We are all experiencing challenging times as we navigate the Covid-19 pandemic. As we implement new health and safety procedures at home, work, and public spaces, our area schools are doing the same. Hillsborough county schools and most other Tampa Bay counties are offering 100% virtual learning for the school year. For the 48,410 Hillsborough […]
Author Archives: Tricia Sportsman
Making the Decision to Go Back to School Earlier this year, I made the decision to apply to graduate school to get my doctorate in School Psychology at Loyola University Chicago. I have been working as a school psychologist for almost 10 years in my community. I love working with children and families. For most of […]
Daycare is not school. It is daycare, care for young children during the day. And that’s totally okay. A few months ago, another mom at the park asked me if my two-year-old is in school. I answered no, that I stay home. Her reply was to encourage me not to worry, that she was sure […]
I started homeschooling my son last year in 2019. One of our many obstacles was creating a curriculum. Our ultimate goal in homeschooling our son was to allow him to explore his passion while learning and growing in a child-directed environment. After considering many different factors, we decided to go with a combination of unschooling and relaxed […]
Tampa Bay moms, whether you have booked your kids for the summer or you’re still looking for summer opportunities, you need to do yourself a favor and look into CAMP IDS at Corbett Prep!! My daughters and I recently toured CAMP IDS at Corbett Prep, and WOW! My 17-year-old daughter got back in the car […]
Growing up, I struggled with my black identity. At school, I was made fun of because I was not what society would consider being stereotypically black. Kids at school called me Oreo and said I spoke like a white girl. They said I was weird because I jammed out to country music instead of hip hop and […]
On March 13th, children of Hillsborough County left schools for what would be the last time. They filed out of the doors preparing for spring break and then the world stopped. No more field trips, no more seeing friends daily, and no more graduations. Instead, education, friends, and graduations were replaced with zoom conference calls, […]
Plans for school reopening in the Tampa Bay area are falling into place. We have some resources to help you get ready for this most unusual school year. “In these uncertain times…” Does it seem like every commercial starts with some version of that phrase? While it’s true that uncertainty rules the day, we still need to […]
Most Hillsborough families are waiting to see how the first week of school will go during the COVID pandemic. You’ve had to make many difficult decisions lately and it’s hard to tell if it was the right one. Unlike most families in Hillsborough County, Monday, August 10 was our first day of school. First, you […]
As the pandemic descended upon Tampa, I had a discussion with my son’s school. Hospital Homebound Program He is enrolled in the Hospital Homebound program, designed for students whose condition is acute or catastrophic, that confines them to the home or the hospital. In my son’s case, he has an acute condition called Thanatophoric Dwarfism […]