GenParenting

Parenting resources for all who love and care for children

  • Parenting
    • Infants | Preschoolers
    • K-8
    • Teens
    • Special Needs
  • Family Health
    • Infants | Preschoolers Health
    • K-8 Family Health
    • Teens Family Health
    • Special Needs Family Health
  • Resources
    • Printables | eBooks
    • Books | Products
    • Websites | Orgs
    • Bilingual
  • Our Authors
    • Jo Baldwin
    • Mary Ann Burke
    • Phil Caposey
    • Ruth Cook
    • Melissa Donahoe
    • Danielle Gentry
    • Laura Greenstein
    • Joyce Iwasaki
    • Yvette King-Berg
    • Jaime Koo
    • Kevin Myers
    • Rosemarie Perez
    • Karen Salzer
    • Alison Whiteley
    • Denise Williams
    • Rafael Zavala
  • About
    • Work with Us
    • Press
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer and Terms of Use

Sep 30 2025

Teaching Our Children Executive Functioning Skills

Teaching Our Children Executive Functioning Skills

As teachers prepare to support students this coming school year, they are consciously considering how to incorporate the 10 executive functioning skills in daily classroom activities. Summarized below are activities that I use daily in my classroom to shape executive functioning skills to ensue my students are successful with classroom routines and self-management: [Read more…]

Melissa Donahoe

Melissa has been an educator for over 20 years, and has spent the largest block of her teaching career in second grade, with additional experience in Grades 1 through 4.

After graduating from the University of Nevada with a Bachelor of Science Degree in education, with a dual degree in special education, Melissa traveled through Europe. Ms. Donahoe taught her first teaching assignment at a Department of Defense School in Germany.  Following her husband’s military career, she also taught at a Title 1 school in Ft. Lewis, and finally landed in Silicon Valley, where she has taught for the past 16 years.

Melissa trained with the Noyce Foundation’s Writer’s Workshop.  She has served as a Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) coach at her school, where she facilitated curiosity and a love for learning among her students.

Melissa developed a passion for biodiversity after visiting Monterey Bay Aquarium with her nephew.  She adopted a sea otter mascot named “Loutre” and discovered her fascination with ocean health, imparting to her students the relationship between sea otters and their critical role in maintaining healthy kelp forests. Along with ocean health, Melissa inspires awareness among her students about microplastics in the environment. She is a follower of the Jane Goodall Institute’s Roots & Shoots program and believes that small changes at home can foster activism that leads to healthy life habits.

Melissa has a daughter who is a junior in high school and a son who is attending his second year of college at the University of Nevada.

Written by Melissa Donahoe · Categorized: Elementary School Parenting, Parenting Adolescents, Special Needs Family Health, Special Needs Parenting, Teaching strategies, Teaching successful students · Tagged: academic success, Educating children, family values, Parenting, parenting elementary kids, parents as teachers, Special Education, Special Needs Parenting, Student Success, teachable moments

Sep 16 2025

How to Help Struggling Students Learn

How to Help Struggling Students Learn

It is a new school year with lots of exciting learning opportunities for my students. After completing several weeks of assessing and observing my students’ academic strengths and challenges, I have modified my teaching strategies based on best practices for children with English acquisition, behavior, and struggling reader needs. Listed below are successful strategies I am using to support some specific learning challenges. [Read more…]

Danielle Gentry

Danielle’s first step in education did not begin with education at all. It began with her first love for science. She received a B.S. in Biological Science, with a concentration in Molecular Biology. Her five years of experience as a chemist in the biotech industry at SYVA and Dade Behring Diagnostics include both areas of quality control and research and development. Her contributions were qualifying products for release to sell to the diagnostic market as well as developing new diagnostic technology for immunoassay detection. Danielle’s subtle transition to discovering her passion for education was through the birth of her daughter. She became a stay at home mom. Her uber volunteerism at her daughter’s elementary school gained her access to her path of education. She now holds a multiple subject teaching credential and M.A. in Education from National University. She has over ten years of experience at Sakamoto Elementary School as an educator in kindergarten, sixth grade, second grade, and a 2/3 combination class. Her teaching is rooted in a constructivist model while fostering independence and accountability in the classroom.

Written by Danielle Gentry · Categorized: Academic Support and Play Activities, Elementary School Parenting, Parenting Adolescents, Special Needs Parenting, stuggling students, Teaching strategies, Teaching successful students · Tagged: #struggling students, academic success, children with special needs, Educating children, parenting elementary kids, Problem-Solving, Special Education, special needs, Special Needs Parenting, teachable moments

Nov 26 2024

The 10 Best Differentiated Instruction Teaching Strategies for K-12 Classrooms

The 10 Best Differentiated Instruction Teaching Strategies for K-12 Classrooms

Differentiated instruction is essential for meeting the diverse needs of students across all grade levels. Whether you’re teaching kindergarteners or high school seniors, here are my recommended strategies that can help you create a more inclusive and effective learning environment.

1. Flexible Grouping

Flexible grouping involves organizing students into groups based on their learning needs, interests, or abilities. Groups can be formed and reformed as needed, allowing students to work with different peers and on different tasks. This strategy promotes collaboration and ensures that all students receive targeted instruction. [Read more…]

Alison Whiteley

Alison Whiteley has been a special education teacher for over 15 years, spending most of her time working with elementary students and families. After graduating from the University of Colorado with a Bachelor of Arts in Special Education and Psychology, she continued her education with a Masters in Reading from Walden University. In addition, she has achieved endorsements supporting Early Childhood Special Education and Diverse Learners which she uses to help identify needs across all learners.

Ms. Whiteley is trained in Wilson Reading System and Yoshimoto Orton-Gillingham. She believes all students can learn to read and be successful. She has served as a Special Education Coach and Mentor to fellow specialists and teachers, facilitated the creation of her elementary school’s Response to Intervention/Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (RTI/MTSS) process and helped parents through the Special Education process as IEP Coach for parents. In 2013 she completed the National Boards of Professional Teaching in Exceptional Needs with recertification in 2022. Her areas of expertise involve working with students with learning disabilities, supporting stakeholders moving through the special education process, and helping parents and teachers understand what they can do to support struggling learners in the public school settings.

She is a founding member of the Colorado Reading League and a member of the International Dyslexia Association in Colorado. Alison has two greyhounds and two nephews who keep her busy outside of school. She is the CEO of Toad-ally Exceptional Learners at http://www.toad-allyexceptionallearners.com. Alison is a valuable source of information to support teachers and parents, although she is not a lawyer and does not give legal advice. Her services support families through the IEP process and how they can be an equal member of the team through positive interactions. She focuses on collaboration and using tools to take IEPs to the new level of helping students achieve.

www.GenParenting.com

Written by Alison Whiteley · Categorized: differentiated instruction, Teaching strategies, Teaching successful students · Tagged: academic success, children with special needs, differentiated instruction, Educating children, engaged students, Special Education, student assessment, Student Success, teachers, teaching strategies

Search the site

Translate

Sign up for updates

Follow us

Copyright © 2025 — GenParenting • All rights reserved