MSI Press Blog

  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

  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

  "Your child is much more likely to finish homework and produce quality work if s/he has a special place in which to do it, equipped with all the tools s/he needs." 10 Quick Homework Tips by Alder & Trombly) Is there a lot of whining at your house about homework? Do you find that it sometimes also comes from your kids? If you are tired of the back-and-forth of homework battles, then this book is your solution.  10 Quick Homework Tips  provides a quick reference for parents who are looking for ways to help their kids with their homework. Written by two teachers with over 40 years combined experience, this book will show you  - the easiest way to set up an efficient workspace so kids can do their best, quality work;  - how to reduce your child's stress (and yours!) by being proactive; -  why creating a simple "Homework Agreement" between you and your child will take pressure off of the whole family;  - how to make large projects more manageable; - where to fi

  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

  Today's excerpt comes from 10 Quick Homework Tips by authors Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly: TIP # 2 TYPE UP AN OFFICIAL HOMEWORK AGREEMENT     Like anything worth doing in life, happiness takes time and patience and consistency. ~Mark Manson   Why is this Important?  That idea of heading off stress by being proactive about homework is perhaps best used in the creation of a Homework Agreement.  Quite simply, this is an agreement your family makes that states when, where, and how homework is expected to be done. Having a plan before school starts in the fall allows you to avoid that “you against them” feeling that so often is attached to homework.  If the year has already begun, though, there is still no time like the present to make a great change for the better! What You Can Do: Have you ever realized that it is easier to get out of something if you can "blame something else"?  “Sorry we can’t come to your son’s piano recital; we have a family reunion that d

  Books on discount through Kindle (Kindle Countdown) Books on discount through Kindle (Kindle Countdown) Creative Aging   (Vassiliadis & Romer) USA Best Books Awards finalist 11/6 - 11/13 El Poder de lo Transpersonal  (Ustman) 11/7 - 11/14 Healing from Incest  (Henderson & Emerton) Book of the Year Award finalist 11/9 - 11/15 How to Live from Your Heart  (Hucknall) Book of the Year Award finalist 11/10 - 11/17 Books on discount at  MSI Press webstore /books available while supplies last: 10 Quick Homework Tips  (McKinley-Alder & Trombly) 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents: Fun Ways to Help Your Child Succeed in Elementary School  (McKinley-Alder & Trombly) $5 book sale at  MSI Press webstore /books available while supplies last 100 Tips and Tools for Managing Chroni c Illness (Charnas) 108 Yoga and Self-Care Practices for Busy Mamas  (Gentile) For posts on any of these books or their authors, type in the name in the search bar; you will have plenty to read! Sign up for th

  Books on discount through Kindle (Kindle Countdown) Books on discount through Kindle (Kindle Countdown) Creative Aging (Vassiliadis & Romer) USA Best Books Awards finalist 11/6 - 11/13 El Poder de lo Transpersonal (Ustman) 11/7 - 11/14 Healing from Incest (Henderson & Emerton) Book of the Year Award finalist 11/9 - 11/15 How to Live from Your Heart (Hucknall) Book of the Year Award finalist 11/10 - 11/17 Books on discount at  MSI Press webstore /books available while supplies last 10 Quick Homework Tips  (McKinley-Alder & Trombly) 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents: Fun Ways to Help Your Child Succeed in Elementary School  (McKinley-Alder & Trombly) $5 book sale at  MSI Press webstore /books available while supplies last 100 Tips and Tools for Managing Chroni c Illness (Charnas) 108 Yoga and Self-Care Practices for Busy Mamas  (Gentile) For posts on any of these books or their authors, type in the name in the search bar; you will have plenty to read! Sign up for the

  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