Articles - Study Skills by SOAR Learning

StudySkills Articles

Article: Choose a Category

Educators

The “New Initiative” Bandwagon:
The One Fatal Flaw of Every Education Initiative

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 28, 2026

Why Do You Have to Work So Hard to Make Students Learn? You work harder and harder, but clearly feel a drag. You are tasked with more things to do, document, and correlate every day. Your extended efforts never seem to be enough. Students become more apathetic. Many people are quick to blame technology. But,…

Study Skills Reduce High School Dropout Rates

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 22, 2026

I was a freshman in college when study skills radically changed my life. I went from struggling in K-12 to “straight As” in college. About six weeks after my first semester of college success, however, I was suddenly overcome with a deep, visceral ANGER. “Why didn’t someone teach me how to learn before!?” I was mentally…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 4, 2026

By now, you’ve heard me mention Ginelle, SOAR®’s Operations Manager. Ginelle is a certified teacher; she was actually my son’s (favorite) teacher. She is very kind and easily wins respect from her students. But, she holds everyone accountable. I believe she is one of the best teachers I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet and am…

By Jessie S | Jun 2, 2026

Study hall… Students hate it…. Teachers hate it more… (Okay, a couple of you like it… but most of you don’t.) Why? Because most study halls don’t work! Recently, we’ve had conversations with several schools about “Study Hall.” All of them expressed frustration over lack of results. From these conversations, two common themes have emerged:…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | May 21, 2026

Dozens of Problems… One Solution Ever have a set of horizontal blinds go all wonky… tilting sideways, individual slats facing every different direction? Yet, with one careful tug on a string, they all conform and neatly snap right back into place… Satisfying feeling, isn’t it? That’s what we do with learning, organization, and soft skills……

“A ‘Good’ Teacher is a ‘Self-Abuser’ Teacher!”

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | May 5, 2026

“I am convinced that a ‘good’ teacher is a ‘self-abuser’ teacher!!” My grad-school professor said this in class one day. He was lamenting that his wife, a kindergarten teacher, had been on leave for two years to have their two children (they lived in Canada, with generous maternity leave). He specialized in reading development and…

Lead with Joy: A Retiring Educator’s Legacy

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Apr 23, 2026

Remember the children’s book, Ms. Nelson Is Missing? Ms. Nelson was not appreciated by her students until the stern Ms. Viola Swamp took her place for a while. Suddenly, students had a new appreciation for Ms. Nelson! I recently had a day that reminded me of Ms. Nelson and Ms. Viola Swamp. It involved conversations…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Apr 16, 2026

There is a universal rule that governs our lives behind the scenes. It works silently, only observed by those aware of its existence. The people who understand its power spend more of their time living happier lives. They use this principle to accomplish more in less time. We can see it at work in…

By Jessie S | Apr 6, 2026

AI: Protecting the Reading-and-Thinking Brain in an AI World For a long time, I’ve been quiet on the topic of AI. Not because it doesn’t matter. Obviously, it does! But because I needed time to understand the tools… and the trajectory. One thing is certain: while AI is changing how students access information, it does…

By Jessie S | Mar 26, 2026

Your students have more information available to them than ever before. The plus side is they can never say they can’t find information on a topic, or that the book was checked out from the library. But, as you may know, it is very easy for students to find information that is unreliable. Lots of…

Standardized Tests:
Two Proven Ways to Raise Test Scores

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Feb 26, 2026

Research consistently confirms there are two critical ways to raise test scores on standardized tests: Build “cognitive flexibility” with metacognitive strategies.1 If students don’t have problem-solving strategies for learning content, well… they won’t learn it! Obviously. Teach the curriculum, not “to the test.” Teaching “to the test” –also known as “item teaching”– actually lowers test scores; it…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Feb 18, 2026

The United States’ Motivation Crisis is so pervasive; we look right through it. A fish is the last one to know he swims in water. Likewise, the solution is so simple, you might miss its full power. How to Solve the Motivation Crisis We simply need to “change the conversation!” We need to stop focusing on deficiencies…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Feb 12, 2026

Student motivation is a national crisis! Across every boundary: gender, racial, geographic, academic, and socioeconomic… students simply don’t care. Everyone knows our education system is in turmoil. It’s critically disconnected from the real-world. People attempt to improve education with STEM or STEAM programs. Or, they try to build “critical thinking skills.” But no one is talking about the…

How Students Should Set Goals

By Jessie S | Jan 21, 2026

There are three steps to setting goals: deciding, believing, and focusing. Decide. Will you decide to sit down with your class and set goals together? Will you decide to get a pen and a piece of paper and dream? If you don’t decide to fit it in your schedule, think of the repercussions. Think of that…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 7, 2026

The landscape of virtual learning is radically different from in-person/seated instruction in a thousand ways, but nothing may be more significant than the expectations of students to manage their own time! With in-person/seated instruction, students had: A strict schedule, Lots of routines, and Lots of external cues, such as: bells, different classrooms, teachers, and…

How Does the Brain Really Learn?

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Dec 29, 2025

One of the biggest problems with education is most educators are not taught how their students actually learn. You’ve probably heard about “left vs right brain” learning, or “visual, auditory and kinesthetic” learning. But, today we are going to peel that all back and go a layer deeper… into something far more universal that applies…

THE Right Way to Teach with Student-Led Software

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Dec 10, 2025

Teaching with student-led software raises many questions for teachers… Should I introduce the lesson before having the students jump into the software? Or, should I let them explore the software, and then discuss the content with them? What if students want to progress farther ahead in the software on their own? Should I let them?…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 26, 2025

It was almost-summer of 1998. I was wrapping-up my first year of teaching… at my alma mater. Just five years before, I was sitting in those desks. Now, my desk was at the front of the room. From this new vantage point, I could see that nearly all my 9th & 10th graders struggled with…

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 5, 2025

In the waning minutes of the Michigan State Quarter-Finals soccer match, down by one goal, my team needed to score quickly… or our season would come to an abrupt end. Desperation was in the air. Every second that ticked off the clock was one second closer to our demise. It was my senior year and…

October Is “Shakedown” Month!

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 1, 2025

October Is the Most Difficult Month… Are things getting a little “intense” in your classroom? Are your kids stressed out at home? Several years ago, my daughter’s 1st grade teacher, Robert, sent an email update: This week was something of a challenge. Tears and arguments cropped up on several occasions. By Thursday, I was fairly exhausted. Then…

By Jessie S | Sep 17, 2025

It was my last semester of college. “Senioritis” had fully kicked-in. I was ready to graduate. It was also the first day of EAD 315, “Student Leadership Training.” Waiting for class to start, I was focused on the friends I was meeting after class. The instructor began. He asked us to move our desks into…

Why We Can’t See Our Own (Writing) Mistakes

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 28, 2025

Just a few weeks ago, we ordered some new return address labels. See anything wrong? About 100 went out before we caught the mistake. Oops! And, every so often, we publish an email or blog post with a typo or two. Oops! In our company, we all live and breathe the content we publish. Every single…

Why Is Simplicity So Complicated?

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jul 9, 2025

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” – Leonardo da Vinci We are naturally programmed to over-complicate matters. It actually takes effort to recognize simple solutions. In fact, most of the time I spend with clients is on the importance of keeping study and organizational strategies simple. I could tell you hundreds of stories, but one stands out, in particular. A few…

The Challenges of “D-I-Y” Study Skills Programs

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Mar 9, 2025

Trying to Piece Your Own Study Skills Program Together? I’ve been talking to a LOT of educators in the past few months. That’s normal for this time of year. However, something is different this year. I’m hearing something I’ve heard a lot over the past 20 years, but more “once in a while.” This year,…

Build Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills with Google

Building “Critical Thinking” & “Problem-Solving” Skills… with Google

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 15, 2025

“We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist; using technologies that don’t yet exist, to solve problems that we don’t know are problems yet!” – Karl Fisch, educator “Critical thinking” and “problem-solving” skills are cited by employers as their “greatest need” in the workplace. But, national and state curriculum standards are loaded so…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 15, 2024

Previously, I wrote about How to Help Your Students Manage Anxiety. If you haven’t read that article yet, I suggest you start with it, here. It explains what causes anxiety, which is key to understanding how to manage it. Today, I want to share some strategies for building an “anxiety-free” environment in your classroom. Obviously,…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 8, 2024

The key to helping students manage anxiety is to understand what’s happening in their brain. “Emotions are the on/off switch to learning,” says Priscilla Vail, author of Smart Kids with School Problems. You and I both know this is true. We know from our own experience that it’s pretty hard to learn geometry theorems when…

By Jessie S | Mar 1, 2021

“Fall 2021” cannot come soon enough! On the other hand, it can wait… we all need a break from the past 12 months of physical, emotional, and spiritual exhaustion! As we all look forward to a fresh start, curriculum decisions for Fall 2021 are happening now, so I am writing to share my Curriculum Evaluation Chart; I…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 7, 2020

When Susan was working on our latest chapter, How to Organize Your Digital Workspace, living with her was like riding a roller coaster… One moment she’s had a breakthrough and really cruising! The next moment, she’s discovered a problem that negates all of her work. She’s back to ground zero. The next moment she’s got…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 22, 2020

Exactly one year ago this month, we started an adventure that would become the STEEPEST learning curve of our lives… We launched a hybrid secondary school. Prophetically, eight months before the world would be flipped upside down, we flipped ourselves upside down! In February, 2020, we finally paused for a moment to catch our breath…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | May 5, 2020

It’s May, 2020. Teacher Appreciation Week is upon us... Where are the words?? During this global pandemic, you shifted on the turn-of-a-dime. There simply is not a way to properly express “appreciation” for what you’ve done for our students. My daughter’s teacher happened to made a social media post last night, expressing a sense of…

By Jessie S | Jan 26, 2020

I recently read about a school where graduation rates rose from 73% to 90%. And, their dropout rate fell from 14% to 3%. All in less than five years! If you’re like me, you want to know, “How!?” The Walker County Board of Education in Jasper, Alabama accomplished this through online education. The school district setup…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 21, 2020

My mother is a family physician with a specialty in substance abuse (certified by the American Society of Addiction Medicine). Over the years, we have many relatives who have battled addictions in one way, shape, or form, and Mom specifically pursed the additional certification to help them. Her interest in the issue is truly a…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | May 13, 2019

In her landmark book, Mindset, Carol Dweck, Ph.D., shares her scientific research on motivation. She concluded that teaching students how to learn, in conjunction with brain biology, is the best way to boost motivation and develop a “growth mindset.” In two scientific studies, she confirmed that this combination works; motivation and grades skyrocketed among adolescents!…

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | May 4, 2019

When our team realized this week’s newsletter would go out on Star Wars Day (May the 4th be with you!) we got a little punchy! Then we discovered a very powerful insight… “You underestimate the power of the Dark Side!” – Darth Vader Darth Vader is one of the most well-recognized villains in movie…

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Mar 18, 2019

How can you guarantee your students will be more successful than their peers? How can you guarantee this with a 10-minute activity? The answer is simple. You can start this year off right by doing one simple activity. Writing down goals. Yes, the old fashioned way. Get out a pen and a piece of paper…

MUST SEE: Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jul 9, 2018

If you don’t yet know what all of the fuss is over, stop what you are doing right now and go see the movie, Won’t You Be My Neighbor? The film is not riveting. Yet, it is COMPLETELY riveting. Whether you were a fan of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood as a child or not, Fred Rogers…

By Jessie S | Mar 5, 2018

Previously, we published an email we received from a parent member of the SOAR community. This parents laid out all of the troubles she was experiencing with Google Classroom. We asked for your help and advice on how this parent could solve her Google Classroom troubles; we knew your experience could help others navigate this struggle. The first several responses…

By Jessie S | Feb 26, 2018

Google Classroom is now one of the most widely used Learning Management Softwares (LMS). Sure, Google has changed the world we live in today, but that doesn’t mean their LMS is flawless. We’ve heard many complaints recently about the software from parents and teachers. We recently the following email from a parent member of the…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 11, 2017

Last week, I spoke with a SOAR client, Kevin McCarville, who shared some excellent videos. As I write this, we are posting links to all of his recommendations in our Multi-Media Teacher’s Guide. In the meantime, I had to share one of them with you and your students, NOW! I dare you to watch this…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jul 16, 2017

Ideal School System Matrix We’ve covered a lot of ground in this series on education reform; it can seem overwhelming! However, the chart below pulls all of the recommendations from the previous articles together into a coherent plan for building a human-friendly school system… Thanks for joining me on this journey through Education Reform: A Simple…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jul 9, 2017

Conclusion to Our Series – Education Reform: A Simple Blueprint for Human-Friendly Education The purpose of this series has been to highlight and fix the core problem with education in the United States… our utter disregard of human development. We heavily examined the brain biology of learning. We also examined the work of Dr. Montessori, which…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 28, 2017

Discussions about the future can be somewhat scary. What will the world be like with autonomous vehicles and artificially-intelligent robots running everything? However, Futurist Brian David Johnson shows us the undeniable role humans play in creating and designing their own future, and discusses how we can prepare future generations to be ready to create their…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 22, 2017

In every core domain of learning (reading/math/skills), there is another core element of effective instruction that is so simple, it is often overlooked. However, we ignore these core elements at great expense to our budgets and the eternal frustration of our greatest asset… our students! To be clear, the Success Pyramid still applies. We must…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 18, 2017

Very few things stir more controversy than the mention of Common Core. There are numerous complains, but most seem to center on a few common themes: “Common Core doesn’t make sense.” “The math is killing our kids.” “Common Core doesn’t teach American History, Civics, or Government; our children will not have an understanding or appreciation…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 11, 2017

Finland: Worldwide Leader in Education More than 30 years ago, Finland made dramatic changes to the political infrastructure of their school system. A generation later, they emerged at the top of the world in international assessments for managing “real-world” situations. They are one of the leading political models to investigate. Finland has created a system…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 5, 2017

Education Reform – Part II: Practical Implementations of Complete Human Education In previous articles, we focused on: the core problems of education in the United States, a simple model for effective learning, and how that model helps us resolve our top problems. We also explored how this model relates to special education. From this point…

By Jessie S | May 31, 2017

We have found there is a common trend with our teachers… they feel stuck. Stuck within the constraints of what the education world expects from them, while trying to balance teaching their students what they need to know to be successful in the real world. Don’t you just want to start a movement for change? That…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | May 29, 2017

Today is the beginning of the largest policy conference in the country, the Mackinac Policy Conference (MPC). Right now, Brian and I are on our way up to Michigan’s magnificent Mackinac Island to participate. The MPC gets it’s name from the conference location, but the focus is primarily on the city of Detroit. The #1 topic…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Mar 27, 2017

On Sunday, I had the opportunity to deliver the following message of inspiration to 5000 educators at ASCD’s Empower 17 Conference. We sponsored a special showing of Disney’s World of Color as a “thank you” to educators… Good evening! As you settle in to enjoy the show, I encourage you to think back to when you…

By Jessie S | Mar 20, 2017

Any chance you’ll be in Anaheim, CA at the ASCD Empower17 Conference, March 25-27? We’ll be there and we’d love to meet you in person! You can find us at booth #1567. Just look for the giant “StudySkills.com” banner. Also, join us at Disney’s California Adventure Park on Sunday night for the World of Color…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 13, 2016

In a previous article, I described Three Core Problems with US Education: Core Problem #1: There is a serious motivation crisis among our students. Core Problem #2: There is a lack of relevance in our curriculum. Core Problem #3: We are using completely irrational and ineffective models for learning. Within each problem, there are simple…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 1, 2016

In the previous article, I introduced The Success Pyramid, a simple model showing the three elements of effective and efficient learning. These three levels have a direct link to brain biology. The brain is powered by electricity, just like any electrical appliance. It is made of billions of tiny wires (neurons) that send electrical impulses across various regions of the…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 1, 2016

As described in the Introduction to this series, our ignorance of human development is THE core problem with education in the United States. However, within this context, there are three specific areas in which to focus: 1—The Motivation Crisis. Our country suffers from a severe lack of motivation and engagement! Across every gender, racial, geographic,…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 26, 2016

Introduction to Our Series on Education Reform Everyone talks about the need for education reform. Data consistently confirms the United States is at the bottom of all industrialized countries.1,2 The need for reform is undeniable. Yet, no one seems to know how to make effective reform happen. (Hint: throwing another assessment at students is not the answer.) This problem was…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 23, 2016

Thank you for your dedication to improving education! I welcome your input and feedback. Please share your thoughts here. Sincerely, Susan Kruger, M.Ed.

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 22, 2016

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 20, 2016

Welcome to part 2 of our 3-part series on special education. In part I, we explored the brain biology of learning disabilities, which is critical information for making sense of the recommendations below. How Do We Solve & Prevent Learning Disabilities? We start with the Success Pyramid. Since learning disabilities are a biological function of the brain, it…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 20, 2016

Welcome to part 3 of our 3-part series on special education. In part 1, we explored the brain biology of learning disabilities. In part II, we explored How to Solve and Prevent Learning Disabilities. The brain biology of ADHD & autism is very similar to the brain biology of learning disabilities, as explained in the previous article. Just like learning disabilities,…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 16, 2016

The Success Pyramid identifies three essential elements required for successful learning in school and throughout life: Level 1: Confidence The core foundation of learning requires “confidence.” Every teacher knows, when students do not believe in their own abilities, they make no progress. Confidence is not optional; it’s critical! Priscilla Vail, author of Smart Kids with School Problems said it best,…

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 29, 2016

College is hard. I will be going into my third year at a university and I can honestly say these past two years have kicked my butt! Many of my friends called me a “nerd” in high school because I really cared about my grades and wanted to do well! The teasing was worth it…

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 15, 2016

Ever have a hard time quieting or controlling a loud classroom? I recall from my grade school days the frustration and agony teachers would have when the class would just Not. Stop. Talking!!!!! But… have no fear! We came across an article that gives some super awesome and creative tips on how to quiet down…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 10, 2016

Are we aiming to have our students “college-ready” OR “career-ready?” OR both? If both, do we get them “college-ready” first, then “career-ready?” The “soft skills” that are in such hot demand from employers, are the same skills that empower students to be successful… from middle school to college! These are many of the questions that…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jul 28, 2016

Thank you for your dedication to improving education! I welcome your input and feedback. Please share your thoughts here. Sincerely, Susan Kruger, M.Ed.

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Jul 21, 2016

We know that teaching any type of skill takes practice, monitoring, and feedback (see our prior article “Teaching a Skill”, click HERE.). We also know that this type of “coaching” takes time and attention and this can be a challenge for teachers. How can you possibly give students the type of individual attention I’m suggesting?…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 16, 2016

Do students have learning disabilities? Or, does our system have a teaching disability? Maria Montessori taught children labeled as “uneducable” and “idiots” to surpass their normal peers on standardized tests. My own son was diagnosed with “severe dyslexia” as a first-grader. We moved him to a Montessori school; within nine months, he was reading “on…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 16, 2016

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | May 16, 2016

Have you ever assembled furniture from IKEA? Many of us have had that pleasure (using the term loosely). Even with the easy-to-read, illustration-only instructions, this process can be frustrating. But, imagine… if the next time you purchased a couch from IKEA, no instructions were provided. Could you assemble it? How hard could it be?! You’ve probably got…

By Jessie S | May 9, 2016

When you were a child, how did you learn how to ride a bike? Did your dad or mom (or whomever taught you) sit you down, grab a piece of paper and write down the steps of what you should do? Did they draw a diagram with equations of how fast to move your legs?…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | May 2, 2016

I’ve been out of the classroom for 12 years now. But, just two weeks ago, I had a moment every teacher lives for. A moment that defines the very reason we choose this vocation. It was a return on an investment I made 15 years ago. Luke, a former third-grade student, messaged me on Facebook.…

By Jessie S | Feb 1, 2016

As of December 2015, education is changing again. The United States has passed the bipartisan, Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in hopes of it improving education. The White House sums up this bill by saying, “The bill rejects the overuse of standardized test and one-size-fits-all mandates on our schools, ensures that our education system will…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 3, 2016

What’s the difference between being lazy and being plain-old “human?” Lazy means you know what needs to be done to accomplish the objective, but consciously choose not to do it. Being “human” means you have the will to accomplish the objective, but something inexplicably has gone wrong. Here’s the problem… To the casual observer, there…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 9, 2015

My Last Visit with Aunt Esther: A Powerful Story About Our Hands Powering the Brain… and the Heart Aunt Esther is 94 years old. She’s my dad’s mom’s sister. (Follow that?) Grandma died just before I turned 16. (Perhaps you recall the real-life Halloween Tale of Grandma’s Eternal Departure.) Ever since, Aunt Esther has been a surrogate grandmother. There’s…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 2, 2015

What “language” skills do people really need in college and the workplace? There’s an overwhelming amount of language rules. They create tons of places for students (and even adults) to go wrong. The problem with teaching and learning language is that there is so much to cover. So, how do you teach this successfully without…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 6, 2015

Last week we introduced our mini-series on student motivation and engagement. I recently found a great article on grading; How one teacher saw motivation and engagement soar for her entire class with a simple shift of her grading policy. Her results were astonishing! Frankly, this is the best idea I have ever seen about grading… How I…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 8, 2015

“Only 25% of my students are motivated! The rest don’t care about anything. They don’t respond to anything.” Vivian -a veteran teacher- shared this concern in a recent consulting call. Vivian teaches students with a very low socio-economic background. But, her concern is echoed by teachers and parents all over the country. Student motivation is…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 31, 2015

A few simple tweaks in the classroom can have a major impact in helping boys (and girls) discover their potential! The education of boys is in crisis! From birth, boys are wired with higher energy levels, untiring curiosity, and a natural born spirit to compete and win. Although they have great potential, it’s no surprise…

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 24, 2015

We’re continuing our series on motivation and engagement. Today, the focus is on doing “more with less.” We’ve talked about how paired collaboration works in our business. It can also work great in the classroom! (See our article “Working in Pairs; the Most Powerful Productivity Tool Ever!”) More examples about the power of pairing are…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jul 27, 2015

“What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?” Do you remember the first time you were asked this question? My grandfather asked me at age four. With sincere conviction, I answered, “I want to work at Arby’s.” He laughed out loud and patted me on the head. I got the message that my…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jul 13, 2015

When I was in middle school, I began to notice problems with my reading. I was having trouble seeing the text in my textbooks. When I looked at a page, I saw a glare of light slithering between the text and reflecting back at me. It was distracting and painful…like seeing a camera flash in the…

Is Your Focus On Private Schools Response

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 22, 2015

Two weeks ago, we got an angry response from a subscriber after publishing our newsletter titled, “Is Your Focus on Private Schools?” In that newsletter, we described several pressures facing private school teachers. In the interest of providing clarity and remaining fully transparent, I’d like to address her concerns. Her letter is in italics. My…

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Apr 17, 2015

Ric Bratton, host of This Week in America, interviewed Susan Kruger when SOAR® was just starting to grow to the thriving resource it is today. In this 17 minute long interview, Susan discusses how students can achieve higher grades in half the time. Susan has taught study skills since 1993 and authored the best selling study skills book on Amazon.…

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Mar 17, 2015

I’m sure you have heard the story of Principal Lopez from Mott Hall Bridges Academy in Brooklyn, NY. If you haven’t, check out the quick clip from The Ellen Show below: Ellen speaks with Principal Lopez and Vidal Principal Lopez was broken. She was ready to put in her resignation and stated how many educators…

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Mar 17, 2015

In medicine, doctors will prescribe the minimum effective dose. Meaning, you want to cure the illness but minimize the side effects. Learning is no different. When learning new materials, we want to use the strategies that are most effective, with the least amount of side effects, (time, energy, stress/anxiety). Graphic organizers can be good tools…

By Jessie S | Mar 17, 2015

Kevin and I are both college seniors at Michigan State University. Every year there are two giant career fairs, with over 200 companies. The crazy part is, every year the companies are the same. Year after year, big companies such as Ford, Chrysler, BP, and PepsiCo come to MSU—and every other university— hiring hundreds of…

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 7, 2014

Have you ever wondered what we do with the regular feedback that we get about our program? Well, sometimes, we determine we just can’t use it!

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 17, 2014

Last week Susan and I attended an 80/20 seminar put on by Richard Koch and Perry Marshall. Richard Koch is the modern day expert on the 80/20 principle (for more info on 80/20 principle click HERE). There we learned more about the power of 80/20 and the power of simplification. In the 1960s some of…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 29, 2014

It is finally that time of year again. The time when parents, students, and teachers are all excited for the year that is about to come. Everyone is getting a fresh start. This school year could be when you or your student excels! The first day of school can be a stressful one. Students have…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jul 8, 2014

When you decided to become a teacher, what visions did you have for your future? Was it an inspirational tale of you awakening minds? “Ah-hah” moments from students spread throughout each day? Perhaps you were inspired by a movie, like: Dead Poets Society, Dangerous Minds, or Freedom Writers. Perhaps you instantly connected with those visions…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 23, 2014

In the world of engineering, the best solution to a problem is the “simplest.” Why? Because the more complex a solution is, the more ways it can fail. The same is true in education. Time and time again, new (and often complicated) initiatives are introduced in education. But they fail because they are too complex…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 10, 2014

The Power of Language Two nights ago, my ten year-old son, Mark, was getting very upset over simple things. After the second meltdown, I knew something was up. Me: “Sit down. Tell me what’s really going on?” Mark: “I spilled my drink!” Me: “I know that’s upsetting. But you’re having a ‘ten-mile reaction’ to a ‘two-inch…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 2, 2014

“We are ALL from the City of Detroit…” Well, you might not actually BE from Detroit, but if you work in the field of education, you can probably relate to many of the challenges that Detroit has faced. Good News (and you won’t find this covered by the press, because good news doesn’t sell newspapers)….…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | May 28, 2014

Today is the first day of one of the nation’s largest policy conferences, the Mackinac (pronounced “Mack-i-naw”) Conference. It’s the most important event of the year for the political, business, and non-profit organizations of Michigan. I’m writing this on the 5-hour road trip to Mackinac; where the Lower and Upper Peninsulas of Michigan almost meet.…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | May 2, 2014

You can now get a free digital review copy of the 2nd Edition of SOAR®! SOAR® Study Skills-2nd edition is now SOAR® Soft Skills for College & Career Readiness. SOAR® now covers 100% of the Common Core Anchor Standards! This 2nd edition has all of the same great content you loved before plus three new…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Apr 14, 2014

Last fall, Microsoft asked me to share some thoughts about changes in education. Naturally, about technology. But, as I explained below, the cascading effect of technology on students will have an impact on teachers…. For the better! Like many educators, Susan Kruger was inspired to help students through her own school experience. Kruger struggled to…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Mar 24, 2014

In the movie, The Matrix, there’s a famous scene where Morpheus offers Neo a choice… Red Pill or Blue Pill. If Neo takes the blue pill, it would allow him to remain in his made-up reality of the Matrix and continue living in ignorance. If Neo takes the red pill, he escapes the Matrix and…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Mar 16, 2014

I was born and raised in Detroit. I’ve long been used to the negative impressions about my hometown when I travel. But last summer, the reaction went visceral. Two weeks after Detroit filed for bankruptcy, I was at a conference on the East Coast. Naturally, I was asked the standard opening question, “Where are you…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Mar 11, 2014

At the end of this week, the 2nd edition of SOAR® is going to press. As I did eight years ago with the original I’ve put my heart and soul into this new edition to save students from the struggles I did not need to face. The following letter to students is included in the…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Feb 25, 2014

Today is a very special day for me. It’s my 10th anniversary as a parent! Yes, today is my son’s 10th birthday. In honor of my (er, uh… his) special day, I wanted to share a letter written to “my younger self,” just days before my son was born. Last October, I had the privilege…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Feb 18, 2014

Last week, I wrote about the universal law of nature that can make all of us far more productive, the 80/20 Principle. There are many different ways to leverage 80/20 in education. The Anchor Standards are the most valuable 20% of Common Core that will make 80% of the impact on your students. You may…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Feb 4, 2014

If you are from a private, charter, or magnet school and have to recruit students, this is the time of year that the pressure cooker heats up! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could easily differentiate yourself from your competition with a simple approach that improves student performance and makes families really happy, while reducing…

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 28, 2014

I am Susan Kruger’s husband. Today I’m asking you to support my wife with three simple clicks of your mouse button. (Nothing more; no email sign-ups, no annoying marketing, just mouse-clicked votes). Are you a fast-track, quick-start? If so, Click here. Why Support Susan? Susan has been recognized for her contributions by her local community.…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 7, 2014

Happy post-holiday season! Or, for those of us in the midwest and northeast, it’s the holiday season that won’t end! Schools have been called off in our town, just north of Detroit, for six consecutive days due to weather. But, I want to share something that stretches a-l-l-l-l-l-l the way back to the eve of…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Dec 16, 2013

Two weeks ago, we published an article about learning vocabulary words (available here). It was my answer to a question from Jean, a concerned parent whose son was struggling with an on-going vocabulary testing situation. Immediately after we published that article, we received a response from Larry M. Here’s what Larry had to say: Hi…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 21, 2013

In anticipation of the upcoming Microsoft’s Partners in Learning webinar on October 23, 2013, I was interviewed by Microsoft to get my take on the state of education in our country. Read on to see the interview. What drew you to the field of education? Why is it important to you? I went to a…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 30, 2013

I was happy to have the opportunity to talk with Elisa Collins, an excellent (and now award-winning) study skills teacher at Oasis Middle School in Cape Coral, Florida. It was an exciting chance to talk study skills and pick up some new teaching tips. In 2012, Elisa was one of four teachers to win the…

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 16, 2013

After reading an article in our local Detroit Free Press, my husband, Brian, was inspired to write the following. Enjoy! – Susan ——– Identifying the Problem “We have to be in a growth mind-set,” said Michigan Teacher of the Year Garry Abud. “This is not a fixed world. It’s about moving forward.” Gary Abud’s words…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 26, 2013

When I was 17, my mom (a physician), invited me to be her guest at an invitation-only “cocktail party” for a new physical therapy (PT) center. In reality, it was an open house for doctors and other health care professionals who might refer patients to the new center for PT. Mom’s invitation was like a…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 5, 2013

Last week, someone blasted me for posting a specific review on Amazon, calling it “self-serving.” This person (whose review name, S. Richardson, leaves the person generally anonymous) spent most of his/her words attacking my integrity. However, buried in the message was one point of constructive criticism that warranted clarification on my part. As I fleshed…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 25, 2013

Year after year, the American Education System proposes new ideas on how to cram more content into less time. However, we’re missing the most essential component! It’s like trying to bake bread without yeast. We can add more flour, less salt, etc., but without the yeast, the bread will never rise. So what is the…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 18, 2013

If you could raise your students’ GPA by 1 full point and increase their standardized test scores significantly for a small, per student fee of $30, would you do it? Sound too good to be true?! Student Proficiency We’ve been trained all our lives to avoid opportunities that sound too good to be true. We…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 3, 2013

Peer pressure is incredibly powerful, and that’s not always a bad thing. A substance abuse counselor once told me, “If I am having trouble reaching an adolescent in a one-on-one therapy session, I will send them to group therapy. There is no greater influence in an adolescent’s life than their peers, and group therapy is…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | May 28, 2013

We just received some A-M-A-Z-I-N-G data! It came to us from Maeser Academy, home of SOAR®’s 2013 Teacher of the Year. According to the school’s administrator, Robyn Ellis: – “GPAs are up at least a full point every month this year…” – “Test scores are five points above the national average and five standard points…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Apr 8, 2013

I am very pleased to announce the winner of the SOAR® Curriculum Contest; congratulations to Kristin Bourgeois of Cedar Park, Texas! Kristin Bourgeois will receive a classroom set of SOAR® books and a license for our Multi-Media Teacher’s Guide. We asked for compelling stories. And, we got them! It was difficult to select a winner.…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Mar 19, 2013

To VAK or Not to VAK? A lot of people have heard about VAK (Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic) learning strategies. So, I get a lot of questions about how to use different study strategies for visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learners. My short answer is: Don’t. There are a lot of VAK-oriented study tips around, but…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Feb 19, 2013

Like many parents, the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy prompted me to wonder about the safety of my children’s school. Are the students and staff prepared for an intruder? Do they have a lockdown procedure? Have they done lockdown drills? However, one thing that never crossed my mind was, “Do they have the right locks?” I…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 14, 2013

Last week, my 3.5 year-old daughter, Maddie, came home from school very upset! She climbed on my lap and held her head down low. In a quiet and meek voice she explained, “Mama, I don’t wike school. I don’t wike gym…Miss H. yewwed at me. She say I can’t touch the liar farm.” Me: “You mean the…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 8, 2013

Last winter, I had a life-changing epiphany on a ski lift. I was alone. Had nothing to do or think about. My short legs forced me into a slight slump as gravity tugged on my heavy, dangling, ski-strapped feet. Swinging like a frozen marshmallow, high in the cold winds off Lake Michigan, I wondered, “Why…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 30, 2012

Over the years, I’ve had hundreds, if not thousands, of conversations with parents and educators. Two specific questions consistently emerge as the most significant points of pain and frustration… “How do I motivate my child (or students)?” –and– “How can I help my child get organized?” I have found myself repeating the same answers so…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 8, 2012

We all have this notion that if our students and children do “well” in school, they will do “well” in life. Well…that’s simply not true. Research from the Stanford Research Institute and Carnegie Mellon Foundation confirm that “good grades” are only 25% of the “success equation.” The other 75% of this formula is almost completely…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | May 29, 2012

When I was 22, fresh out of college, and beginning my first year of teaching, I moonlighted as a tutor. I had so many tutoring clients, I had a waiting list! How did I manage that? For one reason and one reason only. I was a study skills tutor. Not just a tutor…a Study-Skills-Tutor. It…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Apr 23, 2012

The title of this post greeted us in our email inbox on Friday. Elisa Collins, a middle school teacher in Cape Coral, FL, wrote us with exciting news! She went on to say: “…and Karl Fisch contacted me and congratulated me!! I have used the SOAR® curriculum for 3 years now and it has made…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Mar 29, 2012

March 29, 2012 One year ago today, I was called in to meet with my son’s principal… and accused of “Educational Neglect!” In the eyes of the court, “Educational Neglect” is full-fledged child abuse. How on earth could this happen to me? You may know bits and pieces of this story from the past year.…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 17, 2012

Last weekend, I was visiting a ski area in northern Michigan for a few days and met Cori. She was working the front desk and checked me in as I arrived. We were chatting as the paperwork was processing and Cori asked what I do for a living. I told her about my work with…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 2, 2012

“Study skills” are a specific group of skills that help students learn and manage school more efficiently. For most students, this will be the first time they have ever discovered that STRATEGY can apply to learning. They are used to using strategies in sports and video games…even to “manipulate” their parents and teachers when they…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 8, 2011

Educators are under enormous pressure to have students perform well on standardized tests. Since standardized tests assess students’ mastery of state benchmarks, it is well known that the best way to improve scores is to provide clear instruction of those benchmarks. As a result, teachers and administrators are spending vast amounts of time “mapping” their…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 2, 2011

Two-thirds of students entering high school are not proficient readers! This is a crisis, but there is a simple piece of the puzzle to fix this problem. It would dramatically improve student performance! However, most of us don’t know anything about it. The problem is that we do not teach a COMPLETE set of English…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 18, 2011

Last week, a friend was telling me about her work with a community initiative to help “at-risk” youth get better grades in school. Before I could stop myself, I blurted out, “Oooh…they need study skills!” She responded, “Well, we are focusing more on motivation,” and quickly continued with her story. I shouldn’t have interrupted her…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 4, 2011

Last week, I shared suggestions to improve students’ attitudes towards study skills. But, students are not the only ones with poor attitudes. I recently received an email from Jean*. Jean is a teacher who is battling a few roadblocks while teaching study skills during her “Study Skills” class. Yes, that is right. Jean is responsible…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 4, 2011

As school budgets are rapidly shrinking, administrators have to carefully consider how to allocate their budget; they need to get the most “bang for their buck.” Managing a school budget is an art form involving hundreds of decisions and balancing dozens of demands. “How Can We Make the Greatest Impact?” This question is usually the…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 13, 2011

Twenty-five years before Ray Kroc opened his first McDonald’s store, he was a struggling “paper cup” salesman in Chicago. It was 1930; the country was in the midst of the prohibition era and soda fountains were rapidly expanding as an alternative to bars. Walgreen’s was leading the way, opening new stores and soda fountains at…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

This week’s article is for you if you are a tutor or have thought about becoming one. It is estimated that parents in the United States spend $5-8 billion a year on private tutoring! Tutors can charge anywhere from $30-$90 an hour, depending on their location and specialty. If you haven’t thought of becoming a…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

If you read my article “How I Was Accused of Child Neglect,” you know we have had some big changes in our household with our first-grader starting a new school this week. So far, we are off to a good start! Last week, I only described one element of our challenges with the previous school. I…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

I recently spoke with a young teacher from Minnesota; she said something that resonated deeply within me. This young woman had signed up for an “Ask the Author” session over a product question. However, as we spoke, she made a striking comment. “I am trying my best, but many parents want to blame everything on me!” Her voice cracked…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

How DO We Make Learning More Relevant? One way to bridge this gap is to illustrate the connections between what our students are learning and how that information will help them in “the real world.” As you explain these connections, stories will emerge and students love stories! Watch the body language of students change as…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

In a previous article, I discussed the #1, most fundamental learning strategy of making connections and described a strategy for learning vocabulary words. It is very simple, yet such a powerful strategy, I decided to make a video of it. Take a look:

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

Today, I want to share a resource that became the topic of one of the “rants” Susan mentioned yesterday. We were discussing how important it is for student to learn how to “delay gratification” in order to be successful… in school or in life. So, I shared this video with her. This Marshmallow Experiment was…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

Today’s article begins with a quiz: What cognitive process is the greatest predictor of success in school? a) Verbal working memory (auditory processing while conducting other tasks such as note-taking) b) Ability to identify main ideas c) Transcription fluency (ability to write/form letters) d) Ability to spell accurately e) Ability to solve problems Did you…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

I know that everyone has their minds on “turkey,” but I only received one response to Creative Ideas Needed for Orphans in Sierra Leone, West Africa. The idea comes from Laura H. (not to be confused with the Laura who is working with the orphanage in Sierra Leone): Highlighting “Not sure how helpful this may…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

I had to make a “last-minute” road-trip to meet my new niece today; I am now an “aunt” for the first time! Baby Katelyn is adorable and a truly wonderful Thanksgiving gift! As I held that beautiful newborn this morning, I thought about the blessings she already has in life, including her two loving parents…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

“A good teacher is a self-abuser!” One of my grad-school professors said this in class years ago. I was still teaching full-time and his words pierced right through me! “Yes!” I thought, “that is so right!” I came home every day, frustrated that I didn’t get to something I wanted to cover that day or…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

Motivation! Ah…if I had the magic pill that would light a fire under students and children, I would certainly bottle it instead of writing these articles in the wee hours of the morning and night. This is a hot topic and the root of several questions I have received since announcing this project a couple…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

I would like to share another perspective about how the brain works. This one, in my opinion, is FUNDAMENTAL. It applies universally to everything you learn. If you really understand this, you can find unlimited applications to improve your learning (and teaching). You are undoubtedly aware of it to some extent, but are you exploiting…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

One country is leading the world in educational achievements. They have created a system that nurtures problem-solving and critical thinking skills. They have developed classrooms where teachers rarely lecture for full class periods, but instead, allows students to determine their own weekly goals and chose the tasks they will work on… at their own pace.…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

“Small-chunk” learning is the most undervalued concept in education! We have all been raised with this notion that effective learning and good grades can only come from a massive investment of time of energy. That notion is not only wrong, it’s harmful! It turns a lot of eager, willing, and smart people off to learning.…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

I received the following email from a subscriber: An issue that prevails for many students, including my own daughter, is that testing is conducted through only one format; multiple-choice; end of course/grade, SAT, HSAP, etc are only formatted as multiple-choice assessments. There are a significant number of students who would benefit from various other testing…

The Most Overlooked Back-to-School Item

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 10, 2026

Folders, pens, backpacks, pencil cases, paper, planners, binders… You’ve stocked up on nearly every back-to-school item you and your child can think of. But, you’re probably still missing the most important tool. Don’t feel bad, you’re not alone. With all of the back-to-school ads from the big-box office supply stores, we’re led to believe that…

Conquer Summer Brain Drain: Let Go of the Guilt!

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jul 6, 2026

Summer vacation is coming—for some of us it’s already here—and that means it’s time to tackle Summer Brain Drain again. How do we keep our kids’ brains active for the three months that they’re out of school? How can we make the gap between school years an advantage, and not just dead space? Most parents…

21 Days to Back-to-School Bliss

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jul 3, 2026

Tips for getting your school-year off to a relaxed and productive start. Gearing up for back-to-school can be a bit overwhelming; there is a lot to do, a lot of transitions to navigate, and often a sense of blues as the realization that summer has, once again, gone by too fast. However, you can easily…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | May 14, 2026

If reading has felt heavy in your home, this is your reframe. When your child or teen reads a word “wrong,” your first instinct is to correct it. That’s a loving instinct — and it’s also the moment when the most useful information a reading session can give you disappears. Because every reading “mistake” is…

By Jessie S | May 12, 2026

If your child is in reading remediation and you’ve started to wonder whether it’s actually helping — you’re not imagining it. You’ve watched them sit through more drills, more worksheets, more phonics practice. Maybe they’ve been pulled out of the parts of school they actually love. And the progress is still slow. Or invisible. Or…

By Jessie S | May 12, 2026

Three days before school started, an eighth-grader named Nick lost the one class he had been looking forward to all summer. Nick was a gifted artist, and eighth grade was the first year he was eligible to take a daily elective. He’d waited all summer for it. Then the letter came: his reading scores were…

By Jessie S | May 12, 2026

Fifteen years ago, I sat across a table from a principal who told me my six-year-old couldn’t read. He handed me six graphs. Every single one flatlined. The word “educational neglect” was said out loud — a legal term for child abuse. I’m a certified learning specialist. My husband is an educator. We had been…

By Jessie S | May 4, 2026

If your child has been labeled “below level” in reading, but something in your gut keeps saying that’s not the whole story — pay attention to that feeling. The label may be measuring the reading situation, not the reader. And once you can see the difference, the path forward gets a lot clearer. This isn’t…

By Jessie S | Apr 6, 2026

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Mar 13, 2026

The following article was first published in 2021, during the thick of the pandemic. We wanted to share this article again because the learning value of digital media still remains true to this day! We are both educators, but you can stick a fork in us… we’re DONE! We’ve always said that we could never…

How to Help Your Child’s Test Anxiety

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 28, 2026

Test anxiety is very common. However, I’ve come to realize that the more we, as parents, try to help our children alleviate that anxiety, we often add to it… accidentally, of course. Jim, a parent using SOAR, recently contacted us with a great question about how he can best help his child. I thought our conversation…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | May 11, 2025

I thought it would be appropriate to reflect on the significant roles that mothers (and fathers) play in homework, having just celebrated Mother’s Day over the weekend. As a young student, I had my share of homework arguments with my mom. As an adult, I have become more and more appreciative of the tenacity my…

How a Simple Studying Technique Led to the Only 100% Test Grade Out of 250 Students

By Jessie S | Jun 28, 2020

Preparing for an exam where the average score is 65% had me a little concerned. I usually got good grades, but had never been particularly good at taking exams. And the fact that my extremely smart roommate‘s grade was only a 45% last term, really gave me anxiety. Checking my teacher’s reviews online was not helpful…

By Jessie S | Oct 6, 2019

I am typically not one to watch intellectual competitions in my spare time, especially any more intense than Family Feud. However, flipping through the channels, one caught my attention. The show was called Child Genius. I saw young children answering questions about crazy subjects and spelling words that I didn’t even know existed, and I…

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 21, 2019

Tears. Shouting. Pouting. Kicking. Screaming. More tears. This perfectly describes the temper-tantrums I see in my 5-year old daughter, Madison. I know my child isn’t the only who has temper-tantrums. But, I still wonder, “What is going on with you, child?!” I would patiently try to get to the root of the problems. I would…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2019

Last week, I received an email from a 30-in-30 subscriber: Her son is a junior in high school who struggles academically. He refuses extra help from a tutor or teacher, insisting he can do it on his own. He has an older brother who does well in school with relatively little effort, so the young…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Apr 24, 2019

I hear one complaint often; it usually comes from moms and female teachers who are frustrated over how much “effort” boys will put into written assignments. It goes something like this: “He knows so much about the material, but he will only write a couple of things… he always wants to take the shortcut!” I often ask,…

Legal Homework Rights: What’s the Limit on Homework?

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 4, 2018

Hi, I just read your article Titled “Can You ‘Opt Out’ of Homework?” (Click HERE for the original article.) I enjoyed the article but I guess I need a more concrete answer to the question of my legal homework rights: CAN I LEGALLY OPT OUT OF HOMEWORK FOR MY CHILD? – Dawn, SOAR® Parent The answer is…

Study Skills Camp Scholarship

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | May 21, 2018

So far, we’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response to the SOAR Virtual Summer Camp! However, I was deeply saddened by a couple emails I received expressing great interest, but declining participation because the camp was cost-prohibitive. Excellent education should not be “cost-prohibitive.” So, I jumped into action and reached out to some local businesses to secure…

How to Transcend ALL Barriers to Education: Poverty, Learning Disabilities, Apathy, & More

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Apr 21, 2017

In 1896, in the slums of Rome, a young woman was put in charge of a group of children labeled “impossible to educate.” As the first female physician in Italy, she had fought great resistance to get her own education; “no one wanted a female doctor.” Her assignment to care for these children was considered…

Report Cards: Dealing with Poor Grades

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 21, 2016

If you’re like the millions of parents who open report cards and sigh, this article is for you. Upon opening a report card, you experience a flood of emotions. Almost like going through the 5 stages of grief: Denial: “No, this can’t be right. I made him sit at the kitchen table every night and…

Why Is Homeschooling the Fastest Growing Segment In Education?

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 16, 2016

“The number of parents choosing to homeschool their kids is growing 7 times faster than the number of kids enrolling in K-12 every year.” (as reported by Education News) Do you wonder why that is? Education is free in the United States and many parents enjoy the fruits of a dual-income. So, what causes a…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 30, 2015

Organize School Papers at Home Solves the problem of… how to manage and organize the daily flood of papers from school! How the “School Papers” System Works Our system for organizing school papers at home is pretty simple and straightforward. The kids clean out their backpacks every day, after school. (It’s one of their “after-school” magnets, from our Morning Magnet routine.) Trash goes…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 27, 2015

Command Center for Organizing Mail, School Papers, & Junk Solves the problem of… losing important mail/papers AND having mail, papers, and other junk flood my kitchen counters. How the Command Center Works My Command Center may not look as pretty as the fancy ones you’ll find on Pinterest, but it is unique in three…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 20, 2015

The Menu Board for Simple Family Meal Organization Solves the problem of… having to figure out what to buy and prepare for lunches and dinner every day. Additional benefits… the Menu Board also improves meal-time cooperation from the kids… and has them making their own lunches, with minimal fuss. It’s a fabulous tool for achieving…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 18, 2015

Get Everyone on the Same Page with the Sunday Meeting Solves the problem of… last-minute syndrome! A short, 5-10 minute routine can transform your family organization… and your family! During this brief, weekly meeting, we: review schedules for the next two weeks, review school papers we missed during the week, select lunches and dinners on the…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 15, 2015

Resolve Chaos with “Morning Organization Magnets!” Solves the problem of: chaotic, rushed mornings with lots of nagging and yelling! Added benefit(s): The “morning magnets” were so effective for morning organization, we also added “after school” and “bedtime” magnets to manage recurring, daily tasks. For better or worse, my best ideas always come when I’m fed up! Ticked…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 12, 2015

Our Allowance System Solves the problem of… the kids not caring about: getting to school on time, turning off the lights, listening to directions, etc. Additional benefits… the allowance system also builds: their sense of ownership and responsibility around the house, their value for money and other belongings, and their ability to discern how to…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 10, 2015

Life-Saving Multi-Purpose Organizer Solves the problem of... saving my sanity while keeping my house reasonably tidy. How the Life-Saving Multi-Purpose Organizer Works I have six of these beauties in my home, mostly as a holding place for clutter: In my kitchen, as pictured in the Command Center (see photo below). Each bin is labeled for a different…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 12, 2015

I certainly hope you don’t ever need this book. But, the reality is that nearly half of all marriages end in divorce. And the journey is very lonely. Even though thousands of people are going through the process at any given time, the experience is L-O-N-E-L-Y. The grief about the past. The worries about the…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 26, 2014

After teaching in a high school for more than a decade, I met thousands of parents at parent-teacher conferences. As I think back, two particular meetings with parents really stood out to me. Megan was a student that struggled to turn assignments in on time, but she had a very nice presence in class. Going…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 12, 2014

“It was fine.” “It was good.” “It was okay.” If you are a parent, you usually hear one of these 3 answers everyday when you ask your child how school was. The answer always leaves you wanting more. In order to get the answers and details about their school life, you have to get creative.…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 11, 2013

Report card stress is an all to common occurrence this time of year. You flip through the pile of bills, advertisements, and magazines and there it is…the dreaded report card. Reluctantly, you open the envelope. Your heart sinks. You had a feeling that things weren’t going well this quarter, but you weren’t prepared for this.…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 20, 2013

While computers and the internet are amazing resources for students, they are full of potential distractions. Today’s students spend hours per day on the computer for learning tasks both in and out of school. However, social media sites, online games, and other “addictive” websites are everywhere, and many students have a hard time staying on…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 28, 2013

There are some forces in our society—some obvious, others completely hidden—that pull us toward trying to fix the world to accommodate our children. We get the vague sense that we should constantly arrange our children’s world around them. Sometimes these pressures are obvious and easy to resist, but sometimes they’re as subtle as our own…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 21, 2013

In about six hours, my family will grow by one. “It’s a boy!” As I write this, my husband, Brian, is driving home to Detroit, from North Carolina, with the newest member of our family…my 20 year-old cousin, Kevin. Kevin will be doing an internship with SOAR® and getting a heavy-duty course in study skills. …

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Dec 11, 2012

Did you know that praising your students and children for good grades is the worst thing you can do for them? It sounds counter-intuitive, but Carol Dweck, Ph.D. has discovered, unequivocally, that it is true. Praising results sabotages effort! In her fascinating book, Mindset, Dr. Dweck explains all motivational challenges, wonderments, and mysteries according to…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 19, 2012

As we enter Thanksgiving week, I’ve got several things on my mind… In the last ten days, I attended two different conferences where dozens of parents and teachers talked about how challenging it is to motivate their children and students. Meanwhile, at home, my family is grieving the loss of my husband’s grandmother. We have…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 1, 2012

Last week, I passed along a blog post by Heather Shumaker, a mom who has chosen to opt her children out of homework until age 11. In response, I received a thoughtful letter from a well-respected colleague. Martin Kirkwood is the director of guidance and college counseling for St. Theodore Guerin High School near Indianapolis,…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 1, 2012

“My son doesn’t remember what he reads in a textbook.” “My daughter doesn’t pay attention well in class.” “She doesn’t take good notes.” “He doesn’t know how to study for tests.” All of these situations are problems with learning…learning in a conventional school setting, at least. Most students find each of these tasks boring and…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 24, 2012

We get a lot of phone calls from parents of elementary students, complaining about the volume of homework their child gets from school. We specialize in study skills and homework management, so it’s natural that parents would call us. We can help parents of these youngsters facilitate more peaceful homework sessions. We can also help…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 18, 2012

Being Convinced of What We “Know” I always knew that exercise was good for my brain, the same way I knew that flossing was good for my teeth. But it wasn’t until I was 33 and saw an x-ray of my teeth that I saw exactly why my dentist kept nagging me about flossing; all…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 5, 2012

Much of the country has been “back to school” for a few weeks now. In Michigan, however, today is the official First Day of School. My family decided to beat the back-to-school blues that creep in over Labor Day weekend and went on a very special Michigan adventure! We walked across the magnificent, five-mile long,…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Apr 23, 2012

We recently took a family trip to Walt Disney World. My seven-year-old son loved Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, and having his picture taken with Darth Vader & Storm Troopers from Star Wars! Despite these –and many other- magical attractions, do you know what ONE thing my son loved more than anything else? The one…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Mar 13, 2012

For the last few months, my son has been drowning in homework! He’s in second-grade. As you may know, he has dyslexia and ADHD. But, his “disabilities” are not the problem. As a matter of fact, our targeted interventions and his hard work have put him very close to “grade-level.” He hates writing (the process…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Mar 6, 2012

I imagine your life is a lot like mine…too many things to do and not enough time to do them! This seems to be the curse of our technological age. We have great tools for improving efficiency, but we are also expected to be infinitely more productive. As you know, most of the time, I…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 27, 2011

Study skills have earned a bad “rap” over the years for many reasons: Students think they are “boring” because many boring things are lumped together with study skills. Students think they mean a lot of extra work because many of the “free” study skills online are very labor-intensive and time-intensive. Students think they must be…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

How do you avoid the “brain drain” over the summer? This is the question I was asked to explore recently on the internet radio show, “What Really Matters.” You can access the full podcast from here: http://www.vickyandjen.com/podcast_221.html The show hosts, Vicky and Jen, are women after my own heart because they focus on REAL and…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

This week, I am tackling the topic of “Study Skills for Adults.” After attending a long and intense seminar this weekend, I put together a video summary of the best study skills I used to make the most of my weekend. The principles of efficient learning apply to ALL ages! View the video below: I…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

Have you seen the following statistics? 30% = number of students dropping out of high school in the US. 40% = number of college students who have to take at least one remedial course in college. 50% = number of college students who never complete a degree. 66% = number of high school honor students…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

“We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist, Using technologies that haven’t been invented, In order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.” – Karl Fisch, Did You Know When we grew up, the employment rate was fairly stable and our greatest concern was being able to perform just…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

…Given that we can’t anticipate what the economy will look like at the end of next week? As a parent, I am growing increasingly worried that school will sabotage my first-grade son’s overflowing creativity and problem-solving skills. I value those traits in him more than anything else! With his “out-of-the-box” thinking, he may someday discover…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

I’ve been watching a curious pattern during this project. There has not been a lot of activity on the blog and I get email responses from less than 0. 5% of the subscribers on this list. However, the number of people subscribing to this list has been steadily growing, so it appears people are reading,…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

We hear a lot of negative stories in the world and fight a lot of negativity in our daily lives. I believe a “good story” is always welcome. Today, I would like to tell you a bit more about my former student, Carl. I had Carl as a third-grader, ten years ago. He had a…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

Today, I want to share a video from the Today Show that aired in August 2009. I thought it was fairly succinct and provided good points (with two minor exceptions). The video is here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/32595340#32595340 It is only 4:15 long, so I hope you will take the time to watch it, but if not, here…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

One of the top three questions I hear from parents is, “How much homework is a reasonable amount?” Many parents are exasperated over homework battles and find that their entire family’s well-being is held captive by the volumes of homework assigned to one child. I am just entering into this Battle Zone as a parent,…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

My mom is a physician with a specialist certification in chemical-dependency. Lately, she and my father have spent a lot of time trying to help a relative who, apparently, has been battling alcoholism for several years. You would never know it to know her. She is a dynamic woman; very smart, hard-working, and a dedicated…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! There are a few lose ends to tie up from last week. THE DRAGONS WON! On Friday, I mentioned we were gearing up to see our hometown football team play in the state championship on Saturday. The game was played on the home field of the Detroit Lions,…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

My husband’s high school is playing in the state football competition tomorrow! We are quite excited to see the Lake Orion Dragons perform on the home field of the Detroit Lions and sure hope to see them bring home a victory! In honor of our community’s celebration, I want to share some quotes from one…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

Warning: today’s message is 95% rant and 5% “morale.” It’s been a rough day!

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

Can you think of a few times in your life when you felt particularly good about yourself…when your “self-esteem” meter was on the rise? What inspired those feelings? Every one of those memories is likely tied to an accomplishment you made in some way, shape, or form; a result of effort and work on your…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

Why Am I So Passionate About Entrepreneurial Skills? For a variety of reasons, I believe the next several decades will see the employment pendulum swing further away from “big business” and over to small and independent businesses. For one thing, technology advancements are allowing companies to complete more with less “man” hours and are allowing…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

Most teachers will tell you that the key to a great school year is to invest time at the beginning of the year establishing classroom routines and rules. The 3/33 approach in the classroom refers to spending the first three weeks focusing primarily on these expectations so that the remaining 33 weeks can be focused…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

What do you have to gain by developing a positive relationship with your child’s teachers? A lot more than you might have thought! One late-summer day, I was busy setting up my classroom when a woman and her son peeked in… Debbie and Luke. I was just transferring into the school and Luke would be in my class…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

At a recent presentation for parents, I mentioned the importance of providing positive consequences to motivate students with homework. Afterwards, one mother approached and explained that her daughter has been having problems all school year. “Her teacher has been insisting that I provide a lot of punishment at home,” she explained. “I think that might…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

It is 6:00 AM…you have already hit the snooze button twice and are dreading the morning marathon hat lies in front of you. Making sure everyone is dressed and ready for school is enough of a process, especially when everyone is bleary-eyed (and oh-so cheery) at the very beginning of the day. Soon the chaos…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

Tips for Understanding and Minimizing Homework Headaches Does homework cause tension in your house? Is the sense of frustration becoming too much to take? If so, you are not alone. Every day, I receive calls from parents who are fed up with the homework battles. Most parents wonder with exasperation, “Why does homework cause such…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Mar 22, 2011

A week ago today, my husband & I were called in to meet with our son’s principal. The topic? His attendance. Mark, a first-grader, has a variety of health and learning issues that we’ve been sorting through all year. He’s seen nine specialists and had a WIDE variety of tests, so his absences have been adding…

Study Skills for College

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jul 27, 2026

Whether you teach students who are heading off to college in a few months or in five years, there are a few study skills that can dramatically improve their odds of success. How do I know? I’ve lived this story. If you have not heard it before, the short version of my story is that…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Apr 10, 2026

Previously, I wrote about my 20 year-old cousin, Kevin. He moved in with us from North Carolina to do an internship with SOAR®. (See the story here.) I made a prediction that within one year, Kevin would be earning straight-As in school. Turns out, I was wrong. It only took three months! Today, Kevin shares…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Feb 4, 2026

Have you ever thought about the impact of a zero? Probably not. Well, this week Brian put together a video to explain how one or two missing assignments can have a devastating impact on your grade. If you’ve never thought about the impact that a zero can have, you need to watch this video!

How Students Should Set Goals

By Jessie S | Jan 21, 2026

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 14, 2026

Note-taking may be the quintessential study skill. Even people without a real concept of “study skills” know that students are supposed to take notes. Teachers like to say, “If I’m talking, you should be writing.” But how many students listen? Students struggle with note-taking because they are overwhelmed by the content covered in class. They…

New Year. New Semester. New Homework Solutions.

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 1, 2026

The start of a new year means it’s the perfect time for a new outlook on homework: homework systems! As a parent or a teacher, you know just how much of an energy drain (to put it lightly) homework can be for your students (and you)! Let’s start from the top. The first question you…

$study for math test$

How to Study for a Math Test

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 8, 2025

When I was a student and teachers would say, “Study for your math test!” I would think, “How do I study for a math test?” I now realize that study is the wrong verb. You really need to ‘practice’ for a math test. You not only need to KNOW material for a math test. You…

Note-Taking: Writing vs. Typing Notes

By Jessie S | Sep 28, 2025

It’s time for the note-taking showdown everyone has been waiting for. Today, we reveal the winner of the ultimate note-taking battle… pencil-and-paper vs the computer. This has been the hottest question on note-taking for the past few years, and we have an answer for you! So, which is better? Full Disclosure Before we dig…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 10, 2025

Recently, a SOAR® subscriber asked for tips to help her daughter stay on-task with her homework. Just last night, a student in my Homework Action Group complained of the same problem. “I have a hard time staying focused on homework. It takes me forever to do it!” I remember, as a young student myself, wriggling…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 24, 2025

Very few people are “naturally” good at all of the tasks required to be successful in school. In fact, statistics say that only 5% of people will naturally have what it takes to excel in school.* Yet, students must get through school. And, adults must work to make a living. We should all be working…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 20, 2025

Superpowers are not just reserved for the Avengers™. We all have at least one. You are probably “good” at a wide variety of things. But, there is *something* that you are REALLY good at! Something you do better than 90% of the population. That something is your superpower. Your superpower is something you can’t NOT…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jul 2, 2025

I recently received an email from a mom, Beth R., concerned about organization for her middle school son. She believes in our streamlined system, but she’s concerned that her son won’t feel comfortable using our system. He won’t want to “stand out” amongst his peers. Beth’s concerns are fairly common for a student using the Binder…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 26, 2025

I struggled in school. From kindergarten thru 12th grade, I struggled to earn mediocre grades. I would study for hours…then fail a test. Over time, I had no motivation to study. “Why should I bother?” I wondered. As I entered college, I knew something would have to change. Based on my track-record, I would never…

How to Use a Digital (or Paper) Planner

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 22, 2024

When it comes to using a planner, you really should go “back to the future.” We get lots of questions from our clients about how to use a digital planner. To be successful with a digital planner, it’s critical to employ the basics of a paper planner. Paper vs Digital Planners We still stand by…

Increase Motivation: Identify Your Intelligence(s)

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Dec 16, 2019

Are you smart? Immediately you start judging yourself. Maybe you answered “yes.” Or, “no.” Or, maybe you waffled with indecision. As a society, we make this judgement of others all the time. Even the best teachers in education find themselves with thoughts like, “Kyle is a bright kid, he’ll learn this quickly. But Laura will…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 3, 2019

We are heading in to the time of year that students of all ages have reports, presentations, and other big projects to do. So, I am sharing a nifty, on-line tool that is a great for helping students map out a plan for these big projects. It is a calendar creator that will allow you…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2019

School Frustration and Anxiety: if you’ve ever felt totally lost and hopeless in school, there are some things you can you do to flip that feeling around… Feeling Like I’m Back in 4th Grade, Learning Long Division I recently had an experience (in fact, I’m still floundering my way through it) that took me right back…

How to “Stress Less” in School: Susan Shares Her Thoughts at the “Stress-Less” Summit with Eleni Vardaki

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 10, 2018

Few things in life get better because of stress, and school is no exception. Students should enjoy learning and not be bogged down with stress and fear. But when we’re disorganized, and we don’t know how to study or learn effective, stress and fear sky-rockets. During the Stress Less Summit, Eleni Vardaki interviews Susan Kruger…

study skills let me survive nursing school

Managing Heavy Content & Workloads

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 5, 2017

“Wait, I must have read that wrong. They want me to read how many pages? BEFORE class even starts? This is not what I had in mind when deciding to take a summer class in college!” I knew nursing school wouldn’t be easy, but I didn’t think it would be this demanding! My name is…

Procrastination Stops Now: The First Steps To Getting Started

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 16, 2016

Ever wonder how to eat a large frog? (Stay tuned to learn Brian Tracy’s answer). It’s Sunday night. You’re sitting on the couch watching Netflix and enjoying popcorn in your pjs. All of a sudden, you remember that you have a HUGE research paper due next Friday. Panic sets in. You haven’t even picked a…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 19, 2015

The following test-taking tips will help you relax, feel “in control,” think more clearly, and ultimately… raise your test grades. Its test day! For many students that means: clammy hands, sweating, the non-stop bouncing leg, brain-fog, “I knew this stuff last night, why can’t I remember it now!” and even full-on P-A-N-I-C! Preparing for a test is essential. But, there…

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 10, 2014

What if you could accomplish the toughest challenges in life by simply closing your eyes and using your imagination? Well, you can. October 28, 1992 was supposed to be the final day of my high school soccer career. It was my senior year at Athens High. We were scheduled to play the undefeated cross-town rival,…

By Jessie S | Oct 3, 2014

This year, 3.8 million college graduates will compete for a limited number of jobs. 8.5% of them will be unemployed, and another 44% will be underemployed (working in jobs that don’t require the degree they earned). I happen to be one of those 3.8 million students looking for a job, but I am armed with…

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 19, 2014

As a teacher, I always set high expectations for my students. I was firm on deadlines and adhered to expectations I built from Day 1. Then, I met Jackie. Jackie was a smart, cheery, liked-by-everyone sort of student. Every day that she entered the classroom, she greeted me with a “Hi, Mr. Winter, how are…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 5, 2014

Pavlov’s Dog taught us that we pursue activities that provide rewards. This historic experiment is an extremely relevant principle today, especially in education. Students do activities that they can see the value in! People also avoid pain. No one enjoys or does something that directly causes him or her pain or stress. This fact, and…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Apr 29, 2014

Last week, I wrote about How to Transcend All Barriers to Learning. The 100+ year-old story can be summarized in four basic principles: Provide Structure. Celebrate Originality. Build on Aptitudes. Make it Relevant. Today, in celebration of the release of our 2nd Edition of SOAR®, I am pleased to share an excerpt from the book.…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Dec 2, 2013

We received an e-mail from our client Jean: I’m wondering if you can help with a recurring problem. My son, Daniel, gets 20-25 vocab words every couple of weeks for his Language Arts class. For the test, he has to pull the words out of his head, spell them correctly and write the correct definition.…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 7, 2013

This article comes to you from my cousin, and SOAR® intern, Kevin. Enjoy! – Susan ——– As I look back on my loooong 21 years of life, I realize one of the defining moments of that time was learning how to manage it. When I think about it, I can look forward to saving years…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 3, 2013

I was diagnosed with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis at age 19. The summer before my third year of college, I became extraordinarily sick. Somehow I limped through my first semester until I could return home for the holidays. But that Christmas was a disappointment. I couldn’t keep up with our traditional all-night euchre games with…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jul 31, 2013

Why Do Traditional Planners Fail? Many schools provide planners for their students, but never teach them how to use them. They just assume that the students will figure it out. As a result, many students end up carrying the planner around and only use it for the bathroom pass section that is often included in…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jul 22, 2013

It’s an aged old question, back to the days of the single-roomed school house… How do I study for a math test? However, if this is the question you are asking, then you’re asking the wrong one! You should be asking “WHEN do I study for my math test?” Many subjects like history and science…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jul 1, 2013

Do any of these situations sound familiar…? Rhonda’s teacher passed out homework to each student as they walked out of class this morning. Rhonda had a full stack of books in her arms and her bag was over her shoulder. Her teacher placed the paper on top of her books as she raced off to…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | May 21, 2013

Can you completely transform your abilities as a student in only 45 minutes? Keep reading to learn about one college student’s experience. Last week, our new intern, Jessie, shared vivid details about the struggles she faced transitioning into college. (See part 1 here.) Jessie graduated high school with a 3.7 GPA, but college was a…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | May 14, 2013

The following story is real. It may alarm you. It’s about one high school HONOR student who got to college… and floundered! The truth is, she’s not alone. 2/3rds of high school honors students have the same problem.* I am thrilled to introduce our summer intern, Jessie. Jessie just completed her sophomore year of college.…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Apr 23, 2013

First, I must express my sincere regard for the people of Boston, especially all who have been directly impacted by last week’s events. My heart and prayers have been with all of those who were injured and the four souls who were lost. With that said, the footage from the people of Boston on Friday…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Mar 25, 2013

Through our SOAR® Study Skills book we describe a simple and efficient system for taking notes in class and studying those notes outside of class. There are, however, some additional note-taking formats, such as concept webs (great for learning science or math vocabulary) and graphic organizers. Below you will find a description of concept webs…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Feb 15, 2012

Marcia, a teacher from Wisconsin using the SOAR® curriculum, recently asked us: I was wondering if you have any suggestions for a student who wants to use an e-planner, rather than a paper one? First, I believe that the only way an “e-planner” will be helpful for a student is if it is on a…

One Small Step for SOAR^®, One Giant Leap for Study Skills

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 9, 2012

It represents countless hours of dedication and energy from the people on our crew who share my passion for study skills and the horizons they can open for students. Drum roll, please… I am thrilled to announce our new, easy to find, home on the web… www.StudySkills.com! Today’s celebration is not just about our new…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 3, 2012

There is nothing like the holidays to take a break and evaluate your life. Any time we step away from our routines, we begin to see things more objectively. With this perspective, it is natural to desire change. No wonder we make resolutions! But, Do Resolutions Actually Work? A local newspaper posted the ten most…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 29, 2011

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! For me, the holiday lived up to its name and was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate all of the blessings in my life. We hosted 30 people for the holiday, but I didn’t cook a thing! My husband’s parents graciously took control of the turkey and mashed…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

Greetings from DECA’s International Career Development Conference! If you are not aware, DECA is a student marketing association with 185,000 members in eight different countries. My husband and his co-worker (Brian and “Ms. D”) are advisers of their school’s DECA chapter. Brian and Ms. D have worked hard over the last few years to grow…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

I was recently asked a million-dollar question, “How can I make homework more interesting for my child?” The premise of this question is a bit faulty. It is like asking, “How do I make ‘paying bills’ more interesting?” You can play loud music and eat a lot of ice cream while paying bills, but at…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

Have you ever heard the phrase, “It’s all about who you know”? Every adult could probably tell you about some opportunity that arose because they knew the right person at the right time. As human beings, relationships influence everything we do! Why do you think golf is such an integrated part of the business world?…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

I am frequently asked, “How do I study for tests?” This question actually puts the “cart before the horse” because the efficient way to study for tests is to do your homework on time, ask questions in class, and learn information as it is taught, not just memorize the night before. There are easy ways…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

Have you ever arrived at school and discovered that you left your homework at home…or your lunch money, gym shoes, library books, permission slip for next week’s field trip…? If you think it is annoying forgetting these things, your parents and teachers find it even more frustrating! The good news is that it is fairly…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

At a recent education conference I attended, there was a lot of buzz about the “multi-tasking” learner. Essentially, educators are recognizing that today’s students are plugged into their iPods®, surfing the internet, and text-messaging their friends all at the same time. So, there is a new push to educate students in that same “multi-tasking” mode.…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

As a classroom teacher, I used to hear excuses from a few students every morning about why they did not have their homework. Most of them had to do with extra-curricular commitments: “I couldn’t do my homework last night because I had a baseball game.” Or, “I had to go to my brother’s basketball game.”…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

I recently received an email from a parent who is desperately frustrated over the struggles her middle-school son is facing. He has been diagnosed with ADHD and bi-polar disorder. School and everyday life, she says, is a real struggle; he loses everything and forgets everything. Like every other student I have met with these same…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

The winter break is before us and, speaking for myself, procrastination is setting in. Case in point…I REALLY did not want to sit down and write this article for December. I came up with all kinds of excuses by thinking things like, “I have too many other things to do that are much more pressing.”…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

“Study skills are boring!” That is what most students tell me when I first meet them. Boring!? These are skills that can help them get better grades and spend less time on homework…how can they be boring? Honestly, there is a good explanation for the bad rap that study skills have developed over the years…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

This time of year, my blood runs green and gold for the Green Bay Packers. My father grew up in Wisconsin during the Vince Lombardi era. I grew up in Detroit where people only complain about the Lions. I don’t think it was ever a decision…I was born a Cheesehead. Last night, I watched the…

The Motivation Circuit: How Motivation Works

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 27, 2026

The Motivation Circuit Video Transcription “Motivation” is the term we use to describe a power surge from the emotional region of the brain. When the emotional region of your brain is happy, comfortable, and engaged, it makes a lot of brain chemicals. This provides a hefty power boost the rest of the brain, making learning…

Student Motivation: How to Get Students in the “Green Zone”

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 20, 2026

It’s second hour in Mr. K’s class. The bell has just rung. Mr. K is ready to get started with his lesson. But, here’s what Mr. K doesn’t know is lurking under the surface: Susie was just dumped by her boyfriend because of an untrue rumor posted on social media last night. Jimmy’s coach stopped him…

The Learning Circuit^TM: How Learning Works

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 17, 2026

The Learning Circuit Video Transcription Learning is nothing more than your brain creating new wires. How does this work? Every time you learn something new, your brain powers a connection from something you already understand. When this happens, the neuron wires in your brain –the information you already understand– create new wires to capture the…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 14, 2026

Brain-First Learning for an AI World Tier 3 Interventions RTI Tier 3 Interventions: Step Back Before Going Forward When the wrong gap is being targeted, “more intensity” isn’t the answer. Tier 3 is where we stop escalating and start digging deeper — finding the exact place the learning circuit breaks down. She averaged 11% on…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 14, 2026

Brain-First Learning for an AI World Tier 2 Interventions RTI Tier 2 Interventions: Elements of Effective Intervention Lessons When Tier 1 builds the foundation, Tier 2 builds the bridge. The pattern is hard to predict… You’ve tried slowing things down. You’ve tried different programs. You’ve tried more repetition, different modalities, fresh starts. Some of it…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 14, 2026

Brain-First Learning for an AI World TIER 1 INTERVENTIONS RTI Tier 1 Interventions: Avoid Differentiation at the Wrong Layer Teach What’s Universal, Honor What’s Individual The Brain Circuit™ — how every brain connects new information to what it already knows. This universal layer of learning is what Tier 1 instruction serves. “Executive function is EVERYTHING.…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Mar 19, 2026

I was recently asked by a tutor using SOAR, how to help a student who has dysgraphia use a planner. (Dysgraphia is an extreme difficulty with writing.) It’s such an important question, I wanted to share my response with you. Q: Do you have any suggestions for my student who has dysgraphia and has difficulty writing in…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Dec 17, 2025

“My students think they are ‘broken,’” lamented one special education teacher. “They don’t have dreams because they don’t think their dreams matter.” The truth is, our education system is not equipped to help any student explore their dreams and options beyond high school. But special education students have an even greater disadvantage; they don’t think…

The Learning Disability Circuit: How Learning Disabilities Work

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 15, 2025

The Learning Disability Circuit Video Transcription “Learning disability” is the term we use to describe a low power supply of brain chemicals in sections of the brain that process language or math. Common learning disabilities include: dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, language processing disorders, and more. For example, imagine this string of lights represents the neuron wires…

Teaching Students with Autism: Science that Empowers What Your Heart Already Knows

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Apr 3, 2025

Teaching Students with Autism There’s a very good chance you could teach me a lot about teaching students with autism. You’re in the trenches, working with students every day, So, I’m NOT here to tell you what you “should be doing differently.” Nor am I here to point out “where you’re dropping the ball.” I…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 15, 2024

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 8, 2024

The ADHD Circuit: How ADHD Works

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 13, 2020

The ADHD Circuit Video Transcription ADHD is the term we use when the Front Brain has a LOW power supply of brain chemicals. The Front Brain is the organizing center of the brain. It orchestrates everything…from your five senses and emotions to the thoughts you generate in response to them. For example, imagine this string…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Apr 26, 2020

The Brain Circuit Video Transcription The brain has dozens of different sections. Each section does something different to help us move and process thoughts. Think of the brain like your digestive system… Your digestive system is made of many distinct organs. Each organ does something different. But, these organs work together to digest your food.…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Apr 24, 2020

RTI Tier 1 interventions are the “first line of defense” for supporting students. Response to Intervention (RTI) was designed to help prevent students from needing special education assistance. Tier 1 instruction is delivered to the whole class. Assessments monitor progress of students. If students are struggling to learn specific concepts or strategies, they would then move up…

Are You the Best Version of Yourself?

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Feb 16, 2020

Have you created the best version of yourself? I recently met an inspiring individual that most certainly has. You haven’t seen this person on the cover of Forbes. She doesn’t flaunt expensive clothing and jewelry. And, you haven’t seen her meeting with world leaders. Well, not yet anyway. But, she did just win a prestigious…

Strategies for Successful IEPs

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 12, 2020

The only battle more epic than Batman vs. Superman might be “parent vs. teacher” in a special education IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meeting. My First IEP I’ll never forget one particular IEP… I was accused of “not having the student’s interests in mind.” David had ADHD and a learning disability in written expression. David’s greatest challenge…

Special Education: How to Make Common Core Work

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 23, 2017

“Common Core” is an emotional phrase nowadays. Some people hate it. Some people love it. From what we have heard from Special Ed teachers, their story is no different. Special Ed students are being held to the same high standards as their Gen Ed peers. On top of that, you don’t have the time to teach…

The Autism Circuit: How Autism Works

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 24, 2017

The Autism Circuit Video Transcription Autism is the term we use when more than one region of the brain has a LOW supply of brain chemicals. Since the Front Brain is often impacted by these power outages, people with autism often have ADHD, too. For example, imagine this string of lights represents the neuron…

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 10, 2017

Can You Relate…? You’re a special education teacher (or maybe you know one) sitting in a building-wide staff meeting. In the meeting, the results of your state’s annual, standardized test scores were released. The results are good, except for one segment of students that are not showing enough improvement and thus hurting the school’s overall…

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 5, 2017

Are we aiming to have our students “college ready” OR “career ready?” OR both? If both, do we get them “college ready” first, then “career ready?” These are many of the questions that educators seem to wrestle with on a regular basis as our country works to prepare future generations for workplace success. Let’s cut…

By Jessie S | Apr 26, 2017

Dear Special Education Teachers, why do you do it? You have to deal with loads of paperwork, angry parents, impossible state standards, and flack from administrators. Doesn’t it feel like you’re constantly swimming upstream? Teaching has become a job, not a passion. Schools are not a warm and fuzzy place anymore. The focus has changed…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 20, 2016

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Mar 19, 2015

This was a question I’ve asked myself many times. My wife and both of my kids have ADHD, but I do not. This was problematic, because… I didn’t understand why I had to ask my son repeatedly to perform simple tasks like put his toys away, brush his teeth, or put his clothes on. At…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Mar 18, 2015

Stop. Answer these questions: In 1970, what percentage of jobs in the marketplace required a 4-year college degree? Today, what percentage of jobs in the marketplace require a 4-year college degree? Here’s your answer… Notice the percentage of jobs requiring a 4-year degree has not changed. How can this be? Professional careers (e.g. doctor, lawyer,…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 13, 2012

I recently received an email from our electric company offering an “Energy Efficiency Kit.” Obviously, everyone is concerned about saving energy! However, we rarely think about conserving *brain* energy. Just like every appliance in your home, however, your brain is an electrical organ. So, let’s talk about some ways you can give your brain –and…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 6, 2012

There is a scene in the Disney movie, “Beauty and the Beast,” where Belle’s father is desperately trying to save her. She’s being held prisoner by the Beast, so her father begs people in town to help rescue her. At first, the townspeople lead him on, letting him think they will help. But, in truth,…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 11, 2012

If you ever hear a teacher say these words about your child: “He’s just not working to his to potential!” OR “She just needs to try harder.” …something is very wrong! (Obviously, if you are a teacher and feel inclined to say these words…keep reading.) I have come to learn that these words are major…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Feb 20, 2012

This week, I thought I would share an inspiring article from ADDitude Magazine. I am a big fan of ADDitude and was very touched by an article about a mother and daughter who overcame substance abuse and threats of suicide through a double ADHD diagnosis. They learned about ADHD together, and grew significantly from their…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Feb 15, 2012

A few weeks ago, I received an email from Joe, whose son has ADHD and he wanted to know if I had any thoughts about managing social skills. This was my response… Dear Joe, You have a great question! First, I am a big proponent of teaching communication/interpersonal skills to ALL children/students, not just students with…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Feb 15, 2012

I must admit that I’ve become a little obsessed with researching the brain lately. I always considered myself a semi-expert in understanding how the brain works for learning, but I have never dug this deep into the biology before. At the same time, I am trying hard not to learn too much. I think that…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Feb 2, 2012

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 31, 2012

For the last two weeks, I have been writing about a 9 year-old boy named Will who is struggling with reading. I prepared a short video explaining some basic, yet very important information about the biology of the brain. I am sending this video to Will because I believe it will give him hope and…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 24, 2012

In last week’s article, I wrote about Cori, a heart-broken mother who is watching her bright son, Will, struggle with reading. She is out of options and feeling very hopeless. Today, I am going to share some general recommendations that will help Will “catch up” and read on grade-level within the next 12-18 months. The…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 17, 2012

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 9, 2012

Have you ever seen a dog chase its tail? The dog keeps going round and round, presumably thinking that, any moment now, he will actually catch that tail behind him. He expends a lot of energy, but has nothing to show for it. People with ADHD often describe a similar sensation of spinning around in…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 5, 2012

A few years ago, a friend of mine was working as a grad-assistant to Bonnie Cramond, a professor at the University of Georgia. They surveyed hundreds of teachers, asking half of the teachers to list words that described “creative” students. The other half were asked to list words that described students with ADHD. The two…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Dec 14, 2011

We’ve done a few “special article” series before, but nothing has lit up the blog comments like the topic of ADHD. I’ve enjoyed the questions and feedback. There are excellent questions coming through and I hope to expand on most of them in future articles. Keep them coming! One of the comments came from Rita,…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Dec 13, 2011

Our first home as young newlyweds was a small bungalow built in 1942. We purchased the house in the month of August, many months before we discovered the drafty windows. As the Michigan winter rushed in, it literally rushed right through our house. Day after day. Month after month. Winter after winter. It took a…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Dec 1, 2011

I would like to send a special call-out to my cousins! I am the youngest of 32 “first” cousins; Minta, a cousin by marriage, says that we all have the same eyes. Apparently, the genetics do not stop there because many of us -and our children- have ADHD. There was a lot of buzz about…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 23, 2011

I have always been fascinated by strings of lights. It amazes me how a simple strand of light bulbs can illuminate any space and transform it into a warm and festive atmosphere. While shopping for party decorations this summer, I came across an inexpensive set of lights that would fit perfectly in our kitchen. I…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 14, 2011

Dear Parents and Educators, ADHD affects nearly 8% of the world’s population. Regardless of country or culture, one in thirteen people have the condition. Many are quick to think that ADHD is “over diagnosed,” “just an excuse,” or simply “not real.” For anyone who has it, or has lived with someone who does, you know…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 27, 2011

The more I learn about learning disabilities, the more I see that the “best practices” for educating students with learning disabilities are actually considered “best practices” for all learners. For example, math and reading interventions focus heavily on “hands-on” and “experiential” learning activities. Isn’t it well known that all students learn best when they can…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

Do you know why you have ADHD? …Because you are extremely intelligent! No, I am not being sarcastic. In fact, I could not be more sincere. Most people with ADHD have such a strong interest in a great variety of things, they have a hard time maintaining focus on one thing at a time. Of…

The Learning Value of Digital Media: Audiobooks, Videos, & Video Games

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Mar 13, 2026

Cue to Reading: How to Identify & Fix Any Reading Challenge…Quickly!

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jul 15, 2019

My latest eBook, “Cue to Reading: How to Identify & Fix Any Reading Challenge…Quickly!”, is available on Kindle for only $9.99. You can find the Cue to Reading here, or read on for more information about the book. The Cue to Reading will: Give you the power to identify reading problems/disabilities. Teach you a deep…

“The Cue to Reading” Series (Article 10): Creating Effective Lessons for a LD Student

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 30, 2011

When my son was a few months old and I was a new mom, I had no idea how or when to introduce him to solid foods. I fell asleep one night in the midst of reading an article about the topic. The article explained that solid foods should be introduced in very small bites,…

“The Cue to Reading” Series (Article 9): Strategies for the Three Cueing Systems – Part II

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 29, 2011

As promised last week, I will share effective strategies for the remaining two cueing systems today. However, I’d like to begin with a story about a powerful way to support struggling readers…that I discovered by accident. Several years ago, I had a third-grade student, Emilia (name changed) who had very few reading skills. She could…

“The Cue to Reading” Series (Article 8): Strategies for the Three Cueing Systems

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 16, 2011

Two weeks ago, our computers were down and my productivity came to a grinding halt. (Perhaps you noticed that I skipped a week with these articles…) With nothing else to do, we cleaned out our filing cabinets. One large drawer was overstuffed with reading materials from my days in the classroom. “This ought to be…

“The Cue to Reading” Series (Article 7): Journey of a Reading Teacher

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 9, 2011

It was my husband who first suggested I go for a reading degree when I entered grad school. “Are you kidding?” I replied. “I HATE teaching reading!” It was August and we were on a road trip, heading home after camping for a week on Michigan’s west coast. I was supposed to start grad school…

“The Cue to Reading” Series (Article 6):
Why Reading Level Is Overrated

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

One year, when teaching third-grade, I had a half-dozen students enter my class with a “documented” reading level of 7th grade or higher. These reading levels were determined by their second-grade teacher, after she completed her end-of-year testing. Naturally, these parents wanted to be sure their children would continue to be challenged. Several of them…

“The Cue to Reading” Series (Article 5): What Do I Do? Where Do I Go?

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

A subscriber from St. Louis emailed me a couple weeks ago. She feels her son had a reading disability and was wondering what she should do next. Should she seek a tutor? If so, where could she find one? How could she get a diagnosis? Her questions address the next logical topic to discuss in…

“The Cue to Reading” Series (Article 4): “He’s Just Not Tryin'”

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

We all have our little nuances and idiosyncrasies. One of mine is my “Rule of Three.” That is, when something comes to my attention three times in a relatively short span of time, I take notice and wonder if the world is trying to tell me something. The Rule of Three has helped me navigate…

“The Cue to Reading” Series (Article 3): When Mistakes are Golden

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

By now, you may be getting a little “tired” of all of this talk about cueing systems, but these first three articles are synthesizing what I believe to be the most significant information about the reading process. Out of the thousands of hours of training I have had between my master’s degree, several years of…

“The Cue to Reading” Series (Article 2): Cueing Into a Problem / The Most Important Cueing System in Reading

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

What Is The Most Important Cueing System In Reading? When I ask this question in training sessions (typically for highly experienced teachers), the response from 90% of them is, “Visual!” Then, I open my PowerPoint and display this message: I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdgnieg. It is the phaonmneal…

“The Cue to Reading” Series (Article 1): The Three Cueing Systems of Reading

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

Zimulis. What is this word? How do you say it? How would it fit in a sentence? What is it describing? Do you have ANY ideas? Does this help…“I misplaced my trusty zimulis”? Now you know that a zimulis is a noun. Whatever it is, it’s “trusty,” so maybe it is some type of electronic…

Introduction to “The Cue to Reading” Series

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

My son, Mark, was diagnosed with dyslexia two weeks ago. As you may have read in previous articles, we had some struggles with his principal and reading teachers and had to pull him from a school that we otherwise loved (with a “main” classroom teacher that we adored and who adored Mark). Mark started…

Advice from Dad: The Original “Soft Skills”

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 11, 2026

When I was in middle and high school, my dad was home to greet us after school every day. He and I would often drift into long conversations while enjoying a snack together (usually saltine crackers with butter). Looking back, those “cracker conversations” with Dad were my personal “Soft Skills University.” It was during those…

How I Almost Forgot the Meaning of Thanksgiving…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 19, 2025

I sent this out Thanksgiving of 2019, in the midst of a lot of chaos. We received so many wonderful comments, I thought it would be worth sharing again. Although I’m very blessed to be hosting family members at my home for Thanksgiving, I almost forgot to be thankful… The plan was to move my husband,…

Happy Halloween!
My Grandma’s Eternal Halloween Departure

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 22, 2025

Happy Halloween! On this peculiar holiday that celebrates death, I thought I would share a very crazy, but 100% true story about my Grandma’s Eternal Halloween Departure. Hey, I’m not the one who invented this holiday! So, if it sounds a little weird to celebrate this story, well… it is. But, death is a natural part of…

Processing Emotions: Why Facing Tough Stuff Hurts and Helps

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 15, 2025

This website is primarily dedicated to optimizing the process of learning. However, learning has no greater roadblock than negative emotions. For that reason, I am planning a series of articles on “emotional intelligence.” Frankly, I’m long overdue to address this topic. But as they say, “hindsight is 20/20.” Several recent situations keep bringing this topic…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 4, 2020

Every year at this time, we usually share our evergreen article, 21 Days to Back-to-School Bliss. I wrote it before I had children of my own, but have since referenced it for 15 back-to-school seasons as a mom. Yet not one of those seasons has ever compared to this year! Nor does any one of…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | May 5, 2020

When Addiction Changes Your Life Story

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Dec 11, 2019

As the holidays approach, this time of year often amplifies grief. Loss of loved ones, or even loss of “what used to be” becomes more… well, MORE. I doubt anyone reading this has not been impacted by addiction… in some way, shape, or form. Today, I want to share a very important, powerful, and raw…

The Story of Us… and SOAR

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 29, 2019

Today, Brian & I celebrate our 20th (!!) anniversary. I feel like I’m barely older than 20… how is it possible that I’ve been married that long? You may not know Brian, but he has manned the helm of the SOAR Ship for the past eight years. He is the unsung hero behind every product…

Stand-Up Paddle Board with Injury Modifications

The Story of Us… and SOAR
pg. 3 of 3

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 29, 2019

continued from page 2… Eight years later, we are able to pick up that dream, again. This time, we can mold it into something so much more beautiful and “human-friendly,” as we create a secondary school. Something that will redefine the experience of being 14-18-years-old. Something for: our children, their peers, and (God-willing) many future…

The Story of Us… and SOAR
p. 2 of 3

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 29, 2019

continued from page 1… Five years later, the dreams I thought would take a lifetime to achieve, had already come true! (Thanks to lots of support from you and family.) Very soon, it became evident that the child I once thought would get in the way of my dreams, was actually the North Star to…

Perry Marshall, Susan Kruger, & Rob Berkley

Tribute to My Coach & Teacher

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 17, 2019

Happy New Year! ‘Tis the season for reflection and reevaluation. It’s the perfect season to share a story about a very special person in my life… “My Dear Rob” Several years ago, after my husband, Brian, left his teaching career to support SOAR full-time, we were really out of sync. Completely out of sync. After…

Working in Pairs; the Most Powerful Productivity Tool Ever!

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Mar 17, 2015

I shared before that I hit a patch of serious “burn-out” last summer. Writing became paralyzing; it was a miserable process. As a result, Brian (president of SOAR® and my husband) began to write the weekly newsletter. Soon, Jessie, our summer intern, jumped in to help him. They did a great job, but they too,…

We Are Sideline Grievers: Honoring the Angels and Heroes Newtown, CT

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Dec 20, 2012

I bet every one of us has hugged our children a bit more often…and a bit tighter…since last week’s horrible events at Sandy Hook Elementary. We are all struggling to come to terms with what happened. I’ve been quite sick for the past few days, so I apologize for this delayed newsletter. However, my mind…

Learning from Tragedy: Honoring Kenley’s Spirit

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jul 2, 2012

NOTE: I first wrote this two weeks ago, but needed some time to collect my thoughts and thoroughly review it before sharing. This is a tough story and includes my personal journey for making sense of tragedy, including a few spiritual thoughts and beliefs. There is a powerful message here for all parents and educators.…

One Small Step for SOAR^®, One Giant Leap for Study Skills

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 9, 2012

Thanksgiving Tribute to Parents and Teachers

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 22, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving! In the spirit of this wonderful holiday, this week’s newsletter is a tribute to parents and teachers. I have shared many details about struggles we have had to help my son over the past several months, including a shocking situation that caused us to pull him from his school abruptly last spring. We…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 20, 2011

I’m from the Detroit area and our local economy, like many others, has been hit hard lately. People from the Motor City are working hard to re-innovate themselves and the community. It’s an energizing time to be a part of this town (especially now that our baseball team has just clinched the American League Central…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

For a while, I didn’t think this day could come soon enough…the LAST day of 30-in-30! Now, I find that I have a whole slew of ideas, topics, and technologies I could dig further into. And, I will…eventually. For now, I need a break. 🙂 I want to thank you, whole-heartedly, for sharing time out…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

Yesterday, I took a walk down memory lane, visiting a special store called The Detroit Shoppe. I was inspired to share some thoughts about what makes me proud to be from Detroit. I was chaperoning a field trip with my husband’s marketing class to a local shopping center that is a national attraction, Somerset Collection.…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 3, 2011

Last week, my dad shared a story that really touched me and has been on my mind for a few days, so I thought I would share it with you. Dad had just returned from a two-week trip to his hometown of Eau Claire, WI. While there, he visited with Gerrie, a former classmate that…

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Dec 8, 2010

Several months ago, I was asked to write a 600-word story about how my father has contributed to my success in life. It was supposed to be published in a book paying tribute to fathers, but I believe the project has fallen-through. Nonetheless, I have had this piece and had been wondering how I might…

Why Middle School Sucks for Most Students

By Jessie S | Sep 2, 2019

My name is Kylie, I’m an intern at SOAR® Learning. I vividly recall the first days of middle school. Like many middle schoolers say about school… “It sucked!” Here’s why… Like lots of students I loved fifth grade, being the oldest and coolest kids in school was so fun. My teacher cared about me, I…

New to Middle School… and Totally Overwhelmed!

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 16, 2012

Last Friday evening, I sat in the waiting room of a local gym, watching my daughter’s gymnastics class through the viewing window. Another mom was seated next to me, watching her son’s class, bouncing a baby on her lap, and cradling a cell phone in her neck as she talked to someone at work. I…

StudySkills.com

SELskills.com

StudySkills Articles

Article: Choose a Category

Educators

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 28, 2026

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 22, 2026

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 4, 2026

By Jessie S | Jun 2, 2026

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | May 21, 2026

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | May 5, 2026

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Apr 23, 2026

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Apr 16, 2026

By Jessie S | Apr 6, 2026

By Jessie S | Mar 26, 2026

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Feb 26, 2026

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Feb 18, 2026

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Feb 12, 2026

By Jessie S | Jan 21, 2026

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 7, 2026

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Dec 29, 2025

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Dec 10, 2025

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 26, 2025

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 5, 2025

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 1, 2025

By Jessie S | Sep 17, 2025

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 28, 2025

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jul 9, 2025

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Mar 9, 2025

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 15, 2025

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 15, 2024

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 8, 2024

By Jessie S | Mar 1, 2021

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 7, 2020

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 22, 2020

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | May 5, 2020

By Jessie S | Jan 26, 2020

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jan 21, 2020

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | May 13, 2019

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | May 4, 2019

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Mar 18, 2019

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jul 9, 2018

By Jessie S | Mar 5, 2018

By Jessie S | Feb 26, 2018

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 11, 2017

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jul 16, 2017

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jul 9, 2017

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 28, 2017

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 22, 2017

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 18, 2017

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 11, 2017

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 5, 2017

By Jessie S | May 31, 2017

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | May 29, 2017

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Mar 27, 2017

By Jessie S | Mar 20, 2017

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 13, 2016

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Nov 1, 2016

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Oct 1, 2016

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 26, 2016

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 23, 2016

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 22, 2016

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 20, 2016

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 20, 2016

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Sep 16, 2016

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 29, 2016

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 15, 2016

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Aug 10, 2016

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jul 28, 2016

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | Jul 21, 2016

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 16, 2016

By Susan Kruger Winter, M.Ed. | Jun 16, 2016

By Brian Winter, M.Ed. | May 16, 2016