by Jennifer Benoit, MEd

Is your teen or tween struggling with taking good notes at school? This post by Jen Benoit of Tutor Doctor in Raleigh has some great tips and tricks for success. Thanks Jen! ~ Kristen

Taking notes is a vital part of every student’s success.  Some things are said rather than read and how to capture that information is just as important as the information itself.
 
First, why is note taking important?  Read More

by Rachel Hoeing, Triad MOM
About halfway through the traditional school year is the season for conferences with your child’s teacher(s). You probably have a million topics you want to cover in the brief 15–20 minutes you are allotted. As a former Elementary School teacher, I highly suggest writing down your concerns and questions and bringing them along to the meeting.

As a parent, you truly do not know how your child behaves when he/she is at school and you may not know if they are struggling in a specific area. It is easier to tell with older children, because an F on a test is a good indication that your child is struggling! With younger children, they do not have tests, and you may know not how they are doing. If the teacher has not already given you a head’s up, the only way to find out is to ask. Sometimes the truth is tough to swallow, but in the end, remember that the teachers are doing what is best for your child and are also doing everything they can to help your child be successful. Read More

By Guest Blogger Michelle Bostian, LCSW Lower School Counselor for Greensboro Day School

Bullying today is just not what it used to be ... We are always hearing that these days. “Well, when I was a kid we had to walk to school in the snow!” The same applies to bullying. It is not the tyranny of the big mean boy who steals lunch money. It’s the otherwise sweet girl that shares her candy with all the girls she likes in front of that one girl that she doesn’t. It’s the special clubs and exclusionary occurrences on the playground day after day. Sure, there are still instances of name calling and deliberate tripping. But now there are obvious and malicious emails intended to haunt and dominate. Today, the bullying we need to target and prevent with our children is the subtle, the covert and the as yet, uncensored. Read More

By Rachel Hoeing & Kristen Bagwell

Ready or not, school days are here! Did you have a child start high school this year? Did you send your first child off to kindergarten? Are you nervous about a child in Middle School? Are you homeschooling for the first time? Will your child start preschool next week? Does your child have a learning disability? Are you worried about homework or bullying?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, TMoM has a blog that will give you advice, resources, or some hope! We have an entire category on this website dedicated to Education.  (Look along the top of the website and you will see all the categories.) You can click on the word, or on the red schoolhouse on our homepage to see all of our sub-cats in the Education category.  Scroll through your respective sub-cat at any time to find blogs that are helpful to you! In addition, I have listed some of our favorite blogs from the past below. Read More

by Cara McLauchlan, author of Joy Goggles
As the big school machine cranks up another year, most moms are walking around with a secret smile on their face. With the kids back in school, they now have a bit of time reclaimed to do whatever moms with kids in school do. As a homeschooling mom, this time of year marks the time when I feel most insecure about educating my son at home. Read More

By Rachel Hoeing

For parents with children of all ages, this is a tough decision. Some parents feel that when they don’t help their child, they are not involved enough in their schoolwork. Others feel that if they help too much, they are not teaching their child how to be responsible. I have asked teachers from all different grade levels to please give us advice on how to handle homework with our children. These are just a few opinions from teachers that I highly respect. Most importantly, please remember that any decision such as this one should be based on the individual child. You know your children best and you also know what may hinder or help them. Read the advice below and use what you can! Thanks so much to all these wonderful teachers for taking time to give us their “two cents”! Read More

by guest blogger Jennifer Benoit of Tutor Doctor Raleigh-Durham

According to the Institute for Emerging Issues at NC State*, our children will be facing more diverse needs in the job market than ever.  At the recent Superintendent’s Breakfast in Wake County, I had the opportunity to hear Dr. James Zuiches (NCSU) speak.  He relayed data and figures that made me consider the path of the students we serve through tutoring along with the path of my own son.


See the data below taken from the Institute: Read More

By Guest Blogger Michelle Bostian, LCSW
Lower School Counselor for Greensboro Day School

Feeling uncomfortable about being separate from mom and dad, or “separation anxiety” is most commonly thought to be something that impacts preschool children and kindergarten age. It does, but also common is the onset around 4th grade. It catches parents off guard because they think they are done with this sort of thing.  Read More

By Rachel Hoeing

We hope your children are off to a successful and fun 2011-2012 school year!  Whether your child is in preschool or high school, we have a helpful post for you today. 

Who better to give “back to school“ advice than teachers? I have interviewed teachers who work with children and teens of all ages. I also spoke to teachers of self-contained and special needs classrooms. I asked each of them, “If you could tell parents one thing, what would it be?” I hope your find their advice helpful and inspiring!  If you are a teacher yourself, please add your tips to the comment section at the end of this post.  Read More

by Kristen Bagwell

OK, so I realize that we're still easing into the (traditional) school year, but my sister's kids started a week earlier than we did here, and I am betting that she's already observing the same study patterns as in the early months of last year.

I should back up and mention for those of you that don't know: my older sister is a math and science whiz who just happens to have an innate talent for writing and communication. In short, she can do it all, and pretty well. (Flash back to 10th grade day 1, where my older sister is making jokes with her Advanced Physics teacher while I am averting my eyes from Mrs. "How could you have gotten a D in geometry last year when your sister is SO SMART" Math teacher. But I digress.)  Read More

by Kristen Bagwell

Remember back to your first day of middle school? Excitement, nerves...lip gloss? I have heard several people discussing the same topic in different forums - facebook, hallway conversation at work, in passing on the phone - and it must be due to the new school year that started this week for some of the year-round students. Naturally, I wanted our Triangle MOM readers to weigh in. So what's the big question? Here goes: Read More

by Kristen Bagwell

Today is the last day to nominate a family for our Share the Love giveaway! Just send an email to Shannon with your nomination through midnight February 21. Then keep an eye out on facebook for the three finalists for voting. You choose the winner, and we'll announce the top choice on February 28. Good luck!

My older sister has spent the past couple of weeks investigating alternate school options for her children (in another city/state) - she and her husband are concerned that the educators in the kids' current school are not the "best and brightest."  Read More