by Pam | Aug 4, 2016 | Uncategorized
Smart parents write lots of notes to their kids, and set things up so their children need to reply in writing. At school, notes often take the form of criticism. Parents can counter this association by leaving him notes to compliment him on a job well done; notes are...
by Pam | Jul 27, 2016 | Blog, Uncategorized
by Pam Withers & Cynthia Gill “The largest achievement gap between boys and girls occurs in writing.” —Ralph Fletcher, Boy Writers Laura’s oldest son was in second grade when his teacher took her aside and told Laura point-blank, “Paul is getting behind in...
by Pam | Jul 19, 2016 | Uncategorized
Recent Syrian refugees (arrived in February in Victoria, BC, Canada) were invited to a family-day welcoming picnic on Mayne Island, BC, Canada, where I spend my summers. As a member of the steering committee that worked for months to make this event happen, I’m...
by Pam | Jul 6, 2016 | Uncategorized
The nice thing about being a writer is that there is always more writing-craft to learn. For instance, I recently attended a writers’ retreat where I learned a new word and concept: “interiority.” A sort of x-ray vision into a character. And a new rule: You can show...
by Pam | Jun 27, 2016 | Uncategorized
This blog is a bit belated (technical difficulties), but last weekend I attended (and coordinated) a fantastic writers’ retreat on Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada, involving some of the best children’s writers in British Columbia. I got much out of...
by Pam | Aug 30, 2015 | Uncategorized
I had a student as both a fifth- and sixth-grader, who had no confidence in himself in math. He has ADHD and could not focus long enough to get through a math problem that involved more than a quick answer he could do in his head. The first few months of fifth grade,...
