Author Archives: Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

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About Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

an educator in Independent Schools for over 38 years

15 Sites and Apps Teens are visiting after Facebook

Posted on July 26, 2014 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

I think Common Sense Media does a great job of helping adults (parents and educators alike) keep a finger on the pulse of teens and tweens. Having just spent a week traveling in Quebec and Montréal with some of our … Continue reading →

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Parenting Teenagers

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

“Being a teenager is hard; being the parent of a teenager is even harder…” No truer words were ever spoken about parenting. This is a realistic look at the ways parents can struggle with teens. http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/13/the-emotional-whiplash-of-parenting-a-teenager/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&smid=pl-share&_r=1&_cldee=a21jbmFtYXJhQHR1eGVkb3BhcmtzY2hvb2wub3Jn&

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early childhood assessment, admissions and what children need…

Posted on July 13, 2014 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

There is an interesting dichotomy between what we know about childhood development and how we assess our youngest learners! Witness these two article on child development and our work in schools. http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20140707/upper-east-side/quiz-are-you-smart-enough-get-into-private-kindergarten EarlyChildhood􏰁 Reading at five: Why? By JOAN ALMON … Continue reading →

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Quality of American Universities….

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

Quality of American Universities…. An interesting and startling comparison of US universities to those in the rest of the world. Education is in the news and on everyone’s mind. Sometimes we are so focused on which colleges our children attend … Continue reading →

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The age range of pre adolescents is very wide indeed…

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

The age range of pre adolescents is very wide indeed… http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/18/thirteen-in-years-but-10-or-15-in-thoughts-and-action/?emc=eta1

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Commencement 2014

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

Tuxedo Park School, Changing Lives, One Child at a Time…

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The Fixed Mindset Myth, Julie Stevens

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

The Fixed Mindset Myth, Julie Stevens http://csee.org/products/334?utm_source=PMG+Newsletter+-+May+2014&utm_campaign=PMG+-+May+2014&utm_medium=email There are some great pointers here to help parents and teachers focus on a growth mindset as we ask children to work through a difficult or challenging task.  

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Summer Reading…(and Doing!)

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

Summer Reading…(and Doing!) Some of my best summer memories growing up happened in unstructured moments where my friends and I could experiment, play and discover things. Many fantastic ideas and activities grew out of a lack of structure.   Thanks … Continue reading →

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Reading, Writing, Arithmetic and Lately, Coding

Posted on May 11, 2014 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/11/us/reading-writing-arithmetic-and-lately-coding.html?hpw&rref=technology The author examines the trend in schools to allow children to play with coding as part of an elementary curriculum. As we look for ways to have a set of technical skills embedded in school curriculum, there are some … Continue reading →

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Enjoy this article by Marc Prensky; I had the pleasure of hearing him speak at a conference a few years ago. He positions education in a way that really reflects what we do in Independent Schools. The Goal of Education … Continue reading →

Posted on May 8, 2014 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up! | Leave a comment