school

Good reading skills help children become good writers. The reverse is also true. When children learn to write well they internalize the conventions of the English language. Their understanding of English can then be applied to their reading experiences.

So how does writing begin? It begins with the alphabet. Teach your child the traditional alphabet song or just have her recite the alphabet. Always treat this as a game. Reciting the alphabet should be as fun as singing a song or reciting a favorite nursery rhyme.

It’s here at last! My book has hit the stores: Read Well, Think Well: Build Your Child’s Reading, Comprehension and Critical Thinking Skills.

It’s a documented fact that children’s reading skills drop during the summer months. Children furthest down the socio-economic scale are the most likely to lose ground but all kids are at risk. Children have lots of playtime during the summer months but no instructional time in reading. So what’s to be done?

If you have a struggling teen reader at home there's good news. According to the May 2008 edition of the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy one-on-one tutoring can help. One great way to help your struggling teen is through building his/her vocabulary skills. This can be done at home by teaching some simple root words, prefixes and suffixes. I found the following link that will lead you to a user friendly list: http://www.betterendings.org/homeschool/Words/Root%20Words.htm. Don't overwhelm your child by teaching too many at one time.

Like all parents, GLBT parents like myself want our kids to do well in school. As a literacy specialist I offer free advice to Proud Parents who have questions about reading, writing and school issues in general. Anyone have a question? Ask away!! If you wish, you can go to my link (www.readwellthinkwell.com) and email me. Put ProudParenting in the subject line. I will try to respond to as many emails as I can on this blog. You can also sign up for my free, monthly education newsletter.

Receiving a one-on-one invitation from a set of straight parents is an indication you have really worked hard to gain acceptance in your school community. You are going on a double date. Congratulations! Now comes the real test of your assimilation. Can you successfully observe straight couples’ socializing conventions?

In April 2005, David Parker, then a father of a kindergarten student, angrily met with school officials at a Massachusetts elementary school. His child had described to him a classroom lesson in which the teacher read from a book about different types of families - including those with homosexual parents.

The Associated Press is reporting that a federal appeals court today upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by Parker against school officials.