Parenting often comes down to leverage. You give in order to reserve the right to taketh away. At times it feels like it’s the only way to keep your charges in line. That’s how my kids got a facebook page. I gave it to them just so I would have something I could take away when they broke some house rules. [Read more...]
Miss Lori makes a deal with her teen-ager, tattoo for straight As
September 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Miss Lori says USHILI and The University of Phoenix want to send you to college
July 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Back in 1991 I graduated from the Boston Conservatory, Cum Laude, with a BFA focusing on Musical Theatre. I didn’t start off at Boston Conservatory, and though I had graduated from high school 4 years earlier I did not in fact goto college for the full four years. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I did the work. I just did it faster, and in some cases all at once. Plus I received life credits for “work” in my field that I did outside of school, such as the National Tour of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, stage managing A Christmas Carol, choreographing and staring in Cinderella, and performing in an opera, a Cole Porter revue, The Rep production of Woman In Mind and more. If I was in college now I never would have had to pause while I was in a show. Even while on tour I would simply be able to just take courses online. It’s actually something I’ve really wanted to do for years now. I have often fantasized about getting a Master’s in Child Psychology, Education or something like that. Why haven’t I done it already? Well, I have three kids, a house, a dog and a business, (Oh that lil thing?). They all need my full attention, not to mention my financial support. I just haven’t been able to justify assigning extra funds towards the pursuit of an extra degree. Well, that may not be an issue any longer, at least not for five lucky learners. [Read more...]
Miss Lori’s daughter got detention and Miss Lori couldn’t be more proud
June 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
My daughter had to stay after school for detention a few weeks ago and I was so proud. No, I haven’t gone a little crazy. The reason my daughter received detention was not for acting up, or acting out, it was for acting too much. [Read more...]
Miss Lori thinks an open campus would open up the minds of our children for more learning
May 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment
My daughter was really excited to goto school today. Why? Because she got to wear her pajama pants. No this isn’t about some 2nd grade fashion statement, it’s a school fundraising effort. Her schools’ student council decided to raise some money for Japan relief by charging students 50 cents to wear their pajama pants to school today. Pretty ingenious huh? They have a few more initiatives this week as well, but this is the one that got my youngest the most excited. Why, again? Because it broke up the monotony of her school life. My child who absolutely loves to learn and explore, despises going to school. Why for the third time? (You sound like my kids!) Because she doesn’t feel like she gets to go deep with her learning. She would rather spend every day at a museum or zoo. That’s the kind of student I was. Hungry with curiosity. I loved digging into a subject at school; learning something new in the morning, and coming back in the afternoon to go deeper. But that is not the experience children are having this generation. [Read more...]
Miss Lori believes that school arts programs inspire dreams
April 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Education is at it’s worst in this country. Schools are closing. The remaining one’s are overcrowded, yet staff is being cut right and left. All of the emphasis is on teaching tests and so classes and afterschool programs of sports recreation, language, art, music, dance and especially theatre are disappearing, and so is the imagination of our young people. Dreams are inspired by small seeds of reality that then blossom with possibility. If we don’t show kids what’s possible how will they ever realize their potential? [Read more...]
Miss Lori suggests 8 things to do if your child is a victim of cyberbullying
November 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment
The world wide web is a wondrous place, full of infinite possibilities for communication and progress. That’s the Ying side. The Yang side is darker and full of malice. Last school year my family experienced the Yang effect when one of my children was the victim of cyberbullying. We were stunned and unprepared. But that didn’t last long. Instinct took over and I acted. We were completely successful in shutting down the bully. Today I want to share a list of recommendations I have if you have to deal with a similar threat. [Read more...]
Miss Lori points out what bullying isn’t
November 14, 2010 By 4 Comments
- A right of passage
- just about taking someone’s lunch money
- a stage of maturation
- easily forgotten
- something you can shrug off
- something that only happens to kids
- something that only happens to weak people.
- funny
- the victim’s fault
- no big deal
- just happening to other people’s children
- justifiable
- fair
- someone else’s responsibility
Miss Lori says watching her daughter be bullied was worse than being bullied herself
October 26, 2010 By 1 Comment
I was bullied as a child, which is why I spend a lot of time talking about the subject of bullying. It’s important to me to help other children and families dealing with bullying. But earlier this year I faced the worst bullying I have ever faced in my life. I wasn’t the victim, it was my daughter. She had been struggling as a victim of bullying since third grade. Emotional stuff; kids would call her a boy, said she had a moustache, that her hair was so bushy it was blocking the blackboard. Her classmates even created an “I Hate (my daughter’s name)” club. Complete exclusion. No one would return her phone calls for playdates. No one would invite her to birthday parties. It was awful. It didn’t help that her teacher wasn’t doing anything to erase the target on her back, (but that’s another post). Once I realized how impossible the situation was I tried to get the school system to help her out, but to no avail. [Read more...]
Miss Lori loves exploring trees at the Peggy Notebeart Nature Museum
October 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I can’t believe it has taken me this long, but I finally got over to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum yesterday. I was invited to preview their new exhibit, “Exploring Trees Inside and Out”. It will open to the public on Oct. 23 after a 3 year tour across the United States. More than 1 million children have already experienced this “interactive environmental education exhibit” in the country’s leading science centers, children’s museums and botanical gardens. I was particularly excited to attend with my 7 year old daughter Jaedyn, aka my little curator. She has never met a museum she doesn’t love, and nature is high on her lists of interests. [Read more...]
Miss Lori isn’t Waiting for Superman anymore, and neither should you
October 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment
When I was at the second annual Blogalicious conference in Miami over Columbus Day weekend I had the distinct honor of attending a screening of the much talked about documentary, Waiting For Superman, (thanks to the dynamic Philly duo behind the PR company Different Drummer.) It had a profound impact on me as a social media influencer, a children’s advocate and especially as a mother. [Read more...]
