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Hodgson Educational Consulting

6/5/2015

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One of the things that Elizabeth feels strongly about as an educational advocate is that the system children are trapped in is designed around the concept of “average”, so has become easy to pathologize different types of learning (and therefore brain functions) because they make learning in most school environments so challenging. As she says, "Our intentions are usually good – we label kids when they are not learning or producing work at our level of expectation or to help us understand their behaviors. So, we may say they have ADHD, dysgraphia, dyslexia, or that they are gifted. We can also pass judgment on a student’s character when we use labels like lazy, unmotivated, or defiant. There are a number of problems that follow:
  • These labels often only describe symptoms while suggesting that they actually reflect an underlying cause.
  • They don’t help us improve how we work with students, and they certainly don’t empower the students to become more engaged learners. In other words, they don’t instill a sense of hope and optimism.
  • They often pathologize a symptom in a way that is easy to generalize. For example, it’s not uncommon for a child with a diagnosis to feel globally defective.
  • The label doesn’t take into account that a symptom can be negative in one context but positive in another. They also do nothing to elucidate and validate a child’s strengths.
In contrast, engaging with students and valuing them in all of their diversity can have a profound impact on their motivation and engagement in school and in learning."

So if your child has been labeled but hasn't gotten the help she needs or if you're ending the school year with no answers and a lot of stress, now is the time to get help. Luckily Hodgson Educational Consulting offers a summer program too!

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Elizabeth is a strong believer that every child is capable of amazing things, and just needs to be understood. She says, "We each have unique ways of learning—with individual profiles of strengths and weaknesses--and this diversity has powerful implications for our educational systems, childrearing practices, and the ways in which we interact with each other and the world around us. The adult world needs and values all kinds of minds to fulfill society’s myriad roles, and we must value and cultivate this diversity in our children. To treat everyone the same is to treat them unfairly, and to lose that positive view and the real value of each person’s strengths."

As an educator and clinician of 17 years with her Masters in Education, Elizabeth has worked with students ranging in age from 6-22, with a variety of learning strengths and challenges.  

In addition to conducting assessments and guiding the learning of students and their parents, Elizabeth creates and provides training on how to identify brain functions as strengths or challenges, as well as how to best support their development, and collaborates with others in related fields—therapists, doctors, Ed Tech designers, education advocates, etc—to coordinate care, develop and test programs, and share current research and thinking. 

During the school year, Elizabeth conducts assessments, creates learning plans, consults with the child's teachers and advocates for the student, then gives one on one support and personalized training as well as holds workshops on a variety of learning topics.


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If your child has struggled in school, you know firsthand how hard it can be. Even if you can pinpoint what area is challenging to them, getting help is difficult. Many places that offer educational assistance outside of school are chains with a "one size fits all" type re-training. The personal needs of the child are lost in their strict formula. Tutors may give more personal attention but often don't have the training, expertise, and tools to properly assess the root of the learning problems. In these scenarios the parent can be frustrated by spending a lot for few results, and those results may come at a great cost to the child's self-esteem. 

As someone who struggled with learning disabilities herself, I'm happy to say that there is an alternative! Elizabeth Hodgson has dedicated her life to educational assessment, consulting, and advocacy. Her group Hodgson Educational Consulting doesn't deal in standardized testing; rather, she assesses the underlying brain functions of learning and behavior in a much more dynamic way that is more geared toward the development of a child's metacognition and real understanding of that child's brain strengths and weaknesses for the adults who work with him/her.  There is nothing canned or computer generated; everything is created specifically for each child - the assessment, the learning plan, the follow-up support, and more.

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Eliabeth's approach is unique, thorough, and it leads to academic success. As the parents and professionals below write, she is invaluable to families with challenged learners.


"I love Elizabeth Hodgson, who, without question, changed the trajectory of my daughter's education, gave me insights into her as a learner and a person that I never would have had in any other way, and transformed my parenting. My daughter has become a new learner which is nothing short of a miracle."                        
 - V.T., Parent of a 5th grader

"Elizabeth is a very skilled clinician, teacher, and advocate for students. As a clinician, she has developed superb skills at “diagnosing” the neurodevelopmental underpinnings of learning by observing students’ work in authentic learning environments. She does this while engaging students in dialogue about her observations, and while soliciting their input on their perceptions of their own learning. Her belief that all students can learn and her genuine passion for supporting them to do so is felt by all who work with her. She is expert at establishing rapport and quickly developing trusting relationships with others, resulting in her skill in turning anxious, recalcitrant, and/or unmotivated/disengaged students into active, empowered participants in their learning."
-Dr. Beth Briere, Pediatrician & Neurodevelopmentalist

"Our two daughters have worked with Elizabeth for almost 10 years, from elementary school all the way into college.  Her goal, from day one, has been to help our girls find success.  Through testing and conferencing, Elizabeth's expertise and knowledge helps our children learn about themselves and identify their strengths and weaknesses.  In addition to the continuous support for our girls, Elizabeth extends her support and shares her insights with us and our girls' teachers.   This helps everyone better understand how our daughters learn, and how best to serve their educational needs.  Because of this, our children are successful, more confident and are strong advocates for themselves."
-R.S., Parent

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A new, intensive 5-week summer program (with options to work around a busy swim schedule) is available to bring your child's reading and spelling skills up to speed. With fun multisensory strategies focused to leverage and activate each of the brain functions associated with learning, reading, decoding, and spelling skills can skyrocket! As a result of such success, your child will develop their academic skills, self-esteem, confidence, and self- awareness. 

Beginning the week of June 29th, Elizabeth and her team of vibrant educators will lead 5 weeks of small group camps designed to empower rising 1st - 6th graders with stronger reading and spelling skills. 

There are a variety of times to suit all schedules, and children are split into age groups as well as the level of training they need, from Intensive Growth to Sustaining Growth to Skill Refresher. Additionally, if your child needs one on one time, they offer individual 1 hr sessions. 

Hodgson Educational Consulting camps are designed to build many aspects of brain functioning at once thereby helping your child develop their reading decoding and spelling skills and find greater success.  With fun multisensory strategies focused to leverage and activate each of the brain functions associated with learning, reading decoding and spelling skills can skyrocket!  As a result of such success, your child will develop their academic skills, self-esteem and confidence, and self-awareness.  Licensed teachers trained in the model and program will lead small groups of children (3 - 5 total) in a variety of fun exercises designed to engage a child’s interest and leverage multiple brain strengths.  Students will be encouraged to move while learning as well as utilize the provided technology (iPads).  


To get your child started on the right foot this summer, 
Elizabeth is offering SoDu posse members a $20 discount on any individual or group camp. Just write SODU in the message field of the registration form when you sign up. 
$20 off equals one free day of camp for the intensive sessions, so this is a great deal!

This summer is a great time to help your child learn outside of the pressure of school. 
Enroll today at http://www.hodgsoneducationalconsulting.com/#!summercamp2015/cwcm

and see what a difference the right help can make 
with Hodgson Educational Consulting!
FTC required disclosure: The above post is sponsored advertising. Some of the content, such as the images, are provided by the pardner for my use. I give permission for this blog post to be used in perpetuity by the pardner as they wish. May seem silly, but legally I gotta say it. Congrats for reading the fine print!
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Win Tickets to the Slate podcast taping!

6/4/2015

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Slate’s super popular parenting podcast Mom and Dad Are Fighting is coming to Durham THIS Sunday for a taping of their "Indie Rock Parenting Edition" and you can go!

Join me, SoDu Parents Posse founder (I'll just be in the audience, but still, say hi!) for a live podcast recording at Motorco. You can buy tickets or win them here!

Hosts Allison Benedikt and Dan Kois are excited to welcome special guest Mac McCaughan, co-founder of Durham’s own Merge Records, Superchunk lead singer and songwriter, and solo artist whose new album Non-Believers is out now. Allison, Dan, and Mac will discuss indie rock dadhood, reveal triumphs and fails, talk about parenting in the news, and more. Plus: Mac will finish up the show by playing a few songs from his life as a dad!

Thanks to Merge Records for donating tickets to this contest for SoDu Parents Posse members. We're also super grateful to them for donating a Merge tote bag full of awesome music to a lucky door prize winner at our blood drive earlier that day. Merge rocks!

Wanna win tickets to the live taping of the Slate podcast Mom And Dad Are Fighting? 
You can below, thanks to Merge Records!


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Click here to go to our rafflecopter giveaway!
FTC required disclosure: The pardner described above gave me tickets to the show listed so that I could write about my experience. They also provided tickets for me to give away to a reader. No endorsement was promised and all opinions contained are my own. Some of the content, such as the images, are provided by the pardner for my use. I give permission for this blog post to be used in perpetuity by the pardner as they wish. May seem silly, but legally I gotta say it. Congrats for reading the fine print!
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Nido is Neato!

6/3/2015

7 Comments

 
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After childbirth, many women find their job situation has changed. They might feel the pull to stay home and leave their job entirely. They might change their position so they can work from home, which means juggling caring for their child with working, or hiring a nanny. Or they might go back to work, but miss their new little one. No matter what field a new mom is in, it's a difficult decision to make. 

This is where nido comes in. 

nido is the Triangle's first coworking space to offer childcare. It is built upon the idea that we have to go beyond work/life balance and aim for work/life integration. At nido, a variety of people can come together - freelancers, telecommuters, small business owners, or anyone that needs a place to work that isn't a workplace. They can gather in a modern but calming office environment while their children are in the same building, immersed in a nourishing Montessori-based daycare. It truly solves that problem so many of us, myself included, have to face. 

When I was a new mom in 2008, my hours were cut and I was asked to work part time from home. I would have loved to be in a space with other adults - working from home can feel so isolating, especially if you're new to the parenting thing. It would have been really reassuring to know my son was right down the hall getting amazing care, and that we could keep flexible hours as we needed. If this setup sounds as dreamy to you as it does to me, read on!


So what is coworking? At its core, coworking is a community that brings together a group of professionals that would otherwise be isolated in their home offices (or making do in makeshift places like coffee shops without printers and spotty wifi). Coworking creates opportunities for socializing, connecting, and collaborating in person with people you would otherwise never meet.
Coworking is the future, and here are some numbers from Fast Company to prove it:
  • 71% report a boost in creativity since joining a coworking space
  • 62% said their standard of work had improved in a coworking space
  • Almost 90% of coworkers report an increase in self-confidence
  • 70% of coworkers feel healthier than they did working in a traditional office
  • 64% of coworkers are better able to complete tasks on time
  • an impressive 50% of coworkers were happy to report an increase in income
  • 80% of coworkers expanded their business network and (in some ways just as essential) 92% said they'd increased their social circles (something hard to do if you're working from your dining room table)
The nido space serves parents that work remotely or run small businesses. Members include designers, teachers, software developers, photographers, writers, and other professionals. The bright new space at is both beautiful and functional with long tables and plenty of access to electric outlets, connection to fast wi-fi, and a wireless printer/scanner/copier/fax machine. There is also a craft room, conference room, break room, and telephone room. Did I mention that your membership also includes one free yoga class per week as well as multiple events? nido is conveniently located at 902 Broad St, near Whole Foods, Joe van Gogh, and many small Bull City businesses. It's easy to get to, close to everywhere, and hard to leave because it's so welcoming! nido is truly all the best parts of an office, but without a boss, timeclock, muzak, cubicles... need I go on? 
What about the kids? Here's where it gets amazing. The nido coworking space connects seamlessly to their Montessori childcare program.  nido has three classrooms: an Infant room, a Toddler I room, and a Toddler II/Preschool room. Their Montessori program is run by Jeannene Schnell, a professional educator with over 30 years experience working with toddlers and preschoolers. She has a real commitment to working with parents to customize the classroom to suit each child's needs. nido members participate in their child's education by occasionally serving as classroom assistants. Members can interact with their child when needed throughout the day, and nursing mothers can feed their children whenever they need to. It's a working mother's dream honestly!
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Co-Founders Lis Tyroler and Tiffany Frye say it best:
"At nido, we want to simplify things for parents who are looking for a flexible lifestyle that allows them to have focused time to work while their children are also engaged in a developmentally appropriate environment. Our members value being involved with their child's education and want to be close to them during the day, but they also recognize that they need some space and quiet to do the other things in life that are important to them."
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Tiffany tells her personal story of why coworking works for her and her family: "I went back to work in my home office when my daughter was 3 months old. For a while, this was fine - great, even! But things did not remain so ideal - as soon as Ada became mobile, the days became stressful. At any one time, I either felt like I was under-performing in my job or under-performing as a mother. When I looked for options for remote workers that needed childcare, I found that there were none. There were great coworking options in the Triangle, and great daycare options, but nothing that would let me have both under the same roof. So I sat out to create nido. After a year of exploring different ways to make this happen, nido started as a residential co-op in my house in the fall of 2014.  The response was so great that we decided to move forward on opening a non-residential location and building our team."  
Tiffany is not only the co-founder, but also a writer, editor, and will be teaching yoga at nido. She is a great example of how this space suits her many needs as a mom and a professional. 

How does it work? First, drop by, meet the co-founders and educators. See the amazing space. Let your kids explore. There may still be time for a trial day before the summer term starts - check to be sure. Then when you're ready to join, nido offers a variety of membership levels, from 5 half days per week to a drop-in option. nido is currently accepting new members to start for the summer term cohort. Summer term starts on June 15, so hurry up and enroll already! 
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She's obviously not alone, because Durham is abuzz with news of nido!

"I am an original member of Nido -- back when we did all the childcare ourselves and met in the founder's house. 
My almost 2-year-old son has loved the Montessori experience he gets in the classroom and I have been amazed at how much I can accomplish in 4 uninterrupted hours. My son and I have both made wonderful new friends.  It has been perfect for us. For me, Nido has been a wonderful way to enrich my child's life while adding some much needed balance to my own."                        - current nido member

"I toured the new Broad Street location with my son, husband, and mother-in-law. My son had such a good time playing with the toys in the toddler room that I think he would have been happy to stay for hours. We were all very impressed with the way the classrooms and coworking space were laid out within the charming older home setting. Lis and Tiffany have clearly put their heart and soul into this new location. My mother-in-law approved!"                                       - Thoughts from the open house from guest Rachel 

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Lis, a photographer, was a founding member of nido and her passion quickly became instrumental in the daily operations. When Tiffany decided to expand, she asked Lis to join as her partner. Lis has taken over managing the coworking elements of nido and loves being able to nurse and nap with her toddler. She finds it really rewarding to watch her child engage in the meaningful work that Montessori education facilitates while she finds fulfillment in her own work next door. Lis trained as a social worker, but found the demands incompatible with her idea of motherhood, since nothing like nido existed at the time. She feels passionately about using her social work experience to bring this unique model to parents in the triangle. 

So if you've wondered if coworking really is the wave of the future, 
or if at the very least it can save your sanity as a parent and make you work smarter, 
come meet nido now!

Updates at: https://www.facebook.com/nidodurhamcoop
Membership details and so much more at: http://www.nidodurham.com/

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FTC required disclosure: In exchange for a blog post, I was paid by the advertising sponsor (aka pardner). Some of the content, such as the images, are provided by the pardner for my use. I give permission for this blog post to be used in perpetuity by the pardner in their advertising. May seem silly but legally I gotta say em. Congrats for reading the fine print.
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    About us

    SoDu Parents Posse was created in 2012 to build a community of families in Durham.

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