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!
Attracting Competent People to the Teaching Profession
One of the problems involved in attracting competent people into education may be that it is the only profession which does not have “perks”. A perquisite, according to the dictionary, is a privilege or profit incidental to regular wages or … Continue reading
The Role of Administrators in Schools
I once heard of a Symphony Orchestra whose members hired the conductor themselves and kept him as their conductor as long as he helped them to produce outstanding music. If the conductor became unable to bring out the best the … Continue reading
Homework… Family Togetherness or Disruption?
Homework has the potential for bringing a family together or disrupting it. Since most school systems mandate nightly homework assignments beginning with first grade, it behooves parents to use this activity well in order to help their children grow as … 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
Candidates and Education Reform
Election time will be upon us. Many of the candidates try to make educational reform part of their platforms. Their dilemma is they do not know what to say. They know the problems, because their constituents tell them, but they … Continue reading
Making Mistakes… A Positive Experience
Mistakes are not failures. That is how we learn. Adults and children who fear making mistakes are not risk takers. When a mistake is made, we profit from it, first by recognizing the error and then by admitting it to … Continue reading
Hmm… Is it a hearing problem or an auditory processing problem?
If your child is failing in school and had ear problems as a baby, the difficulty may be due to poor auditory processing. This impairment seems to affect boys more than girls. Some children cannot screen out conflicting noises and … Continue reading
Bullies…They are students, too.
Most adults become incensed when they discover that there is bullying in their child’s school. Immediately they advocate severe punishment of the bully. Now, who is the bully. As Pogo said, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” Severe punishments, policing … Continue reading
Who Decided?
Who decided that the concept of middle school for children from ten to fourteen was a good idea? At the very time when children are most insecure, they are forced to leave a familiar environment where they know the … Continue reading
