be Proactive
If You Ask, You May Receive: Learning to be Proactive There’s an old adage that goes: “If you ask, you will receive.” This is an oversimplified statement that will frequently prove to be false! Yet if we modify this basic idea, we end up with commonsense advice that...
read moreHow to be a Parent Advocate
Last night I presented a workshop on the topic of “How to Raise a Successful Student” at the Briarcliff Manor Library after which I received particular interest in my advocacy tips and techniques. I’ve also had many conversations over the years with parents who are...
read moreDon’t Wait or Procrastinate, Motivate: Get Prepared Now for a Successful School Year
Summer is quickly coming to a close and schools in the area will be starting classes in just over a week. So…what are you doing to be prepared for not just the first day of school, but also the whole year? While it’s a bit of a bummer to be thinking about school while...
read moreThe Stigma of Lazy
Parents and other adults who interact regularly with children and teenagers throw around the word “lazy” so often that I think we have collectively forgotten what the word means and connotes to those whom we label as such. The word lazy is defined by Oxford...
read moreThe Power of Games
Parents and educators sometimes forget that games are some of the best teaching tools that exist. While no widely agreed-upon definition of game exists, to me a “game”, in its most primitive form, is a teaching tool. Ancient societies used games to teach essential...
read moreHow to be a Successful Self-Advocate
Self-advocacy is a hot topic in education right now. Self-advocacy consists of being empowered to speak and communicate effectively about one’s needs and being able to achieve one’s desired outcome. The term, “self-advocacy”, has long been associated with students who...
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