The Blog
As a newspaper columnist, Nancy Devlin, Ph.D. has written over 700 articles on subjects related to education and parenting. Welcome to her Classroom!
Remember Children Are Concrete Thinkers
Eliza Doolittle of “My Fair Lady” fame sings a song about words. With a few changes this song could well have been written for young children to sing to their parents and teachers. With apologies to Lerner and Loewe, here … Continue reading
Are You a Participant or an Observer?
The world seems to be made up of people who are either participants or observers. Which role we elect sometimes is a matter of choice and sometimes a matter of expediency. At some professional conferences, the role of the participant … Continue reading
Visit Your Child’s School, It is Important
In the book, “The Cunning Man” the author, Robertson Davies, creates a character named Dr. Jonathan Hullah. Dr. Hullah discusses why he would never give up house calls. The details he sees in the house help him to make a … Continue reading
Is It Time To Start A Family?
Our most valuable commodity is time. The words we use for money and time are interchangeable. We use expressions like “Time is Money” and “Time well spent” and “It will cost us some time”. As with money, some people are … Continue reading
Education is a Joint Effort Between the Home and the School
The education of children is a joint venture between home and the school. The more the spirit of cooperation can be developed between parents and teachers the more successful the school year will be for students. There are many ways … Continue reading
Ah… The First Week of School
September is here again and with it the beginning of another school year. The first day of school can be an emotional experience for both parent and child. It is best for parents not to voice their fears to the … Continue reading
Life Long Learners
The purpose of education is not to produce students who do well on standardized tests but to produce life-long learners who enjoy learning and are successful at it. In order to accomplish this goal, children not only need to be … Continue reading
Things I Have Found To Be True
AFTER MANY YEARS AS A PARENT, TEACHER AND SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST About children and school: Children are concrete thinkers. They cannot figure out what is expected of them if we only tell them what they did wrong. Catch them being right. … Continue reading
Lifting Cassandra’s Curse
Teachers are being treated more and more like Cassandra from Greek myth. Cassandra, the story goes, could accurately foretell the future. Her curse was that nobody believed her. The same is true of our outstanding teachers. They know what changes … Continue reading
