
A Solution to the Costly School Supplies List
Do parents really have to buy ziplock bags? Posted in ChicagoNow, August 7, 2014 Unless you have kids in school, this is one education...
Aug 7, 2014


If You Cancel the Kindergarten Show, Do It for the Right Reason
Photo by Quinn Norton Posted in ChicagoNow, May 15, 2014 It’s the Manic Month of May – and every kid must perform. Parents, you know what...
May 15, 2014


Good Teachers and Teacher Appreciation Week
Yes, it’s me! Posted in ChicagoNow, May 6, 2014 Forty-five years ago, I stood in front of my students at Niles East High School in...
May 6, 2014


Not Your Mama’s Report Card
Posted in ChicagoNow, April 14, 2014 Boy, has the report card changed over generations. My parents received letter grades in the basic...
Apr 14, 2014


Reading Incomprehension – Common Core Standards in Action
Reading when not in school Published in ChicagoNow, March 27, 2014 You would think a former teacher and English major with a master’s...
Mar 28, 2014


Preschool Without Play
A robot transformer created by my grandson Posted in ChicagoNow, March 24, 2014 Driving my 4-year-old grandson to his preschool in...
Mar 24, 2014


“Life is a Test” – Really?
Published in ChicagoNow, March 7, 2014 In its March 6, 2014 editorial in the printed paper, the Chicago Tribune asks, “Where is the harm...
Mar 7, 2014


Dr. Seuss Not a Fan of Testing Kids
Published in ChicagoNow, March 2, 2014 Dr. Seuss died in 1991, ten years before the No Child Left Behind Act passed Congress and long...
Mar 2, 2014


Why I Hate the Newest New Math
Published in ChicagoNow, February 21, 2014 (cartoon by Marcia Liss) I’ll confess I’m no math whiz. I dropped out of helping my kids with...
Feb 21, 2014


Kids Need Recess All Year Round
Published in ChicagoNow, February 19, 2014 (cartoon by Marcia Liss) As this “winter of our discontent” rages on with heaps of snow...
Feb 19, 2014