Education & kids

Greetings Readers!  Every now and then I share information that is pertinent to parents, teachers, administrators, superintendents, therapists and basically anyone who works with children.  It almost feels like an epidemic in education when you count the number of children who have reading difficulties.  Problems range from difficulty remembering letters, learning letter sounds, poor vocabulary skills, reading basic skills, difficulty sounding out words and poor reading comprehension.  We know today that children can have a specific reading disability and dyslexia.  Many children have more than one disability which makes progress even slower.  In this column I will share the Top 10 Things You Should Know About Reading from the LDOnline.com...

Read more: Ask Lisa-Anne December 11

Do you know if your child is thinking about or having sex?

Q. As a teacher in a local public high school, I fret everyday when I see the sexual behaviors amongst students as they travel the hallways.  These behaviors include but are not limited to groping, kissing, hugging and grinding.  I don’t think many parents realize how much their children know and are doing concerning sex.  This is especially true during the time that school is out and parents are not home!  What can parents do?

A. These are challenging times that we all live in.  It used to be that parents worried about teen pregnancy.  However, today the worries include pregnancy at earlier ages, sexually transmitted diseases...

Read more: ASK LISA-ANNE November 11

Q. I am a 5^th grade teacher and a few of my students have poor hygiene and body odor.  Some of them get teased by other students which I put a stop to in my class! How can I address this problem without hurting the children’s feelings and offending parents?

A. This is a hot topic but one that needs to be addressed!  You can approach the subject in your classroom as a health lesson and send home a notice to parents that you will be covering this topic in class.  Explain to them that this is not a sex education class just a health topic on how to take care of your body!  Some parents are so busy and don’t notice that their children are of age to start using body products.  A flyer home may grab their attention to the matter.  As...

Read more: ASK LISA-ANNE October 11

Q. I am a high school teacher and I know that many of my students drink alcohol. I’ve spoken to them about it and they don’t seem to be concerned as long as they don’t drink and drive. I’ve even heard them say that their parents know about it. Can you alert teens and parents to the dangers of alcohol?

A. Yes, it is amazing that we have so much information about the damage alcohol does yet our teens continue to drink it. The teen years are challenging ones because teens think that they are t, they have little life experience, and they think that adults are out to ruin their fun. I will provide some information here that you can share creatively with your students and parents to open the discussion. Information gathered from the

Read more: ASK LISA-ANNE September 11