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Archive for the ‘School’ Category
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Dear School Administrator
By Daddy Clay Thursday, October 6th, 2011
Dear School Administrator,
Ordinarily, my wife and I would never ask for any kind of special treatment for our daughter Pookey (last year’s letter was an exception), but I do have a few small requests on behalf of my child.
Frequently when we ask about school, Pookey complains that her teacher “doesn’t like me.” I am supremely confident this is not the case (who could resist Pookey?), but feel some gesture needs to be made before there is self-esteem damage. A note perhaps (if it were passed in view of the other students it would be best). Or, hey, let’s get “outside the box” — Would it be too much to ask that this teacher bring my child a bouquet of flowers? How about if I provide the bouquet of flowers? Read the rest of this entry »
Parenting News: Men’s Role as Caregiver, Same-Sex Marriage, Falls from Windows, ADHD, Parent Teacher Relationships
By Dad News Wednesday, August 24th, 2011
Recession Shifting Men’s Role From Provider to Caregiver: Wayne Moyer, a 39-year-old father of three, has a new appreciation for stay-at-home parents. After losing his job as an information technology support specialist in 2009, Moyer entered full-time fatherhood — a change that has challenged his stamina and his ego. (ABC News)
When Kids Bring Up Same-Sex Marriage: My son’s preschool friend, Noah, indeed does have two dads, who have become very much a part of our inner circle of friends. Yet, in that moment in the car, my mind immediately jumped to the subject of the birds and the bees, and I started to feel unsure about what the kids’ next questions would be, and how to thoughtfully and appropriately proceed. (CNN.com)
5,000 Kids a Year Hurt in Falls From Windows: We still are seeing over 5,000 children a year treated in hospital emergency departments across the country for injuries related to window falls, said Dr. Gary A. Smith, study author and director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. “That’s 14 children a day. This continues to be a very common, important problem.” (CNN.com)
Writing Problems Common in Kids with ADHD: Kids with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder are more likely to have writing problems such as poor spelling and grammar than their peers, suggests a new study. And the difference may be especially conspicuous in girls with ADHD. (Reuters)
How to Build a Good Parent-Teacher Relationship: Want to know how to build a good parent-teacher relationship? We share teachers’ top pet peeves, how to score brownie points with teachers and more. (Parenting.com)
Parenting News: Energy Drinks, Breastfeeding and Maternity Leave, Sleep and Obesity, Internet, Education
By Dad News Thursday, June 2nd, 2011
Pediatricians: No Energy Drinks For Kids; Greatly Limit Use of Sports Drinks: Most children and adolescents do not need sports drinks according to a clinical report published in the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The report also finds that energy drinks are never appropriate for children or teenagers– water should be the primary beverage choice. (CNN.com)
Want to Boost Breast-Feeding Rates? More Maternity Leave is Key: If the United States wants to significantly increase its breast-feeding rates, extending women’s maternity leave would be a good place to start, according to new research published today in the journal Pediatrics. (Time.com)
More Sleep May Cut Kids’ Risk of Obesity: Youngsters who do not get enough sleep on a regular basis are more likely to be overweight, a new study has found. Conversely, when children got more shut-eye, they had a reduction in body mass index (BMI) and a significant drop in their risk of being overweight, the researchers found. (HealthDay)
Parents Should Screen Kids’ Summer Web Surfing: Expert: As the school year wraps up, many kids will replace class time with cyber time — a trend leading one researcher to caution parents to watch out for online hazards such as “sexting” and cyberbullying. (HealthDay)
Do Schools Share Too Much With Parents?: Student management systems, as they are known in the educational world, began trickling into U.S. schools about 10 years ago. They are now so popular Ann Flynn, director of Education Technology at the National School Boards Association, considers their use “commonplace.”(CNN.com)
My Disney Princess
By Daddy Clay Tuesday, April 12th, 2011
Parsing this photo is good fun. Here’s my girl as Walt Disney — the historical figure she chose to research and portray for her school’s annual “Wax Museum” project. Stop by her station and tap the “button” at her feet and she’ll lower her sketch pad to give you a one minute recitation of Walt’s life and career.
You’ll notice she makes sure to mention that Walt’s first two businesses failed (not sure why that is reassuring to her), Mickey Mouse earns a mention, as do the theme parks, but no feature films make the cut. Which makes sense if you look at Disney through nine-year-old eyes. Who the hell is Bambi? Read the rest of this entry »
