Lucy's blog
10th June 2011
Louisa and the gift of confidence
Louisa was five when I first met her a year ago. She turned up looking small and terrified. In fact, I'd never seen a child so nervous before. Children often get a bit teary at their first session…
4th June 2011
The Tiger Mother in all of us?
It seems impossible to pick up a newspaper or lifestyle magazine without coming across a reference to Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother written by Amy Chua - Law Professor at Yale University and author of…
26th May 2011
With half term approaching and the British weather being what it is, it's always a good idea to be prepared and plan some activities to avoid finding yourself with a house full of grumpy bored faces. So…
20th May 2011
Before I had my own children, I had very clear ideas about the way in which I was going to bring them up. Having taught so many and seen so many parents 'parent', I thought I knew it all. Hmmm... The…
14th May 2011
It's probably no surprise to you that I'm a big believer in the power of song. So I was really pleased to read this Guardian article that a friend forwarded to me this week; http://bit.ly/moqAbc. It's…
7th May 2011
Behaviour has been at the forefront of my mind this week. After the sugar-fuelled highs of Easter and the tantrum/headache-inducing lows of 'back to school', I've been considering how to…
29th April 2011
My 3 year old is at that stage where he can be quite inconsolable when he wants something and isn't getting it. Frequently, this is for the most trivial of reasons - such as the fact that his sister…
15th April 2011
Could you make do with just 10 items?
On a visit to the dentist this week, I was flicking through an old copy of Red Magazine and came across an article called "Your Life in 10 Items" - sadly I can't seem to find it online, so…
6th April 2011
Last Month in the Blogosphere - March 2011
The clocks have gone forward, cruelly robbing us of an hour of sleep - but, now the evenings are lighter for longer, I remember why really it's worth it! Spring is here - hooray! Before you know…
28th March 2011
Should Leonora Rustamova have been fired?
Yesterday on the Guardian website, my attention was grabbed by the headline - "I taught my pupils to enjoy books, and got fired." It seems that teacher, Leonora Rustamova, in an effort to engage…