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Some kids need harder lessons than schools are willing to give them

New data reveals stubborn preference for below grade-level instruction Perspective by Jay Mathews Washington Post August 22 2022 Hundreds of teachers and much data over many years have convinced me that too many schools think the best way to educate kids…..

Parents and teachers cautiously optimistic for new school year

Mental health, teacher shortages and monkeypox join list of covid concerns By Nicole Asbury, Lauren Lumpkin and Hannah Natanson Updated August 20, 2022 at 10:22 a.m. EDT|Published August 20, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. EDT Across the Washington region, thousands of children are getting ready to return to…..

Time out from study- change the world instead!

Five skills parents can learn so they can help their children cope

By Katherine Reynolds Lewis August 16, 2022 at 8:00 a.m. EDT Washington Post The coronavirus pandemic has affected the mental health of children and teens, and therapists are tapped out and booked up. But that doesn’t mean care is impossible. In…..

Montgomery County Schools working to fill hundreds of teacher, staff vacancies

By  Nicole Asbury  Washington Post August 8th 2022 Three weeks before school begins, Montgomery County Public Schools is facing roughly 500 teacher and support staff vacancies, mirroring a national shortage of educators that has left school systems scrambling to fill positions……

Kids’ Mental Health Is a ‘National Emergency.’ Therapists Are in Short Supply.

By Jessica Grose  Opinion Writer New York Times August 14th 2022 p. 10 At the beginning of the year, I started hearing from readers across the country that there were long waiting lists for child and adolescent mental health providers. Many of…..

When Vin Scully was calling the game, even fans in the stands brought radios

What has this to do with AmeriCorps? As much as AmeriCorps has to do with AmeriSports. We could not resist the amazing writing and about an amazing character. One did not have to follow baseball to feel moved. And if there is a lesson here, it might be that sometimes words get in the way of the listening. Just shut up and let the moment speak for itself. By Rick…..

Don’t mention the pandemic!

One of the nation’s largest therapy conferences happens annually in Washington DC. This year, the first in person for two years, the theme was “Meeting the Moment.” At first sight, I thought, “Yes” that is a great theme. How are we…..

We Need Hope to Combat Violence. That Won’t Arrive Without Action.

By Rachel Louise Snyder New York Times June 12th 2022 Ms. Snyder is the author of “No Visible Bruises,” a book on domestic violence. What might have stopped the gunman from killing 21 people in Uvalde, Texas? In the aftermath of…..

EMPOWERING STUDENTS TO HAVE MORE SAY IN THEIR LIVES

Social Emotional Learning aka (SEL) is more than a fad. It comes from the awareness that what students learn about themselves is just as important as what they learn about any other subject. Why is it that schools rarely have…..