Labor Day

Labor Day

The following is a continuation of the end-of-summer account I wrote a long time ago… Enjoy this last little bit of summer fun… together. Over the years Adventureland aged along with those who challenged it. The gorilla leaned to one side, and a cage was added that kept it from toppling over and squashing some… Read More

Exercising the Art of Persuasion in Your Teaching

Exercising the Art of Persuasion in Your Teaching

Persuasion is an art that, when mastered, will empower your students to connect with what you are teaching in ways you may never have dreamed possible. Aristotle, the master of this art, said that persuasion involves ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos is the credibility of the speaker, pathos is the emotional element, and last but… Read More

Persuasion is Foundational to Teaching

Persuasion is Foundational to Teaching

In my 50-plus years of teaching and consulting, I’ve learned that the art of persuasion and teaching are not mutually exclusive. Instead, persuasion is foundational to teaching. Whether I have a classroom of students or just one student, if I have not somehow used the art of persuasion, I have not succeeded. Aristotle made it… Read More

Adventureland

Adventureland

The following is an end-of-summer account I wrote a long time ago… but I still like it. I hope you will as well and that it will kindle an idea and that you’ll enjoy that last little bit of summer fun… together. Adventureland A couple weeks ago something special happened. I enjoyed the past and… Read More

Family Devotions

Family Devotions

Being assigned the topic of family devotions is like having a stake driven through my heart. It’s a reminder that I’m a loser dad when it comes to family devotions. Oh, we’ve done them, but it’s always been a sore spot for me. How I wish I was one of those dads who began them… Read More

Success Starts with the Basics

Success Starts with the Basics

Yesterday I went to see my 7-year-old grandson display the basic horsemanship skills he had learned during a week of horse camp. I took my seat in the bleachers with my daughter and her two daughters, and we listened as the announcer gave commands and the campers obeyed: stopping their horses, turning them, riding sidesaddle,… Read More

Back to School

Back to School

For the record… I hate back to school days. As soon as I see the first art box display at Wal-Mart I get a pit in my stomach and have the urge to scream and bolt out of the store. It doesn’t help when they start showing up in center aisles right after the Fourth… Read More

The Truth about Dyslexia Assessments

The Truth about Dyslexia Assessments

The following is an interview with Liz. I’m worried about my child’s reading, could they have dyslexia? The fact that you’re worried tells me, that despite your best efforts, your child struggles to read. They may be unable to read or can read a bit, but not fluently. Their spelling is erratic – spelling the… Read More

Should You be Worried About Your Child’s Reading?

Should You be Worried About Your Child’s Reading?

Reading ability is different for each child but, by age 8, they should mostly be reading on their own. It doesn’t matter if you’ve used phonics, flashcards or something else to teach your child to read. If they are not able to read by 8, it may be due to an underlying problem called dyslexia. How… Read More

Waste Not, Want Not Continued…

Waste Not, Want Not Continued…

Last week we started talking about how our grandparents were able to pull off the impossible. They taught our parents and helped us learn respect for people and the things around us. The times are changing and now organic gardening, cooking, saving, repairing, reusing, recycling, conserving, and caring for our things and our surroundings is… Read More