The Story Behind Parenting with a Positive Mindset LLC

The Right Support Equals Success

Welcome to my world, one NYC mom and entrepreneur just trying to make it all happen without the meltdowns! I’m Cara and I’ve been working with children for 30 years. I began teaching ballet 🩰 to elementary students when I was sixteen. It was just my Saturday morning routine and something I had dreamed of doing since I was three. It was not competitive dance - just girls in the neighborhood gathering to enjoy an hour together as they imagined becoming ballerinas. Sweet, fun and stress free living!

During my college years I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education (PK-6) and a Master’s degree in Reading (K-12). After graduating, I was Orton Gilligham trained and completed 30 credits above my Master's degree in school counseling.

I began my career as a permanent substitute teacher in an elementary school. After completing my coursework, I was hired as a reading/ AIS teacher. My primary goal was to provide systematic explicit instruction to striving readers in Grades K-2. After serving in this role for nine years, budget cuts caused me to be reassigned to the K-1 classroom. My first year teaching in a K class was definitely successful. I will never forget the amazing readers and writers of K-210. Although, I was rated as a highly effective teacher and made regular improvements to my teaching methods, each year produced very different results. Effort did not always equal success. Meeting students emotional, social and academic needs paved the way for growth and resulted in a happy classroom.

That all changed during the 2019-2020 school year. Long developmentally inappropriate pencil and paper assessments became standard practice. These tests were required in multiple subject areas at least three times a year. Classroom expectations were changing and a new wave of cover yourself with a pile of paperwork began. In my OPINION, teaching after COVID was about creating PAPERWORK as PROOF for the administration to show their value to the district. Hence the term, distributive leadership became commonplace. In my own experience, this means the administration does less and the teacher does more. The administration removes support systems therefore adding tasks to the classroom teacher’s TO-DO LIST. A system I found so dysfunctional that I decided I needed a big change.

THAT CHANGE is Parenting with Positive Mindset LLC. Six years of parenting research and thirty years of teaching experience combined to provide a wealth of resources for ALL parents! Welcome I’m so glad we connected and hope you will find information in my resource section that helps you create positive change in your life and home.