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.   #63 Be a Reading Role Model   A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest.  ~ C.S. Lewis                You’ve no doubt heard the familiar saying, “Actions speak louder than words.” Telling your child about the importance of reading is good, but showing her is better. Without even speaking, you can communicate how important reading is as well as the joy of reading by letting her see you reading. You don’t necessarily have to be reading a lengthy novel. Simply reading the newspaper, a magazine, or a short story will provide opportunity for your child to observe you practicing what you preach!             Try to have a special t...

   Today's tip for parents from two talented teachers comes from  365 Teacher Secrets for Parents  by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly.   Reading Together   The more a child reads the better reader he becomes.   Hopefully, by now, you have established a nice time of the day to curl up and read with your child. Previously, we discussed the benefits of doing this together (Idea #1). It is the single best way to make him a successful reader and foster a love of reading. When you are reading aloud to your child, it is usually appropriate to choose a book that is at a slightly higher reading level (to check for reading levels, see #71) than one he would choose to read on his own. Children are often interested in reading higher-level books than they may actually be able to read alone. (They generally enjoy reading about characters a grade level or so above themselves.) By reading aloud to your child, you are modeling how to read with expres...

    Today's tip for parents from two talented teachers comes from  365 Teacher Secrets for Parents  by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly.   #61 Time Out!   There is more to life than increasing its speed. ~Gandhi               Many children participate in extra-curricular activities. Here are two very important things to keep in mind if it seems your child hardly ever slows down.             The first is to think about whether all of the extra things she is doing are taking away from her education. Many activities that children are involved in after school and on weekends (such as music, dance, and especially sports) are very time consuming. Children too often are coming to school tired, saying they just couldn’t finish their homework because their soccer game wasn’t until after dinner and they didn’t get home until late. O...

   Today's tip for parents from two talented teachers comes from  365 Teacher Secrets for Parents  by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly. #60 Your Role   You can preach a better sermon with your life than with your lips.  ~Oliver Goldsmith               Your child is in school about 6 1/2 hours a day. His teacher is responsible for helping him learn during this time for about 180 days a year. There is the same number of days each year that your child does not have a schoolteacher to help him. However, he does have a teacher—YOU!             You are your child’s first teacher, guiding him first to walk and talk and then later to read and write and more. Learning is continuous and does not end when your child walks out of his school building. In fact, it can be just getting started. There is so much you can do at home to supplement what yo...