365 Teacher Secrets for Parents: Fun Ways to Help Your Child Succeed in Elementary School

It is often said that becoming a parent doesn’t come with a manual. Well, it still doesn’t, but at least now there is a manual for parents when their children start school, one that can go a long way toward creating a successful experience for both child and parent. The book is broken into twelve sections covering building good work habits, planning for the school year, learning to love reading, reading for information, creative writing, informational writing, math made easy, science fun, social studies work, learning spelling, critical thinking skills, and building self-esteem and self-reliance. Many of the ideas presented here leave lots of room for flexibility and creativity. An inexpensive workbook is available on the authors’ website that can enhance the experiences in the book.

Cindy McKinley and Patti Trombly are experienced and successful elementary teachers and it shows in this book. The ideas have great variety and are extremely useful. The only nit to pick is that there is little information about age appropriateness of the lessons. The book seems daunting on first look, but the writing is very accessible and the ideas don’t call for expensive materials or extraordinary time commitments. New teachers will also appreciate this one.