managing conflict Archives

Jan 14 2020

Celebrate Martin Luther King’s Holiday by Promoting Peaceful Solutions

Many schools and families celebrate the Martin Luther King Holiday by participating in community service activities to promote peaceful solutions. Our blogging team created a reflective writing activity for students at a local school. After reading an article about Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech on nonviolent social change for freedom, students completed the following questions:

List 5 dreams you have for a more equitable and peaceful life in your classroom or at home. Draw a picture of 1 dream.

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Mary Ann Burke, Digital Education Expert

Mary Ann Burke, Ed.D., Digital Education Expert, is a substitute distance learning teacher for Oak Grove School District in San Jose, California and the author of STUDENT-ENGAGED ASSESSMENT: Strategies to Empower All Learners (Rowman & Littlefield: 2020). Dr. Burke creates digital language arts and substitute teaching K – 12 activities for teachers and parents. She is the Cofounder of the Genparenting.com blog. Burke is the former Director II of Categorical & Special Projects for the Santa Clara County Office of Education that supports 31 school districts serving 272,321 students in Santa Clara County. She is also a previous Director – State & Federal Compliance for Oakland Unified School District, the former Director – Grantwriter for the Compton Unified School District, and was the initial VISTA Director for the Community Partnership Coalition in southern California. Much of her work focuses on creating innovative digital trainings and partnership programs for teachers and families to support students’ learning. These programs were featured as a best practice at a National Title I Conference, California’s Title I Conferences, AERA Conferences, an ASCD Conference, the NASSP Conference, and statewide educator conferences.

Dec 31 2019

Preparing for a New Year of Blogs

I recently decided to return to the classroom to help second grade students learn basic subjects. I am also considering becoming a substitute or long-term part-time teacher for a local school. When I write the blogs and parenting articles for families, I need constant contact with kids and their parents. This challenge has been solved by:

Providing workshops on parent education topics for schools and nonprofits serving families and education
Distributing reading materials for families at workshops and community fairs
Reading to kids and families at local events
Demonstrating how kids learn when playing with toys at toy stores and through community presentations
Working with teachers and parents in classrooms and modeling how to differentiate learning strategies for children

[Read more…]

Mary Ann Burke, Digital Education Expert

Aug 28 2018

Yikes! My Middle School Child Is Becoming a Teenager!

It’s surprising how fast children grow, isn’t it? Just yesterday, they were a chubby, little baby and today, they are a tall, lanky bean pole! Well, just because kids may be physically grown up, they may still be growing in their mental, emotional, and social capacity. Having taught middle schoolers for a number of years, here are some insights on how to keep the relationship with your soon-to-be teenager smooth during these growing-up years.

Independence and Responsibility

Underneath their cool face or tough façade, teenagers are beginning to come to terms with two really intimidating facts of life – Independence and Responsibility. Teenagers desperately want their independence and they may start exerting some power in this area. They may refuse or decline your ideas so that they can pursue their own ideals. For better or worse, they may even adopt some of their friends’ ideas and habits. They are growing into their own person and it is wise to give them some freedom in this area.

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Jaime Koo, Encouraging Literacy

Discovering the joy of teaching while in high school, Jaime pursued her B.A. in English at Santa Clara University. She also received a teaching credential and a M.A. in Education Administration from Santa Clara University. Jaime taught English Language Arts at Rancho Middle School, motivating and inspiring young people to become effective communicators and contributors in their community. From being a Middle School English Language Arts/English Language Development teacher to becoming a stay-at home mom, Jaime is an education consultant who presents literacy workshops. Her workshops focus on a combination of her ten years of teaching expertise with tried-and-true experiences that she uses with her own children. Jaime is also a Teacher Consultant with the San Jose Area Writing Project. Jaime’s mission is to share effective reading and writing strategies with families to encourage literacy.

May 15 2018

How to Overcome Temper Tantrums and Moody Days!

We’ve all had those days. You know, the days where you wake up to the spring bird’s love song, the sun lightly kissing your face. With your morning cup of coffee in hand, you delight in seeing the dew on the flower petals. It’s peaceful. And calm.

And then you hear it. [Read more…]

Jaime Koo, Encouraging Literacy

Jan 02 2018

Do You Align Your Parenting Skills with Your Partner and Caregivers?

Whenever there are conflicts, parents, the extended family, and caregivers must agree to work together for positive resolutions. This can be difficult when different parenting skills and beliefs exist. It is important for parents to agree that they are on the same team. They must examine their beliefs, values, and strategies on how they want to respond to their children’s needs. Additionally, they must share their parenting strategies and expectations with the extended family members and caregivers to ensure that the parenting of their children is as consistent as possible. [Read more…]

Joyce Iwasaki, Early Parenting

Joyce Iwasaki has over thirty years of educational experience working with diverse students in grades from preschool through high school. Joyce’s extensive background includes teaching elementary school, serving on early childhood advisory boards, and advocating for educational initiatives as a legislative aide. During her tenure as a legislative aide, she helped create legislation that allowed incarcerated mothers to keep their newborn babies with them while in prison. Additional legislation was enacted to allow incarcerated pregnant mothers to remain unshackled during labor and delivery. Ms. Iwasaki established and served as the president of an educational scholarship foundation for fifteen years. Her foundation awarded college scholarships to emerging student leaders who provided service to their schools and communities. Joyce is active in performing arts and cultural organizations. She also provides ongoing support to her daughter and family by raising her grandson in her home.