Here’s a harsh fact: Not everyone is good at everything. Some people are terrible athletes, some are poor in art or music, and some have difficulty with math or science. Conversely, some people are superb athletes, unbelievably creative artists and musicians, or show brilliance in math and science. That’s just the way life is. Not everyone is good at everything. 

Standardized tests have been around for a long time; they started before the Civil War and went mainstream around 1875. Of course they have evolved over time, but the purpose of the tests hasn’t changed much. 

It’s the nature of children to be self-involved. Their world is comparatively small, consisting of family, classmates, and teachers. It’s normal for children to see themselves as the most important person in that world, which may appear to be selfish, but it’s perfectly normal. 

On the third Thursday of every November, smokers around the nation come together to take part in the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout. This event challenges smokers to quit using tobacco products and provides them with resources to stay away. Tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the world, which is why the Great American Smokeout remains an important event.

When’s the last time you saw your kid’s face? Not a silhouette or a partial view—but a full-on, forehead-to-chin, look-‘em-in-the-eye view? If you’re trying to remember the last time, this is probably the answer: It was just before you let them use your phone or tablet for the first time. 

Everyone is probably weary of seeing ads for the presidential candidates and hearing the latest poll results. It seems like it’s been going on for years, and that’s because it has. One election is barely over when campaigning starts for the next election. 

Parenting is a full-time job, which makes it difficult since most parents already have full-time jobs. Parents have a lot on their plate, so having to add one more thing is probably not welcome news, but did you know that every parent should be preparing their elementary school student for college and a career? 

This blog is old school—literally, old school. If you’re above a certain age, you’ll remember seeing this, usually stretched out above the blackboard, in grade school:

The ability to communicate clearly is one of the most important skills a human can learn. Have you ever judged a person based solely on the way they talk or the words they use? It’s unfair and inaccurate, and yet we subconsciously do it all the time. The way we speak reveals nothing about our intelligence, kindness, ethics, virtue, or says anything about the skills we may possess; and yet, if one is being interviewed for a job, an interviewer may choose one candidate over another based upon the way the applicants speak and the words they use. 

If you, as a parent, have difficulty with math, you’re not alone. The U.S. ranks behind 38 other countries when it comes to math skills. A national survey found that 82 percent of adults couldn’t calculate the cost of carpeting when given its dimensions and price per square yard. (If you’re curious, it’s length times width in feet, which gives the square footage, divided by 9—which is the number of square yards—times the price per square yard.)