This Mom Told Me.......
Ask A Teacher
Hi, my name is Pam and this is one of my kids, Jacob. I am the creator of this website.
I am so excited to bring information to moms and to learn from them as well. I am a
former teacher with a Bachelors Degree in Speech Pathology from Michigan State and a Masters Degree from The University of Illinois at Chicago in Elementary Education.
I taught 5th grade for four years and taught 3rd grade for half of a year. I miss it, but I am,
lucky to be home with my kids right now. This site has given me back some of that
teacher joy. This page is for you to ask questions to me regarding anything school
related. I will post the question and answer on this page as they come in. If I can't
answer it, I will give you a place to find your answer.
All you have to do is fill out the form below with just a first name and your question.
Elizabeth from Austin wanted to
know how to choose a tutor.
Jaylynn from South Carolina wanted to know how you can practice math facts without using just flashcards.
When I taught I did not really suggest flashcards that often, although for some kids they work fine. I always used a regular deck of cards with my kids and we played games like war. Who ever has the bigger or smaller number wins. You can also make it in to addition, subtraction or multiplication. Two card are flipped, whomever said the sum, difference or product first wins the cards. My kids enjoyed this a lot.
I also used computer programs like Math Magic, where you are timed on the computer and each time my kids tried to get one second better. It also let you print a certificate each time. The other thing I might suggest is finding a good math website that has different games based on math facts. You can try a few and see what your child likes. All kids are different and work differently.
I am so excited to bring information to moms and to learn from them as well. I am a
former teacher with a Bachelors Degree in Speech Pathology from Michigan State and a Masters Degree from The University of Illinois at Chicago in Elementary Education.
I taught 5th grade for four years and taught 3rd grade for half of a year. I miss it, but I am,
lucky to be home with my kids right now. This site has given me back some of that
teacher joy. This page is for you to ask questions to me regarding anything school
related. I will post the question and answer on this page as they come in. If I can't
answer it, I will give you a place to find your answer.
All you have to do is fill out the form below with just a first name and your question.
Elizabeth from Austin wanted to
know how to choose a tutor.
This is a tough one for moms. I know that there is so much pressure to get kids tutored.
This often makes moms think they should pay anything to anyone who might be able to help. A few tips I would suggest are:
1. Know exactly what your child need help with. Just saying
reading or math is to broad. Talk with your child's teacher and get some specifics.
2. Make sure you tell the tutor exactly what you want them to do.
3. Ask for updates on how your child did each time you pick them up.
I would also tell you that a teacher tutoring your child at a home or the library should
really not charge more than $40.00. Average is $35.00 for 1 hour. If it is a lot more, you need to know why. If the problem is a specialty and the tutor has exceptional education
in that area, then maybe it would cost more. Otherwise, do not let tutors charge you anything they want. If you use a big name business like Huntington or Score for example, you will pay a lot more, because the overhead for those businesses is high. This is not to say they can't be helpful, but if you find the right one on one situation it can help a ton and cost not break your wallet.
One last thing I would suggest is that you get referrals from friends who have used
a tutor so you have an idea of who does a good job. Moms word of mouth is huge here!
This often makes moms think they should pay anything to anyone who might be able to help. A few tips I would suggest are:
1. Know exactly what your child need help with. Just saying
reading or math is to broad. Talk with your child's teacher and get some specifics.
2. Make sure you tell the tutor exactly what you want them to do.
3. Ask for updates on how your child did each time you pick them up.
I would also tell you that a teacher tutoring your child at a home or the library should
really not charge more than $40.00. Average is $35.00 for 1 hour. If it is a lot more, you need to know why. If the problem is a specialty and the tutor has exceptional education
in that area, then maybe it would cost more. Otherwise, do not let tutors charge you anything they want. If you use a big name business like Huntington or Score for example, you will pay a lot more, because the overhead for those businesses is high. This is not to say they can't be helpful, but if you find the right one on one situation it can help a ton and cost not break your wallet.
One last thing I would suggest is that you get referrals from friends who have used
a tutor so you have an idea of who does a good job. Moms word of mouth is huge here!
Jaylynn from South Carolina wanted to know how you can practice math facts without using just flashcards.
When I taught I did not really suggest flashcards that often, although for some kids they work fine. I always used a regular deck of cards with my kids and we played games like war. Who ever has the bigger or smaller number wins. You can also make it in to addition, subtraction or multiplication. Two card are flipped, whomever said the sum, difference or product first wins the cards. My kids enjoyed this a lot.
I also used computer programs like Math Magic, where you are timed on the computer and each time my kids tried to get one second better. It also let you print a certificate each time. The other thing I might suggest is finding a good math website that has different games based on math facts. You can try a few and see what your child likes. All kids are different and work differently.
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This Mom Told Me..
Glen Ellyn, Illinois
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