From teachers to students, anyone who’s been to class since March 2020 has had to deal with COVID-19. But for the class of 2023, that connection is a little deeper, as the pandemic hit during their freshman year and turned their time at school upside-down. “Kids were talking about ‘What are we gonna do after spring break?’ And I remember saying that we might miss a couple days, maybe a week after spring break at…
Read More »Poetry is a mindfulness practice for award-winning author and poet Clint Smith, but as a young person, Smith felt that poetry wasn’t for people like him. Smith said that teaching poetry can feel intimidating when presented as if it’s a “geometric proof or a code that students are supposed to unlock.” He recommends that teachers instead emphasize that no interpretation is wrong. Online resources for teaching poetry can show young learners “that there are poets…
Read More »Adults and children of all abilities can have fun in Massachusetts this summer. In addition to having a number of special needs events scheduled, Massachusetts also has accessible spray pools, beaches and parks with ramps, wheelchairs that navigate sand and/or can float in the water, and much more. Check out this list of fun summer events and and resources that are accessible and include everyone! 1. Massachusetts Accessible Pools & Spray Decks. All of the…
Read More »in Events, Summer Tips
Looking for a fun and affordable way to keep your little one entertained this summer? These low-cost summer activities for kids can be done inside—or outside—the house. Whether you are a working parent or a stay-at-home one, you are probably looking for ways to stave off summer boredom. Once school is out and the kids are home, things can become chaotic very quickly. We’ve rounded up a dozen summer activities that can be done inside…
Read More »in ELA, Reading, Reading strategies, Teaching Your Child To Read
Reading is taught, not caught. This phrase has been in circulation for decades, but it bears repeating with each new generation of parents, and it has never been more fully supported by compelling evidence. Learning to read is a complex, unnatural, years-long odyssey, and parents should bear no illusions that their kids will pick it up merely by watching other people read or being surrounded by books. Kids literacy is more complicated than that. Parents…
Read More »This article on climate change is a repost from KQED. Are you a kid — or do you know a kid — who is learning about climate change? It can be hard to know where to start. So we made a guide about how it’s changing the planet and how to deal with the big feelings you might have when you hear about it. Click here to print a paper version of this comic at home or…
Read More »in College Bound, COVID-19, High School, News
A distinct post-pandemic pattern is emerging across the nation’s schools: test scores and attendance are down, yet more students are earning high school diplomas. A new report from Washington, D.C., suggests bleak futures for many of these high school graduates, given the declining rate of college attendance and completion. The numbers are stark in a March 2023 report by the D.C. Policy Center, a nonpartisan research organization. Almost half the students in the district –…
Read More »The statistics are sobering. In the past year, nearly 1 in 3 female teens reports seriously considering suicide. One in 5 teens identifying as LGBTQ+ say they attempted suicide in that time. Between 2009 and 2019, depression rates doubled for all teens. And that was before the COVID-19 pandemic. The question is: Why now? “Our brains, our bodies, and our society have been evolving together to shape human development for millennia… Within the last twenty years, the advent…
Read More »in Events, Summer Tips
There are many fun activities for families to enjoy in the Boston area in June 2023. Check out our list of June activities and events happening around Boston and enjoy the kickoff to summer! La Salette Shrine Spring Carnival When: Thursday 6/1/23 through Sunday 6/4/23 Where: La Salette Shrine, 947 Park Street, Attleboro, MA Age: toddlers, kids, teens, adults Cost: www.fiestashows.com The carnival is coming to Attleboro! The carnival will feature rides, games, and food.…
Read More »in Study Tips, Teachers
Daniel Willingham is a University of Virginia psychologist who frequently engages in pop culture battles armed with academic research and study tips. Research evidence shows that we all learn through a variety of ways: visually, aurally and kinesthetically. For years, he has complained that teachers aren’t heeding research and study tips about reading instruction, and that many educators are misguided when it comes to teaching critical thinking. Now, Willingham has shifted his focus from teachers…
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