Read, Read, and Read some more!

Our little friend from Church brought out her well used pocket notebook. She shared her list of prayers for the evening - people she wanted to pray for. After her Mom and Dad and Grandma, and brothers she happily told us she had prayed for her teacher. It seems her teacher had recently told her students she was planning to get married!

So many teachers earn the love and admiration of so many beautiful young children? Those few hours they share in the classroom each day are spent planting important seeds in the highly impressionable young minds of the students they lead. I can't help but admire those loving ladies and gentlemen who so unselfishly share the gift of learning with our youth.

They sure don't do it for the money. Many people make far more than any teacher I know. Teachers get something in addition to the money. They get perhaps the best fringe benefit of all - the love of so many children. Of all the gifts we enjoy throughout our lives - surely few can compare to the love we share with our children!

When I recently asked a teacher what might help my youngster do well in school this year she responded without hesitation - read with him. And then read some more! Help him learn to read. In these early years of school reading is an essential piece of his education. Learning to read - and read well will benefit him throughout his life. Maybe if we plant the seeds of learning to read, of loving to read at an early age, our children will enjoy greater success in school and in life!

Straight from the teacher's mouth - one of the best ways to better grades is reading, reading and more reading!

Learning to read

In the United States, the school year averages 180 days; in other nations, the school year can last up to 240 days and students are often in school more hours per day than American students. Clearly, the hours and days that a child is not in school are important for learning.

What we, as parents and mentors, do in those hours each day when our beloved children are not is school is critical to their success in the classroom - and in life! I recently asked my son's teacher ( 3rd grade ) what I might do in the evening to help improve his education. Her answer was simple and firm - "read, read, and read some more" she replied.

Helping your child become a reader is the single most important thing that you can do to help the child to succeed in school—and in life.

The importance of reading simply can't be overstated. Reading helps children in all school subjects. More important, it is the key to lifelong learning. Helping our children learn to read is one way to better grades!

Help your child learn to read!

The Balancing Act

"Daddy, will you help me?" Five wonderful little words every parent loves to hear.

He has another birthday soon. Too soon. They just keep rolling by. The candles from last year's cake have just cooled off - it seems. Wasn't it just last month when he used to watch out the window as I left for few days on the road.

I can't ever recover those days away. The best any parent can do, I suppose, is to make the most of whatever precious time we have with our loved ones. Each day brings a new beginning.

I heard a teacher speak yesterday about child development. He said we ought to do everything we possible can to nurture, love and teach our children. To keep them healthy. To love them every chance we get. To teach them to read. And laugh. To make them feel safe.

Simple, basic, parenting advice. Too easily taken for granted. I hope I can do a much better of job of showing my boys how much I love them. Give them daily time and teachings. Provide a safe and healthy home environment - filled with love and healthy foods and good books.

I hope I can teach the boys some of the many ways to better grades in school. To encourage them to keep learning - even when they're not in the classroom! To show them that life is a balancing act. Having fun adn keeping healthy habits are just part of the balance. Learning and loving too!

Found this little ditty in Ephesians this morning:

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;

That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Ephesians 6: 1-4

The Basic Way to Better Grades

One way to better grades is a disciplined focus on the basics - reading, writing, and arithmetic - practiced daily.

Reading for as little as 30 minutes a day has been shown to help many children improve their grades. If we teach our little ones the basics while they are still very young - they will have substantially greater success throughout their school years (and beyond)!

A few simple habits - practiced daily or at least five or six days each week will help insure much better grades in school for years to come. If we get them in the habit early of reading every day. "Plant the seeds while your children are young" one wise educator told me. Teach them the habit of practicing their basic math and spelling skills. If we impress upon their sponge-like little minds the habit of daily, focused study time - their ability to learn will come so much easier as they progress through their school years.

Success , in any endeavor, is almost always the product of massive effort in the direction of well defined goals. This new school year brings us parents another chance to teach our children how to succeed. We have the opportunity to help them learn a couple of life's most valuable lessons. Seeking and acquiring wisdom through consistent study.

The way to better grades is very basic - develop the disciplined daily habit - practice reading, writing and arithmetic.

A Healthy balance

The U.S. Open will be wrapping up this weekend. Summer’s last three day weekend is now just another ( hopefully pleasant ) memory. Much to the dismay of many a school-aged youngster School is back in session across the USA! Children sporting their back packs head off for another new day of learning and fun.
Encourage daily, focused study habits now and our little ones will have a much better chance of enjoying a successful school year.

Start with homework and bedtime rules. Last night while reading together I noticed that his attention was too easily distracted by the TV. Click! Off goes the TV. I probably should have nipped that little distraction in the bud before we even started reading. Instead we got several pages into our book before reality hit me in the face.

Healthy children require nine to ten hours of sleep a night. You have to sort of admire parents who are successful at getting their homework time and bath time wrapped up in time to get their little ones off to bed by 9:00PM. I frequently find myself letting bath time slide until the following morning. Which, of course, means more rushing around in the early morning!

We’ve all read that children who have a healthy breakfast tend to perform better in school. During the early morning scramble to get out the door we sometimes miss sitting down a healthy breakfast. I try to keep some easy foods on hand that we can share during the ride to school. Bananas and oranges are great. A bunch of grapes and some walnuts will help the little guy get a few nutrients before heading into the classroom. A carton of milk – or a little bottle of pedia-sure will surely bolster his morning!

We’ve all read that children who have a healthy breakfast tend to perform better in school. During the early morning scramble to get out the door we sometimes miss sitting down a healthy breakfast. I try to keep some easy foods on hand that we can share during the ride to school. Bananas and oranges are great. A bunch of grapes and some walnuts will help the little guy get a few nutrients before heading into the classroom. A carton of milk – or a little bottle of pedia-sure will surely bolster his morning!

Help your child get better grades this year - encourage a healthy balance of homework and healthy habits!