Ideas to Inspire

As a parent, I must admit that although I provide my kids with a plethora of reading materials, that doesn’t always ensure that they will read. When the day is winding down, I will readily admit that as long as they answer “yes” to my question, “did you do your reading?,” then I am satisfied that my daily parental obligations have been met.

Can I guarantee that they’ve read their prescribed 20 minutes, 30 minutes? No. But although I am not a math person, this mathematical parable of why kids MUST read for 20 minutes makes perfect sense to me. I’m sharing the link with you below, parent to parent.

Why it’s important to read for at least 20 minutes

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

President Obama’s message to the students was about working hard, despite the struggles and obstacles. The onus goes back to the students. If they work hard and succeed, we all succeed.

Some resources:

Full text of Obama’s speech

CNN video excerpt of Obama’s speech

If you want to help your child when they’re not in school, check out these educational iPhone apps. Hey, it’s better than them using your phone to play Paper Toss or Bubble Wrap while they’re waiting for dinner. Here’s the link:

http://www.accreditedonlinecolleges.org/blog/2009/100-most-educational-iphone-apps/

Of course I’m so pake, that I checked to see if they had free versions of any of the suggestions because that’s the only thing I was going to put on my own iPhone.

I think overall the reviews are pretty insightful on iTunes, and if it’s FREE99, even better!!