Dear Parents, How many acronyms does it take to educate a child?  S.A.T.’s…I.E.P.’s… A.C.Ts?  P.T.O.’s?  I.L.P.s?  Each industry has its own “industry talk,” and it’s important to “talk the talk” when conversing with someone in that field.  The over-reliance on acronyms in education, though, can be dizzying for parents – and teachers.  It often seems as if educators and policy makers concerned with education started texting long before teenagers started hiding cell phones under their desks, typing away! I teach a course at the University of Colorado, for example, on D.I.  In that course, the students learn about instructional strategies for E.L.L.s using a research-proven model called the S.I.O.P..  They also learn the ins & outs of SPED programs, including the recent adoption of R.T.I. in secondary schools, and practice effective strategies for teaching … [Read more...]

My husband bought me a gym membership for my birthday.  There’s a hint of irony wrapped into the gift, as there’s little need for me to workout anywhere other than where I already do – our family’s Martial Arts school with a high-aerobic kickboxing class and Bootcamp sessions using Russian kettlebells under the tutelage of the best – if not the best – and knowledgeable fitness trainers, my husband.  What Scornavacco Martial Arts Academy offers far surpasses what any gym could offer – hands down. The idea of a husband buying his wife a ticket to a year of workouts also exudes a bit of male snobbery or maybe its male control and protection too – although, knowing Brad and his dedication to health, that’s just me reading too much into it.  I have flashbacks of my upbringing in Connecticut with trophy wives getting in and out of sleek sports cars and Volvo wagons on the … [Read more...]

“You got to be tough or the world will get you.” I grew up hearing those words from my father over and over again.  He’s a man of sayings.  There was the lighthearted one, “you’re alright, half left, but all right;” the thankful one, “great meal Leanne” and the pragmatic one, “I’m not cheap; I’m frugal.”  Whether we were alone in the car or with friends at a dinner party, my father found a way to interject one of his mantras into the conversation.  Just after my first daughter’s birth, I overheard my dad talking to our newborn by the bedroom window, rocking the crying baby to sleep in his arms.  “You got to be tough,” he started.  I knew what was coming next, and stood at the doorway, astounded by his persistence. “You got to be tough or the world will get you.” What does that mean anyway!?  To my dad, it means that you’ve got to survive the … [Read more...]

“How are you doing in school?” Steve asked innocently.   “Good,” Emma said, looking down at her feet. Steve was a friend of the family, 50 years-old.  Emma was an eleven year-old girl who cried herself to sleep because she was so behind her friends in reading.  Steve knew Emma had trouble reading.  He knew she had a tutor, was in a special reading group in school, and that she – like his own daughter – was making great strides.  He cared about Emma, and hadn’t seen her in three months, as he and his family lived 400 miles away in the fun town of Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Steve was curious about Emma at this amazing time of her pre-adolescent life.  His question, though, led to silence. How are you doing in school?  There’s so much wrapped into that question.  Grades, friendships, a need to fit in, to name a few.  There are also personal histories and family … [Read more...]

What is our mind doing when it selects information relevant to our goal while ignoring a barrage of irrelevant stimuli?  What about when driving?  When asking a classmate out on a date?  When interviewing for a dream job?  I often joke that I’m not going to let my daughters drive until they are 22 or 24 years old.  It’s not until then that the pre-frontal cortex of their brains will be fully formed.  This is the part of the brain that’s job is to sort through multiple bits of information, including internal thoughts and external stimuli, in accordance with a particular goal.  It’s the area of the brain most activated when multitasking, planning for and following through with set objectives.  Given this biological fact (that, I admit, I am oversimplifying for brevity’s sake), my daughters will be more prepared for taking on the demands of driving when they are older. The … [Read more...]