Posted by: Sara Carbone on: January 31, 2012
Perhaps when you and your daughter discuss why she cut three math classes the conversation flows like water, buoyed along by mutual respect and understanding. If so, then you’re blessed and congrats on a job well done. But for many parents, giving advice gets stopped by a wall of misunderstanding, resentment or just plain goofy [...]
Posted by: Sara Carbone on: January 26, 2012
High school English teachers generally have your child’s best interests in mind. The problem is some teachers and even entire school districts don’t know how to effectively teach reading and writing. Your kid is left to flounder through as best he can until he can flee high school and not look back – until he [...]
Posted by: Sara Carbone on: January 24, 2012
Kids don’t organize their school stuff very often. Most do it once when they first set things up and then maybe do a big dump mid-year when the rubber band securing the main notebook gives out from the strain. Helping your kid keep her binders, folders and notebooks organized can mean a big weight off [...]
Posted by: Sara Carbone on: January 23, 2012
Below is an interview with Sarah Schrag, a former student of mine when she was in high school. She currently attends Boston University. Sara Carbone: What do parents do that doesn’t work? Sarah Schrag: Parents generally act in ways that the think helps their child, but their kid may never tell them how damaging it is. [...]
Posted by: Sara Carbone on: January 22, 2012
Praising your kid is great, right? Sometimes. It actually depends on how you do it. Authors of the book How To Talk So Kids Can Learn, Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish identify some forms of praise as troublesome. They suggest that when you repeatedly give praise that evaluates the worth or merit of your child [...]
Posted by: Sara Carbone on: January 22, 2012
1. When your kid gets a poor grade on a test you: a) Lecture him about what he did wrong until his eyes glaze over or he walks away b) Get into a fight about it and take his cell phone away for a week c) Sit down with him and start with several gentle, [...]
Teacher Comments – A Road To Higher Grades
Posted by: Sara Carbone on: January 22, 2012
Teacher comments on a test or paper are a straight road to a higher grade. The teacher is writing down what she wants, but most kids don’t look past the final grade. So sit down with your kid and decipher teacher comments in the margins or at the end of the paper or test (particularly [...]