Connie's Classroom Connie McCarthy is passionate about her work as a teacher of young children. She has devoted her entire career to making sure that her students do well at school, right from the start. Connie has an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education, and a Master’s Degree in Special Education. She has been teaching first grade in East Providence, R.I. for 23 years, where she received the distinction of “Highly Qualified Teacher” by the Rhode Island State Board of Regents. Connie also taught nursery school for four years, and published numerous articles on early education in East Bay Newspapers in Bristol, R.I. She’s also been published in PTO Today Magazine. She lives with her husband, Brian, and has a daughter and a son, both young adults. Connie enjoys reading, writing about elementary education, and taking long walks with friends. During summer vacations, she likes to travel with her husband. She also loves reading readers’ comments on her weekly blog posts.
Remember all the times you have gotten a song stuck in your head and it’s driven you crazy?
The reverse is true for young children. If you really want them to remember something, put it to music!
I have foun... Read more
Is there a connection between the “Occupy Wall Street” movement and our schools?
As an early educator I read with interest an October 19 Op-Ed piece in the New York Times that a friend and fellow educator sent me.... Read more
Take advantage of your young child’s natural curiosity by using estimation! It is a great way to help your child improve her overall math skills.
Estimating gives a child the opportunity to “guess” a math an... Read more
As a life-long Red Sox fan, I was astounded by my beloved team’s collapse.
Just about everyone has heard how the team fell apart in September, and squandered a nine game lead in the American League wild card race.
How c... Read more
What parent's heart doesn't sink when they hear their young child struggling to read? An immediate response is to jump in and say the word to keep the story flowing. That works for the short-term … but doesn't really ... Read more
Recently, at a dinner party, a parent of an elementary school child asked my opinion of how technology has affected children’s reading and written language skills. That was quite a question to digest!
I answered by say... Read more
I've often said that First Grade is a magical year in a child’s life. This is because First Graders arrive in September, primarily as "babies" in the school hierarchy. However, by the end of the school year, I could le... Read more
Will my daughter know how to buy her lunch? What if my son’s not reading yet? Will my shy child develop friends in the class?
Understandably, parents have questions and concerns when their young child starts school. ... Read more
"Hands-on" science is a great way to get your young child interested in learning. It's something that can be incorporated easily into daily life. If you have a reluctant reader, or timid math student, making a science connec... Read more
Every year, about this time, I think about what strategies I can use to comfort those new students who are fearful about school, or are having a hard time separating fr om parents.
School "jitters" are real and scary emotions... Read more
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