Elementary Education News » Parental Education http://elementaryeducationnews.com News to Help Your Children's Educational Success From Around the Web Tue, 19 Apr 2011 04:47:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 en hourly 1 Let’s Get Ready To Celebrate Babble’s Top 50 Mompreneurs of 2011! http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2011/02/08/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-to-celebrate-babble%e2%80%99s-top-50-mompreneurs-of-2011/ http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2011/02/08/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-to-celebrate-babble%e2%80%99s-top-50-mompreneurs-of-2011/#comments Tue, 08 Feb 2011 09:00:17 +0000 El Ed Mom http://elementaryeducationnews.com/?p=459 What an honor!!  I am so humbled to be included in this list of amazing Mompreneurs like Julie Aigner Clark, Heather Armstrong, Daniele Ayotte, Julie Dix, Dr. Amy Baxter, Jenny Ford and included with so many great friends like Lucinda Cross, Lisa Druxman, Debbie Glickman and Hannah Keeley…WOW!  Who is your favorite?  Or nominate your favorite Mompreneur at http://www.babble.com/mom/work-family/best-moms-entrepreneurship-how-to-start-a-business-with-baby/

]]> http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2011/02/08/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-to-celebrate-babble%e2%80%99s-top-50-mompreneurs-of-2011/feed/ 0 Let’s Get Ready to enter Mom Congress 2011 http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2011/01/24/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-to-enter-mom-congress-2011/ http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2011/01/24/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-to-enter-mom-congress-2011/#comments Mon, 24 Jan 2011 11:00:55 +0000 El Ed Mom http://elementaryeducationnews.com/?p=455 Do you know of a deserving mom who is passionate about education?  If so please nominate her for the 2011 Mom Congress and join me in Washington DC in April to meet Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan!  Mom Congress has changed my life! Please pass this amazing gift forward and enter before 1/31/11

http://www.parenting.com/forward?path=node%2F123833

]]> http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2011/01/24/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-to-enter-mom-congress-2011/feed/ 0 Let’s Get Ready for Mayo Clinic http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2011/01/23/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-for-mayo-clinic/ http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2011/01/23/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-for-mayo-clinic/#comments Sun, 23 Jan 2011 16:55:44 +0000 El Ed Mom http://elementaryeducationnews.com/?p=453 I am traveling to Mayo Clinic with my Mom this week for her Colon Cancer but we will be watching our beloved Packers take on those Bears!

Go Pack Go!

And if the Packers win on Sunday….

Let’s Get Ready For The SuperBowl

Congratulations to my Green Bay Packers

]]> http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2011/01/23/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-for-mayo-clinic/feed/ 0 Let’s Get Ready For Parents as Teachers! http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/11/08/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-for-parents-as-teachers/ http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/11/08/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-for-parents-as-teachers/#comments Mon, 08 Nov 2010 12:10:45 +0000 El Ed Mom http://elementaryeducationnews.com/?p=437 I am in St. Louis today talking about getting ready for Kindergarten at the Parents as Teachers Conference.  Parents you are your child’s first and foremost teacher and this organization is a great resource for you! Check it out:  www.parentsasteachers.org

]]> http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/11/08/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-for-parents-as-teachers/feed/ 0 Let’s Get Ready To VOTE TODAY! http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/11/02/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-to-vote-today/ http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/11/02/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-to-vote-today/#comments Tue, 02 Nov 2010 09:00:16 +0000 El Ed Mom http://elementaryeducationnews.com/?p=435 I take every Election Day very seriously and am proud to exercise my freedom to vote.  Since I was 18, I have missed one Spring Election during college and one Primary Election during the early years of marriage; both to the flu.  Do you realize more people in this country vote for American Idol and Dancing with the Stars than vote in our elections?  Please don’t stand on the sidelines; think of all those military heroes who have serviced or who have died for your right to cast your vote.  I do understand that folks are upset that those who spend the most money on advertising…win!  It’s the same way in the world of business…the large national brands have more money to spend on advertising than small mom solo entrepreneurial businesses such as mine; but I am proof that you can have a national presence without a national marketing budget!  However, it’s the hypocrisy in education that kills me…one minute our education system is strapped to the bone and the next our educational leaders still find the ways and means to spend millions and millions on political advertisements and many of those advertisements are the exact opposite of their zero tolerance bullying tone…please every vote does count, make your voice heard!

]]> http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/11/02/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-to-vote-today/feed/ 0 Let’s Get Ready To Stop Morning Mania! http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/10/25/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-to-stop-morning-mania/ http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/10/25/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-to-stop-morning-mania/#comments Mon, 25 Oct 2010 11:00:59 +0000 El Ed Mom http://elementaryeducationnews.com/?p=431 Does it always have to be just another manic Monday? Well, stop wishing it were a Sunday and let Amy McCready, founder of Positive Parenting Solutions, help you get a grip on your family’s morning routine and quash the counterproductive chaos.  Seriously those manic mornings can take a toll on your own mood and productivity; Amy has some great tips in her appearance with The Today Show’s Katie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb to help with your morning routine:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/39778257#39778257

]]> http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/10/25/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-to-stop-morning-mania/feed/ 0 Let’s Get Ready For My Oprah ‘Waiting For ‘Superman’” Film Review: http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/10/08/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-for-my-oprah-%e2%80%98waiting-for-%e2%80%98superman%e2%80%99%e2%80%9d-film-review/ http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/10/08/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-for-my-oprah-%e2%80%98waiting-for-%e2%80%98superman%e2%80%99%e2%80%9d-film-review/#comments Fri, 08 Oct 2010 09:00:53 +0000 El Ed Mom http://elementaryeducationnews.com/?p=407 As many of you know I was so blessed to be invited to the screening of the documentary, “Waiting for ‘Superman’” about our educational crisis in America.  Since I was meeting face-to-face, for the first time, the amazing Louise Sattler, @Louiseasl for a “Girl’s Night Out” in Chicago and since she picked the magic dates, it was only fitting that she was my guest to our Oprah Experience!  The screening took place inside the famous HARPO studio on Sept. 23 and the following morning,

we were inside the live studio audience for the reaction to “Waiting for ‘Superman’”. 

This is a must see for every parent, student who is old enough to watch a PG rated move, teacher, educator, administrator involved in education!!  This film illustrates that our potential success, the future of prosperity in American and generations to come is in crisis.  Warning:  the film from Davis Guggenheim, the maker of “An Inconvenient Truth” shares the grim and depressing news that our current public educational system has been failing since 1970 and spending more and more money has not made any significant difference!   It fuels the debate on whether it was our failing schools that lead to the downfall of our neighborhoods or was it the downfall of our neighborhoods that lead to our failing schools?

Guggenheim shares the plight of five compelling children who are hungry and eager to learn but stuck inside the walls of a failing public school.  We learn the heart-breaking saga of Anthony, Daisy, Bianca, Emily and Francisco. They all have dreams and goals.  They all agree escaping public schools is the only option for each of them to succeed.  The film also highlights renegade reformer and Superman, Geoffrey Canada, who tried and failed to change the public school system.  So he started his own Charter School, The Harlem Children’s Zone, where his educators start with a child and family at birth and stay with them until they graduate from college.  We are also introduced to the KIPP Academy, another successful Charter School but we are also told in the movie that many Charter Schools are also failing schools.  We meet another superhero, Michelle Rhee and her battle to change the system by cutting the central office and firing bad principals and teachers who were ineffective inside an already failing system.  She found education to be more about the needs of the adults.  Michelle Rhee’s days are numbered at the top of DC’s public schools. Soon she will be another victim of a system who is resistance to eliminating bad tenured teachers and moving to a pay for performance incentive for teachers to excel.  The educational system believes that no teacher should be left behind regardless of performance.  

As a student inside a public school in America, maybe you are not surprised by these finding because you have already seen those cracks in education inside your own school.  Maybe you have had more than a few horrible teachers, been tested on things no one ever took the time to teach, or have seen your favorite teacher disrupted and overwhelmed by the same three kids who should have been suspended years ago!  Maybe you are that teacher who is tired of trying to reform a system that is intolerant of change or maybe you work with that teacher who is stumping those 25 minds in math leaving them 6 months behind grade level? 

You can’t go by what the critics have said about this movie because many have inconveniently missed the truth about “Waiting for ‘Superman’”.  Many fabulous educators have tried to change the system.  They couldn’t because the top tiers of education, those who are paid the most to care about education, care more about protecting their own jobs.  They have enabled a powerful ally in the teachers union with the stance all teachers should be protected regardless of performance.  Thus Guggenheim’s agenda is simple:  to create a firestorm so hot that it smolders and burns down the current failing and crumbling foundation of education.  The goal is that failure is not an option and we need an uprising so big that change is the only solution.  It is not about teacher bashing it is about a system that needs to crumble from the top. 

The only way for Guggenheim to succeed in his quest for change was to keep it simple.  He did.  The film does not get into the politics of the issues; it is not about blaming teachers but a system that is set up to fail; the fight between public and charter; the need for special needs; teaching to each child; healthy lunches; exercising during gym; national standards on the table that are still immeasurable; and endless other areas that are all important issues in education.  Had the film introduced all the issues the masses would have had a field day debating these issues instead of fighting as a united force and a catalyst for change starting at the top of education.

The Oprah Show audience was made up of parents, teachers and school administrators many electrified, outraged and on fire for change! As Cory Booker, Newark, New Jersey Mayor said best, every day as children recite the pledge of allegiance in schools across this nation they are not telling the truth as they end the pledge: with liberty and justice for all.  Where is the justice that the success of our kids will be determined by the bounce of a lottery ball?

I cried at the injustice of living in the greatest country in the world, in the land of freedom and opportunity, yet the hypocrisy for these families and millions more comes down to a bounce of a ball? In the film, Anthony has the best odds of that lottery ball being his ticket out of his failing public school.  He is among 64 kids who vie for 24 spots and Francisco has the worst odds with 792 applicants for 40 spots.  Francisco’s mom broke my heart when she said, “That ball could mean the difference between my son graduating from college or going to jail.”  It is actually cheaper on the taxpayer’s burden to send a child to college that it is to send them to jail.  We owe it to our bottom line to help all children succeed. 

We have enabled this to happen by being compliant and by allowing the inside of our classrooms to become stripped of power and personnel; breaking the foundation of learning and adding more layers to insulate the top tiers of education. The fate of our country will not be decided on a foreign battlefield it will be determined in a battle over who controls the classroom.  Many leaders such as Bill Gates believe that if we continue to settle for failing schools we will not be providing competitive skilled workers to operate in the highest paying jobs in our country changing our world dominance. This move has already been happening in the leadership positions in Corporate America; those highest paid American jobs in America are not being filled with Americans.  

So what does that mean for your future, your schools future and the future of America? The movie says we can’t wait for Superman.  We have to all rise up and be mini super heroes inside each and every school across our great land. How can we unite students, parents and caregivers, along with teacher and educators who want change?  We have to work together to revamp education and put the power back inside our classrooms.  What are you willing to do?  Are you willing to move from the sidelines and take action by working within your own school to demand change? The only solution is for the students, the parents and caregivers and the educators to all come together with a united voice and demand change!

As was announced on Oprah’s show, it has galvanized Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Democratic Newark Mayor, Cory Booker to put politics aside to start from the bottom and build a model for the rest of the nation to follow.  Facebook Founder, Mark Zuckerberg likes it and has agreed to donate $100 million to inspire others to get involved.  So here is another opportunity for you to be involved, how would you structure education in this New Jersey Public School model and why not find a sponsor for your school to excel your students to the top of the global map?  Or are you waiting for ‘Superman’…?

]]> http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/10/08/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-for-my-oprah-%e2%80%98waiting-for-%e2%80%98superman%e2%80%99%e2%80%9d-film-review/feed/ 0 Let’s Get Ready To Get Rid of Too Sexy for our Kids! http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/09/02/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-to-get-rid-of-too-sexy-for-our-kids/ http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/09/02/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-to-get-rid-of-too-sexy-for-our-kids/#comments Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:00:51 +0000 El Ed Mom http://elementaryeducationnews.com/?p=384 Moms, we need your help again! Are you frustrated, like me, by companies like Abercrombie & Fitch who seem to think that too sexy is right for our kids and teens?  I called to complain and they said the Managers don’t take complaints — must be too busy surfing the web to find nude inspiration or maybe playing Farmville?? I love www.onemillionmoms.com who think like I do!!

Abercrombie and Filth
August 26, 2010

Abercrombie and Fitch continues to push the envelope and now has become more p*rnographic than ever before. A & F’s p*rnographic posters are desensitizing our youth which can lead to addiction and destruction. They are ignoring parents’ concerns and have outdone themselves by printing images which are more graphic than in years past.

A & F’s s*xually explicit posters have images of models posing n*de with parts blurred out, full rear n*dity of a male and men and women with clothes barely covering themselves wadded up so you can tell nothing about the article of clothing they are attempting to sell. These posters will shock, embarrass and potentially hurt the teens they hope to profit from. This type of marketing is damaging to our youth since so many struggle with self-esteem issues which can lead to obsession, eating disorders and depression as well as addiction. The destruction continues in the A & F Quarterly which is published with more s*xual imagery. (* used to bypass internet filters.)

OMM has received numerous complaints from our members over Abercrombie and Fitch’s new ads and store displays. Even though the company has blocked our emails in the past, we will not give up. We will call their corporate office and voice our concerns. We know from past experiences that calling may take a few more minutes of your time, but it will be time well spent. We have found from past experience that we have been successful in doing this and that most of you have no problem in giving your opinion to a retailer that is displaying nasty images to make a buck.

TAKE ACTION

Call Abercrombie and Fitch’s corporate office at 1-614-283-6500 & press #3 & #4 or you can press 0. If you get the recording asking you to email them, then just call back to get the menu to talk to someone. (The email address given came back as undeliverable for OMM since they block us.)

Then ask, “As a mother and a member of OneMillionMoms.com, I would like to know why your ads and posters have images of models posing n*de if you are in the market to sell clothes?” Let A & F know that if they do not remove these outrageous posters from their stores immediately, then as a parent this Christmas Season you will not be shopping in their stores (A & F, abercrombie Kids, Gilly Hicks and Hollister’s) for your family’s Christmas gifts. This type of marketing is ridiculous and we want answers. They can block our emails, but they can’t keep us quiet.

Sincerely,

Monica Cole, Director
www.OneMillionMoms.com

]]> http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/09/02/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-to-get-rid-of-too-sexy-for-our-kids/feed/ 0 Interview with Stacey Kannenberg by Britt Michaelian from the The Work Smart Mompreneurs Blog http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/08/26/interview-with-stacey-kannenberg-by-britt-michaelian-from-the-the-work-smart-mompreneurs-blog/ http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/08/26/interview-with-stacey-kannenberg-by-britt-michaelian-from-the-the-work-smart-mompreneurs-blog/#comments Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:00:28 +0000 El Ed Mom http://elementaryeducationnews.com/?p=376 stacey3

Stacey Kannenberg
Fredonia, WI

Astrological Sign: LEO

# of children: 2

Ages: 11 &  9

Favorite Business Book: Anything by Authors Tamara Monosoff or Joyce Bone

Favorite Family Book: The Dream is Clear to Believe is the Reward – Mike Kannenberg

Favorite Quote: Winners never quit and quitters never win! Vince Lombardi

  1. Which came first: the biz or the kid? The kids were 3 and 1 when I started the biz!
  2. What is your biggest productivity secret- the thing that helps you accomplish the most in your day?  My ability to multi-task keeps me on track!
  3.  How well do you feel you are balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship? As the kids get older it gets easier.  Any tips? Involve the family so they support you and the family business; Try to establish a routine that works for the family; Work around your family time; and most important remember it takes practice to balance it all!
  4. What was the tipping point for you when you realized you were truly an entrepreneur? It started with my hot dog stand from 1969-1974 in front of my grandparent’s busy family bowling alley in Hayward, WI.  I always knew I would have my own business but I wanted to learn from the corporate world first and start my own business from home when I started my own family!
  5. What one word describes your purpose in your family, your biz and your life? EMPOWER
  6. Where do you find your greatest source of support for your goals in your family, business and life? I have the unconditional love of my husband and kids and the support of thousands of people standing behind me that have gotten me to where I am today.  From the love of family and friends to the support of so many people that I didn’t even know in person, who once they heard my story, have cheered me on by sharing my story and have continued to rally behind me!
  7. What do you do to recharge your spiritual batteries? Pray and read the Bible!
  8. What’s the one thing you can’t live without? Electricity!
  9. iPhone or Blackberry? Blackberry
  10. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate
  11. PC or Mac? PC
  12. Which do you do most often: Eat out, Order In or Cook it yourself? Cook it
  13. Who is your biggest supporter? My amazing husband Mike who gave me a crystal clear clock in 2004 engraved with the Cedar Valley Publishing logo that reads:  The Dream is Clear – To Believe is the Reward
  14. Who is your greatest inspiration?  I was raised by my grandparents who were both my “rock”.  My grandfather told me every day that I was destined for greatness and that I could make the world a better place.  He started me on my path and passed the baton off to Mike, who continues to support the mission!
  15. What do you see yourself doing in 5 years? More of what I am doing today and loving every minute of it!

Name of Businesses: Cedar Valley Publishing and HerInsight Media

URLs: www.cedarvalleypublishing.com

www.herinsight.com – coming soon

Radio Show Get Ready to Learn Mom

Twitter Name @StaceyKann

Facebook Page www.facebook.com/stacey.kannenberg

The Work Smart Mompreneurs Blog:  http://www.worksmartmompreneurs.com/blog/

]]> http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/08/26/interview-with-stacey-kannenberg-by-britt-michaelian-from-the-the-work-smart-mompreneurs-blog/feed/ 0 Let’s Get Ready To Love the ISafeBag! http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/08/24/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-to-love-the-isafebag/ http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/08/24/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-to-love-the-isafebag/#comments Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:09:30 +0000 El Ed Mom http://elementaryeducationnews.com/?p=373 When I was asked to review the ISafeBag (www.isafebags.com); I could hardly wait to receive it.  It was invented by an entrepreneur in the Chicago area after he heard a news story about a woman walking on the street at night who was raped by four guys.  He was so upset by this story that he decided to do something to help protect women and kids from abductors, muggers and rapists…and even your run-of-the-mill school yard bullies!  I love that he was inspired to take ACTION!!!

Essentially, the ISafeBag looks like a regular backpack but underneath a flap on the right strap is a rip cord that, when pulled, activates a LOUD alarm (equivalent to a car alarm) and a strobe light.  It will sound for two hours so it’s also wonderful for campers or hikers who are lost.  It works on two nine volt batteries and the weight and price of this back pack is similar to any other back pack BUT this offers PEACE OF MIND!!

Ironically, on the day it arrived, I had received an email alert that an alleged kidnapper was on the loose in our tiny community. I am not kidding! The alert contained a picture of a man who looked very familiar as someone we had all recognized as seeing before in our small town.  I work from home so I turned on our home security alarm.  When it was time to walk down to the mailbox, our lovely babysitter and neighbor (who we all love like a family member) Amanda (Photo by Heidi Kannenberg) wore the ISafeBag Sling Bag and pulled the ripcord.  

isafebag

It’s LOUD and will definitely scare away a predator and get attention!  My girls reminded me that it will also scare away the coyotes who have been getting braver and braver, and the recent black bears that have been seen in our neighborhood too!   I just reminded the girls that it was not a toy, but a tool. 

So the ISafeBag isn’t just for back to school for kids and college students; it’s perfect for traveling, hiking, camping, biking and other outdoor adventures, the zoo, the park, shopping and any place you need a little extra PEACE OF MIND! 

We all love the ISafeBag!  Please share it with your loved ones too!

Smiles – Stacey

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary ISafe Bag for this review. No other compensation was provided.

]]> http://elementaryeducationnews.com/2010/08/24/let%e2%80%99s-get-ready-to-love-the-isafebag/feed/ 0