Problem-Solving Archives

Jan 05 2021

Inclusion Collaborative Warmline

Established in 2006, the Inclusion Collaborative Warmline is a free resource that provides both phone and email support for families, teachers, and community agencies. Services are provided in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Mandarin. The services are managed by the Inclusion Collaborative, a department at the Santa Clara County Office of Education. This excellent resource is staffed by former teachers and parents of children with disabilities. The Warmline personnel understand both sides of parenting and education issues. [Read more…]

Dec 29 2020

The Middle School Distance Learning Experiment

A three-part reflection series on parenting middle schoolers during the pandemic on the home front, facing political realities with pre-teens, and practical considerations regarding school re-opening.

My youngest daughter entered 6^th grade with the distance learning model in the Fall of 2020 and I am now the parent of two daughters in middle school. Having been a middle school classroom teacher for ten years, I’m well aware of the typical middle school experience for adolescents. Granted, middle school is already a life-changing experience for students in and of itself, but having to experience it during a pandemic is uncharted territory for everyone – parents and students alike. Talk about a paradigm shift! Indeed, this is the great middle school distance learning experiment! [Read more…]

Nov 17 2020

Navigating Politics with Middle Schoolers

“Mama, Mr. Williams (the Principal) is totally unfair! For the Boys’ Junior Varsity and Varsity Basketball teams, he always announces their scores the next day during morning announcements and says ‘Good job,’ or ‘Great effort,’ or ‘Congrats on the win.” But when it was the Girls’ Basketball season, he didn’t say anything during announcements! Why is it like this?!” exclaimed my upset 7^th grade daughter in January 2020.

As the rest of 2020 unfolded, it seemed there was no escaping politics – gender equality, COVID-19, racial injustice, the Presidential election and its aftermath – it’s all accessible as soon as kids turn on the tv, listen to the radio, or log-on to the computer for classes. Innocuous as it may have seemed, that incident regarding basketball announcements was my daughter’s introduction into politics. The notion that her team received unfair treatment – that the Principal treated the boys’ team differently from the girls’ team – made my daughter question how the decision was made to include boys but exclude girls. Yup! That’s politics! So how do we navigate politics in a way that is appropriate and responsible with our pre-teens? [Read more…]

Sep 01 2020

Your Child’s Goal Setting for Academic Successes

Behavior: Do We Really Understand Series: Part 3 of 3

During the last two weeks, we have considered what motivates a child’s classroom behaviors. This chart was developed with a behavioral specialist to help students and their parents support growth milestones and academic success. It is just an example. I encourage you to modify the targets with your child’s teacher to meet your child’s needs and individual situation. The philosophy behind the chart is student engagement, monitoring behavior, providing space for conversations about what is expected versus what is really happening, and leveraging agreed upon incentives. The point system neutralizes conflict between the student and educator and/ or a parent. Consistency is the key to success. [Read more…]

Aug 25 2020

Help Students Express Gratitude and Brainstorm Solutions

Behavior: Do We Really Understand Series? Part 2 of 3

When considering our students’ misbehaviors, let me pause this scene for just a minute and zoom in closely as to what is really going on here. It’s a total conflict of mental desire and physical action. The classic case of knowing what the right thing to do is, but not wanting to do it. So, the real question becomes what is causing the conflict? And perhaps at six or seven years old it’s probably safe to assume that not all students know how to articulate their needs. [Read more…]