Perhaps you’ve noticed your Kindergartener or first-grader reverse letters and numbers as they write. Maybe you’ve heard your second or third grader consistently struggle to read out loud. Or it may be that you’ve witnessed your elementary schooler face difficulties in reading fluency, spelling, or getting their thoughts out on a page. Which of these are “normal” parts of learning to read and which signs indicate a child may need additional help? What do parents need to know about the reading process and what should they do if they suspect their child is experiencing atypical reading challenges? 

It may sound ironic, but the summer months are some of the most important in the school year. You read that correctly: the summer months play a vital role in a student's academic momentum and growth. According to data collected in 2020 through the MAP Growth assessments, students in 3rd to 5th grade lose an average of 20 percent of their school-year gains in reading over the summer months. Young elementary students are also, and perhaps even more so, at risk of suffering the "summer slide" because they are earlier in the development of their academic skills. 

When it comes to Holy Week and Easter as believers who are adults, we can have a good understanding of the events that lead up to Resurrection Sunday from our reading of Scripture and listening to Bible teaching over the years.

We are able to grasp, at least on some level, Jesus' words, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here. He is risen!” These words, found in Luke’s gospel, are what the two beings dressed in white stated to the women who ventured to the grave that third morning after Jesus’ crucifixion. This is a passage that all believers in Christ should get excited about as His resurrected life means life for us.