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Taming the Preschool Beast

Nothing unleashes a preschooler’s inner beast quite like extracting him from a fun environment without advanced warning. When my daughter was 4 years old she had an epic outburst at a children’s museum in Chicago because I failed to give her proper notification of our departure.  In doing so, I robbed her of the gradual transition I knew she needed in order to calmly exit the building. The fit she threw nearly got us thrown out of the museum. Looking back, my preschooler’s tantrum, which included tossing her shoes down a slide, was simply her way of staying true to … Continue reading →

Charter Schools Failing to Help Special Needs Students

If your child’s public school is unable to provide for his or her special needs, then that school generally has to pay to have your child attend a private, or charter, school that can adequately provide for the child’s needs. Unfortunately, many charter schools are basically “dropping the ball” when it comes to helping students with special needs. In Florida, a study called the “State Impact Florida / Miami Herald investigation” took at look at how charter schools in that state are failing to serve students who have special needs, or disabilities. Legally, charter schools are required to give equal … Continue reading →

Ways to Help Your Autistic Child Cope With Vacation

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Summer vacation is something many families look forward to. School is over, and that gives families the freedom they need to do some vacation activities together. This lack of predictable structure can be overwhelming for children who have autism. Here are some tips to make summer vacations a little less stressful for kids who have an autism spectrum disorder. Children who have autism tend to need a set, predictable, plan for their day. When they are in school, they know that they can count on things happening in a certain order. There is comfort in knowing what will happen next, … Continue reading →

Being Adopted at School

As children settle into the new school year this week, some will encounter curiosity from classmates. Younger children may be asked, “is that your real mom and dad?” If they are from a non-diverse area, they may have comments about skin color or physical features. Older children may have teachers ask if their parents speak English. One middle-schooler found that her teachers’ attitude toward her changed when they met her white mother. The teachers had assumed that the girl was an illegal alien and that they wouldn’t be able to communicate with her parents. One of our blogger’s wrote about … Continue reading →

When Schools Don’t Deliver

Joanne Jacobs recently reported on a story where a recent college graduate sued her alma mater as she had not found a job and felt the school had not delivered it’s promises. “They have not tried hard enough to help me,” the frustrated Bronx resident wrote about the school in her lawsuit. “She’s angry,” said Thompson’s mother, Carol. “She’s very angry at her situation. She put all her faith in them, and so did I. They’re not making an effort. The school, of course, disagrees “The lawsuit is completely without merit,” school spokesman Gary Axelbank said. “The college prides itself … Continue reading →

Homeschoolers and Sports Teams

Tim Tebow didn’t let rules against homeschoolers playing High School football in Oklahoma stop him. Instead, he played football for Nease High School in Jacksonville Florida. This led to winning a Scholarship to Flordia State and also a Heisman Trophy. He just finished his fourth season with the Patriots. Many homeschoolers, myself included run into problems when happily homeschooled children become restless teens. They want to hang out with friends. They want to participate in athletics. They want clubs, and associations that are available in high schools. Many families make the decision to forgo homeschooling in exchange for a “normal” … Continue reading →

Homeschoolers and the Great Subway Debacle

In the last two weeks, here has been a huge uproar in the homeschooling community. It seems that Subway, the restaurant that serves sandwiches, has snubbed homeschoolers by introducing a writing contest, and adding the stipulation that no homeschoolers were allowed to compete. Homeschoolers everywhere felt snubbed and insulted. Whether or not Scholastic, who sponsored the contest had a hand in the homeschool snub is another question altogether, but one should note that Scholastic sells learning materials to homeschoolers, while at the same time has “homeschooling” articles on its website that does more to discourage homeschooling than to encourage it. … Continue reading →

Pop Culture Potpourri—Moving On

Did anyone think the strange hook up between comedienne Kathy Griffin and mega-zillionaire Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak would last? Frankly, I seriously doubt either one of them thought they were in it for the long haul. However, I do find the timing of Wozniak’s recent wedding to be quite surprising. According to Griffin, the odd couple split some time ago, but it was just a few weeks ago that she found out that he got married to someone else. Whoa! How’s that for moving on? The comic says, “I got an email last week from him, and he is going … Continue reading →

Kentucky Fried Chicken Courting Celebrities– Finger Lickin’ Good Times for ALL

What is it about fast food restaurants that propel them to constantly seek out celebrity support? Oh yeah, money. I suppose when the folks at Kentucky Fried Chicken offered to throw an all-you-can-eat housewarming party for “Hills” star Lauren Conrad, who recently purchased a new home, they did the math and discovered it would be cheaper to provide food for a house full of girls who don’t eat than pay for a 30-second TV commercial. I’m not kidding. About the free food anyway. In an open letter to the blonde reality TV star the chicken chain said they wanted to … Continue reading →

Resources for Responding to Racism

As a thirty-something raised in the Pacific Northwest, I have always known about racism, but seldom witnessed it. I lived a very sheltered childhood, and thirty-some years later still feel a bit of shock whenever I hear of a racist incident: “That happened here? Nowadays? Really?” My daughter’s Camp Fire group had a member who was adopted from Ethiopia. The mother and I began comparing adoption experiences. I was shocked when she told me her daughter had been experiencing blatant racism at school. Fellow second graders had been taunting her on the playground, “You don’t belong here. Go back where … Continue reading →