Tag Archives: 2017

Book Review #3: Organizing For Your Lifestyle by Jane Stoller Stoller is a true Organization Goddess. Read this book, efficiency shall follow.

What They See….

As an elementary school teacher, I have received a number of flattering compliments regarding my ability to create a visually appealing, organized classroom environment and/or an inviting support services office space each school year. Many times, after bestowing such a compliment, my colleague will then follow up with a variation of the following statement:

“Your house must be impeccably neat and organized, too.”

BWAHAHAHAHA.

Not quite.

Teachers indeed do work for the weekend, yet we also work ON the weekend. And HOLY RED LEATHER PANTS, Batman. Yikes. Continue reading →

MIR: The Good, The WTF, and The Alt-Good. Welcome to Life, 2017-Style. It's Been A While.....Time to Catch Up.

It’s been some time since I’ve blogged. Over a month, actually. Why? You could say that life has gotten in my way. Or, more specifically, work.

So. Much. Work.

Report card time can be stressful when you service, IDK, about 60ish students, I am learning. Also, dedicating a week-plus to writing up a detailed report on every kid’s progress to the detriment of sleep, family time, and at times, my sanity, has, plainly, sucked. Plus, after finishing all 60 reports, I then had to enter another round of student observational data, or risk falling behind on that. Because you know, after writing 60 reports, writing 47 more narratives is exactly the kind of wind-down activity I long for.

Yeah. It’s been a rough life, these last few weeks. Continue reading →

Book Review #2: #BabyLove: My Toddler Life by Corine Dehghanpisheh A 21st Century Picture Book For Toddlers And Moderation Moms Like Me!

You’ve Probably Seen The Headlines…

Eh, I think she’ll be OK.

About Toddlers and Cell Phones:

“Tablets and Smartphones May Affect Social and Emotional Development, Scientists Speculate,” (theguardian.com, February 1, 2015)

“Smartphone, Tablet Overuse Among Toddlers May Stunt Development,” (cbc.ca, February 3, 2015)

About Parenting and Cell Phones:

“Cell Phone Distracted Parenting Can Have Long-Term Consequences: Study,” (time.com, January 6, 2016)

“Dear Mom On The iPhone: Let Me Tell You What You Don’t See,”

At times, I do text or Facebook when I’m the parent in charge. Other times, I do not.

(deseretnews.com, February 15, 2013)
Note: Judgmental much?

And the epic rebuttal to the above:
“Dear Mom On The iPhone: You’re Doing Fine,” (huffingtonpost.com, August 11, 2014)

Yes, many folks on the Internet have strong opinions about cell phones, toddlers, and the parents who own at least one of each. Therefore, I was very curious about how

The author, Dehghanpisheh, is also the illustrator. She does a beautiful job creating vivid, colorful, fun, page-filling illustrations that complement the text well.

this subject matter would be incorporated into a read-aloud picture book for very young children when I was asked to review #BabyLove: My Toddler Life, which was written and illustrated by Corine Dehghanpisheh. I ended up on the final page of the story nodding in an enthusiastic manner, complete with a big smile on my face. What a great story this is! Not only was the book entertaining, but the characters and the plot totally resonated with me as well. Continue reading →

Book Review #1: Beyond The Tiger Mom by Maya Thiagarajan Blending the Best of the East and the West!

Have You Ever Wondered…

Thiagarajan’s book

If there is any truth behind the stereotype “Asians are good at math”?

Why Asian children consistently outperform their American counterparts in the West in STEM fields?

What the secret is to the drive that leads to success seen so often in young Asian scholars? Where does this work ethic originate?

How Eastern parents get their kids to behave and, like, do all this work without ending up with angry children who rebel and end up hating them for life?

If a child’s academic success can be mostly attributed to nature, to nurture, or to a combination of both?

Why American parents are so afraid of pushing their children to succeed?

Why American child-centric parenting is so damn exhausting?

If Asian educators could benefit from incorporating any current Western best practices in teaching within any of the core academic subjects?
(Spoiler alert: the answer is YES) Continue reading →