The first step in a child’s journey to literacy is to make the basic letter sounds. Later they shape sounds into words and sentences. We’ve been through all of that, struggle and reward, and we’re proud that that portion of our journey is over. Neil, now 7, is ready to open the next gate and [...]
The most I’ve taught my kids about weather so far is that the temperature changes depending on the seasons and that they should stay away from lightning. They’re old enough now though that perhaps it’s time to start teaching them more comprehensively about the weather: Layers of atmosphere, how clouds and hurricanes and tornadoes [...]
I took a full, practice citizenship test in 2002 when Mely was studying for hers. I thought, “I better be able to pass this if I expect Mely to do it.” I scored exactly 90% (I forgot what Mely scored on the actual test, but it was a solid pass). Certainly a 90% is [...]
Movies are powerfully influential on young minds (reference Joseph Goebbels). Thus, it might surprise you, knowing what we do about movies playing loose with historical facts, that teachers, history teachers no less, are using them in the classroom to help teach history. But, it’s not as bad as you might think. Some teachers believe [...]
An interesting thing happened when I taught my kids how to gamble – they loved it. For those of you who don’t know how to play 5 Card Brag, it’s quite simple. You deal 5 cards and each player discards the two they don’t like. The object is to make a prial (3 of [...]
One problem with public schooling is its inability to teach all its classes in a way that is optimally designed for each kid. Kids fall behind and get left behind because of educational theories that may not be designed for them. There isn’t a one fit solution to education, and to send kids to [...]
My older boy, Neil, 7, finished the Hooked on Phonics Master Reader program about a year ago. Throughout the program, from Kindergarten all the way through Master Reader, I had sat next to him for his lessons. But, once the Master Reader program was finished, it was time for him to start reading alone. [...]
This is us at Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco I got a comment to yesterday’s article that was brief yet enlightened. I talked about a rest-stop historical marker that I found in the middle of Nevada, near I-80, a sign I’m certain not many people can even find let alone would bother to read. [...]
We all know, from textbooks, that life was hard for families traveling across the country in the mid 1800′s, but to drive across the same stretch of land that was once known as the California Trail puts the hardship into perspective – a big huge barren and dead perspective. On the one hand we’re [...]
An undeniable truth of the Body World exhibit is that it’s educational. Call it anything else, on religious grounds or ethical, but you cannot deny it’s not also educational. If you aren’t aware of what the Body World exhibit is, it’s a traveling science/art show of bodies that are preserved in plasticine and struck [...]
The other day I wrote and article that harangued the young adult reading section in most book stores for selling out to the teenage girl market and neglecting boys. Boys just don’t want to read ridiculous love stories (ridiculous describes most love stories I guess). After writing that article, I thought to myself, I [...]
BloggingStream by 
