Pragmatic Mom

Pragmatic Mom has written 3 posts for Cooperative Catalyst

No Tests for Kids as Argued by a 4th Grader, PickyKidPix (daughter of Pragmatic Mom)

Posted by Pragmatic Mom ⋅ June 17, 2012 ⋅ 2 Comments

4th grader, PickyKidPix, argues that tests are a waste of time for students and teachers. Her teacher asks to remain anonymous and said that PickyKidPix was not holding back. We credit PickyKidPix’s huge improvement in writing to her 4th grade teacher. As you can see, her teacher as taught her well how to express and support her argument. Continue reading →

Teaching to the Test? What is the Point of This? Northeast Social Studies Exam … Guess Which Grade

Posted by Pragmatic Mom ⋅ December 18, 2011 ⋅ 10 Comments

My question is this: what is the point of all this memorization? I can understand having to learn the geography of the Northeast. But there is no word bank, and when did Social Studies become a big spelling test? Continue reading →

Embracing Failure: It’s the New Success

Posted by Pragmatic Mom ⋅ August 23, 2011 ⋅ 7 Comments

“The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure.” I’ve been thinking about failure since reading this excellent post on Embrace Failure on my favorite children’s literature blog, From the Mixed Up Files of Middle Grade Authors. As an entrepreneur, I embrace failure. It is the surest and quickest path to success. Why? It’s life’s best teacher. … Continue reading →