College Bound - Follow your Dreams

Middle school is not to early to start thinking about college. And, as far as I'm concerned your never too young to start thinking about college. I have had elementary school students express to me what university they want to attend. That's a wonderful thing. Enhance their dream and do all you can to make it come to fruition. Before you know it your child will be a junior in high school...then it's graduation time.

Ask your child what they would like to do once they become an adult. Every child has a dream...didn't you. Even as adults we are still reaching for our dreams. Here are some things that we can do to help cultivate that dream.

• Find a mentor - someone who works in the field that the student is interested in. This can be people whose services you already use: your doctor, pediatrician, attorney, dentist, minister, accountant, businesss owner, etc. Your chlid may be able to shadow that person and see the daily routine. There's nothing better than being involved first hand.

• Talk with someone who is new to that occupation - 2 years or less. Their outlook will be different from someone who is a veteran in that field.

• Use your inner network and see if any friends or family are in that line of work...your child can talk to them about their current experience. Most people are very open to talking about themselves and their career. You may never get them to be quiet.

• During the summer or even on the weekends see if your child can provide some volunteer work or possibly get an internship. They may not obtain direct experience in the field, but you will be able to network with current employees, have a realistic picture of what occurs on a daily basis, and open the door for other opportunities. This is priceless. Some companies do allow children over the age of 16 to participate in internship, volunteer, or mentoring programs. It doesn't hurt to ask.

• Go on the internet, see what length of schooling is required, what types of courses you will have to take, if there are any licensing/certificaion requirements after obtaining the degree, and research the salary. All of this data is very essential in determining if the occupation you choose is the right one for you. For instance, if you are required to be in school for 8 years and your not to keen on being in school for long periods of time then you may have to reassess your goals. If your interested occupation/major requires classes in chemistry, biology, and labs, but you hate science then you may want to do some rethinking . So, take a look at the full picture (the good and the not so good). Because, ultimately, you want to enjoy your career of choice.

• And, most importantly, see what the future holds for that field. What's hot today may not necessarily be in demand in a few years.

Once your in the mindset of attending college then you just need to start taking action. If you attended college tell your child about your experiences both good and bad. Children love to hear stories involving their parents. Sure, they may change their mind a few times but at least they will be better equiptted to make a knowledgable decision. Check out this website which steers middle and high schoolers in the direction of being college bound.

101 Ways to boost your child's ego

Children, no matter what the age, thrive on recognition. Even adults like to have their ego stroked every now and then. A little praise can go a long way. It can be the difference between wanting to do the work and doing the work just to get by. Children ultimately want approval and praise from their parents. This will not only help improve their performance, but improve their self-esteem. So, here are 101 ways to give praise, show interest and offer encouragment to your child. And, remember that praise should be given to those who are worthy of it. If used losely then the purpose for encouragement will be lost.

Questions for kids that spark conversation

Are you tired of receiving those infamous one word answers: "yes", "no", or "nothing" when you ask your child about his or her day? To often children do not want to engage in conversation about their school activities. So, as parents we have to find creative ways of learning about their day.

You don't want to ask them 21 questions, but just enough to understand how they are doing both emotionally and academically. Try to avoid closed end questions that have one word answers. The key is to ask questions that will spark their interest to expand on their answer. Or their answer may prompt you to have a follow-up question. Who knows...you may even get more than you ask for once your child sees you are expressing genuine interest in his or her well being.

Alway praise your child and let them know how proud you are of them and that you support them unconditonally. I would even recommend that you share your day with them, so that they understand parents can have good and bad days, too. Here are some suggestions:

1. Tell me about or show me something you learned today? Follow-up: Did you like learning about that?



2. What did you have for lunch? Follow-up: Why did you like or not like it? Who did you eat lunch with today or who did you sit beside during lunch?



3. What was the most fun thing you did today? Follow-up: Why was is so fun?



4. What did you not enjoy doing today? Follow-up: Why did you not enjoy it?



5. What did you do today in Math (or use another subject)?



6. Who did you play with today? What did you play?



7. What question did you answer today in class? Follow-up: Did you know the answer or did you just take a guess at it?



8. What did you like (or not like) about your bus drive today? Follow-up: If it was something they didn't like. How did you handle that problem?



9. What was the funniest thing that made you laugh today? Follow-up: What did the teacher do?



10. What do you like about being in your current grade compared to your previous grade? Follow-up: What do you think will happen next year?

Please share questions that you ask to initiate conversation. Happy talking!

A deck of math cards

Do you ever remember playing the game "War". It's when players split up a deck of cards and turn over the card on the top of the deck. The person with the highest card value wins the set of cards for each round. I loved that game. This game is fun and also teaches number recognition, counting, and number comparison.

If you are looking for an inexpensive way to have fun with your child while learning math then look no further. A deck of cards is all you need. I'll share some teaching techniques that I use with cards. It's fun, easy and the kids really enjoy it. Also, this website gives additonal games you can play.

Learning Multiplication (Grade 3 - 8) - Remove all the face cards. Use cards 1 - 10 in the same family such as all hearts. Select an eleventh card to be used as your multipier. E.g. if you wanted to learn your five times table, the eleventh card (mulitplier) will be a five. Lay the mulitiplier face up on the table and place one card at a time beside it to multiply. Have the child say the answer. You can repeat cards 1 -10 with the same multiplier as often as necessary.

Place Value (Grade 2 - 5) - Remove all face cards and the ten card. Put the remainder cards in a stack, flip over and place in a row face up. You can simulate place value showing ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, and more. e.g. 3 cards from left to right 5, 3, 2 would show hundreds, tens and ones. Ask the child, 3 is in what place value: answer ten. Or what is the value of 3: answer 30. Or what digit is in the tens place: answer 3.

Addition (K - 5) - Remove all face cards. Flip over two number cards and have the child add them together. You could also add 2-digit numbers by using four cards and placing two cards on top and two cards below.

So, the next time your child says "I'm bored" have them go and grab a deck of cards. Hope you have fun. Tell me how it goes.

Study Now or Pay Later

So, what's the difference between an 'A' student and a 'B' student? The 'A' student's study habits. Most children aren't born with the ability to retain information in the absence of studying. The truth is... if you don't have good study habits, then you limit your ability to achieve excellence. Don't just settle for B's. Always strive for A's.

Here are some items can improve ones study habits:

1. Review notes, definitions & new concepts daily to refresh your memory.


2. Do lots of sample problems to reinforce learning.


3. Use previous hw problems and quizzes as study guides.


4. Plan to start studying at least 1 week in advance. Prepare in advance for the test by creating study times for multiple days.


5. TV, cell phone, etc. should be turned off...limit distractions


6. If there is a study guide, use it. Typically the majority of problems will come from the study guide.

Studying builds confidence. Try not to fall behind as new topics are being introduced to the class. Do not be afraid to ask for help as soon as you recognize your lack of understanding for a concept or problem. I can guarantee that you will see a similar problem on the test. So, work problems out with your teacher and have all of your questions answered. Studying or should I say cramming the night before the test is not a good habit to form. With the proper guidance any child can develop good study habits. Continued encouragement and enthusiasm will boost a childs spirit to want to do better.

Math Tips

Contrary to popular belief, math is not a difficult subject. It just requires more mental power than other subjects...unfortunately, something a lot of children do not like to use. Critical thinking skills, attention to detail, speed and accuracy are components which contribute to obtaining the best grades. Here are some tips to becoming a well-rounded math student.

• Underline key words in the directions and problems - this will help you figure out what operation, formula, etc. to use and prevent you from selecting the obvious wrong answer


• Show your work - work the problem out on paper


• Check your work - This means redo the problem, not just look at it


• Re-do all problems missed on homework and find your mistakes - now you will be ready for the test


• Memorize the formulas and during the test write them on your scrap sheet of paper if the teacher permits - you will have to use these formulas to answer the problem, so why not write them down as soon as the test begins.

I hope these tips are helpful. Please feel free to share your thoughts.

Budget Cuts affect our children

So, Gwinnett County could not raise taxes because of the uproar we the citizens gave the commissioners, but they are taking the money from elsewhere. I just found out that the Libraries will have reduced hours starting in August. Here's the link: http://www.gwinnettpl.org/News/Changes.html What a shame is this? Two days out of the week it will be closed. And, the two days the commissioners chose was Sunday and Monday (brilliant, no not really). These are the prime days students look to study and utiilize the computers. Friday and Saturday would have been better days, but of course this makes too much sense. Reduced staffing, childrens programming, and materials. So, I wonder what will get cut next? I suppose we have to adjust in times like these. It's not easy balancing the budget, but I'm sure there are other areas that can be reduced or even eliminated to minimize expenses.