Teachers, this is your place.

Teachers, you can use this blog in classrooms. Here are two ideas about how.

1. For middle or high school parenting or child development courses:

• Use the blog for discussion topics
• Require students to research the topics and agree or disagree with what the blog is suggesting.

2. For all courses, especially English Language Arts:

• Use the blog for writing prompts for paragraphs, theme papers, journal entries, class starters, etc. Have students read the blog and respond to:
  • Do you agree with what is being said about kids? Do kids really act, think or feel that way?
  • Do you agree with what is being said about parents, grandparents, teachers and child caregivers? Do or should they act, think or feel that way?
  • What would be your advice on this topic?
  • What was left out of this article?
  • If you were a parent, would you use any of this information? How?

 3.   Have students read the featured book to real preschool or kindergarten children and write about their experience.

Why can this blog be a useful teaching tool?

• Students that see connections between their coursework and their lives do better in school.
• Most students will either be parents one day or have children in their lives that they care about, so the topical information can help them build their knowledge about children and parenting and develop a positive image of the type of parenting they want to do.
• The new core literacy standards adopted by most states call for frequent writing in all courses.
• Newly developed end-of-course assessments to be used by many states will require that students demonstrate that they can think critically. These prompts help students practice critical thinking.
• Newly developed end-of-course assessments to be used by many states will require that students demonstrate that they can analyze what they read. These prompts help students practice analysis.

Teachers, send me descriptions of any other effective ways you come up with to use the blog. I would love to share them with other teachers. Be sure to give me your name and location if you want credit for your ideas.

“Teacher’s Corner” goes on summer break each year and returns in early August – just in time for planning the new school year or a new adult parenting education series.

Check out these writing prompts and discussion topics:

No-Saying vs No-Doing

A Fact of Life: Children Say No

How to Give Students Classroom Chores

Five Reasons for Students to Do Art

Your Student’s Report Card

Tips for Playing Make-Believe

Three Steps to Good Problem-Solving

Gifts to Students

Students Who Don’t Say What’s on Their Minds

What’s on Your Students’ Minds about the COVID-19 Crisis?

What Grandparents Can Give

Growing Up – What Students and Adults Have in Common

All Students Make Mistakes

COVID-19: Convincing Loved Ones to Protect Themselves and Others

COVID-19: Encouraging Teens to Protect Themselves and Others

COVID-19: What Your Teen Is or Should be Thinking

Is Your Classroom Discipline Working?

Four Things to Know about Discipline

Are Your Students Becoming Good Learners?

How Many Things Do Your Students Do Well?

What If You Think Differently Than Others?

Are Your Needs Getting Met?

Holiday Traditions

Holiday Gift Ideas

Four Things to Teach Your Students

Four Reasons to Teach Students to DO Things

What Do Students Want to Be When They Grow Up?

Six Ways to Encourage Your Students

Kids Who Don’t Want to Finish What They Start

Kids Need to Explore

Teaching Responsibility: Give Clear Messages

Teaching Responsibility: Yes or No Answers Are Important

What Does Loving Children Look Like?

When Children Think It’s All About Them.

Are Kids’ Monsters Scary or Nice?

Monsters and Fear.

Ways to Help Students with Homework.

Why Kids Can’t Wait.

Kids and Waiting.

Becoming Clever, Innovative, Inventive, and Smart.

Helping Young Children Learn.

Having “Too Much” Is Risky Business.

Encouraging High Self-Esteem.

Students’ Interests and Talents Belong in School.

It’s Never Too Early for Students to Think about Future Jobs.

Ways to Encourage Student Interests and Talents.

Six Questions for Learning about Students’ Talents.

Six More Reasons That Grandparents Are Great.

Back-to-School Picture Books.

Five Lessons Learned about Back-to-School.

Caring for a Sick or Hurt Student.

When Students Tell a Story.

What Happens When Children Read or Hear a Story?

Tips for Helping Children Learn to Read*.

Making Mistakes Can Be Good for Kids.

How to Teach a Child to Do a Chore.

Seven Things We Can Learn form Chores.

A Recipe for Love.

When Is a Kid’s Birthday Party Too Much?

Kids’ Birthday Party “Rules.”

Four Things to Know about Sadness.

Life Lessons.

Empathy Is Important.

Helping Your Students Do Better.

What Does It Mean to Be Remarkable?

Adding an Animal to Your Classroom.

Becoming a Responsible Student.

Who Your Students Are Becoming.

Learn about Your Students with “What If” Questions.

Attention for Misbehavior.

Meet Your Students Where They Are.

Five Ways to Give Students Directives.

Standing Your Ground When Your Children Say “No.”

Be Angry or Give In When a Child Says “No”?

Four Things to Do When Your Child Says “No.”

How to Give Children Choices.

“Staying in the Lines.”

Art and Concentration.

Art and Decision-Making.

Getting What You Want.

Personal Power.

Thanksgiving.

Student Financial Literacy.

How Art Helps Kids.

Stepparents Are Important.

Overparenting.

Thinking About Stuff.

How Grandparents (and others) Can Be Special in a Child’s Life.

No Lunch.

Homework.

When Students Say “No.”

Five Positive Things About Students Saying “No.”

Three Things to Know About Students Who Say “No.”

Growing Up Can Be Hard for Students.

Three Things to Know about Making Amends.

When Students Mess Up.

Three Ways to Makes Students Feel Important.

Five Things to Know about Students Becoming Stars.

Four Ways to Stay on Track with Classroom Discipline.

Four Things That Make Discipline in the Classroom Work.

Six Things You Should Know about Logical Consequences in Your Classroom.

Five Things You Should Know about Natural Consequences in Your Classroom.

Four Things to Say to Your Students.

What Messages Are in Your Students’ Heads?

Give Your Students a Double Valentine This Year.

What Would Teaching Be Like If …?

Four “Old” Decisions Your Students Have Made.

Four Things Your Students Want to Know.

Three Things Not to Do As a Teacher.

Do Your Students Have High Self-Esteem?

How Kids Learn a Skill.

One Way Kids Grow Up: Exploration.

Love with No Strings Attached.

Being the Center of the Universe.

All About Monsters.

Learning to Wait.

Sneaky or Clever, Which Is It?

Lessons Learned about Back-to-School.

Becoming a Lovable and Capable Prince or Princess.

Summer Activities for Children.

Your Child’s Special Talents, Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3.

Grandparent Greatness.

When a Kid Gets Hurt.

Make-Believe and Funny: Two Good Things.

The Importance of Storytelling.

Kids Need to DO Things, Part 1 and Part 2.

Holiday Traditions Revisited.

Holiday Gift Ideas Revisited.

Birthday Parties, Part 1 and Part 2.

Kids Keeping Track of Their Things.

Kids and Pets: More about Responsibility, Love, Independence, and Loss.

Kids and Pets: The Basics.

What You Need to Know about an Angry Child, Part 1 and Part 2.

Preschoolers – Who Are They? Part 1 and Part 2

Meet Kids Where They Are.

When Are Kids Old Enough?

Making Children Feel Safe and Important, Part 1 and Part 2.

The Benefits of Art, Choices, and Discipline: Part I and Part II and Part III.

Getting Kids to Sleep.

Why Grandparents Are Important.

Children and Loss ( of special people or special things).

Bullying.

Fighting for Attention.

That Special Gift – Part 1 and Part 2.

Fear Is Not All Bad.

Dads Are So Important!

CAUTION

When kids are asked to write or talk about families, they can get too personal and provide “TMI” as the kids say (too much information).  Talking or writing about their own families can be too difficult for some kids. Here are some suggestions for writing and talking about families and still keeping kids in a comfortable, healthy zone.

• Be aware of and follow your school’s policies regarding students being required to write or talk about their own families.

• Assure students that journal entries are not for classroom sharing.  And, for that reason, use the prompts that kids are likely to get more personal about as journal writing assignments.  Use broader, more objective prompts for theme papers and other writing assignments that are not considered private.

• Invite students to write about a “fictional” family, write in the third person, make up their examples and use no names.

Why should you use this blog in your classroom?

• Students that see connections between their coursework and real experiences do better in school.

• Most students will either be parents one day or have children in their lives that they care about, so the topical information can help them build their knowledge about children and parenting and develop a positive image of the type of parenting they want to do.

• New core literacy standards adopted by most states call for frequent writing in all courses.

• New end-of-course assessments adopted by many states will require that students demonstrate that they can think critically. These prompts help students practice critical thinking.

• New end-of-course assessments adopted by many states will require that students demonstrate that they can analyze what they read.  These prompts help students practice analysis.