Dear Elementary PTA President (a.k.a. Superhero in Mom Jeans – or Dad Sneakers), Schools wouldn’t be a community without you and we need strong communities to help raise resilient, happy kids. Thank you for stepping up. Without your efforts to…
By the second week of September, an entire nation of students will have started the 2018-2019 school year. I fondly call this Be Nice to the New Kid Month. There are many studies on the positive effects of kindness. It’s…
The school crossing guard asked,“Can I help you cross the street?” It was the first day of school for my oldest daughter who seemed confident and ready for the next step: Kindergarten. But those kind seven words were not meant for…
Remember Harold Kushner’s best-selling book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People? Sometimes those “people” are our children. It would be wonderful if we lived in a state of nirvana but, unfortunately, we have to function in the real world…
I feel so much pain for what he must have been feeling and had no one to help him through. I’d have fought the world to the death had I known…why didn’t he come to me? Why couldn’t I see…
Why You’re a Superhero Fact: Like a human x-ray machine, you can read your child’s mind and see their heart. You’ve memorized every feature of their face. You are the expert in how they’re feeling and behaving. You know when…
By September 7th, most kids up to the age of 18 will be back in school in the U.S. so I’ve designated September as National ‘Be Nice to the New Kid Month. “Kind words do not cost much. Yet they accomplish much.” —Blaise…
Our school has been placing an emphasis on exposing our students to Character Traits such as Respect, Patience, Tolerance, Responsibility, and Loyalty (just to name a few.) This emphasis shows them that truly exhibiting these traits will allow them to…
Visiting Staten Island’s P.S. 45 (John Tyler School) inspired me. (For those reading this outside of New York City, P.S. stands for Public School.) Every student in this elementary school participated in an awesome kick-off assembly honoring Respect for All…
There’s an upside and a downside to our focus on bullying prevention. The upside, of course, is that we’re shedding light on the pervasive culture of mean that is destroying the confidence of so many children and teens. The…