With the national holiday commemorating Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday approaching, I took the opportunity to listen to Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, which I had never listened to in its entirety. Listening to that speech reminded me of something: I love language. I love words and the art of finding the perfect words to express the exact thought I want to communicate. I love hearing others use words to paint colorful visions, persuade my thinking, touch my emotions, and communicate truth to my soul. For me, language and the ability to truly communicate are very special and cherished gifts.
I lost that gift once, and it was quite a traumatic experience. Read more »
Quiz: What do actress Marilyn Monroe, statesman Winston Churchill, singer Carly Simon, actor James Earl Jones (the voice of Darth Vader), and television journalist John Stossel have in common? Besides being famous, they have all struggled with stuttering. When I learned that tomorrow (October 22) is International Stuttering Awareness Day, I decided to get a little more informed on the topic and share what I learned.
In my research, I learned what stuttering is (and what it isn’t), what causes it, what some of the common misconceptions about stuttering are, and what a parent or teacher can do to help a stuttering child. I also learned what children who struggle with stuttering have to say about it. Read more »
There appear to be at least two schools of thought about which language English learners (ELs) should be speaking at home. While some encourage parents of ELs to speak English with their children, Judie Haynes makes a convincing argument for parents speaking their first language at home, even while their children are learning English at school. Read more »
If you were tasked with creating a program to help struggling readers, what would your program include? That’s a question that two researchers (Crystal Kelly, a teacher practitioner, and Linda Campbell, a university professor) set out to answer by comparing several struggling reading programs and interviewing teachers and reading specialists. They found that these sources agreed significantly on both the reasons why some students struggle with reading and the components an effective reading program must have. Read more »
We all have our likes and dislikes, even when it comes to things that are good for us. One of my children has always liked vegetables, while another loathes them. My wife craves physical activity, and I think of exercise as more of a chore. I’m always reading three or four books at once; my brother can’t remember the last time he read a book. As parents, I’m sure we all have our favorite tactics for encouraging our children to eat healthy foods and stay physically active. But do we have strategies for motivating them to read?
I recently came across some great ideas for helping kids to become more successful readers. Ann Lodgson, a school psychologist who specializes in helping parents and teachers help struggling students, offers the following five strategies for motivating reluctant readers with reading activities they will enjoy. Read more »
With the national holiday commemorating Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday approaching, I took the opportunity to listen to Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, which I had never listened to in its entirety. Listening to that speech reminded me of something: I love language. I love words and the art of finding the perfect words to express the exact thought I want to communicate. I love hearing others use words to paint colorful visions, persuade my thinking, touch my emotions, and communicate truth to my soul. For me, language and the ability to truly communicate are very special and cherished gifts.
