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February 10, 2011
Teachers are People Too 13
by Kathryn Young Thompson
Blog: 
Mom Congress
I don’t drink alcohol.  I never have.  But, and this next part is shocking, I have several adult friends who imbibe from time to time.  And I still socialize with them and let my kids play at their houses, where who knows what kind of wine-tasting debauchery occurs. 

Now this part might freak you out, especially if you’re a high school principal from Georgia, but some of my friends who occasionally drink alcohol are teachers and they interact with CHILDREN and yet I still allow my kids to attend school. Read More

February 9, 2011
iPads in Schools – A Solution or a Distraction?
by Kathryn Young Thompson
Blog: 
Mom Congress
© Photo by Motionblur for Flickr.com (CC Licensed)
From New York City to Singapore, iPads are being heralded as the tools of the future, replacing textbooks and offering innovative applications for learning.  However, the jury’s still out on whether the devices will be used in a way that transforms education for the better. Read More
February 8, 2011
New Study Adds Weight to the Call for Healthier School Lunches
by Kathryn Young Thompson
Blog: 
Mom Congress
© Flickr user bookgrl
When it comes to school reform, some people think we have bigger fish to fry than fried fish and greasy tater tots, that talk of healthier school lunches is just a distraction from What Really Matters. Read More
February 7, 2011
Resistance for the Food Revolution 1
by Kathryn Young Thompson
Blog: 
Mom Congress
© Amazon.com
Would you allow a TV reality show crew into your child's school in hopes of improving her lunchtime nutrition?

Every revolution faces some resistance and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution is no exception.  After weeks of fighting to get inside Los Angeles schools to film the second season of his Emmy-winning reality show, it looks like he finally got in… until he was kicked out.  After two weeks of filming, Oliver’s filming permit has been terminated by the district whose representative says he failed to submit a proposal about his plans to officials.  Read More

February 4, 2011
Tease-Proof Your Kids – Let’s Practice Looking Cool Together 5
by Kathryn Young Thompson
Blog: 
Mom Congress
© Photo courtesy of Elin Young
Could I really have avoided my junior high bullying woes if I'd only learned these two simple tricks twenty years ago? Read More
February 3, 2011
Clamping down on cyberbullies
by Liza Weidle
Blog: 
Mom Congress
Johnston County Sheriff's office arrested Justin Ray Jackson, 17, (pictured on the left) and Joshua Aarron Temple, 18, (pictured on the right) and charged them with misdemeanor cyberbullying.
© Johnston County Sheriff's office
Seeing the mug shots of two teenagers who live close to my community charged with cyberbullying is heartbreaking. Parents need to be aware of the laws in their state and to continually monitor their child’s online activity. Sameer Hinduja, Associate Professor at Florida Atlantic University, and Justin W. Patchin, Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin‐Eau Claire, update state laws on a regular basis and provide the latest information  on causes, and consequences of cyberbullying among adolescents.  Hinduja and Patchin say, cyberbullying can be defined as "willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices.” Read More
February 3, 2011
Is There Mercy in Our Justice System? 1
by Kathryn Young Thompson
Blog: 
Mom Congress
© YouTube.com
There just might be some mercy for Kelley Williams-Bolar, a mom from Akron, Ohio who was jailed recently for falsifying records in order to send her children to a better school.  Ohio governor John Kasich issued a statement on Tuesday stating that his legal team is looking into the matter because the case really “struck” him.  Read More
February 2, 2011
Parents are Already Being Graded – Do We Really Need to Formalize It? 11
by Kathryn Young Thompson
Blog: 
Mom Congress
© morguefile.com
I got a form letter from the principal’s office letting me know that Laylee had been marked tardy 11 times in the first half of the school year.  It said that I wasn’t living up to my “parental responsibilities” and threatened legal action. Read More
February 1, 2011
Let’s Figure This Out Together 3
by Kathryn Young Thompson
Blog: 
Mom Congress
© Photo Courtesy of Kathryn Thompson
How can you know everything all the time?  I’m starting to realize you can’t.  For about a month last year I became super passionate about education reform.  My daughter Laylee wasn’t being challenged enough in her first grade class.  I heard Jeff Raikes, the CEO of the Gates Foundation, give an excellent speech on the need for improved schools.  I watched Waiting for Superman.  I was all fired up.

However, the deeper I got into trying to figure out what could be done to fix the education system in this country, the more education reform seemed like a giant game of Pickup Sticks.  So many aspects of education depend intimately on crisscrossing enigmatic factors.  If you move the wrong one, the whole thing can come toppling down. Read More

January 28, 2011
Arne Duncan Shares Some Mom Congress Love!
by Victoria at Parenting
Blog: 
Mom Congress
© en.wikipedia.org

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan sat down yesterday for a live, interactive chat to further address some of the education issues President Obama discussed in his State of the Union Address earlier this week. 

When asked how this administration’s plans for education reform differ from the controversial No Child Left Behind legislation, Duncan acknowledged the essential role moms play in this conversation – and calls his speaking engagement at the Mom Congress conference one of his favorites of the year.   Read More

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