MSI Press Blog

  Today's tip for parents (from two talented teachers) comes from  365 Teacher Secrets for Parents  by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly (yes, those are the two talented teachers). #4 Setting Goals   Goals not written down are just wishes. ~Unknown   To encourage your child to care about her success, have her set goals for herself. Ask her what she'd like to improve upon. For a younger child, encourage her to start with something simple and attainable such as learning her address and phone number so she'll feel successful right away. For older children, the goals could be complex, such as learning the multiplication tables, writing in cursive, or long division. Have your child set new goals each week, month, or whenever the previous goal is achieved. Keep track of her progress in a visible place, such as a refrigerator, so that everyone can be proud of her success. You may even want to have the whole family try this! Wouldn't it be great if everyone had a ...

    Today's Publisher's Pride is  A View through the Fog   by Bob McGee, which reached #88 in bridge engineering. (This book has been on the top 100 list nearly every month since its release.) Book description: A View through the Fog  is compelling, poignant, and packed with both moving and hilarious anecdotes. All human life (and death) is here. With his own distinct voice, McGee opens the door on the dizzying world of the Golden Gate Bridge-the beauty of both nature and the bridge itself, the camaraderie and friction with colleagues, and the devastating tragedies of suicide jumpers. He brings an entire community to the page with a thought-provoking and richly detailed memoir that will resonate with many readers. The motive for his writing this book is love of his subject. He paints this world he knows in a way that gives readers the feeling they are on the Bridge with him. From review by Kevin Hines: "Read one of the most well written books of the past decade,...

from  Divorced! Survival Techniques for Singles over Forty  (Romer)   Feeling Abandoned   There you are, facing your first Christmas alone—ever. You’ve always had someone around at the holidays—first your parents and siblings, later on your spouse and your own children—but this year, things are different. Your wife left you in August and you haven’t really had the heart to hook up with anyone else yet. Both your parents are long gone and your only sister lives 3,000 miles away, with her own family to take care of. What should you do? There’s a big part of you right now that feels like a motherless child, totally abandoned. Maybe you feel rejected, unattractive, or unworthy of love. These are all feelings that society places on people who are the “victims” of divorce, and they have nothing to do with who you really are. This is not a place where you want to remain for very long. Once you erase the perception of yourself as being abandoned by your ex-spouse, a lot...