By Robert Foster March 29, 2009
SCE is an excellent school for special education. The classes are small and tailored for students' needs. The staff are patient and well trained. Your child will benefit from attending. How do I know? I graduated from there June 6, 1998. ...read more
By Eulanda Grigg February 12, 2009
I would drive miles out of my way in traffic to send my daughter here. Not only is it a neat, clean and professionally run daycare, but it is like a little family. My child has learned so much there. She gets breakfast, lunch, and snacks. She knows and has since she was two (thanks to Big Top) her colors, shapes, and numbers in English, Spanish and sign language. She can even read a little at four. She looks forward to yoga every Friday. She is treated as if she were one of there own. ...read more
I am scheduled for a parent-teacher conference with my daughter's 3rd grade teacher. This school year has been extremely challenging for my daughter, and she is convinced that the teacher doesn't like her. She sets very high expectations and my daughter is failing to reach them. Do you have any suggestions for preparing for this conference? We just want to make it through the school year.You are right to prepare for the conference beforehand. Approaching the conference objectively will help you remain in control of your emotions. Below are five tips for you to consider when preparing for your conference.1. Know the purpose of your conference.Who requested the meeting? Conferences are most often scheduled by a parent, teacher, guidance counselor, or administrator. Why was the meeting called? Although they can be stressful, conferences are a great way to get all of the adults on the same page. Very often parents find out the ‘full truth' of a matter when directly speaking other adults involved in a situation. Knowing why your meeting was scheduled will help you better prepare for it, and prevent you from being blindsided once you get there.2. Develop a list of desired outcomes.It is important that you list and prioritize what you hope to accomplish by the end of the conference. Start your meeting off with the most pertinent objectives, that way you can ensure you will cover the most important topics, and make it less likely that trivial matters will sidetrack you.Consider stating your outcomes in an action format. For example, ‘By the end of this conference, I want to:'· Learn why the teacher has chosen her learning objectives for this year.· Enroll my child in an afterschool academic program.· Learn about the supports available to my child.· Implement a new homework strategy at home.· Inform the teacher of the specific needs of my child.· Implement incentives to help my child interact more positively on the playground/in the classroom.3. Stick to your meeting objectivesThere is nothing wrong with being very systematic in your conversation. Once you have listed the outcomes that are most important to you, you can provide evidence to support their importance. This includes antidotes of things you noticed at home and sharing experiences that occurred in previous school years. Open sharing of what you know will help you and your child's teacher see correlations in their behavior in school and at home.4. Remember that the purpose of the conference is to help your daughter be successful.You are you daughter's advocate. Try not to allow emotion to prevent you from clearly voicing your concerns and working with her teacher for an effective solution. Conferences are the least effective when adults focus on their feelings and not the betterment of the child.5. Have follow-up correspondence.Communicating after the conference will prevent great ideas from slipping through the cracks. Send a thank you message to the teacher for a productive conference. In your correspondence, briefly restate the changes that you, the parent, agreed to implement. Make it a point to check on how well your daughter is adjusting to the changes a few weeks after the conference.These are just a few ideas to help you prepare for your conference. Good luck!Chandra Bowden is the owner of Advantage Learning Tutorials, LLC, an online tutoring and learning community based in Laurel, MD. ALT offers live, one-on-one tutoring 24/7 and serves students in grades 3-college. Our program covers all subjects, including test prep. Check us out at www.altclassroom.com to sign up for our monthly newsletter, and learn more about our programs. ...read more
By Advantage Learning Tutorials, LLC March 10, 2010
An intense flu season is upon us and many students are missing multiple days of school. This article contains tips on how to help your child complete their make up assignments in a timely manner and minimize the stress associated with it. Be proactive in collecting make up work. Waiting until your child returns to school to collect make up work is too late. Contact your child's teachers to set up a day when you will drop by the front office to pick up papers. Being proactive also means utilizing the online resources that your child's teacher may use (e.g. course website or online syllabus). Find out if the work will be graded for completion or accuracy. Knowing how the teacher will grade the assignments will greatly impact which assignments you complete first and the amount of effort needed to complete them. Help your child prioritize their make up work. Assignments that will be graded for completion only are easier to complete. These assignments can be done while your child is still absent from school. As your child gains strength, he or she can complete the assignments graded for accuracy. Be available to your child as they complete make up work. Not supporting your child as they complete make up work will likely cause frustration as they are already lacking in-person instruction. Check on them periodically as they complete the assignments. Make sure they are not spending too much time on completion-only work. Also, check their work afterward to be sure they have at least a basic understanding of the material. Additional Tips 1. Don't overdo it. Do a little bit of work each day as your child's strength allows. 2. Find out deadlines for make up work and inform teachers prior to the deadline whether or not your child will be able make up the work. 3. Have a class buddy for your child. A buddy is a classmate who can communicate classroom events and assignments with your child via email or phone. Advantage Learning Tutorials is an online tutoring, proofreading, and test prep community. You can find more information at www.altclassroom.com or 1-888-228-2629. ...read more
By Advantage Learning Tutorials, LLC January 24, 2010
When choosing a tutor, it's important to base your decision on how the tutor can meet ll of your needs. This article contains tips on how to choose a tutor for a long lasting and positive relationship. Step 1) Identify why you are seeking a tutor. Does your child need remediation or enrichment exercises? Someone to check their homework or assist them with organization? Step 2) Determine the means of tutoring most convenient for your family's needs. Is it best that sessions take place in person or via the internet. Should the tutor come to your home or will hey meet you at a public library? Reputable tutoring companies will request that a parent or guardian be present during the tutoring session. Be sure to choose a time and location where an adult can easily be present. Step 3) Speak with your child's teacher. Let them know that you are considering hiring a tutor and why. He or she can provide referrals for tutors that best meet your needs. Step 4) Interview your potential tutor. When speaking with them, be honest about your needs and expectations (refer to Step 1). Be sure to find out what additional services they offer. Do they conduct diagnostic tests? Do they assist in refining your child's academic goals? How do they communicate your child's progress to you? Do they maintain contact with your child's teacher(s)? Are sessions recorded? No matter the approach, be sure that they are able to work with your child's curriculum to help ensure their success. Step 5) Keep your tutor accountable. Having a presence during tutoring sessions reinforces your expectations of your tutor. Make sure that they follow through on all the services that they stated they would provide, and maintain communication with your tutor throughout the tutoring agreement. Written by: Advantage Learning Tutorials, LLC www.altclassroom.com ...read more
By Advantage Learning Tutorials, LLC January 15, 2010
You’ve got your bachelor’s degree and everyone thinks you’d make a good lawyer. Maybe you are not sure what to do with your degree, so law school sounds like a good idea. Whether it is your passion or just a passing thought, getting into law school is a process that every student must pursue if he/she... ...read more
It takes about six months to start a faith-based school. If you include the help of leaders in the community, parents and the church, the process can be easy. The process is long but the end results are rewarding. This article will instruct you on how to start a faith-based school. ...read more