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Feb 16 2021

Book Recommendations for Middle Schoolers

Book Recommendations for Middle Schoolers

Every now and then, people would ask me for book recommendations for their middle school aged student. “Are there any good books out there that my kid will like?” they ask. Acknowledging that there are books not all teens will like, let’s define what is meant by a “good” book for the purpose of these recommendations. For teenagers, good books provide IQ (intelligence quotient) and EQ (emotional quotient) perspective. In terms of IQ, books that give adolescents a point of view other than their own so they can expand their horizons would make great books. Teens will read plenty of sources bolstering their IQ through school, so this list offers only a couple suggestions in this area. In terms of EQ, teens will really benefit and grow from reading first-person narratives so they can learn to empathize and identify with the main character. In the case of auto-biographical writing, we benefit from the author’s perspective and voice. In an age where we need to develop more student leadership, compassion, and solidarity, I recommend the following: [Read more…]

Written by Jaime Koo, Encouraging Literacy · Categorized: Parenting Adolescents, Secondary School Parenting, Social-Emotional Health, Special Needs Parenting · Tagged: #problem solving #parenting teens, Family, middle school books, Parenting, parents as teachers, teachable moments

Jan 26 2021

Parenting Children on the Autism Spectrum

Parenting Children on the Autism Spectrum

Having a child on the autism spectrum generally has a major impact on any family. In these difficult times that require us to shelter in place, the impact is likely to be more extensive. Families with such challenges may already tend to isolate themselves out of concern over their child’s tendency toward inappropriate behavior. Below are a few suggestions to enhance improvement of family life.

Consider the Natural and Required Tendency toward Isolation

This tendency toward isolation occurs even when families realize the importance of social engagement. However, isolation is likely to be even more of a challenge when everyone is expected to isolate themselves. To enhance success, begin by reaching out to extended family and friends or peers from school who are familiar and can be trusted. Any form of communication such as the phone, text, or face time should be considered. Messaging applications like Zoom or Google Hangouts might be utilized. [Read more…]

Written by Ruth Cook, Special Education · Categorized: Social-Emotional Health, Special Needs Parenting, stuggling students · Tagged: children on the autism spectrum, children with special needs, Parenting Strategies on Bad Days, Problem-Solving, teachable moments

Jan 19 2021

One Word Challenge

One Word Challenge

Recently, I’ve received a challenge to select one word to sum up how I’m feeling or to choose one word as my focus for the new year. This challenge was new to me and honestly, it’s a bit intriguing, too. Hmm…just one word, huh? When we reflect on 2020, there were many new words and phrases introduced, wasn’t there? Bear with me a bit while I list through some words that have frequently surfaced in news headlines or social media posts.

Pandemic.

Unprecedented. Over-abundance of caution. Social Distancing. Mask. Work from home. Toilet paper shortage. Hand sanitizer. Essential worker. COVID-19. Hoax. Chinese-virus. Vaccine.Public Health.

Frontline doctors and nurses. PPE. Flatten the curve. Quarantine. Stay at home. Shelter in place, lockdown, curfew, mental health, social bubble. [Read more…]

Written by Jaime Koo, Encouraging Literacy · Categorized: Elementary School Parenting, Health and Wellness, Parenting Adolescents, Social-Emotional Health · Tagged: #parenting teens, Educating children, Family, Family health, family values, parents as teachers, teachable moments

Dec 15 2020

Family Best Practices for Distance Learning

Family Best Practices for Distance Learning

Kenji, my grandson, has limited opportunities to socialize with his classmates and friends since the shelter-in-place orders in March. When school started this fall, students were not able to talk together in class because the online platform would garble students’ talking if more than one child spoke at a time. In recent weeks, my second-grade grandson is now able to socialize with students online during breaks and small group discussions. Although he does not visit with his classmates outside of class time, he is very happy that he now can enjoy his friends. When I supervise his remote classroom participation, I have observed the following best practices that support students’ academic success:

  • Students in the same family can have different schedules and breaks. Ideally, children can learn how to use an alarm to monitor when they need to log back into the classroom.
  • Students need an adult to supervise their participation and to help them with any computer glitches. Many working parents alternate their work schedules to supervise while other families gather students together and rotate parents, grandparents, or a nanny to supervise small groups for added tutorial support.
  • When students are fully engaged in learning, they are excited and motivated to apply newly developed skills to other daily activities. Children are engaged when they participate in scavenger hunts in their neighborhood that may include collecting nature products for math, reading, and writing activities. For example, students can gather different sizes of rocks, count them, and organize the rocks according to shapes and sizes. They can construct a math problem of how they added specific groups of rocks. Students can create a chart on how they grouped the rocks. They can take a picture of their collection and insert the image onto a Goggle slide. A reflective story can describe how a student found the rocks, grouped them, and solved a math problem. This reflective activity can reinforce what a student learned when participating in this activity.
  • The physical fitness teacher has students collect specific objects in the home. Then the student uses these objects when participating in physical fitness exercises. The teacher also has students learn exercise moves when dancing to music.
  • In addition to phonics review, Kenji has learned how to write a book. He creates books on various subjects. Kenji also learns how to research new concepts and facts in his reading materials.
  • Students are learning how to recycle and collect trash. They repurpose these items when completing art projects. They study how to conserve community resources in their social studies and science lessons.

[Read more…]

Written by Joyce Iwasaki, Early Parenting · Categorized: Elementary School Parenting, Grandparenting, Social-Emotional Health · Tagged: academic success, Educating children, family values, Grandparents' Influences, Parenting, parents as teachers, teachable moments

Nov 10 2020

Simplified COVID-19 Daily Life

Simplified COVID-19 Daily Life

Since school closed in March, my life is much fuller and demanding as I help my grandson, Kenji, with his online learning each day. I have made the following changes with my family to simplify life and expand my time to support my grandson:

  • My new schedule for online learning is now 8:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. on Monday through Friday. My daughter and I alternate supervision of my grandson’s learning based on the demands of her job.
  • Kenji’s mother is the primary tutor for my grandson while I provide added supervision.
  • Although my household chores remain the same, I am far more flexible when coordinating our cooking and cleaning needs.
  • My work is now scheduled in my office after 2:30 p.m. and can be challenging to complete on busy days.
  • Our family still limits outside shopping and outdoor play. I used to take my grandson to the farmer’s market but we no longer enjoy those play dates. Our daily walks are now in neighborhoods instead of downtown. We enjoy looking at people’s gardens instead of participating in the hustle and bustle of our downtown shopping area. With the recent California wildfires, we must now monitor air quality to ensure that we only go outside when the air is relatively healthy.
  • Mental health continues to be a focus for our family as we keep our spirits up with lots of play and reading.

[Read more…]

Written by Joyce Iwasaki, Early Parenting · Categorized: Academic Support and Play Activities, Elementary School Parenting, Grandparenting, Social-Emotional Health · Tagged: academic success, Educating children, Education, Parenting, parents as teachers, teachable moments

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