Recent Articles
When a teen comes out
Zach Lundin considers himself lucky. It was relatively easy, he says, to tell his parents he was gay. His folks are open-minded, and Zach's a student at Lakeside School, an independent school in north Seattle that celebrates diversity and emphasizes acceptance and tolerance. What's more, Zach ad
Read More »A heart for the arts
For years, when teacher Lynn Eisenhauer encountered a struggling student, she could count on one way to help that kid connect: music. A former high-school choir teacher, Eisenhauer found that if she could lure a kid in the door to sing, she could eventually motivate him in his academics. Toda
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Etiquette Eases Growing Pains for Tweens and Teens
Carefully, painstakingly, the 12-year-olds are practicing their etiquette with the fine art of eating imaginary soup. There is much to remember: It is impolite to blow on the soup in your spoon because you do not wish to blow it onto your dining partner. To avoid the hot soup at the bottom of the b
Read More »Keeping track 'a process' for middle schoolers
We've all been through it -- a big school assignment that's forgotten until the morning it's due, the scramble for sports gear when it's time to leave for practice, homework that somehow disappears before it gets turned in. Let's face it: Being organized is hard work, especially if you're a pre-tee
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'Getting College Ready' tips for teens
Getting School Ready, a column that typically focuses on a child's readiness for kindergarten and grade school, is taking a leap this month. We're going to zip right past the early years and land squarely at the university door. Let's call it Getting College Ready. The irony is, getting ready for
Read More »AVID program reclaims forgotten students
Our schools are filled with them: kids who show up, hand in most assignments and drift through the day without making waves or turning heads. This "forgotten middle," found in all regional, ethnic and economic groups, seldom advancing to higher education, was largely ignored until 1980, when San
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Math and Science SMART!
When ParentMap’s education expert Linda Morgan agreed to let us reprint part of her forthcoming book, Beyond Smart: Boosting Your Child’s Social, Emotional, and Academic Potential, we jumped at the chance. After all, Morgan — when she’s not raking in awards for journalistic excellence — spends her d
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Helping your ADHD teen
Got a kid? Then you’ve also got a built-in emotional Wi-Fi system. We telegraph our emotions to our kids. Brain scanning studies have demonstrated that our brains convey and “catch” emotions from one another all the time. The normal level of moodiness, emotional reactivity and risk taking that accom
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