Aug 01 2017

Journaling with Mom! A Gift for a Lifetime!

When I was seven years old, I wanted to create a book with Christmas cards. I had never made a book before. I loved the beauty of the holiday cards and I wanted to save them for future enjoyment. My mom suggested that I glue the Christmas card pictures in a book filled with blank pages. She would then help me write a Christmas story. This one shared bookmaking experience with my mom stayed with me for life. I soon ventured into jounaling and creating books of writing for school assignments. Later I discovered that I loved writing when taking my first English composition class in college. I created a career in writing training manuals for teachers on parenting topics and family literacy projects. Most recently, my passion for writing and self-discovery helped a group of parent and grandparent teachers create the www.GenParenting.com blog with parenting resources for all who love and care for children. [Read more…]

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.

Jul 04 2017

Oh No! My Son’s Off to College!

Oh No! My Son’s Off to College! How Do I Prepare for the Next Six Weeks?

After many years of dreaming, guiding, coaching, nagging, and finally helping our son graduate from high school, he will be traveling to a new home and a new school within the next few weeks. My primary concern is to help my son become adjusted to a new location, new people, and how to navigate through the new school system. My personal solution to these challenges is to help my son create a survival checklist of what to do and where to go when all else fails in this transition. My basic checklist at this time includes the following: [Read more…]

Yvette King-Berg, College Readiness

Yvette King-Berg, is the Executive Director of Youth Policy Institute’s Charter Schools. She was the former California Charter Schools Association Vice-President of School Development and Outreach-Southern California. Ms. King-Berg has over thirty years of experience working with teachers, students, parents, and organizations in a variety of positions including Director, Assistant Director, Curriculum Advisor, Bilingual, and Title 1 Coordinators, classroom teacher (K-12) in Pasadena and LAUSD. She has been married for twenty-three years, and is the proud mother of her son, EJ, who attends UC Berkeley.

Jun 13 2017

They Can Do It…Really!

We always tell our children that they can do it; they can be whatever they want to be. When my five kids were young and as they grew up, I said the same thing. While I spoke those words, I also had an image of what “doing it” should look like.

Last week I attended my niece’s graduation from San Francisco State University. While I felt the exhilaration of her success, I pondered on how her journey had not taken the expected route. She had been interrupted, challenged and delayed. All the while, she had maintained the dream of graduating from college and becoming a social worker. [Read more…]

Rosemarie Perez, Parenting

Rosemarie Pérez has worked with English learners and their families in public education for more than twenty years. She has served as a bilingual teacher, professional developer, and district administrator. Administrative roles included serving as the Director of English Learners for an elementary school district and as a Coordinator of Reading and Language for the San Mateo County Office of Education. Rosemarie continues to work with families as she leads the Santa Clara County Office of Education’s Parent Engagement Initiative during the past three years. Ms. Pérez provides expert guidance to teachers, school site staff, and school administrators in creating culturally sensitive parent training modules and academic curricular units. She facilitates parent education and Common Core Standards workshops. Engaged parents are further trained to become parent leaders and advocates. Rosemarie is the mother of five adult children and three grandchildren.

May 30 2017

Effective Parenting! Capable Kids! Strategies that Ensure Success!

How often do you feel overwhelmed when trying to coax your child to cooperate with you? The typical parent makes several hundred decisions each week while responding to each child’s needs and, at the same time, managing potential conflicts. Effective Parenting! Capable Kids! can be purchased on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1544039166/ref=rdr_ext_tmb. [Read more…]

Mary Ann Burke, Digital Education Expert

May 09 2017

How Moms Care for and Support Their Children

Through working with many mothers, I have become aware of how much moms care for their children. Often moms care for and support their children under very difficult circumstances.

Many of the moms who come to my parenting workshops are immigrants to this country. They often have a limited formal education and live in poverty. Yet, they are committed to supporting their children’s academic success. [Read more…]

Rosemarie Perez, Parenting