“It was as if my long-term students and I were taking a long journey by ship and it was my fault that, in the parlance of the controversial education law, William was being left behind.”
Sources for: A Gift of Wonder, A True Story Showing School as it Should Be
Readers say: Told in an easy to read style, this book is actually a page turner. This turned out to be the best book I’ve read in a long time. It has the emotional impact of a book of fiction, and the educational value of a non-fiction book. Perhaps, long ago, a teacher made a difference in your life.…
Five Questions to Ask as You Create Your Family’s Approach to Screens
by Kim Allsup Growing Children October, 2018 I have a scar on my lower lip because I was a child before cars had seat belts and forgiving interiors. The driver braked hard and I flew into the sharp edge of a metal strip. Many new technologies are not inherently safe and the automobile is still in the not-quite-fully-safe category. After…
This is how to help children find their moral compass
Writing in The Atlantic, Paul Barnwell says that students today have a “broken moral compass” because “The pressures of national academic standards have pushed character education out of the classroom.” (link below) One of the reasons I wrote A Gift of Wonder was to share a picture in which character education is integrated with academics. I discovered that this approach…
A Story for Parents and Teachers to Tell
At the start of the school year teachers and homeschoolers plan out their year, listing fun math projects, great sweeps of history to share, music to sing and stories to tell. As we look ahead to the fall we anticipate the dimming of the light, perhaps an autumn gale or two and weather growing ever colder. This turning of the…
Beginners Use More Resources
The Power of Observation
Take a full day to simply observe your child or your student. Above all do not judge as you observe. Notice the way she rises from a chair. Listen closely to her laughter. Does he step lightly or do his feet pound heavily? Listen to her speech. Is she loud or soft spoken? What causes him to appear content, afraid…
A Yearning for What We Have Lost
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The Power of That Which is Real
What Would You Add To These Goals for Parenting and Teaching?
We can renew our parenting and teaching through What would you add to this list? Please add your suggestions in comments. I will include some crowd sourced suggestions in future versions of this post. (Note: If you would like your comments considered for addition to this post, please click on the post to add your comments within the blog. Thank you.…
Children of the Light: a story for children
I wrote this story and told it before the November festival of Martinmas which is a time when the year turns toward outer darkness and we are reminded of the importance of sharing the inner light of compassion. Kim Allsup *** Long ago when travel was by horse and lighting was by candle, a lighthouse keeper and his family lived…
