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Students, no matter how good, tend to lose learning over the long summer break. It is a phenomenon almost every teacher and many parents are well aware of, known as “summer slide”. Studies indicate that overall, students experience significant learning losses over the summer, most notably in the area of reading, and that these losses add up over time to create a significant learning gap of one to three months. How many students know that they could stop summer slide and prepare to tackle the upcoming school year by reading a few books? How do [...]

It’s spring! Summer is soon approaching and school will be finished for the season. Ontario is blessed with a multitude of fresh water lakes and rivers. Families of all sorts will be spending time at, on or near the water. There are a number of things parents must do to keep the kids safe in the water. The most important thing is teaching your kids to swim. Please remember, that learning to swim should be an encouraging and rewarding experience for both students and teachers. The age to start lessons is debatable. Experts indicate that [...]

"Staying connected" is the silent refrain of smartphone users. Now, we have the ability to rapidly connect with nearly any information source through Google, and draw on a live look of what's happening in our social set. Critics, however, warn that this constant volley of news and details is certainly distracting, thus making it more challenging to maintain the single-minded attention needed for sincere communication. Sherry Turkle, a professor in the program of Science, Technology and Society at M.I.T., has much to say about this subject in her recent book “Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of [...]

During my adventures as a teacher and private tutor of English (and other subjects), I was blessed and challenged by more than one high-spirited child. Sometime referred to as wild ones, these children test the limits of patience but also bring rewards, joy and wonder otherwise not known. What is a high-spirited child? They are special. They are spunky. They can be full of energy, brilliant, creative, funny and intense. Signs of high-spiritedness include a child that: - does not sleep (also toddler or newborn), - has longer and more intense tantrums, - dislikes change, [...]

As a private English teacher/ tutor in the Toronto and Haliburton areas, I see an issue with some young students that causes me concern. Experts acknowledge that addiction to computers can affect children both physically and mentally. Computer addiction can be defined as the excessive or compulsive use of computers, which continues even though serious negative consequences for personal, social or occupational function persist. Why are children vulnerable to computer addiction? There are complex issues at play! These issues include persistent peer pressure, cyber bullying, and competition over who has the most friends on Facebook [...]

Reprinted from www.creativeeducation.co.uk Summertime in cottage country is an opportunity for creative learning not to be missed.  As summer slinks towards a new school year -- give a think about what spectacular natural wonders are all around and what they can teach us! Learning beyond the classroom offers a whole host of opportunities you’ll struggle to find within confines of a classroom’s four walls, I’ve outlined just a few below: 1. Make learning more engaging It can be difficult to keep kids on task in the classroom.  Especially as the school year draws to an [...]

Hello I will be posting information on Education here that is relevant to learning, as well as other things. Please come back here from time-to-time to view my articles and opinions. Sincerely, Sarah