Look and Listen

Biography

We are the founders and directors of the STRONG Learning Centers® Chappaqua, NY, a full service tutoring agency serving southeastern New York and Western Connecticut. We have authored and published over forty books, including the Creative Thinking Workbook series; the Understanding People storybooks; and the S+T+R+O+N+G Kids Life Skills series. All told, our books have sold over a million copies, and we have been interviewed on radio and television stations all over the U.S. and Canada. Our award winning book, Why Bad Grades Happen to Good Kids, represents the culmination of decades devoted to helping parents and their children learn how to learn. Focusing on six key areas—Self-esteem, Trust, Responsibility, Options, Needs, and Goals —this book helps struggling students and academic stars alike achieve academic success. The perception of most parents is that when their kids get bad grades, it is the result of their children’s laziness or lack of effort. In fact, bad grades are usually symptoms of other problems, which this book will help parents discover and resolve. As Al Roker, co-host of the Today Show says in the Foreword, it shows parents “how to help educate your child in a whole new way.”

Inspiration

Our writing careers began in the mid 1970s when we our research showed the need for materials to inspire creativity in children. This led to our Creative Thinking Workbooks series. Similarly, the need for materials dealing with child appropriate sociology led to our Understanding People storybook series. Our Life Skills series and Study Skills series, and Learning By Coloring, and Make My Own Book kit series had similar beginnings. Similarly, our research showed that parents need a source book to help them understand the reasons behind their children’s minor or not-so-minor school related problems. This led to the award winning book Why Bad Grades Happen to Good Kids (Beaufort 2007).