MSI Press Blog

  What is a  book jewel ? A sometimes-overlooked book with remarkable insight and potential significance. Each month, we share near-daily, or as often as possible, reviews of the monthly book jewel - short, succinct reviews that can be read in 1-2 minutes with links to the reviewer by reviewers whose words are worthy of being heard and whose opinions are worthy of being considered. Sometimes a couple of minutes contains more impressive thought than ten times that many. We will let you decide that. This month's book jewel is  365 Teacher Secrets for Parents  by Alder & Trombly.  Description: This reference book, written by two experienced and successful (and, frankly, brilliant and talented) elementary school teachers, provides a day-by-day set of practical ideas and activities that parents can do at home with their elementary school-age children to help them become better students while also having fun. Review by Nort on Amazon: Great book! This book is FANTASTIC. As a parent o

    What is a  book jewel ? A sometimes-overlooked book with remarkable insight and potential significance. Each month, we share near-daily, or as often as possible, reviews of the monthly book jewel - short, succinct reviews that can be read in 1-2 minutes with links to the reviewer by reviewers whose words are worthy of being heard and whose opinions are worthy of being considered. Sometimes a couple of minutes contains more impressive thought than ten times that many. We will let you decide that. This month's book jewel is 10 Quick Homework Tips by Alder & Trombly. Written during the pandemic to assist parents, the tips are just as good today. Description: Is there a lot of whining at your house about homework? Do you fi nd 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

  Many thanks to Cindy McKinley Alder, co-author with Patti Trombly  of 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents and 10 Quick Homework Tips ,  for this guest post Preventing Summer Slide Cindy McKinley Alder     Summer Break is long and, often, when kids go back to school in the fall, they have lost a bit of learning.   This is called “Summer Slide”.   While the amount of time out of school is not likely to change, you can absolutely cut down the amount of learning loss over the summer months.   The key is to make things fun and authentic.   Handing out workbooks might be fun for some kids.   But if you think your kids would just roll their eyes and protest, try to find some real-life (and fun!) ways to get them practicing their skills.   For most kids, having some READING time every day during the summer is an excellent way to keep skills current over the months without school.   You can read to them if they are young or they can read on their own. Work together to set a goal.   Wri

  Released July 1, 2024: the audiobook for  10 Quick Homework Tips by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly.  Description: 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 find help when you need it; and - much more! Contains helpful advice for parents working online with their