Dear Dr. Linda, I’m in my second year of teaching, and I teach the second grade. Teaching vowels is one of the most challenging parts of my job. I’ve had many courses on the history of education and educational theories, but I never had a course simply on how to teach vowels. My Master’s degree…
Read MoreDear Dr. Linda, I was working with my son Colin on his homework. I became upset when I realized he had no idea what had been going on in class. I don’t know if it’s because he’s not listening or because the teacher is not explaining things well. Colin, a 7th grader had to fill…
Read MoreDear Dr. Linda, I’m not one to criticize—at least I try not to—so how do I tell my son and daughter-in-law and my granddaughter, a freshman in high school, that she needs to learn grammar? Her writing is atrocious! She speaks well but when I read her papers, I’m in shock. I’m not a retired…
Read MoreDear Dr. Linda, Our son Guy is in second grade and is still not reading. It’s the second half of the year and I’m really concerned. His teacher told me that he needs a good phonics program that follows Orton-Gillingham. Then I talked to my friend whose daughter has trouble with reading because she has…
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Dear Dr. Linda, My Mother, my next-door neighbor and I have been having an ongoing conversation about the merits of reading to toddlers every night before bed. Every evening, my mother read to me and my brother when we were little, and I have to say that we both enjoyed it. It was just part…
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