My name is Jennifer Bardsley. My mom always told me that “Home was for teaching, school was for practice.” This is a funny motto to keep close at heart, considering I became a teacher. I taught K/1, 3/4 and 3rd grade for six years in California. I have my Bachelors from Stanford, my Professional Clear Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential with CLAD emphasis from CalState TEACH, and my Masters of Education Administrative Technology from Notre Dame de Namur. For the past seven years I’ve stayed at home to raise my six and a half year old son, Bruce, and 31 month old daughter, Jenna. They are my newest, and most beloved students.
I’m a firm believer in Maria Montessori’s theory that there is a window of opportunity for children when it is very easy for them to learn to read. If you wait until your child is 5, it’s going to be a lot more difficult. I started teaching Bruce at 18 months, and now I’m teaching Jenna the same way. It’s really not that hard to teach early reading skills if you know what you are doing. Developmentally, all children are unique and will learn at different rates, but there is no reason you can’t give your son or daughter a head start!
Too often the message parents hear from the media is “Read a book to your child.” Well yes, that’s obviously a good idea, but there is so much more that parents could be doing. My Where to Start page will give you ideas for toddlers and preschoolers, and my Afterschooling page is for Kindergarten on up. Teaching your child at home does not mean you are a Tiger Mom. It means you care about your children and are preparing them for future success.
My goal for this blog is to help you ensure that your child is academically advantaged, regardless of age, ability, or socio-economic level. My dream is to start a national conversation about how massive parental involvement could be the magic bullet towards helping all children in America achieve academic success. Every child deserves one-on-one instruction, and that experience can begin in your home.
If you have any questions, or would like to contact me, please feel free to email me: teachingmybabytoread at gmail dot com
