MSI Press Blog

It may hard to imagine it, but summer vacation for schoolkids is just around the corner. With that in mind, take a look at an article to which MSI Press author, Cindy Alder, contributed, " How to Keep Kids' Skills Sharp over the Summer. " Read more posts about Cindy and her books  HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter.

  Cindy Alder, co-author of 10 Quick Homework Tips and 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents was cited in a Yahoo News article by Emily Pierce, " How Parents Can Offer Homework Help ." Read more posts about Cindy and her books  HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter.

  excerpt  from review -- an excellent manual for all parents  pressure can be taken off the family tips are simple and easy to apply approach to the topic is excellent makes it easy for both parents and children to deal with homework better [makes] ambiance at home ... healthy and positive. Read the full review HERE . See other posts about Cindy and Patti and their books HERE . See posts about other books in the pandemic series HERE .

  Congratulations to Cindy McKinley Alder & Patti Trombly on their book, 10 Quick Homework Tips , being selected as the Kops-Fetherling International Book Awards gold medal winner in the category of education.   For more information on this book, click HERE . For more posts on Cindy and Patti and their books, click HERE .

  "Your child is much more likely to finish homework and produce quality work if s/he has a special place in which to do it, equipped with all the tools s/he needs." 10 Quick Homework Tips by Alder & Trombly) Is there a lot of whining at your house about homework? Do you find that it sometimes also comes from your kids? If you are tired of the back-and-forth of homework battles, then this book is your solution.  10 Quick Homework Tips  provides a quick reference for parents who are looking for ways to help their kids with their homework. Written by two teachers with over 40 years combined experience, this book will show you  - the easiest way to set up an efficient workspace so kids can do their best, quality work;  - how to reduce your child's stress (and yours!) by being proactive; -  why creating a simple "Homework Agreement" between you and your child will take pressure off of the whole family;  - how to make large projects more manageable; - where to fi

  Patti Trombly has a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s Degree in the Teaching of Reading.  Even after 20 years of teaching in elementary school, middle school and college, she still looks for teachable moments in everyday life and for new ways to help children learn. She is a parent of two, a teacher and a business owner.  With Cindy McKinley Alder, she co-authored two books:         365 Teacher Secrets for Parents: Fun Ways to Help Your Child Succeed in Elementary School . 10 Quick Homework Tips  (one of the books in our pandemic series) Check out the 365 Teacher Secrets  website  for more "fun ways" to help learners -- and get a workbook that goes with it. For more posts about Patti and her books, click  HERE .

  Continuing our Caturday specials of sharing our authors and their cats, we present Cindy Alder and her family of cats.         Cindy is co-author of 10 Quick Homework Tips and 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents .  For posts about Cindy and her books, click HERE .

  Just in -- great review for 10 Quick Homework Tips from Readers' Favorite: "an excellent manual for all parents" Read the full review HERE . Read posts about Alder & Trombly and their other book, 365 Teacher Secrets , HERE .

TIP # 4 KNOW WHERE TO GET HELP Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. ~ Barack Obama   Why is this Important?  It is very frustrating for kids when they come upon something they don't know how to do while trying to complete their homework.  Getting stuck can really derail concentration for some kids.  That’s why it is good to know, ahead of time, what your child should do if she gets stuck. What You Can Do: Teachers sometimes use the “Ask 3 Before Me” rule.  This means that before kids go to the teacher for help, they are encouraged to try to solve the problem themselves by asking/using three other sources first.  At home, there may not be three other people to go to for help besides you, but you can brainstorm possibilities: friends, maybe even a pre-arr

  Cndy McKinley is a parent, a teacher, and a writer.  She grew up in Milford, Michigan, and has lived there for about 40 years, attending Huron Valley Schools.  Cindy has a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s degree in the Teaching of Reading from Eastern Michigan University.  She taught lower elementary for seven years, also in Huron Valley Schools, both at Kurtz Elementary and Country Oaks Elementary.  Her children attended the very same elementary, middle school, and high school as she did! She now tutors children of all ages in the community and teaches English at Oakland Community College in Royal Oak.  She’s been teaching for over 25 years. In 2002 her first book, a children’s book called  One Smile,  was published.  It won the Benjamin Franklin award that year.  In 2013 her second children’s book,  One Voice,  came out. It immediately won the Preferred Choice Award and the Carol Reiser Award.  Both books show how simple random acts of kindness can change th

Released today: 10 Quick Homework Tips . with special advise for activities during a quarantine. Written by two teachers with 40 years of combined experience: Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly.   Check out their other book that also has many activities that can be done during a pandemic: 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents . And here is another source of hood activities to help during quarantine from Black Parenting Magazine: click here .