By Sarah Vander Schaaff A few years ago when my youngest child would not sleep, I looked for help. The honeymoon of “sleeping like a baby” had ended abruptly at four months, and after more than a year of frustration, I turned to almost every doctor I could think of. “Is it her eczema?” I asked a dermatologist. “Is it a food allergy?” I asked an allergist. “Is it her teeth?” I asked a pediatric dentist. They did tests; we changed our diets; we re-read the sleep-training books; we bought softer sheets for her crib. We did everything we could think of. Still, I asked: why does she spend more time crying than sleeping each night? Finally, a pediatrician said,… Read More

By Sarah Vander Schaaff This week, I’m sharing a blog I wrote a few years ago with a math teacher who has “seen it all.” And by that I mean, she’s seen what happens when the students she taught all year show up the following fall. Some have kept their skills sharp or even advanced them, and others, not so much. Many of her students, most of whom have learning differences, benefit from summer school. Others find integrating math into day-to-day activities is enough to maintain math skills. We hope you find her advice useful, and as with all things, frame it in the context of your own child’s needs. Questions for our Teacher on Summer Math: 1. Any thoughts you wish parents and students… Read More