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Doing homework after a long day of school can be a real backbreaker for many young learners!  Downtime is both limited and cherished, so making assignments enticing is key.  So, what can we do to make the process less burdensome and possibly pleasing? Homework Don'ts: Never pair homework with a punishment. When this is done, students associate homework with unpleasantries, and it can have a negative impact on future assignments. Don't call home assignments, "homework."  Who wants to take their work home?  Besides, when it is called work, it becomes work.  Personally, I like to call it, "home fun!" Homework Dos: Create enticing names for home assignments. For example, I never teach script or cursive. I teach roller-coaster letters!  Generate excitement about upcoming assignments by sharing your own excitement and enthusiasm for the content.  Bring creative options such as drawing, sculpting, and music into assignments. Introduce the fun factor to y...

Students with dyslexia or symptoms of dyslexia often struggle in school. It is not that they have limited abilities.  On the contrary, many have IQs in the above average or genius range. As a result, instead of a dumbed down curriculum, these students need to be challenged and they need to receive accommodations, modifications and multisensory teaching techniques to unleash their learning potential.   What makes it difficult to accommodate students with dyslexia is that each student has their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Yes, two students with dyslexia don’t have the same pattern of cognitive processing deficits. In fact, there are a number of profiles that can lead to this diagnosis . In addition, there are a number of specific cognitive skills that can cause symptoms of dyslexia . Consequently, a successful remediation often requires a tailored, individualized approach.  To tap into the quickest results, I have learned that one has to look at the specific cogn...

One of the most important things we can teach our children is that the food that we eat plays a vital role in our health and cognition. Unfortunately, we live in a consumer society and children are constantly targeted by large companies that entice them into consuming junk foods and drinks that are void of nutrients and are packed with harmful and addictive fillers. In fact, I continually see students that have poor diets consisting of processed foods, starchy entrees and sugary snacks. Sadly, if you even suggest changing their diets to healthy options, many adamantly oppose, as their are hooked to this lifestyle. You can see that they are undernourished, because their skin coloration is often pallid and pasty, they have trouble focusing their attention, many are irritable, and most are struggling at school. That’s right, when kids do not consume healthy fats, vegetables, and other whole foods, it can lead to a whole slew of physical and mental challenges. What Can Be Done to Get the N...