In parts 1-5 we discussed how to use the design and unique personality of each child to best reach him or her. Parts 6-10 discussed discipline issues that must be addressed at each different stage of development. Our final two parts discuss where the two worlds of the parent and the teacher come together: parent-teacher [...]

Last week we discussed some positive ways to discipline junior high and high school adolescents and students that attempted to understand their stage of development and show them dignity, respect, and trust with responsibility as a means of preventing major disciplinary disruptions from occurring in the first place. But what do we do when we [...]

Last week we discussed some ways we can cultivate the climate for preschool-aged children. Today our focus will be on helping difficult elementary students find peace and balance at home and in school. At the core of any disruptive or difficult child are deep hurts and a hunger for love and attention. Much of their [...]

If you’ve ever spent more than five minutes with Jody, you’ve likely heard her two distinguishing sounds: her whisper and her laugh. (The camera flash is a close third!). During my recent two-day visit to her newest school, Grace Academy, I had the privilege of hearing both…multiple times! Her laughter can be heard often in [...]

If you ever visit Grace Academy during lunchtime, you will find the students sitting at round tables with linen table cloths and flowers, listening to classical music, using good manners, and being relatively quiet. Of course they’re allowed to talk, but I want them to be able to hear the music, and so we use our soft ‘inside’ [...]

In a recent November issue of Time magazine, two separate articles each pointed to one area that America must focus on in order to improve our country: education. One article, entitled “What Ever Happened to Upward Mobility,” identified the roles that technology and new markets will play in shaping the future and stated, “The best hope [...]

The subject of video games and kids always evokes strong opinions within me, so recently when I saw a TED Talk called “How Games Make Kids Smarter,” I knew I had to watch the video. My original intention when I clicked on the link was to debunk the basic premise that video games make kids smarter. However, [...]

This post originally appeared on Bible.org’s Heartprints series here. God created the mind of the young child to learn by absorbing the world around them. They also learn through all of their sensory gates simultaneously. The words of the simple song we sing in Sunday School actually teach a profound truth:  “Oh be careful little [...]

The following article is one I have previously published as well as one I regularly inform my teachers and parents about at my schools. I thought I would share it with you here, too. So please enjoy as you preserve the past and prepare the future. Educare and educere come from the Latin word for [...]

We all know teenagers are, well, different. They aren’t kids…but they aren’t adults, either. Probably you didn’t need to read this to know that. Whether you are a parent, a teacher, or anyone, really, you know that when dealing with teens you are dealing with someone in a unique period of development. You were a teen once, too, after [...]