I just read a great article suggesting that we stop asking our children what they want to be when they grow up. The author, Adam Grant, wasn’t implying that our children shouldn’t dream or aspire to fulfill a personal calling. He was, however, bringing reality back into the equation. Grant’s comment that asking children what […]
Author: franklinadm2021
Spring Semester Check-In
We have reached the midway point of the spring semester! It’s time to check in with your child’s teachers, confirm all assignments have been submitted, and evaluate which steps should be taken to ensure your child finishes the school year strongly. If your child appears to be struggling in any area, this is the perfect […]
Tidying up helps students succeed in school!
You may have heard the buzz surrounding a new TV show based on the book titled The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, in which she visits the homes of families who are in need of getting their things – and life – in order. Marie’s philosophy is to keep only the things […]
College Application Prep
When is the right time to start college application prep? Private college counselors often encourage college application planning to start in ninth grade, but it can feel premature. In tenth grade, discussing college applications, may easily generate more anxiety in your child than productivity. Eleventh grade seems like the right time to dive deeply into […]
Prepare for Summer Break
One of the best ways you can help to improve your child’s time management and organization skills is to model effective time management yourself. By taking a goal and backwards planning, which is listing out all the steps necessary to achieve that goal and mapping out a timeline to achieve those steps, you can help […]
Dealing with the Increased Pace of Spring Semester
When children return to school after the winter holidays, they aren’t in school for more than a few weeks before being off again for a couple three-day weekends. These vacations, though merited, interrupt the pace of teaching which may lead to misinterpreting how quickly teachers will move through material during the spring semester. It’s not […]
Helping with ADHD and Executive Functioning Skills
Executive functioning skills are not often explicitly taught in the classroom – time management, organization, study skills, and self-advocacy being the most common. They are crucial for becoming a successful student. Many children gain capacities for these skills over time, with natural development and maturity. Some students, however, need a high level of support to […]
Grades vs Learning
The traditional educational model offers lots of benchmarks to measure a student’s progress: grades on assignments, performance on tests, mid-semester grades, end of year assessments, etc. Students who struggle in school often fail to achieve high scores or reach these benchmarks at the same time as their peers. When this happens, it’s easy for a student […]
Academic and Organizational Resolutions for the New Year
We typically think of New Year’s resolutions as something to be undertaken only at the start of the year. While the academic year may be underway, this is still a perfect time for students to hit the “reset” button and make resolutions that will help them become better learners. A new year means a new […]
Transitioning to home school
Transitioning from one school to another mid-year may not be common, but it does happen frequently. It usually happens after a family has been unhappy throughout the fall and feels intuitively that their current school is not a match for their child – whether it’s socially, academically or a combination of both. Some private, independent […]