Q: My 8-year-old son loves to collect stuff, and his room is full. My wife calls it junk. I call it cheap toys -- everything from rocks and coins to shells and "Star Wars" characters. Mom wants it tossed, but his teacher says collecting can foster creativity. True?

A: What his mom thinks is junk could be your son's ticket to a highly creative and innovative life. Read the biographies of many researchers, inventors, writers and artists, and you'll find that childhood collections put them on a path to becoming successful. Think young Charles Darwin and his bugs, or novelist Vladimir Nabokov and his butterflies.

Young collectors develop habits of mind (discovery, observation, categorization, prioritization and editing, among others) that are the foundation of many life skills.

"Some very famous people have relied professionally on their leisure collections for inspiration, knowledge and skills. A century ago, psychologists and educators took the collecting habit in children seriously and pondered how to use it to advantage in the classroom," note Robert and Michele Root-Bernstein, co-authors of "Sparks of Genius: The 13 Thinking Tools of the World's Most Creative People" (Houghton Mifflin, 1999).

They think that collections can offer the intellectual and sensual stimulation necessary to inspire personal � HYPERLINK "http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/creativity" �creativity�; that collecting develops a number of important "mental tools necessary for creative thinking," such as learning to observe acutely, make fine distinctions and comparisons, and recognize patterns and gaps.

JeanAnn Lewis, a West Virginia mom, used to call it junk too, but finally saw the light when she noticed that her fifth-grade son enjoyed sharing his collection of found objects and coins with friends and adults, "describing them in great detail, making judgments about their properties, even writing reports about them for school," she says.

"I was like (BEGIN ITALS)'whoa'(END ITALS) when he told his grandmother the worth of a nickel he found in a cigar box at a garage sale," she explains. "He told her he would keep it because it would only get more valuable. He was learning patience, how to research an item and monetary appreciation without any help from me!"

Rather than nag about the clutter, Lewis uses it as a teachable moment, showing her son that collections should be taken care of -- putting items in cases or boxes, or organized on shelves and dusted.

"Twice a year, we look at what should be put in storage, traded or tossed," she says. "That helps keep his bedroom clean by boy standards. We narrow what he'll collect so that every object doesn't come home. He reads about things he's collecting, too."

Her son's collections have given the family a great activity to enjoy together, says Lewis. "On weekends, we stop at yard sales for a look-see. My son knows he can use part of his allowance on his finds. It's teaching him how to save, spend and manage money. He and my husband have started to sell some of the items, such as bird's nests, on eBay. It's fun!"

(For more on kids and collecting, go to: www.smithsonianeducation.org/students/idealabs/amazing_collections.html.)

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: At a recent school meeting, some parents pushed back on the new Common Core curriculum that my state, California, adopted. They are afraid that the standards will be too hard for their children. Several parents are for the standards. How can we answer their objections?

A: Ask if they really want to deprive their children of college and career opportunities. The lack of preparation for college work and the continuing slippage of United States students on international comparisons are key reasons 45 states have adopted the Common Core State Standards.

The Common Core, with standards for math and English language arts, is designed to address inequities. Currently, kids in some districts or states get a rich and deep curriculum, while others get less challenging courses. This leads to lower scores on important tests and more remedial instruction in high school and college.

The new voluntary, internationally benchmarked K-12 standards seek to give all students a strong knowledge and skills foundation in math and English. "Yes, they are challenging, but they are also clear. States that implement them well will graduate more of their high school students ready for college and careers," says Ramon Cortines, retired superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, and former New York City Schools chancellor.

Cortines says the Common Core standards won't be implemented overnight. Most won't show up in classrooms until the 2014-15 school year. "While state policymakers and educators may adopt them, the hard work is at the local level," he says. "Teachers must be supported in how to teach (the standards) in ways that connect to their students. If educators follow a script, it won't work.

"Parents must understand not only why the standards will benefit their children, but what students are supposed to learn," Cortines continued. That way, "parents can help them at home and encourage them to aim high."

The National PTA has done a good job showing parents why they are important partners in the Common Core initiative. The organization created 11 grade-by-grade guides that reflect the standards. They show key items that children should be learning in English and mathematics in each grade and suggest activities parents can do at home. Parents of high school students will also find tips for planning for college and careers. Go to pta.org for the guides. To get more background and find out if your state has adopted the standards, visit CoreStandards.org/in-the-states.

Cortines says there's another good reason to hope the Common Core initiative succeeds -- to help students become effective citizens. "Students need a strong knowledge foundation to make informed judgments, sound arguments and effective decisions. We do students a disservice when we encourage them to have lots of opinions, but we don't insist that they acquire broad knowledge to base them on," he says. "I like the way author Liel Leibovitz puts it. 'Points of view are to knowledge what dessert is to vegetables: You earn one only by first consuming the other.' Done well in our schools, the Common Core will serve up really tasty, nourishing veggies!"

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: My daughter is a young teacher in a tough middle school. She's taught for two years. She still loves the kids, but the stress is taking a physical toll. I hate to see her leave a career she's always wanted. The district doesn't have a program to mentor new teachers. Is there anything I can do to help pull her through this?

A: You're doing some of the most important things by providing an ear and perspective. Up to half of new teachers leave within their first five years, according to research by University of Pennsylvania professor Richard M. Ingersoll, Ph.D.

Chances are good that your daughter has gone through the toughest phase. If she can stick it out, the experience will make her more resilient. Most teachers say they only start to get comfortable with what they're doing in the classroom in their third year, explains Jane Close Conoley, Ph.D., dean of the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Does your district offer structured support? Many do. The University of Miami Support Network for Novice Teachers offers practical advice and mentoring. The American Psychological Association has adapted the network's approach in a module for new teachers on stress management. Check out the APA Teacher Stress Module at www.apa.org/ed/schools/cpse/activities/teacher-stress.aspx.

The lack of a formal program shouldn't deter your daughter from finding the support she needs, says Russell Bourne, Ph.D., president of the Florida Psychological Association's Palm Chapter. "Mentors are where you find them, and that is usually wherever you look," he says. "Often the new teacher is limited to those who know her world of the classroom."

Encourage her to also have conversations about the importance of her work with folks outside of education -- others in the community who value commitment and excellence in our classrooms. Scott Trumley, a New York educator, recalls speaking to a local Rotary Club during his first year on the job. "I was raising money for a field trip," he says. "I told the group of my hopes for these kids and all my frustrations. One member, a judge, said to me afterward, 'Call me after your worst days.' Those talks helped me grow.

"I'm now an assistant principal helping new teachers stay in the profession."

Beyond the advice inherent in those conversations, your daughter will benefit from articulating her thinking. Paraphrasing German novelist Hermann Hesse, Bourne says: "'Everything becomes a little different once it is spoken out loud.' So, maybe the new teacher simply needs to have more conversations with those she trusts."

For any novice, the performance of seasoned colleagues can appear magical, says Bourne. "Remember Malcolm Gladwell's notion of 10,000 hours to perfection? Three years can seem like an eternity if it is all a struggle and full of stress. Advise your daughter to share with others, stay patient with herself, and remain committed to success.

"Remind her that what we are to be, we are always becoming."

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)