We Can Do Hard Things -- Living Through a Pandemic and Other Lessons From History

My Dad was born in 1912. His Dad was a government trapper and was in the mountains when he was born, but had arranged for his youngest sister Mamie, to be with his wife during his absence. My Dad and his twin brother came early, he weighing a mere 1.5 lbs and his brother at 2 lbs. The birth was difficult and his mother died within the week. Aunt Mamie was left with the responsibility of trying to keep two tiny premature twins alive as well as care for three older siblings until my Grandpa came back from the mountains.

Kathy CraneApril 22, 2020Growth Mindset

Simplifying May Protect a Child's Mental Health

My husband and I just went through the process of dividing my Mother-in-Law’s things between her children in preparation of her living in a nursing home. All I could think as we sorted through it was that, in the end, it was just stuff. Why do we need it all? The experience encouraged me to simplify my life; eliminating that extra stuff that is filling spaces in my house, not filling spaces in my heart.

Kathy CraneMay 22, 2019Simplify, Early Childhood, Growth Mindset

Body Positivity

The day G. told me that she doesn’t like her nose because it “isn’t cute” is the day I started writing this book. Our bodies are ours alone. They need to be honored, cherished, and loved. Do we all look the same? No. Do we all have magazine worthy bodies? No. But that isn’t what being “Me” is all about!

Kathy CraneApril 18, 2019Growth Mindset, Early Childhood

Teaching Students to Work Cooperatively

Today’s world is one of instantaneous inter-connectivity. Working collaboratively is an essential skill that must be taught, nourished and fostered in order to succeed in such an environment.

Kathy CraneApril 8, 2019Classroom Management, Cooperative Learning, Growth MindsetComment

Treating Children With Respect and Encouragement.

As I walked by a classroom yesterday, I heard a teacher yelling at a student with a very forceful voice and exaggerated body language. This immediately took me to another place and time, the time when Mr. Black karate chopped me so hard in the back of the neck that I peed my pants instantly in front of the entire class. Why, you might ask? Because I ran on a corner of the grass instead of the sidewalk. You see, Mr Black, had a very strict rule that grass was not a place for children. I was playing tag with my friends and in the chase, I took a short-cut across the grass to place the tag. And there he was — I froze in fear. He chopped, and I peed. “Go clean yourself up he growled.” (I wonder how my head stayed attached to my body with that forceful chop).

Child DevelopmentKathy CraneMarch 11, 2019Early Childhood, Character Development, Growth Mindset

Developmentally Appropriate Teaching: Why Does it Matter?

In America, there has been a rush for pushed-down academics to prevent the failures of students in older grades. The academics of preschools, kindergarten, and 1st grade have been pushed to a full year beyond the expectations of previous times. In fact, it is very common to hear people refer to Kindergarten as the new First grade, or Preschool as the new Kindergarten.

Early ChildhoodKathy CraneDecember 5, 2018Developmentally Appropriate, Early Childhood, Growth Mindset

Vocabulary Development: And the Achievement Gap

Today I took a city tour of a major US city. While all of the tourists were taking in the city sites, I couldn't help looking at the city with teacher eyes: those eyes teachers use every day as they lovingly work for the equality of instruction. I reflected on several books that I have been reading and of what I know as a teacher about the affects of systemic poverty on education. I know that I can't single handedly fix the 30 million word gap that faces our nation, but I will do everything in my power to help the students I teach have a fair and equal shot at public education.

Oral LanguageKathy CraneJune 3, 2018Vocabulary, Early Childhood, Poverty, Growth Mindset, Oral Language

Empowering our Students

The children of middle and higher income parents are busy shuffling their children from activity to activity. They are chauffeuring their children to art classes, music classes, cooking classes, STEM classes, gardening classes, drama classes, T-Ball, soccer, tennis, swimming and more. On top of that their families participate in family vacations, trips to museums, libraries, and zoos. These trips will reinforce, expand, and enrich the learning of these lucky kids.

Growth MindsetKathy CraneAugust 4, 2016Character Development, Growth MindsetComment

Kindergarten Kiosk Blog