Virginia C. McGuire

I wrote this piece for the Philadelphia Inquirer about the trend of “afterschooling,” families who do a significant amount of academic instruction on the side while their children attend transitional schools during the day.

‘Afterschooling’ no punishment

Afterschooling can take many forms. Some people hire math tutors or send their kids to foreign language classes outside of school. Some do science experiments at home. I spoke to one mother who has a full range of textbooks, and she spends two hours every afternoon teaching her son the same subjects he learned at school. Some families do it to provide extra challenge for academically gifted kids. Some do it to make their children more competitive on standardized tests. Some do it just for the fun of it.

Check out the article to learn more.

I’m posting my latest articles to my Facebook page these days. If you’d like to be notified when I publish a new article, please consider clicking the “like” button.

Thanks!

Claire (aka Virginia C. McGuire)

So far this summer I’ve written about:

A townhouse near Athens, Greece

Homes priced at $900,000 in Ohio, Oregon and Maine

A restored 18th century farmhouse in Provence

A penthouse apartment overlooking Lake Geneva in Chernex, Switzerland

I wrote about Clarence and Lhianna Bodiford’s home in Port Richmond, a former industrial neighborhood in Philadelphia.

The article is here.

Buenos Aires is one of my favorite places to write about. I hope to make it there some day.

House hunting in Buenos Aires

The real estate agent told me that the little square dormer with the mansard roof on the front of this house is a local architectural feature called the “Lunenburg Bump.” Also, now I want to know more about the pirates who once used the islands of Mahone Bay as their hideouts.

House Hunting in Nova Scotia

My article, Stylish Wreckage, ran recently in the Philadelphia Inquirer. I spoke to the owners of four architectural salvage stores across the city, including a brand new store opening at Carpenter and Greene in Mt. Airy this weekend owned by green builder Chris Stock.

Note: Link to article was updated on 6/27/2012.