Mrs. Kellie Whitten is the art teacher at Elm Street School. Both of her parents were teachers while she was growing up. In seventh grade she decided that she would be a teacher too, an art teacher.Her favorite part of teaching is the kids, but there are down sides. Misbehavior really upsets her. Kindergartners are […]

Having the laptops this year is a lot different than not having anything last year. It is a big change, but I can get used to it. The laptops are good in one particular way. Other kids and I can have an easier time researching information. Another positive aspect is that we don’t have to […]

Elm Street School is holding their annual magazine drive, for their seventh and eighth grade trip to Boston. Mr. Dan Knott’s seventh grade homeroom so far is in the lead with an average of $40.83 per student. In second place Mrs. Carol Ustach’s seventh grade homeroom with an average of $19.77 per student. In third […]

The art of the blended familyby Donna Keene RousseauSun Journal Staff The days of the traditional, mother-father-child family as the norm in our communities are increasingly rare. The nucleus has been redefined, crossing the borders of age, race, culture and even sexual orientation. In fact, according to the Stepfamily Foundation based in New York, 64% […]

Q. We’ve signed up our 3-year-old son for swimming lessons for the third time. Every time he looks at the large pool and hears the loud noises, he cries. What can we do?4 Parents should address the fear of water by taking the child swimming often. He needs to know it can be his friend, […]

While they’re around, leading children into basements, galloping around the house or engaging 5-year-olds in conversation, imaginary companions can worry parents.Is there something a parent can or should do? Ban them from visiting? Sit back and enjoy the show? Or clench one’s teeth and wait for them to go away?“They should recognize the beauty of […]

A visiting, arthritic grandparent leaves her easy-to-open bottle of medication within a toddler’s reach.Party guests leave half-full glasses of wine or beer on end tables – again within a curious child’s grasp.Bottles of cleansers sit atop counters as the holiday cleaning frenzy begins.“With everybody rushing around, nobody is paying close attention to the children,” says […]

(FeatureSource) – Think it’s impossible to get your pre-schooler to become self-disciplined and learn good behavior without you tearing your hair out in the process? That’s not so according to Dr. Jerry Wyckoff and Barbara Unell, authors of the recently updated “Discipline Without Shouting or Spanking” (Meadowbrook Press).The key is to be a disciplined parent, […]

You begin your years as a parent with the understanding that you know everything (relatively speaking) and your child knows nothing.That can be a bit scary, since there is nothing like the birth of a baby to convince you how little you really do know; but it is also a sensible arrangement with which you […]

During the past five years, studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that those with autism – a development disability that impairs communication and cognizance skills-actually number 1 in 300.Previously, federal health studies had put the figure at 1 in 10,000. The CDC was responding to parents of autistic children who wanted […]