Kathryn Thompson is the mother to three young children, two currently enrolled in two different elementary schools and one enrolled in toddler-style chaotic disruption.
Currently living near Seattle with her computer-genius husband, she is a stay-at-home mom and freelance writer. A regular classroom volunteer, Kathryn has served as the board member over communications for her local PTA and enjoys running their spring fundraiser each year.
She has a degree in English and Media Arts Studies from Brigham Young University and attended public school in Alberta, Canada and Katy, Texas. Before having kids, Kathryn worked as an Associate Librarian at the world’s greatest public library and enjoyed using the bathroom without spectators.
This is what I heard my 6-year-old chanting as he brushed his teeth for bed tonight. Although it would have been funnier to hear one of the more saucy, constitutionally-based, vocabularically rich chants from the rally today, ala “AMPLE PROVISION – PARAMOUNT DUTY”, this one still made me laugh just a little. Read Full Post
When I think about the women involved in Mom Congress, I find that they have many things in common. They’re the ones who notice a new family at the school or who wonder if the recess aids could use some extra support. They’re the ones who take the opportunity to look up and out and then do what it takes to make a difference. Read Full Post
Ellen Coulston, the 2011 Mom Congress delegate from Delaware, is working hard to help kids with disabilities learn how to advocate for themselves. Together with Debra Heffernan, a representative in the Delaware state legislature, Ellen co-founded the Brandywine Special Needs PTA, which encourages these kids to reach for their goals and encourage others to do the same. Read Full Post
It might not be possible for parents to ever be really ready to send their children off to kindergarten, but we should be able to help our kids prepare for that transition. What are the most important things a child needs to do to be ready to start school? This week our Mom Congress delegates give a few suggestions to help you make sure your child begins kindergarten on the right foot: Read Full Post
When I was growing up in Western Canada, we only had a “snow day” with no school when the temperature fell below -35 degrees Celsius. At that temperature, the propane on the school buses wouldn’t fire so we got to stay home. Now, living outside Seattle, Washington, they sometimes cancel school if they can smell the white stuff in the air. Read Full Post
Are you looking for a fun way to encourage your budding scientist? Then you’ll love Parenting magazine’s Innovators of Tomorrow Virtual Science Fair, where you can enter one of your child’s science experiments for the chance to win $5000 and be featured in the June issue of Parenting School Years. Read Full Post
You’ve probably heard by now that we’re hunting down 51 great delegates for the Mom Congress on Education and Learning conference in 2012. This week I’ve asked our previous delegates to tell me their top reasons for entering the contest to become a state delegate for Mom Congress. Read Full Post
When schools focus on teaching social, emotional, and character skills, the quality of education improves. So say parents, teachers, and students involved in a study of 20 elementary schools recently conducted in Hawaii by Oregon State University. Read Full Post
Matt Damon and his mother, a lifelong educator and professor of education, turned down a nomination this week for the National Education Association’s Friend of Education Award. Dr. Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Damon’s mother, wrote to NEA president Dennis Van Roekel, citing his recent collaboration on an opinion article with Wendy Kopp of Teach for America as her reason for declining the nomination. Read Full Post
I don’t think it would be hyperbole to say that my experience at Parenting’s 2011 Mom Congress on Education and Learning conference changed my life. It did. For the better. I know of nowhere else where you will find more passionate, diligent, inspired and influential leaders in American education advocacy. They come to DC each year to learn, share, advocate and quite simply change the world for our children and you leave the event feeling refreshed, supported and ready to take on any challenge. This is the power of Mom Congress. And it’s time again to nominate delegates for the April conference. Read Full Post
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