My Secret Learning Challenge

by Katie Halsey

For many years, I have known that I have a learning challenge. I remember as early as second grade having a reading comprehension problem and it has followed me through to my adult life. I have always kept quiet about it because I was embarrassed. While it was a challenge it never kept me from being successful, in fact, I graduated from college cum laude and now run my own business.

Somehow I managed, but I was always curious to know if I could overcome the lingering feeling of inadequacy. As I said, it did not keep me from pursuing a career as a paralegal early on and currently as a personal trainer. However, I would now like to further my career and get certified as a health coach, which means a lot of detailed reading and needing to comprehend all of the material for the test.

There's that feeling again. What do I do?

Homework, Homework, Homework

by Stern Center Staff

You had it as a student and now your child has it. I have the pleasure of being a teacher, college education professor, wife of a teacher and the parent of three children. I can'’t get away from homework!

Teachers assign homework for many reasons. Simply put there are not enough hours in the school day to practice the skills to a mastery level within the day. Middle school and high school projects, papers and exam studying take up many after school hours. Students understand in order to become excellent soccer players, tuba players or public speakers, they must practice. School tasks are no different.

Below are some structures you can put in place to make homework survivable. Establishing these habits early in elementary school is best, but it is never too late to start. Please remember, even though your middle and high school students are busy exerting their independence they still need parents around for homework support.

President's Message: Getting Organized in 2014

by Blanche Podhajski
 

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So the new year is getting older by the day.  How are you doing with your resolutions? Apparently, only 45% of us make them and only 8 % of us keep them (statisticbrain.com) so maybe the question is moot. I was thinking the other day about what might be among the most popular resolutions. For sure I thought “getting organized” would be right up there but it didn’t make the top ten. Not that I would have realized that by the numbers of organizational aids for sale.  

I was in one of my favorite stores last week and the entry way was packed with every imaginable product to facilitate putting our lives in order:  Pop-Up Organizers, Project Boxes, Laundry Sorters, etc...  I miss Cathy, the comic strip, (she retired four years ago) because every January she demonstrated her great intentions by buying a huge array of organizers and then became more disorganized in her clutter of containers. Which brings up the point of this blog: without explicit teaching, getting organized is not all that easy. As with many other life skills, like skiing, reading, singing—some of us have more intuitive talent than others.

iPhones, iPads, iTunes, iPods………….. I STUDY?

by Laurie Caswell Burke

Distractions have crept their way into our lifestyles for better or for worse.  And as great as they are in connecting us with the world at large they can present challenges when it comes to study habits for our teen population.  Would you rather come home from school and tune into myriad of distractions,  tackle the stack of books facing you,  do a few physics problems, or write that English essay?  Because of the widespread use of electronics which can become very addicting, it is important to develop good study habits early on. These will transfer to good work habits as our teens enter the employment arena.