Mean Girls… and Boys

From humiliation to physical violence, school bullying is an epidemic that needs to stop I have been overwhelmed by the sweetness of kids I teach at school. One student, seeing me without an umbrella, ran backward through the rain to walk with me under his. Another classroom, after a lesson on the differences between Tet and Christmas, pitched … Read more

Summer Learning Loss

Summer break doesn’t mean it’s time for your child’s brain to take a break What is known is that its origins go back to the 19th century. Whether or not the current school calendar was first built around the agricultural one (and the need for children to work on the farm during the summer months) … Read more

Child’s Play

After-school programs give kids a safe place to exercise their brains – and their bodies – while having fun When I was a kid, I had a few after-school activities available to me: Girl Scouts, high school track, summer camp…and not much more than that. But today, the possibilities for children can be overwhelming. Depending on … Read more

Montessori or Not

A fine line between imagination and fantasy When it comes to Montessori, many parents who have been through the process of picking a school must have heard of it. It’s an education method designed by Italian physician Dr. Maria Montessori in the early 20th century. After her intensive observation on how children learned and developed, … Read more

The Pygmalion Effect, Part 2

Learning a language begins with baby steps Vietnam projects that by 2020 more Vietnamese students graduating from secondary vocational schools, colleges and universities will be able to use English in their daily communication because of an early enrollment in private English language tutorial programs. A government mandate that proposes “English will become a compulsory subject at the third grade [level] onward” is too late … Read more