SSAT Exam Preparation at Pear Tree vs Cram Schools

SSAT exam preparation requires having realistic expectations of a child’s abilities. One question parents often ask is: “Are 4 x classes enough to get a good score on the SSAT?” This question comes with an evident assumption that exam preparation is designed to improve students’ academic performance. However, this is not a realistic expectation…

Paul Romani

COVID-19: Bringing Back Sanity

If you’ve seen the following scene in the movie Borat, you’ll have a idea of how some people are (over)reacting to COVID-19 social distancing Somewhere between hypochondria, lack of critical thinking skills, and virtue signalling, a portion of the Vancouver population is acting as if breathing the air will kill them. Basic social distancing rules…

Paul Romani

COVID Update 2

Dear Parents, Thank you for your continued support in educating your children about handwashing and general hygiene as we navigate our way through the COVID-19 situation in Vancouver. As a team, we are continuing to do our best to ensure your child’s health and safety. The Ministry of Health and Education is making official announcements…

Paul Romani

COVID-19 update

Pear Tree has been closely monitoring the health advisory updates on these websites: BC Pandemic Provincial Coordination Plan Government of Canada Public Health BC Public Health Of particular relevance to Pear Tree is this website: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/health-professionals/guidance-schools-childcare-programs.html Pear Tree is fortunate to be a very small environment, where we can closely monitor all of the students….

Paul Romani

5 x Ways To Choose The Right Summer Camps

With so many types of summer camps in Vancouver, it can be difficult choosing which ones for your child. Here’s a guide to summer camps to help make your life easier and more affordable! Vancouver offers a long list of types of summer camps from the more traditional North American camps to more modern specialist…

Paul Romani

The Effect of Over-Protective Parenting on Child Potential

The notions of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ parenting are controversial issues. What each of us considers ‘normal parenting’ is due in large part to our personal experiences; in other words, we learn particular parenting styles when we are children through the process of socialisation. Our approach to parenting is likely to be influenced by that used…

Paul Romani

Healthy Recipes for Kids: Pork Lo Mein

Healthy Recipes for Kids: Here’s the recipe for one of Pear Tree’s healthy hot lunches for kids Making healthy recipes for kids isn’t rocket science! Despite immature taste buds and limited exposure to a range of food ingredients, kids aren’t all that different from adults. We eat with our eyes first. We look for pleasing…

Paul Romani

Book Review: Our Canadian Love Story by Linnie von Rekowsky

Our Canadian Love Story. An Immigration Tale. Well, Sort Of. I first heard about Linnie von Rekowsky (now calling herself Linnie von Sky) and her picture books in a store. It wasn’t a book store, so I was intrigued. The store representative heard that I owned an educational business and thought that Rekowsky’s books would…

Paul Romani

Fed Up (2014) – Wrong About Childhood Obesity

(Childhood) Obesity = Problem with Education. Period. Watching people say and do things that are bad for them throughout a 1.5-hour video is really, really tough. That’s the experience of watching the 2014 documentary, ‘Fed Up’ about childhood obesity. The movie sets about to defend the victims of (childhood) obesity by saying it isn’t their…

Paul Romani

Public Speaking at Pear Tree Education

If your idea of public speaking is a traditional speaking contest or that public speaking abilities are determined by ones ability to talk in front of people… mmm, please please please… think again! ‘Public speaking’ is a very desirable educational skill, however it’s not natural for a child to practice public speaking in isolation or…

Paul Romani