It is yet another soggy day in Santa Clara, and as I sit in the kichen with my laptop, I hear a steady drum of water dripping from the gutters. This morning, before the rain began, my sleep was disturbed by what sounded like a jackhammer on the roof. Squirrels routinely forage for nuts from the pinecones that fall from our neighbor’s tree. Apparently our roof is the dining area, and they bang whatever nuts they find to extract the meat. Oy, it’s loud.

I haven’t written much here for quite some time. My new job as an academic coach consumes my time. I’ve discovered a new career, I think. I have found that I possess “teacher genes”; I love what I do. My father was an elementary school teacher, and I inherited this from him. I’m sure of it!

Since I work with children whose skills need development, and since it’s been so long since I was a child, I’ve needed guidance in determining what can be generally expected for various grades. In other words, what can I reasonably expect a fifth grader to know? For help I turned to Math and Reading Help for Kids. It’s chock full of essential information. Other sites I’ve found are Education World and Funbrain, the latter of which is part of the Family Education Network.