MSI Press Blog

  Today's book excerpt comes from 10 Quick Homework Tips by Alder & Trombly . Introduction            Have you ever felt frustrated with your child and his homework?  If so, know that you are not alone.  In our 40 combined years of teaching, we don’t think we’ve ever met a parent who hasn’t felt frustrated, overwhelmed, or just plain confused about how to end homework battles at one time or another.                In our previous book, 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents: Fun Ways to Help Your Child Succeed in Elementary School , we offered some homework tips scattered throughout the themed chapters.  It is our hope, here, to gather the 10 most helpful strategies, all in one convenient place for you. Overall, we have discovered that the main reasons for family stress about homework seem to come from two things: # 1.       When and where to do the homework and # 2.       What to do when your child doesn’t know how to do it           To help you conquer these problems, we have put

  In honor of National Homework Day, our daily excerpt today comes from 10 Quick Homework Tips (Alder & Trombly) -  TIP # 5 REMEMBER ALL KIDS ARE DIFFERENT Why fit in when you were born to stand out. ~Dr. Seuss Why is this Important?  As parents, we so often find ourselves comparing our kids to other kids, to their siblings, to ourselves at their age, and - of course- to the outcomes on their report cards.  It is so important to remember, though, that all kids are different.  Here are a few things to keep in mind. What You Can Do:  For this tip, we just want to remind you, give you permission to go easy on your child.  If he isn’t reading as soon as his older sister, or doesn’t have his multiplication facts memorized as quickly as his best friend, or even if he doesn’t have all the top marks on his report card, that’s OK.  Again, balance is key.  It is important for you to be able to recognize if a bad grade is just that, a one-time thing. Was

  Excerpt from 10 Quick Homework Tips (Alder & Trombly) TIP # 1    HEAD OFF STRESS BY BEING PROACTIVE "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now." ~ Chinese Proverb   Why is this Important?   One of the biggest reasons, if not THE biggest reason, that kids and parents alike feel stress about homework is that their family simply has no concrete plan for how, when, and where homework will get done.  Kids may not act like it, but they need, and even like, having rules.  They feel better, safer, if they know exactly what is expected of them.  Think about your daily life, at work or at home.  Do you feel more confident, more calm, on days that you are unsure what your boss will want from you, when you don’t know what you are expected to do, or where you should do it and with what tools… or on days when you know exactly what is expected of you, where you know just what to do, where, when and how?  Most of us feel best when there is a routin

  We cannot tell the back story of 10 Quick Homework Tips without telling the story of is sister book, 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents . So, here is the link to that back story , which we shared last Sunday Back Story of  10 Quick Homework Tips by Cindy McKinley Alder & Patti Trombly [Please do read the back story for 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents to learn how Cindy and Patti met.] A few years ago, after listening to the frustrations of parents trying to find time for everything as well as struggling to work with their kids at home more during the pandemic, Patti and I decided to create a “quick tip” book to help. It seemed homework issues were especially overwhelming and challenging for busy parents.   So, we worked together again and wrote a short book on   easy ways parents could help ease the frustrations of homework battles.   10 Quick Homework Tips was not as time-consuming, but just as fun for us to write.   It feels great to share so many decades of our practical, h

Back Story  of  365 Teachers Secrets for Parents: Fun Ways to Help Your Elementary Child Succeed in School  by Cindy McKinley Alder & Patti Trombly Nearly 30 years ago, I met Patti in the back row of a grad school classroom at Eastern Michigan University.  Our professor had us begin the class by writing out a “Bliss List”: all the things that made us happy.  When we compared lists, we were shocked to see they were almost identical! We were both due to have our first babies in a few months, both elementary school teachers, both working on a Masters in Reading, and both had a weakness for soft pretzels. We didn’t know it at the time, but that day sparked a decades-long friendship. Throughout the years, Patti taught upper elementary, and I taught the lower grades.  We met weekly with our four kids and, of course, always ended up talking about teaching and how eager the parents were to find ways to help their kids at home.  I eventually decided to stay home with my kids more and became

  Want to know if 10 Quick Homework Tips  by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly is worth reading? Since we published it, certainly we believe it is. However, as evidence, take a look at the endorsements of others. GOLD WINNER for EDUCATION KOPS-FETHERLING INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS Reader's Favorite evaluation: Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly's 10 Quick Homework Tips is an excellent manual for all parents to help them deal with homework and use the Homework Agreement so that pressure can be taken off the family. The tips are simple and easy to apply so that an organized atmosphere conducive to learning can be created at home. It is a good way to work towards building a space that is just right for the child to finish the homework and produce quality work. The approach to the topic is excellent and makes it easy for both parents and children to deal with homework better so that it is manageable and the ambiance at home is healthy and positive.   Purchase: Kindle versio

  Well, oops, gee whiz, we missed this one when it came out, but the advice, like so much advice from Cindy is super, so, finally, here it is in our blog in the event you did not see it in Authority Magazine: The Five Things Parents Can Do to Help Their Children Survive and Thrive in School For more posts about Cindy and her books, click HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .

Today's daily excerpt comes from 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents by veteran teachers Cindy Alder and Patti Trombly Tip  #362 Build Vocabulary   The most important thing is to read as much as you can, like I did. It will give you an understanding of what makes good writing and it will enlarge your vocabulary. ~J. K. Rowling   Parents are their children’s first role model for vocabulary. So, it is important for you to create an environment which enriches your child’s vocabulary. Below are some ways to help increase vocabulary at home. ●        Post your child’s spelling words at the message center, and challenge the family to try to use as many of them as possible during the week. ●        Start a Word of the Week activity. Each family member can take a turn choosing a word for the week. Try to make it one you may actually use in conversation. Think of a common word like talkative and find a more interesting word for it like loquacious . Put the word and its meaning

  It's h..e..r..e! Summer vacation. Now, how do you prevent your kids from forgetting everything they learned in school this year before returning in the fall? Cindy Alder has some suggestions in a Twinkl article, " How Can Parents and Carers Prevent Summer Learning Loss? " Read more posts about Cindy and her books  HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter.