COMMITMENT: Teaching Children the Lessons of a Lifetime
August 31, 2008
It’s been said, time and again, that for a child to learn what is most important, he must be shown the lessons through example, not through words. And, if we are to nurture certain traits within our children, we must first develop those traits in ourselves.
I’ve been teaching martial arts to children for a decade and a half and I’ve discovered something amazing about children - they want to learn what is expected of them. For all of the ‘button-pushing,’ resistance to your wishes and what-not, children want to know the rules and have a deep-down, almost inherent, need to “do it right.”
Unfortunately, I’ve also discovered that many of the parents who bring their children to our programs live by two deep-seated desires. And even though they express their wishes for their child to develop more confidence, discipline, and respect - not to mention the ability to protect themselves from the dangers that they know exist in the world, they will almost always default to these desires, even though it means that their child may never develop these important traits and abilities.
What are these desires?
1) That their child is never angry at them, and,
How ADD Affects Child Education And Schooling
August 30, 2008
How ADD Affects Child Education And Schooling
by: Sarah K. Jenkins
Educating a child with Attention Deficit Disorder may not be an easy process. Although great strides have been made in recognizing the disorder and many school systems have answered the call, many are still antiquated in their procedural methods as well as catering to specific circumstances.
How ADD affects a classroom is usually seen before diagnosis takes place. It may be seen in the little girl in the corner, twirling her hair as she looks out the window, or the boy running around the other students snatching books out of their hands. In many cases, it is the teacher that first recognizes an issue with inattentiveness and/or hyperactivity. Seeing the problem is usually considerably easier than correcting it.
Once the situation is brought to everyone’s attention and diagnosis is made, treatment begins. Whether the child is medicated becomes a major aspect of how the next steps will go. Some schools insist that children with ADD be medicated, almost to the point of tyranny. Other schools, however, are more open to parents’ wishes.
Choosing a Daycare or Pre-School ? Top Ten Safety Tips
August 29, 2008
When it’s time to put your child into a daycare or pre-school, there is some homework involved. Here are the top ten safety tips that are useful when looking for a pre-school or daycare center.
1. Take the time to make sure the program is reputable and whether the facility has had any past complaints. Either with parents, previous teachers or care-givers. You also want to know about the existing teachers.
2. Talk with other moms on where they bring their kids. They will let you know if they had good experiences or not.
3. If you are new to the neighborhood, go to the receptionist at your area’s pediatrician. They know everybody! They pretty much have a pulse on the community. Nurses and doctors are O.K., but busy. Receptionists will have the time to answer your questions.
4. Learn about the school or center’s hiring policies and practices. Find out whether they check an applicant’s references, perform background checks, and verify previous employment history before hiring.
5. Learn whether the center or school welcomes and supports parental participation.
6. Make sure you have the right to drop in and visit the facility at any time.
Online Colleges as a Resource for Your New Career
August 28, 2008
Online Colleges require successful team building
Most online colleges require their students to work together in teams to fulfill their coursework obligations. The University of Phoenix Online, for example, requires weekly participation and discussion questions, 4 to 5 individual assignments, and 3-4 team assignments. Many other online programs have similar requirements. Contrary to a popular myth about going to school online, you won’t be working on your education alone and isolated.
Education professionals often group online students by geographical areas To have a successful experience with your college’s online program, use the following tips when working with your team online:
? Assign team responsibilities. Treat your distance learning assignment just like a work assignment. Have a second in command for most projects just in case the person in charge doesn’t follow through.
? Educators like to receive papers that have "one voice." Formatting, the outline, even the tone that the paper has should all be worked out before everybody logs off to do their work.
? Work out chat sessions online to help speed through team discussions. Topics in threaded discussion groups online can take a really long time to work their way out since not everybody is online at the same time.
THE NEW SCHOOL VISIT: 5 Things to Look For
August 27, 2008
Today the little red school house is not what it use to be, and along with changes in how our schools are funded, how they are governed, how teachers teach and how children learn, it’s no surprise that many large urban school districts and smaller rural ones are undergoing major modifications. Parents are bombarded with advice from every media venue telling them to look at private education, consider a religious environment, and reminding them that "choice" or charter schools are the way to go. The only real way to know what educational institution is best for your child is to become a School Scene Investigator (SSI), because today education is serious business.
No amount of research can replace the most reliable evaluation known to parent kind. Parents are going to have to take time and participate in a good old fashion school visit, and look at the school visit the same way you would the purchase a car. Do investigative work to see who will give you the most for your investment, and remember your most precious possession will benefit from your in-depth analysis.
Potty Training ?To Train or Not to Train?
August 27, 2008
I have always found the notion of toilet training a toddler to be a bit much. I didn’t feel right about pushing my girls to do something I felt would eventually come naturally. At three years old, both my girls were potty trained … not because I read books and raced them to the porcelain each time I suspected they should go. They knew what the potty was for. They knew when they had to go. They’d figure it out on their own! Well, by golly, they did!
Sure, we went a little stupid each time they were successful users of the throne and they got rewards and accolades just like the kids who were put through a regimen of potty training tactics fit for Patton’s soldiers. But we never made it a big issue in our house and, consequently, it never became an issue.
Are You Spending Too Much Money on Baby Gear?
August 26, 2008
Did you waste $57 today? I hope not. Unfortunately, so many new parents pay much more than they have to for baby products, because they don’t know the secrets the insiders know.
Remember, just because you shop at so-called discount stores doesn’t mean you’ll get the lowest prices. The same is true for warehouse stores and online auction sites.
Even coupons that seem like great deals aren’t always a bargain. For example, one online retailer recently offered a promotion where you could buy one board game and get one free. But the games cost twice what they cost at a competitor. So it wasn’t really a deal at all.
What’s a bargain-hunting parent to do? It helps if you can find someone who’s done some research for you.
The Shopping Mom to the Rescue!
In an attempt to do a scientific, apples-to-apples comparison, I recently conducted a price test of six popular baby product web sites. I purchased a basket of common baby products from each site.
All of the sites I chose were well-established businesses, with reliable customer service, and a good selection of products. Many offered extra services, like reader reviews, shopping checklists and helpful tips. The sites were:
Spanking Children
August 25, 2008
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Results of the Spanking Poll on Rexanne.com: Voters - 233
Percentage of readers who do not spank their children: 37%
Percentage of readers who spank their children: 62%
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I am completely opposed to spanking. I know that almost twice as many of you spank your children as don’t. At the risk of alienating 62 percent of my subscribers, I cannot, in good conscience, keep my opinions to myself. 
I feel we have evolved enough as a society to understand that violence breeds violence. Hitting is physically violent. So is spanking. I do not believe spanking children teaches them to mind their parents or caretakers any better than other forms of constructive discipline. If it is unacceptable to hit an adult, what makes it acceptable to hit a child? Taking into consideration the parent or caretaker is most likely three times the size of the child, doesn’t this bring up issues of bullying? Many of the comments left on the spanking poll mentioned a biblical reference, “Spare the rod, spoil the child.” When we consider that the bible was written thousands of years ago, we must also take into consideration that we may have advanced to the point where biblical interpretations are probably not to be taken as literally as they once were. I do not believe parents should spank their children into submission, any more than I believe criminals should be stoned to death by the masses, as was the custom so many years ago.
Learning Disabilities
August 24, 2008
There are so many learning labels floating around these days … A.D.D., A.D.H.D., Dyslexia, etc. Basically, these are labels pinned on children who are in some way learning disabled. I think most of these kids are learning advanced, but I’ll try to stick to the facts … somewhat …
Children who cannot sit still or are disruptive in a classroom environment are sometimes suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.) When they are also extremely hyper, they earn the tag of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (A.D.H.D.) When children are prone to twisting their letters and numbers around, they are often called Dyslexic.
There are definitely some children who need medication to control their out-of-control emotions or actions. There are some who have a serious chemical imbalance, preventing them from blending with others in a socially acceptable manner. And there are the kids who really have a hard time keeping numbers straight or learning to read in a typical classroom setting with standard teaching methods. These children are learning disabled in that they do need resources and other methods to help them learn basic lessons and needed skills such as reading, writing, adding and subtracting.
Handling Failure — Teaching Kids How to Profit From It
August 23, 2008
There is nothing pleasant about failure, at least not at the time that it happens! Failure embarrasses us, feels bad, and often costs us money. Little wonder that people avoid failure like the plague.
As parents, we unwittingly pass on the message to our kids that it is bad to go wrong or fail. Teachers punish pupils directly or indirectly, for making mistakes. Their peers never let them live it down. Friends and loved ones try to discourage us from venturing into the unknown, all for the fear of making mistakes and failing. In the final analysis, we have become a people who think we are "better safe than sorry." We become "once bitten, twice shy."
However, failure can be a blessing in disguise. Through it we can learn what doesn’t work. Then we can find what does. Failure is a much better teacher than success. Success makes our heads swell; failure makes us stop, look and listen. If we add "Learn" to this sequence, then failure becomes the first step to success. Stop-Look-Listen-Learn; that’s the way to profit from failure.
The role of failure is expressed in these words of wisdom:
