Kindergarten entrance exams?!?

  

It's that time of year again! School applications and re-enrollments are coming due - likely with large non-refundable deposits causing much fear, headache and anxiety. Fear not! It doesn’t have to be so stressful! “Shopping” for the school that is going to TRAIN your child for the next 14,274 hours of their elementary, middle and high school years should be done with extreme intention. (This is more awake hours with a teacher than with you by the way) Many people spend more time shopping for what kind of car they will buy over where they will send their child to be educated. Make no mistake Moms and Dads, school does not just educate your child in Reading, Writing and Mathematics, they are assisting in forming their WORLDVIEWS for the rest of their lives.  That being said, my biggest recommendation is to VISIT each school you are considering – public or private. Call and make an appointment for a tour with the Admissions Director or the Principal. It is very common to do this, your right as a parent and not a bother to them. That is why they are there! When you go on your tour, have a list of questions prepared reflecting what is important to YOU regarding the overall education of your child. Here is a sample that you can start with if you like!

1.    What is your school’s educational philosophy?

2.  What is the teacher-to-student ratio?

3.   Are the lead teachers credentialed? How long have they taught?

4.   Do you take parent requests for class placement?

5.   What interventions are there for struggling students?

6.    If my child has a hard time keeping up, how long would it take to get him/her assessed?

7.    If my child is advanced, how will he/she be challenged?

8.    What Special Area classes do you offer?

9.    What Language classes do you offer?

10.  How is information communicated to parents?

11.   How do students perform on standardized testing?

12. What opportunities are available for my child to express his/her beliefs?

13.  Do you have special education resources available?

14.   What curriculum do you use and am I able to “opt out” of it if I don’t personally agree with it for my child?

15.   What opportunities are there for my child to express his/her beliefs?

16.   Do you have assistants in the classroom? What are their qualifications?

17.   How much prep time does your staff have?

18.   How much instructional time is there during the day?

19.   When are core subjects taught?

20.       What types of service opportunities are there for my family?

21.        What kind of volunteer opportunities are there for parents?

22.      How do you monitor the playground? Deal with fighting/bullying?…

23.       How often do you fundraise and where do the funds go?

24.       What kind of enrichment classes are available?

25.       What athletics are available for elementary students?

26.        Do you provide before/after school child care?

27.        How does your school motivate children?

After spending time on numerous campus’ asking questions, watching, listening and picturing your child there (or not there!) you will most likely have a sense of peace where you see your FAMILY fitting in. Many of us still have friends from our elementary years and the same will hold true for your little person! What a huge and incredible responsibility we have as parents!

Be anxious for nothing, but by everything with prayer and supplication let your requests be made known to the Lord AND THEN the Peace that surpasses all understanding will guard your hears and your minds in Christ Jesus!

GO SHOPPING! 

My Story

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.


1 Peter 2:9-10

I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal savior when I was 5 years old and was baptized by my sweet dad at the age of 8.  My parents were faithful to teach me the Word of God laying a solid foundation in my life.  By high school I had rebelled against the Lord all the while knowing He was TRUTH, but not willing to obey or surrender to Him. This led to a path far from where the Lord wanted me. At the age of 21, my sister’s love for Jesus impacted my heart and I re-dedicated my life to Him. I WAS the story of the Prodigal – My Father ran to me and brought me home!  I was able to attend the Horizon School of Evangelism, go on numerous mission trips, and enter the BELOVED world of Christian Education as a teacher, administrator and now professor. God is So AMAZING! 

My sister Melissa that had led me back to the Lord was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and passed away. She had married Jeremy Camp just two and a half months prior so to say that we were all beyond devastated would not do the emotion justice. The world watched our family handle this great tragedy and the Lord’s faithfulness to carry us through. The Lord has used the death of my sister in numerous ways growing my faith daily. He has shown me the pricelessness of knowing Jesus personally giving me a  passion  to reach others for Him – especially HIS KIDS!. I have been blessed to share my testimony on many occasions during women’s ministry meetings, retreats, conferences, and other church or school events. I love telling our story. Each time I speak I am honored and humbled that the Lord would use me and am so grateful for the opportunity.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.


1 Peter 2:9-10

Sisters! 

JOY of JESUS through Chemotherapy 

You can read more about our story in Jeremy's Book - I Still Believe

Still my Brother in Law... His precious wife and dear friend Adie...

God's Faithfulness to bring JOY again to our family.. My parents and siblings along with my man!

Megan (my sister) Jeremy's girls and wife...

My greatest gifts!

Speaking from the Heavens...

Isn’t it amazing that the same God who created the heavens and the earth, the same God that organized the universe, the same God that allows nothing to happen without his permission  hears our hearts and knows the most intimate of details about our lives! Yesterday I was humbly reminded of this….

I was sitting in the cry room during church with Todd and Harper and the prayer before for the tithe came. Todd and I agreed on a number trusting and knowing that it is all Gods money anyways…. I wrote the check and slipped it in the velvet purse passing by. We got home after lunch and Todd brought the mail pile in. (Sometimes we leave it for a few days before we grab it!) I saw a simple envelope addressed to me, opened it and immediately had a tear run down my face. It was a check, only a check addressed to us for DOUBLE what we had just tithed. A school I have had the JOY of working with decided to send me a bit of a “bonus”. Little did they know they were used to again BUILD MY FAITH even stronger. So yes, my first thought was “I knew we should of tithed more!” but then my second took me to Malachi in the Old Testament where God DARES us to test Him with regards to our money. It is the ONLY place in all of scripture and the ONLY “dare” from the Lord…

“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, AND TRY ME NOW IN THIS” says the Lord of hosts “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough for you to receive it!”  Malachi 3:10

As I sit here writing, I ponder how the Lord runs the Universe and yet has time from the heavens to speak softly to my soul, I am in AWE of my God and the way in which He communicates to us assuring us that He is there, He loves us and He hears our hearts. 

Welcome to the World Harper Elle!

Hello there my dear friends! Forgive me for being out of the blogging world for a bit, I have missed it! BUT we are happy to announce the birth of our 2nd baby girl, Miss Harper Elle Dalton! She is the sweetest baby and I am loving being a Mommy of two sweet girls. Nothing better! Gracie absolutely adores Harper and my heart melts each time she joyfully greets her or eagerly bends down to give her yet another smooch!

During these past 4 short months, I find myself in a constant state of THANKS for my amazing husband. The Lord really knew how much I would need someone EXACTLY like him and I can't imagine sharing these moments with anyone else. 

Be assured, my mind is collecting ideas left and right and I have many a blogs to come! Can't wait to share them with you, but for now I am off to change a diaper, drink another cup of coffee and listen to Jana Alyra with my dear Gracie. 

Welcome to the World Baby Harper! 

Is My Child Ready for Kindergarten???

Yesterday I was able to do a presentation with Dr. Kush (my great boss!) to a lovely group of pre-school moms who are about to venture into the world of Kindergarten. I wanted to take some time to share some research based findings and tips with you regarding Kindergarten and the early childhood years!

The best advice I can give you is to do your homework and read the research! I want to provide you with some current research regarding the AGE your child should start Kindergarten. In California, the cut off has been 5 years old by December. That means that we have been sending 4 YEAR OLDS to Kindergarten! The state has recently CHANGED this because they were finding it to be disastrous as 18% of those kids were failing and not socially ready. The new law is now 5 years old by September 1st of which the state is going to take 3 years to move it back one month at a time.

Research tells us that:

oChildren who are older when they begin school have higher levels of academic achievement (i.e., higher scores on tests or higher grades received) than the younger children

 oChildren who are older when they begin school have more success in maintaining a regular progression from one grade level to the next than do their younger counterparts

oChildren who are older when they begin school achieve at a higher level than their younger peers in terms of grades and scores on scholastic tests.  These studies found persistent effects through grade 4, grade 6, and grade 10

oTeachers rate the performance of older children “better”, girls at a higher level, and older children as being more popular and exhibiting more socially acceptable behavior

Research also tells us that: 

• Children who are younger receive more referrals to psychological counseling that result from academic rather than behavioral (i.e., social or emotional) concerns

• Children who are younger have more difficulty with social skills.  This results in younger children being disliked and showing more aggression than their older counterparts.
• Children who are younger are not able to overcome a lower ranking throughout their elementary years.

Basically what this is telling us is that the MOST important factor in a child's success in school is what

age they are in relation to their peers in the class. My opinion is, even if your child is the tallest, smartest 

kid in your pre-school class, if he is the youngest, do not send him yet. Just wait. You won't regret it! In 

all my years of education, I have NEVER had a parent regret holding their child back for another year 

of pre-school or Kindergarten, BUT i have had countless parents regret sending them on or pushing

them forward knowing they were the younger of the bunch. Here's another thing to point out...if your 

child is relatively advanced for their age, that is wonderful and SO great for their self esteem. However, 

most kids all even out around 3rd, 4th and 5th grade. The early years are very developmental, some kids 

just "click" a little bit later - and that is OK! Don't get caught up in the race...let your kid be a kid, he will 

be fine! 

Most important thing is that your child LOVES learning and the school experience. You don't want to 

set your child up for having to tutor and spend hours doing homework at home just to try and "keep up" 

with their peers. (Absolutely no positive research for this by the way - only harmful). You also don't 

want them to be socially not ready for where their peers are at. Much bigger consequences here in my 

opinion.I have always urged parents to think about their child in 5, 10, and 15 years. How old do you

want them to be when you send them off to college? Do you want them to be the last in their class to get 

their driver's license? The smallest on the football team? No. Of course not, but the age at which you 

start Kindergarten affects all of that. 

An excellent book to read on this subject is OUTLIERS, The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell.

I HIGHLY recommend it. I find that Dads especially enjoy this one. A MUST read! Ok, so don't worry 

about what your friends are doing, your sister,  your neighbors, ....just know what is best for YOUR 

family and for YOUR child...nothing else matters! Put the flashcards away, stop studying for your 

Kindergarten entrance exams and go to the park - play, explore, and have fun with your precious little 

people! They will soon be driving off to college. :( 

Get out there and Play!

Heather 

The Wedding Day

So my sweet Husband and I celebrated our 2nd Wedding Anniversary yesterday! I know, two years -we made it! :) Obviously, I am in no position to write articles on marriage - most would laugh at the thought with only 2 years under our belt. 

We watched our wedding video together last night and it was a precious thing to do together. In the midst of babies and cleaning and working and pregnancy and Christmas parties and decorating and laundry and scheduling and emails and phone calls and cooking and planning and.... it was so peaceful to just sit and reflect on the JOY of that day. 

Someone I love and respect told me that every year on their anniversary they watch their wedding video... I can see why. A tradition has been born in our home! 

I Love My Husband, 

Happy Wife

Love for Learning vs. Desire for Cheating

Sweet Fans in the Front Row

I had the absolute pleasure yesterday to speak to hundreds of teachers at the ACSI Teachers Convention in Anaheim. For those that were there, thanks so much for coming, it was a JOY to see your smiling face in the crowd! My presentation was titled, "Motivating Kids, Change Your Life and Theirs". It was beyond encouraging to see so many teachers desiring practical tips to encourage and motivate their students. They have caught on to the secret - motivating kids is the most POWERFUL tool we have as teachers and parents resulting in happy, confident kids that LOVES LEARNING! 

I was speaking to a friend who along with her husband has successfully raised 3 beautiful children. All their kids (who I used to babysit!) are very successful with thriving careers and opportunities in front of them. And they are happy! She told me that as parents they never 'pushed' their kids or put 'pressure' on them, they simply fostered in them a LOVE FOR LEARNING. How simple! They wanted their kids to be able to THINK and LEARN for themselves, not just "pass a test" or "get into the right college". Amazing thing is, they accomplished all those things in the process! 

In the movie, Race to Nowhere which I HIGHLY recommend for all you parents and teachers out there, they share some staggering statistics from recent research studies. One of the most shocking is 40% of all college freshman across the country have to take remedial classes as they are not prepared for the basic freshman level courses at the University level. Why is this? Well because they are ALL CHEATING! Another statistic shared is that today between 75 and 98% of college students surveyed report cheating their way through high school. So this straight A student gets to college and all of a sudden they are required to THINK and apply the information they have supposedly learned, but they can't. Why? Because they haven't really learned anything, they have just "beat the system".

I was in a staff meeting about a year ago with a room full of professors from Point Loma Nazarene University. A discussion started about the shift they have seen in their students over the last 10-15 years. Students are saying things now like, "What exactly do I have to know for the test", "Will this be on the test?", "How many paragraphs does it have to be", "Can you send me your notes and any thing I can do for extra credit since I will be missing class..." Our kids are becoming so conditioned to produce what WE want from them that we are stifling their ability to learn. 

What can we do to make sure our kids don't fall into this? Here are some suggestions!

• Model your love for learning and teach them every chance you get - when you drive, clean, go on walks, go to the store, travel, when going out to eat, when shopping.... Use EVERYTHING as an opportunity for learning! 
• READ to your kids everyday! Let them see the power and joy that is in a book! Read them books that are above their level and leave them "hanging" until the next day when you pick the book back up again. (The Narnia series is a favorite for many!) 
• We know that enhanced effort enhances achievement. So focus on your kids EFFORTS and not their grades. Let them know that all that matters is that they do their "best". When a child races through a workbook page or assignment, have them point out their best work and what they could do better. Then PRAISE their efforts. (Take the focus off of the race to finish and on to a passion for excellence!) 
• Don't allow for "homework time" to be a fighting crying nightmare. Find out what motivates YOUR child and do whatever you can to MOTIVATE them during this time! I have tons of ideas on this one, I will post it later or you can email me. Some of my favorites though - have a nice quiet place that they do their homework at everyday. Be consistent with WHEN you do homework in your house. Set a timer for them, have all their supplies for them, pencils, crayons, paper, water, apples, snacks.... Let them know when the "timer" goes off or when they are done what FUN activity awaits them! And please please please don't let your junior higher do their homework in their room by themselves with a computer and phone. Not a good idea. More info to come on that one. 

I have seen kids be TRANSFORMED by doing some of the things listed above. I have known kids that hated school, cried all the time before going, had tummy aches, begged not to go. Might of looked like this: 

Same kid, different environment and strategies applied - they LOVED school and couldn't wait to get there everyday, loved reading, loved doing their homework. They fell in love with learning! And their parents couldn't be happier! 

It's on us to figure out how to motivate our kids, not on them...and most kids are pretty easy to figure out if you work at it. 

So get after it, change YOUR life and THEIRS! 

Happy Thanksgiving Friends