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 (yes, those are the two talented teachers). #19 Creating a Life Long Learner   The important thing is not so much that every child be taught , as that every child should be given the wish to learn . ~John Lubbock   As your family takes the journey toward academic success together, there is something very important to keep in mind. Try to remember that your goal is not to fill your child up with information. You want to awaken his sense of curiosity, ambition, and desire to learn on his own. It's not so important what you teach him but that you teach him to think. If you can instill in your child a sense of wonder and a love of learning, your efforts will surely be rewarded. You will create a child who is not afraid to question, to try, to take a risk, and to think for himself. These are qualities that will ...

Today's tip for parents (from two talented teachers) comes from  365 Teacher Secrets for Parents  by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly (yes, those are the two talented teachers). #8 Life is Full of Learning   The work can wait while you show the child the rainbow, But the rainbow won’t wait while you do the work. ~Patricia Clafford   Everywhere you go and everything you do with your child is an opportunity for learning. Of course, you do not want everything you say and do to become a lesson, but just being aware of the endless opportunities can broaden your child’s view of the world. A good teacher will bring all of the classroom lessons to life by showing how they apply to the real world. You can do this, too. Here are some examples:   ●       Ask your child questions about gas when you’re filling up the tank. ●       Read signs together while driving somewhere. ●       Predict and...

  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 the...