MSI Press Blog

  Lizzie’s academic efforts had always met with success. She started reading at two, and everything accelerated from there. By the time she reached elementary school, the teachers had no idea what to do with her except move her along. She skipped second grade. Then seventh. It was the only tool the schools had in those days—and perhaps even today—for a child who learned faster than the system could teach. Then came eighth grade. Or rather, it would have come, had she stayed in Arlington, Virginia. Instead, just as the school year began, twelve‑year‑old Lizzie boarded a plane with me for a months‑long research trip to Russia and Siberia. In Moscow she attended School No. 77, the school for the MosFilm studio kids—children who had grown up around directors, cameras, and expectations. They were bright, worldly, unimpressed by an American girl who read at college level. Lizzie, who had always been the standout, was suddenly just one more capable student in a room full of them. Then...

  Second grade at St. Alphonsus was no joke. It was a stretch academically—and financially. We chose Catholic school because it offered more challenge than the local public school, and we could just barely afford it. Tuition checks were written with prayer and crossed fingers. At home, we were transparent about money. Lizzie, precocious and perceptive, absorbed more than we realized. One day, her math teacher—a sweet sister with a chalkboard and a mission—wrote the problem: 23 - 35. She asked the class, “What’s wrong with this problem?” expecting a chorus of “We copied it wrong!” Her point: slow down, be careful, copy accurately. But Lizzie had other ideas. She raised her hand and said, “Maybe the problem is forgetting the negative sign, when you write the answer, -12.” The sister blinked. Negative numbers were not on the second-grade syllabus. She replied gently, “There is no such thing as negative numbers.” Lizzie, ever the truth-seeker, tilted her head and asked, “Well...

  Today's tip for parents from two talented teachers comes from  365 Teacher Secrets for Parents  by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly. #215 ...The More They Stay The Same (Strategies for + -)   If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. ~ Maya Angelou   In the previous idea, you read about the fact that the way teachers teach math concepts to your child might be different from the way you learned how to do them yourself. However, some things never change. Here are a few basic concepts to reinforce with your child that will help her to become stronger in math: ●       It is important to transition from counting on her fingers to using mental math ( visualizing the math in her head). One way to reinforce this is by using a number line for a while. She can actually count on or back by moving her finger across the numbers to "see" the adding or subtracting. ●   ...