Tag Archives: Parents as Teachers

How do you create a legacy?

It’s always rewarding to do good work, but it’s especially rewarding to know you’ve contributed to a greater good.

Parents as Teachers looked very different when I came here 13 years ago! I am extremely proud of the organization it has become and appreciate beyond words the opportunity I was given to lead the communication efforts that helped achieve so much.

One of my colleagues shared a delightful holiday card she received out of the blue from a family she visited as a Parents as Teachers parent educator a decade ago. They still remember how she touched their lives.

Never doubt that you are having an impact!

2013 opens new opportunities for all of us. I will be moving on to apply my skills in other ways; others will be picking up the torch here and continuing to impact countless numbers of lives in exciting and positive ways. Please continue your support for Parents as Teachers.

Opportunity

Onward! New opportunities await.

Photo used under Creative Commons license via Scott Wills photostream.
Advertisement

Does more classroom time = more learning?

More time in school

Does more classroom time = more learning?

Students in five states—Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Tennessee—will spend more time in the classroom starting next year. It’s part of an effort to improve math and science learning and increase exposure to arts and music, two areas often eliminated by education budget cuts.

Officials, including Education Secretary Arne Duncan, expect that more classroom time will lead to more learning. This news comes on the tails of two reports earlier this week that U.S. students lag behind their peers in other countries in math and science.

But will logging 300 more classroom hours annually do the trick? Or would those federal, state and district dollars funding this three-year pilot be more effective supporting early education efforts getting children ready to really learn when they start kindergarten?!

“What’s remarkable is that in all the countries, this concept of an early start is there over and over again,” said Michael O. Martin of the International Study Center which authored one of the reports. “You can get the early childhood experience in a variety of ways, but it’s important you get it.”

Dr. Edward Zigler, renown Yale researcher, agrees in his study of Parents as Teachers.

“This study says those states that wait to start early childhood education until age 4 are making a huge mistake…by starting at birth, Parents as Teachers starts at just the right time.” 

happybaby

Do you have a professional development plan?

Teachers have it. So do doctors, dentists, engineers, lawyers and financial planners. It’s a plan to maintain and upgrade your professional expertise to not only stay on top of your game but to ensure your students/patients/clients are receiving the very best advice and expertise.

The New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants offers these suggestions when it comes to creating a career roadmap. If your field is early childhood, shouldn’t your professional development plan include something similar?

PAT_Knowledge Studio_pms

The Knowledge Studio powered by Parents as Teachers is a special division of Parents as Teachers that offers specialized curricula and training—both online and face-to-face—in a variety of topic-specific areas for any professional working with children and families. These à la carte options take into account your learning style, time and budget and allow you to come back time and again to add expertise to your learning portfolio.

Which of these topic areas could add new skills to your portfolio?