Michelle Dearmin Preston

Category: Parenting

  • Educational Neglect

    My middle daughter is sick again. This has been happening a lot this school year. She’s had an illness or maybe a series of illnesses that the doctors have had a hard time diagnosing. It’s been going on for two months now, and she has had four different rounds of medication. On top of everything…

  • My Daughter, The Doctor

    I thought I would add a follow up to last week’s post. Last Monday, my daughter auditioned for her school improve team, followed by auditions for a couple of outdoor plays which are part of a local park festival. It was a long day, and she was exhausted by the time she finished the last…

  • The Six Page Essay

    My daughter, who is in high school, came up to me while I was writing and announced, “My history grade is about to improve. I wrote a six page essay on my test yesterday.” The ex-college teacher inside me winced. In a cautious voice, I asked, “Did your teacher want a six page essay?” “Well, he…

  • Fighting the Homework War

    My kids are all back in school which means they are bringing home homework—every day. I heard yesterday that the reason for this is that the superintendent of our school district decided that all the children in the district, regardless of grade, should have homework ever day. The rationale is that it’s to prevent students…