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. #45 If Your Child is Bored   A good teacher is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths theater. ~ Gail Godwin               A teacher is responsible for all of the children in her class. Just as she is responsible for providing remedial lessons and materials for students having trouble, she is also there to be sure every child is challenged if the material being covered has already been mastered.             If your child repeatedly talks about being bored in class, the first thing to do is to find out why. There are two very common reasons for this. The first is that your child is having a tough time paying attention or keeping up with the pace and academics of the class. It’s easy to tune out something you contin...

  BOREDOM “Behold, I am making all things new.” --Revelations 21: 5   We often use slogans to guide us through life’s complexity. I recently learned two slogans popular among young people today. YOLO: “You only live once.” It proclaims that we have only this one precious and wild life. So, we must make the most of it. This maxim reiterates the ancient wisdom, “Life is short.” Take advantage of our allotted time. A second piece of complimentary guidance is FOMO: “Fear of missing out.” There is a sense of urgency to fill our brief time here with stimulating activities. We want to cram as many experiences as possible in our available time. Only then can we feel satisfied and happy. We Americans assume that a fast-moving, active life is a fulfilled life. “An idle mind is the workshop of the devil,” a time-honored epithet reminds us. A boring life is a useless one. We want to do as much as we can as quickly as we can. Our goal is to be productive and efficient. We confess...