Dear Parents:
Calling All Neurons!

I’ve been pondering the subject matter of this article for a good many days…every time I sit down to write, both my heart and my mind hurt…but keep reading… Here are the facts I have been reading/hearing about, and sights I am seeing confirming these facts: May is Mental Health Awareness MonthThe United States has now surpassed the reported 1 million casualties due to CovidNearly 250,000 children have lost a loved one or caretaker due to CovidIncreases in Kindergarten enrollment due to parents ‘waiting a year’ in 2020-21, as well as many more kindergarteners lacking appropriate readiness skills, which…

Well, I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth–just been busy with new grandkids and other family matters…glad to report I am back! When I was a new mom back in the 80s, I didn’t know what I didn’t know! That’s me with my daughter, Emily, circa 1984! I just talked to my kids, took them to the library, read a few books, participated in a playgroup (as much for the moms as for the kids), and didn’t really think about my role in terms of my kids’ emergent language. I likely did all the things I’m recommending, but…

Yesterday the New York Times announced that it has acquired Josh Wardle’s newest word craze, Wordle, for “7 figures”. I read that millions of people now play it daily and that it has only been in existence for a little over 3 months! Many people even routinely post their ‘Wordle prowesses and pitfalls’ on social media. Some people say it has improved their connections with others, especially during these long winter months and putting up with Covid for the second consecutive year.  And, alas, I also read that it will remain ‘free’ for the time being, which likely means…

This article features my colleague and friend, Dr. Kelly Moran, of Concord, OH. Enjoy the read, which looks ahead to the New Year 2022. Thanks, Kelly, for sharing your ideas, which thoughtfully and expertly illuminate the importance of reading for yourself and how to share the gift of reading with others. I agree with every word! Rejoice! We have made it to a New Year.  Many of us educators were itching for 2020 to come to a rapid close, only to find ourselves wishing 2021 away just as quickly.  Despite the recent challenges we have encountered, many of us…

My singing voice can best be described as, well, ‘mediocre’. Despite my mediocre voice and my Jewish identity (therefore not celebrating the Christmas Holiday in any way throughout my childhood), I simply adored singing all those wonderful holiday songs, especially Christmas carols throughout my childhood. I even recall caroling door to door with friends as a high school student, a practice that has surely diminished over time. A 2013 Pew Study found that while 36% of adults recall going caroling as children, only 16% had gone caroling as adults. I realize this study is on the ‘old side’, but…