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Being a parent of a teenager can cure a person of narcissism.

Relationships matter:  change comes through forming trusting relationships. People, not programs change people.

Don't wait for him to turn 10 before you reveal that you are not in fact the hired help whose job it is to clean up after him.

Removing a child from a traumatic environment does not remove the trauma from the child's memory.

"Rules without relationship leads to rebellion" (Josh McDowell)

"Parents aren't the cause of ADHD, but they are part of the solution." (Kenny Handleman, M.D.)

Setting limits teaches your children valuable skills they will use the rest of their lives. One day, they will report to a job where their ability to follow rules will dictate their success.

"Moody" and "unpredictable" are adjectives parents will often use when referring to their teenagers.

If you are headed in the wrong direction as a parent - you are allowed to make a U-turn.

Early intervention is always better than crisis management - but it is never too late to do the right thing.

Learn more.

Reading Rescue – theory – part 1

 

 

There are 2 basic approaches to teaching reading:

  1. phonics based
  2. whole language

The traditional theory of learning established in the 19th century draws on the notion that children need to break down a complex skill into its smallest components and then put the components together to perform the complex skill.

Example – the complex skill of skiing

The components of skiing:

  1. putting boots and skis on
  2. walking on level, snow covered ground with skis
  3. turning while walking on level snow
  4. sliding on a gentle slope
  5. stopping in a “snowplow” position
  6. left turn
  7. right turn

With proper instruction and some practice most people can learn to ski relatively well in a short period of time.

a) “Phonetic reading instruction” applies the same theory. Start with the  smallest component and build from there:

  1. teach the sounds of the individual letters
  2. blend the individual sounds together to make words
  3. put individual words together to make meaningful sentences

Children are taught to dissect an unfamiliar word into its parts and join the parts together to read the new word. The child learns a decoding formula that can be applied whenever he encounters an unfamiliar word.

b) “Whole language reading instruction” is less structured and less focused. It stresses the flow and meaning of the text and emphasizes reading for meaning and using language in ways that relate to the child’s own life and culture. “Sounding out” words, so central to phonics is not stressed in whole language. Instead children are encouraged to decode each word through its larger context.

Next posting “Politics of Teaching Reading

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