How to Achieve Success in School

Although academic excellence is not a requirement of overall happiness and quality of life of a person, being successful in school, regardless of whether one is successful in academics or sports can be seen to be a kind of foundation for a person’s future. When one is successful in school, he or she will have more direction and focus in life. Successful students know what they want to do with their lives because through their successes in school, they find their true potential. Successful students are clearer about their objectives, talents, interests and capabilities.

Many people play different roles in the life of a child, therefore, they will all contribute, in their own way, to the success of the individual. For one, the parents. Parents who are patient, loving, caring, supportive and understanding will provide their children the basis of understanding that helps them achieve success in school. As we all know, it depends on the personal characteristics and personality of the individual. If the child is born naturally driven, it will not take much from the parents to help their child succeed in school. The teachers and coaches all have a large functional role to play in helping students achieve success too. Their consistent guidance and attention to individual students will pay off if the students become receptive of their lectures and advice. For an individual to succeed in school, they must know who to mix around with. First, we have the parents and guardians; then, we have the teachers and coaches; third, we have the student; and finally, the friends that the student surrounds himself or herself with during school. Success will only be available to those who are open to success. If the student in school surrounds himself or herself with negative people, they will inevitably close all doors to success. In other words, no matter how talented, capable the individual is, no matter how supportive and loving the parents are, no matter how patient the teacher is, if the individual chooses to close the door to knowledge, success cannot be found.

In order to achieve success in school, one would have to be open to ideas. As long as we continue to introduce different types of lessons and topics to them, the children will find it easier to capture what their basic interest is all about. Don’t focus on just academic excellence because that’s not what success in school is all about. Be open to the possibility of a child being multi-talented in various fields or in sports, or creative in music, etc. The school is the perfect nurturing ground for such talents! We continue to introduce different things to children so that they can find success in LIFE, not just school.

Sure, a good lesson plan will do the trick to the kids – their learning and educational needs are basically covered within the lesson plan but this is not all. We must teach children how to be receptive towards other non-conventional ideas, how to create new technology, broach new topics, and find new ways to do things. All of that, together with academic achievements will determine whether the individual can achieve success in life or not. 229883

CSET Test Preparation Guides - Beware the Hype

If you are aspiring to be a teacher in California you are probably aware that you must verify your teaching credentials for each subject you hope to teach. There are two ways you can do this. You can either complete an approved program at an accredited educational institution. Or you can pass one or more subject matter examinations - known as CSET, short for "California Subject Examinations for Teachers".

If you choose the second option you will have traded a longer term course of study for what sounds like a fast track method of obtaining your credentials. This is a very attractive option for many people, but it places considerable emphasis on the aspiring teacher's ability to perform well in the pressure-packed atmosphere that testing always involves.

As anyone who has taken standardized tests knows, these tests are almost always difficult, frustrating, and quite unpredictable. Many people discover they not only have to know the actual subject matter, but they also have to be proficient test takers. Each testing procedure has its unique approach, and the more familiar one becomes with the techniques used in a particular test, the better he or she is likely to perform.

**CSET Preparation is very important

The bottom line is that preparing for your CSET tests is very important. And since so much is riding on your test performance you will be tempted to look for preparation short cuts. A quick Google search for "CSET Test Preparation" will bring up a number of products designed to help CSET candidates improve their test scores. But how do you decide between these products? With so much riding on your decision, it is important to know which ones will help, and which ones are hype?

Here are some suggestions for evaluating CSET Test Preparation programs:

1. Be wary of outrageous or overblown claims. - We all know the saying: "If it is too good to be true, it probably isn't." There is no better proof of this than in the field of internet marketing. This means you have good reason to be sceptical when a test guide company says "We maintain a full time research staff, all of whom...have actually scored in the 99th percentile of the toughest tests." Ask yourself, "Why would these people be working for an internet marketing company if they are such cracker jack teachers?" Or, "Is there really enough money made by selling these products to afford a 'full time research staff' of highly skilled people?". Do you know that most internet marketing companies do not have ANY full time staff!

Another CSET Test guide company claims "Our CSET test takers have a 87% pass rate which is substantially higher than other CSET test preparation programs." But comparative statistics of this kind are simply not available. So it is impossible to make such a claim without just fabricating the numbers!

2. Stay away from programs that rely on a "secret approach" - Any program that suggests you can replace concentration on the subject matter by focusing on the testing procedure is misleading you. At least one program of this sort suggests it will teach you the "secret keys that 'gives away' [sic] the right answer a lot of the time." Do you really think the people who created these tests are not bright enough to hide these secret keys? And if they really were that incompetent, wouldn't they just buy this guide, discover the "secret keys", and change them?

3. Don't settle for an "ebook" - A company that publishes an ebook and pretends it is serious training software is probably misleading you. Virtually anybody can produce an ebook filled with 30 or 40 pages of recycled "advice", and then hype it as though it was a "revolutionary breakthrough". If something as important as a study guide for a career-determining test is not worth more than a cheap ebook, then you would be best to ignore the product. Look for a guide that is an actual software program that includes time-tested study techniques and memory-enhancement aids and exercises.

4. If a training product downplays the importance of CONTENT, then you should be suspicious of it - The best training guides will have thousands of sample questions. And in order to give the most comprehensive review of the subject matter, the software should have a method of randomizing both the sequence of questions and the possible answers. Without this randomizing it is inevitable that the user of the guide will start to identify a particular question with a specific sequence of answers. It is impossible to do this kind of randomizing in an ebook.

5. Do not deal with a company without a history - Avoid outfits that are vague on details about location or staff. Websites make it very easy to pretend to be something you are not, so be suspicious of companies that do not publish their address and phone number. If you call the phone number and cannot talk to a real person, chances are the company has no real staff and may be nothing more than a front for a downloadable product. If the product is credible it will probably have been around for a few years and it will have gone through several versions and revisions. Almost nobody gets it right the first time (consider Microsoft, Apple, Sun, etc.) so if the product has not gone through a few different versions it is probably not much of a product.

6. If a website uses a bunch of gimmicks it is probably substituting hype for substance - Here are some of the more popular gimmicks used by online marketers. The presence of any of these should set off alarm bells:

-- A "Money Back Guarantee" accompanied by some "guaranteed" increase in test performance. Internet marketers know that customers rarely pursue these guarantees, so they throw them around with reckless abandon. A friend of mine recently bought a golf club "guaranteed to add 30 yards to the average drive". When it actually resulted in a LOSS of yardage...guess what...he bought another club from the same company! On his third day out with the new club THE HEAD FLEW OFF and ended up the lake. Is he considering buying another club from the same people? Of course!

-- A very long pitch that spells out the "The 5 (or 6) Things that a Study Guide Must Have". Of course all but one or two of these are exclusive to the product being sold on that site. And then the long pitch climaxes in...

-- Free Bonus Offers "worth hundreds of dollars". This is a standard technique used by every graduate of "Internet Marketing 101". These free bonuses are usually worthless. They are often outdated ebooks readily available from a hundred other online sources. And even if you take the trouble to download them chances are you will never look at them.

When choosing CSET test preparation software be careful to avoid the hype and go with the product that delivers content, does not use gimmicks, and is backed by a company that is committed to long term service and product development.

Getting the Job Done: Careers in PrGetting the Job Done: Careers in Project Management oject Management

Do you have a take-charge personality? Can you handle a wide variety of complex tasks? Are you good at seeing the big picture? Can you get the job done right, even on a tight deadline? If so, a career as a project manager may be right for you.

In today’s workforce, teamwork is more important than ever. But team projects have a tendency to run over-schedule and over-budget. According to a 1998 Standish Group survey, 56 percent of projects failed to meet their deadlines, and cost overruns averaged 189 percent.

As companies focus more and more on the bottom line, efficiency has become of the utmost importance. Cost overruns and missed deadlines are no longer tolerated. That’s one of the reasons why project managers are in such high demand. Project managers are team leaders who have the management skills necessary to coordinate complex projects. They are responsible for bringing the project in on time and within budget. Project managers may work in a variety of fields, including computer and information systems management, engineering, and financial management. They typically earn salaries in the high five figures, depending on the industry, according to Vault.com.

Project managers help develop the scope of the project and then monitor the progress at every step. They generally work with diverse groups of people at every level within the organization, so diplomacy and strong communication skills are a must. Project managers must also motivate team members and keep them focused on the task at hand. Finally, project managers analyze information and are responsible for decision-making.

Often, project managers start out as members of a project team and advance by demonstrating leadership skills. They may ultimately become consultants or partners in project management companies.

Most project management positions require at least a Bachelor’s degree and some business experience. That’s why American InterContinental University Online (AIU) has developed a specialized course program for those interested in this lucrative, rewarding field. And for project managers looking to further advance their careers, AIU Online also offers an MBA in project management.

AIU Online’s programs allow students to make a career change or climb the corporate ladder without giving up the security of their existing position. Distance learning is also perfect for students who do not live near a traditional campus or who have family obligations that prevent them from attending regularly-scheduled classes. AIU Online offers a number of resources to its online students, including a “Cybrary,” or virtual library, that’s accessible around the clock. Students have lots of interaction with their peers and instructors through message boards, online chats and email. AIU Online also has programs in place to assist students with career planning. And at AIU Online, students can complete their studies quickly. A student who already has an Associate degree can earn a Bachelor’s degree in project management in as little as 13 months. An MBA in project management can be earned in just 10 months.

AIU Online has designed its project management courses to be readily applicable in the real world. For instance, the framework developed by the Project Management Institute is the accepted industry standard, so AIU Online uses that framework in its classes. Also, AIU Online’s instructors have years of experience in the field of project management, so they can share their practical knowledge with students.

Students earning a BBA in project management can expect to take courses in project management, managing project risks and opportunities, and project cost and time management. In the MBA program, students take courses that focus on the integration, scope, time and communication aspects of project management, as well as in cost, quality, risk and procurement.

AIU Online students gain hands-on experience through individual and team projects. They must develop a project scope, budget and timeline, and they must also identify areas of risk and create a risk management plan. The team projects allow students to build their leadership skills.

With a degree in project management from AIU Online, students are prepared to start a new career or advance an existing one. Project managers can seek careers in a number of fields, including general management, human resources management, advertising and marketing, logistics, computer and information sciences, and financial management. Put that take-charge personality to work, and take charge of your career with AIU Online.

How To Find The Meaning Of Words As You Read

Vocabulary Building and Reading Comprehension

The meaning of unknown words which you come across in your reading sometimes can be known by their surroundings, that is, their contexts. The context of the sentence can tell us the part of speech of the unknown word. Using the context of the paragraph to define unknown words can also helpful.

Although it takes practice, it is the easiest and most efficient way to identify words. Often, using the context is the only way to figure out the meaning of the word as it is used in the sentence, passage, or chapter.

Consider the word "bar". Bar is a common word. But without surrounding words, you don't know if it describes soap, a place that serves beer, a sand formation at the beach, a way to lock the door, or...

Readers often have trouble because they identify the literal but incorrect meaning of a word when they should identify the way it was used in the passage. The following sections will give you more explanation and some exercises on how to get help on the meaning of unknown words by checking their part of speech and their place in context.

A. Using The Part of Speech of the unknown word as a help in reading.

One consideration in using the context is to determine the unknown word's part of speech. The words around the unknown word give you clues. Once you know if the word is a noun or if it is an adjective, it often is enough for you to continue reading intelligently without having to stop to look up the meaning of the word. After coming across the word a few more times, you will know its meaning more firmly than if you had just looked it up.

In the following sentences, identify the part of speech of the italicized words by writing N if the word is a noun, V if the italicized word is a verb, Adj if the italicized word is an adjective, or Adv if the italicized word is an adverb.

Example: She liked to wear red and always wore jewelry made of carnelian. Ans. N

1. The dirty old man gave the young woman a salacious look.

2. The president prayed for the sagacity to make the right decision in the face of many alternatives.

3. The man looked at the rusty old gadget and wondered how its mechanism worked.

4. The dying man designated his son to receive his property.

5. The brindled dog barked loudly.

6. The father caressed his crying child with great tenderness.

7. "Don’t patronize us; we are not children!" said the angry indigenous leaders to the politicians.

8. John was a good emanuensis, always taking dictation correctly and typing up all of his employer’s correspondence.

9. The boy was disappointed by the paltry amount he received as an inheritance when his grandfather died.

10. The young boy ran clumsily down the hill with his arms and legs flapping all over.

B. USING OTHER CLUES GOTTEN FROM THE TEXT ITSELF

Knowing the part of speech of the unknown word is not the only way to figure out its meaning. There are other clues to the meanings of unknown words. They are found directly within a sentence, paragraph, passage, or chapter. Being able to recognize these clues helps you define new words in context. These clues are found right in the text and can be words or punctuation marks or specific words or phrases.

You use them to compare words or to identify unknown words that mean the same or the opposite of words you already know. The clues can also be used to define unknown words that are examples of a group.

There are five other clues that will help you: 1. Punctuation clues, 2. Definition clues, 3. Contrast clues, 4.Comparison clues, and 5. Example clues.

Of these types, the most important are the Contrast clues and the Comparison Clues. The other clues are very obvious and are given here just for the sake of completeness. The reader should concentrate on the Contrast and the Comparison clues.

The five text based clues are useful but the most powerful tool is the Framework based clue. This is the use of information from your own experience, common sense, and the context in which you find the difficult word. There will be examples of this tool at the end of the paper.

1. Punctuation Clues

Punctuation clues are given when the unknown word is set off by commas, parentheses, brackets, or dashes. The information contained within the punctuation marks sometimes means the same or nearly the same as the unknown words. Or, the unknown word might be set off from its meaning by punctuation marks. Information set off by punctuation marks may clarify rather than define the word. Finding these clues is not foolproof.

Example of Punctuation Clue: Nicotine, a colorless and oily drug in tobacco, stains the teeth of chain smokers. Explanation: The words between the commas-a colorless and oily drug in tobacco-define nicotine .

Punctuation Exercise: Underline the punctuation clue that tells you the meaning of the italicized word.

1. The soldiers advanced down the small deep-sided gulch (a narrow valley) into an ambush.

2. The philosopher Descartes helped to establish dualism (the separation of mind and body).

3. Metamemory -knowledge about one's memory processes-is helpful in helping us store and recall information.

4. Adjunct aids-techniques used to assist students' comprehension of reading materials-have been found to be quite useful.

5. The deluge, a flood of rain, threatened to drown the little town.

2. Definition Clues

Definition clues join the unknown word with the word(s) that rename it or tell its meaning. The clues precede or follow words that are or act like linking verbs. A linking verb shows no action but indicates being.

Examples of these verbs are: is, was, are, means, i.e. (that is), involves, is called, that is, or resembles.

For example: The mansion's piazza resembled a large uncovered patio. Explanation: The word resembled joins piazza with its meaning so it is a clue that lets us know that a piazza is a large uncovered patio.

Definition Exercise: Use definition text-based clues to find the meaning of the italicized word. Underline the word (or words) that tells you the meaning of the italicized word.

1. The art, science, or profession of teaching is called pedagogy.

2. Divergent thinking is generating many different ideas in order to solve a problem.

3. Conservative behavior involves cautious or conventional actions.

4. The seasonal wind of the Indian Ocean and southern Asia is a monsoon.

5. Criterion means a standard or rule by which a judgment is formed.

6. A souk is an open-air marketplace in North Africa.

3. Contrast Clues

With contrast clues, you use the opposite of known information to determine the unknown word. Connecting words like however, yet, on the other hand, instead of, but, while, and although join the unknown word with another word that is its opposite.

Example of Contrast Clue:

My sister is extremely neat in appearance while she is slovenly in her housekeeping.

Explanation: The word "while" indicates that slovenly means the opposite of neat. Thus, slovenly means sloppy or messy.

Contrast Exercise: Determine the meaning of the italicized word by using contrast text-based clues. Exercise Example: Although the patron asked for a solemn poem, the poet wrote doggerel.

1.The tumor was benign; nevertheless, the doctor decided to treat it as if it could injure the patient.

2.Some business disputes can be settled out of court; on the other hand; others require litigation.

3. At first the labor union leaders and the factory owners argued about pay schedules and benefits; however, they finally came to a compromise.

4. Gina's leg muscles continued to atrophy because of her injury, but she exercised to build up their strength.

5. Carlos acquiesced to Jane's demands instead of standing his ground and defending his viewpoint.

4. Comparison Clues

Comparison clues indicate that two or more things are alike. A comparison is possible because the known and unknown words have similarities. Words like similarly, as well as, both, and likewise show you that comparisons can be made.

Examples of Comparison Clue:

Miss Johnson is a prim, modest woman; likewise, many of her friends are very proper.

Explanation: Likewise is used to compare prim to proper. Proper means respectable. Thus, prim has a similar meaning.

1. The Greek vase was made of alabaster; similarly, the Roman lamp was also of a translucent, white stone.

2. Taking out the garbage was an onerous task; likewise, washing dishes can be a hard job.

3. Repartee, as well as other kinds of humorous conversation, kept the talk show from becoming boring.

4. Birds are oviparous; similarly, fish and reptiles lay eggs that hatch outside of the body.

5. Both accountants and CPA’s are necessary for a large company’s financial office.

6. The old chair was protected by both handmade antimacassars and other coverings.

5. Example Clues

Example clues tell you an example of an unknown word follows. You derive the meaning of the unknown word by determining what the examples have in common. Example clues are usually introduced by the following words and phrases: such as, such, other, for example, and like.

Example of "Example" Clue: Potentates-such as kings, queens, and emperors-are very powerful and wealthy people. Explanation: Since kings, queens, and emperors are the rulers of countries, potentates are rulers.

"Example" Clue EXERCISE: Underline the words that explain the italicized words.

Canines, such as collies, pugs, and poodles, are good pets.

Edifices, such as skyscrapers and condominiums, are found in cities.

Various means of conveyance-for example, cars, subways, and ships are used worldwide.

Nickels, dimes, dollars, and other kinds of legal tender are used to purchase goods.

Many people enjoy eating mollusks, like clams and snails.

Fiduciaries, like lawyers and bankers, were chosen to manage the young heir's money.

Framework Based Clues

To find meanings from text-based clues (like contrast clues, comparison clues, definition clues, example clues), you looked for clues in the sentence itself. A second kind of clue does not rely on specific words or punctuation marks to indicate meaning. This kind of context clue is called framework-based

Your knowledge of the meanings of surrounding words helps you discover the meaning of a word or of a sentence. The background information you find in these frameworks helps you get the meanings of new words. Common sense and your knowledge of the parts of speech also help in defining unknown words. You combine your experience with what the text contains to determine meaning.

Framework Based Clue Example: The angry driver shouted vehemently during his fight with the other driver. What does vehemently mean? You know what angry means, and you know how people feel when they argue. From this, you can figure out that vehemently has something to do with strong emotion or intense feeling. This is an example of using framework-based context to find the meanings of new words. The meaning you find comes from your personal experience.

Sometimes it takes a bit more detective work to puzzle out the meaning of an unfamiliar word. In such cases, you must draw conclusions based on the information given with the word. Asking yourself questions about the passages may help you make a fairly accurate guess about the meaning of the unfamiliar word. Each of the sentences below is followed by a question. Think about each question; using your common sense and asking yourself a question about the sentence you should be able to know the correct meaning of the italicized word.

1. A former employee, irate over having been fired, broke into the plant and deliberately wrecked several machines. (What would be the employee's state of mind?)

2. John always praised his bosses; he always agreed with what they said. He said he was just a good employee but his friends said he was a sycophant. (What behaviors were his friends describing with the word they put on John?)

3. The car wash we organized to raise funds was a fiasco -it rained all day.

(How successful would a car wash be on a rainy day?)

The first sentence provides enough evidence for you to guess that irate means very angry. Sycophant in the second sentence means sweet-talker. And a fiasco is a complete disaster. (These are not exact dictionary definitions of the words. But by using context clues, but you will often be accurate enough to make good sense of what you are reading. And the good thing is that you save time in your reading because you don’t have to look up every word!)

Try to answer the question that follows each item of the list on the other side of this page. Then use the logic of each answer to help you circle the letter of the meaning you think is correct. Note that some of these sentences have been taken from college textbooks. This should prove to you that your new skills in reading will help you in your college studies. In the future you will be able to make up your own questions to help you.

1. Jamal didn't want to tell Tina the entire plot of the movie, so he just gave her the gist of the story. (What would Jamal say to Tina?)

Answer the question: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……

Meaning of the word: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. The lizard was so lethargic that I wasn't sure if it was alive or dead. It didn't even blink. (How active is this lizard?)

Answer the question: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……

Meaning of the word: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

3. After the accident, I was angered when the other driver told the police officer a complete fabrication about what happened. He made it seem that I was the only person at fault. (How truthful was the other driver's information?)

Answer the question: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……

Meaning of the word: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

4. The public knows very little about the covert activities of CIA spies. (What kind of activities would the CIA spies be involved in that the public wouldn't know much about?)

Answer the question: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……

Meaning of the word: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

5. Whether or not there is life in outer space is an enigma. We may never know for sure until we are capable of space travel or aliens actually land on our planet. (What would we call something to which we have no answer?)

Answer the question: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……

Meaning of the word: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

6. Suicide rates tend to fluctuate with the seasons, with much higher rates in the winter than in the summer. (What happens to the suicide rate from season to season?)

Answer the question: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……

Meaning of the word: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

7. Human beings are resilient creatures-they can often bounce back from negative experiences and adjust well to life. (What point is the author making about the nature of human beings ? Answer the question:……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Meaning of the word: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

8. A major accomplishment of the field of sociology is dispelling the myths and prejudices that groups of people have about each other. (What would teachers of sociology do to "myths and prejudices" that could be considered a "major accomplishment"?)

Answer the question: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……

Meaning of the word: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

9. When he first heard the news that he had lost the job, Peter showed a pugnacious attitude. But later when other alternatives were explained to him, he became less hostile. (What attitude would you feel when you lose your job?

Answer the question: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……

Meaning of the word: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

How To Get Your Kids To Speak Your Language

Note: This experience had to do with preserving Spanish for our kids but the principles are valid for anyone trying to help their kids speak and preserve any language and culture.

COUNTRY OF MANY PEOPLES

This country,,, (The authors raised their kids in the United States but they believe that their experience can be useful for people in other non-spanish-speaking countries.) This country is made up of people from all over the world. We or our parents came from Latin countries. We now live here. We function in two different worlds, the American world and the world of our parents. All of us live in these two different worlds in different ways. Some of us were born in the countries our parents came from; others of us were born here. This makes a difference in how and how much we live in our two worlds.

COUNTRY OF MANY LANGUAGES

The one thing that is most important in our parents' world is their language which is also ours in different ways. The Spanish language of our parents is an issue to all of us every day. We may be proud to speak it well. We may be ashamed at not speaking it well. Some of us may have gone through periods of trying not to speak it because we wanted to speak English better. We may only speak it when we come across someone who needs help in understanding English. We may only remember some sayings of our grandparents or children's songs taught to us by our parents.

You may want to review (or study it for the first time) your Spanish. We could only find one reference for you. It is expensive and is a textbook, not too appealing but complete. Take a look at Nuevos Mundos, Spanish for Native Speakers 2nd Edition, Workbook : Curso de espanol para estudiantes bilingues"

F. Bruce Robinson, assistant director in the National Endowment for the Humanities' division of education programs asks "How does America preserve this important resource of people who are proficient in other languages? Instead of trying to depress the knowledge these students come to school with, we ought to be trying to build on it." (Chronicle of Higher Education, Feb. 2, 1994, page A15)

OUR CHILDREN AND OUR LANGUAGE

We all want our children to speak the language of their heritage. We discount the opinions of those who say that it is better to forget Spanish and to concentrate on speaking English well. These people are just wrong. It does not hurt your English to speak another language; it helps. Spanish is particularly useful to children in their learning English vocabulary. Just today I taught my daughter the difference between vowels and consonants. Knowing Spanish really helped with the idea of the consonants. I told her that the consonants have no voice; they can only be pronounced with the vowels. The con-sonants suenan con the vowels.

But although most of us agree that it is a good thing for our kids to speak Spanish, most kids in the US whose parents were born in Latin American countries do not speak Spanish well.

Even if both parents speak Spanish at home, quite often the kids answer their parents in English. Look around at your Latin friends and relatives and you will see that most give up on teaching their kids to speak Spanish. Chicano and Puerto Rican families seem to have a little better luck than Latinos from other countries with keeping Spanish alive in their barrios but even their younger generation is losing fluency in Spanish.

However, parents who want their children to speak Spanish can go against the current and set the stage for their children to grow up speaking Spanish. It is not easy. Most families fail in their resolve but it can be done. This report will give some hints on how to improve your chances.

REASONS FOR OUR CHILDREN TO SPEAK SPANISH

There are many reasons why it is good for the kids to speak your language. One obvious reason is the advantage that it might be for them in the job market. As long as we live in a world with shrunken distances and growing international trade, someone has to be able to talk with people from other countries.

Professor Francisco X. Alarcón of the University of California at Davis says that "now that we are moving toward a global economy, it's O.K. to be bilingual in the U.S." (Chronicle of Higher Education, Feb.2, 1994, page A15)

Another good reason for you to work at your children's learning to speak Spanish is because it will make you proud to hear the compliments of your friends and countrymen because your children are able to speak your language. You grow in prestige as a person who values your roots.

Your children will also be able to speak with their relatives thanks to improved phone service which is entering the most remote villages of our countries. Direct dialing from the United States is economical enough to be able call a few times a year. The thrill of being able to talk to their uncles, aunts, and cousins will get the kids interested in keeping up their language.

They will be speaking to their relatives not only by phone but will be able to visit them. The experience of knowing another culture will put them ahead of their classmates who have no ties to their roots.

Another reason to encourage our children to speak Spanish can be gotten from the history of a previous group of Latin immigrants to the United States, the Italians.

"Some social critics were aware of the consequences of sudden assimilation. Mary McDowell, a social worker, wrote en 1904:

'The contempt for the experiences and languages of their parents which foreign children sometimes exhibit... is doubtless due in part to the overestimation which the school places upon speaking English. This cutting into his family loyalty takes away one of the most conspicuous and valuable traits of the Italian child.' She attributed the lawlessness of some of the immigrant children to their disrespect for their parents and therefore for all authority."

(La Storia: Five Centuries of the Italian American Experience, Mangione and Morreale, p. 222)

Finally, the ability to speak another language can be a great boost to a child's self esteem. If the child's parents make it clear that they are proud of their language and of their people, the child will feel closer to his parents and to their heritage, customs, and most importantly to their values.

HOW TO ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILDREN TO SPEAK SPANISH

Start early. Try to speak only Spanish to the child. If only one parent speaks Spanish well, that person should always speak Spanish with the child. Do not be afraid of "confusing" the child. Children can identify with different speakers of different languages as they grow up.

1. Read simple stories and fairy tales to the child in Spanish. if you can't find children's literature in Spanish, then make your own translations as you go along. It is not necessary that the translation be perfect. Make up your own stories. It is important for your child to have the memories of hearing nursery rhymes in Spanish.

2. Leave your radio tuned de Spanish language stations. Linguists place a great deal of importance on "passive listening" as part of learning a language, especially for young children.

3. In most areas there is a Spanish language TV station. Put on the Saturday morning cartoons in Spanish.

4. Teach simple nursery rhymes and simple songs to your child. If you don't remember them or if you were not taught any from your parents' traditions, look for them in garage sales, college bookstores, or your local library. Do you remember el patito or pinpón? Look for songs in Spanish.

5. Rent videos in Spanish. They are beginning to be available - and not only in cities with a big Spanish-speaking population!

6. Use proverbs and dichos in Spanish. Some expressions that you would say in English are just as legitimate proverbs in Spanish. Get your child used to hearing them in Spanish. You can do this even if you don't speak Spanish well. For example, say mejor tarde que nunca instead of "better late than never". Little by little, poco a poco, you'll feel at home with more uniquely Latin expressions. They have something of the culture wrapped up in them. They are stubbornly different from Anglo Saxon proverbs.

7. Get used to saying menos mal in place of "just as well". The English expression is "better than nothing"; in many Southamerican countries, the equivalent expression is peor es nada. Find proverbs.

8. Don't correct their Spanish when they speak. Don't interrupt the flow of their conversation. Don't make their speaking Spanish to be another homework assignment. It should be something special, even something "secret" in your family. Kids like the mystery and intrigue of having something special of their own. Their speaking Spanish should be a joyful, non-threatening experience. If they make mistakes in their grammar, correct their errors by using the same expression correctly a few minutes after. Don't come right back at them with the correct form or they will begin to feel conscious of their expression and choke off their freedom of expression.

9. Get a good syllabary to teach them the value of the letters and how to read in Spanish. If your child's first language is Spanish teach them to read Spanish before they learn English. You will be doing them a big favor. They will learn to sound out the regular spelling of Spanish which will be a good base on which to learn how to read in English. You will get the same results as those who spend money on expensive Phonics programs.

10. The best way to get your children to grow in Spanish is to send them to spend some time with relatives or friends where they will only speak and hear Spanish. This works best at around 7 years old when children play easily with one another and when Spanish will just come naturally even to the child who has very little exposure to the language. Another good age for a child to be exposed to a Spanish speaking environment is at around 12 years old. At this age, the child has greater mental development and can observe customs and situations in which certain expressions are used. At twelve years old most kids are still pre-adolescents and are not hampered by the embarrassment, self consciousness, and "feeling different" which hold back teenagers from learning a language or customs different from their own.

Use any of the above methods but start! Your efforts will communciate to your children the importance that you give to Spanish even if these efforts are not always completely successful.

Learning Styles And Their Effect On Language Learning

Note: This article makes special reference to the effect of learning syles in the learning of Spanish but the principles are valid for all language learning.

¡LEER ES PODER!

¡Learning Spanish!

How can you best learn Spanish? It depends on your particular approach to learning. Take a look at the following approaches to learning Spanish. But if you already know where you are, you can skip the following reflections and go back to see what is available for your level ( beginning, intermediate, or advanced ) in Spanish, to sort and search for your specific needs, as well as to read reviews and summaries of the books that strike your interest.

DIFFERENT STYLES

Non-Virgins: Those who studied another language should use the skills they acquired with that language. They know what a conjugation is. They know that verbs are different from nouns. Their previous study gives them some mental hooks to help with their Spanish. They should not throw away their advantage by working on Spanish in a completely conversational manner. They should try to get an overview of some commonplaces in the language. They should get an "old fashioned" grammar and lean heavily on the tables to organize their thought. This type of learner should "invent" Spanish on the basis of what they know of the other language. They will remember a little of the structure of the other language. For example, what is the relation between adverbs and adjectives in Spanish? What is the most common way to express what happened yesterday (past tense)? If the other language is a Western language, they should observe the possible similarities. If the other language is non-Western!

, the very differences can be their starting point to learn the counterparts in Spanish. In short, they should study "the wrong way". This is not for everyone. The learner should know his or herself.

Brains: These folks will operate much like the Non-Virgins. They will progress better by concentrating on the little points that intrigue them such as the difference in usage between the prepositions "por" and "para" and the verbs "ser" and "estar". To master one or two of these elements so characteristic of Spanish will help the learn build on their conquests to go on to master other things. This analytical approach will be of great utility to the persons with the cerebral learning style.

Motor Mouths: The persons who are not afraid to try out their Spanish will progress very rapidly. These folks probably have a little genetic edge over the rest of us. However, we all should try to put together the pieces as we learn them. If there is no opportunity to talk with someone else, then we can tape our attempts. There are two parts to this early talking practice: confidence and pronunciation. The most important thing is to gain confidence or to be thick-skinned enough to speak your piece, knowing that the exercise will pay dividends. However, we should not put off working on our pronunciation until it is too late and we have given up on acquiring a valid accent. There are too many people who after living years in a Spanish speaking country are perfect in their grammar but who have a typical or even stereotypical English accent. There is no need for that. Spanish is perfectly regular in its phonetics. Motor mouths should also work on their accent!

People People: Anyone who likes being with people and who has a need to communicate will progress quickly in learning a language. Many outgoing, friendly people learn language in the "motor mouth" mode. However, other people without the gifts of the motor mouths can gain valuable exposure to the language by just following their social instincts. These folks, however, should not overlook the need to speak correctly. Although they are not interested in traditional grammar in the same way the "brains" are, they must work at speaking correctly. We all know people who learned English years ago, but still say things like, "I am interested to go with you". You don't want to spend your life in Spanish with a similar easily corrected error. Learn it right as soon as you can. The people people have to stay curious about the language.

Learn-while-doing People: I was told once that the only way to learn French was to sleep with a French woman. The idea behind this is that we learn the expressions and words for the activities we are interested in. People who learn like this try to get their Spanish-speaking friends to accompany them as they cook or fix their car. They find that they learn better when their whole body is involved in learning the new words and phrases. For example, the person who learns the word "serrucho" while sawing a board will remember it better than the person (see the "word collector") who just learns the vocabulary from a list.

Word Collectors: This person may be great at crossword puzzles (Crucigramas) in Spanish but rarely gets to speak it. If you find yourself learning words and not getting any further, break out of it! We once had a houseguest, a young man from Spain who came to learn English. There were times when our family would be talking Spanish, and he would echo all the Spanish words with their English equivalents. He had a great vocabulary but never got around to talking English. This kind of learner should alway make sure that they make up sentences to practice using the new words they learn. They can combine their ability with vocabulary with the "divide and conquer" tactic. They should not only invent sentences to use the new words; they should run through diferent grammatical constructions as the setting for their vocabulary.

Divide and Conquer People: Every learner of a foreign language has to learn to incorporate the learning style of dividing and conquering into their own style. If they are "brains" they should concentrate on one grammatical turn of phrase, such as conditions contrary to fact, (If my grandfather hadn't died, he'd be alive today!) until they can handle it.

The people people should repeat in the same conversation the new expression that they just heard. The same goes for all the others. The only way to learn a language is by following the "swiss cheese" method, nibble away at the things you don't know, and master them until they are all gone.

Lost Latinos: This person should try to remember the nursery rhymes that they might have learned in Spanish. They should run over the names of their cousins and uncles. All of this will loosen up their rusty language skills. They should listen to how others speak "spanglish" and try to figure out the proper way to say things. They should make a game of trying to spot the influence of English in the Spanish they hear at home or in the barrio. This detective work will make them more aware of correcting whatever bad habits they have picked up. However, don't think that these persons have all the advantages. The person learning from scratch will probably spell Spanish words better than those who know a little Spanish. I'm not sure why.

What works for EVERYONE... There are two activities that will help everyone, no matter what their learning style, move forward rapidly: They are: 1. Passive Listening, and 2. Pattern Response Drills.

1. Passive Listening. Everyone should keep the Spanish radio on as much as possible. Keep the radio or TV on while you doing other things. It has to be the sea of sound that you swim in while you are beginning your study of Spanish. You don't have to concentrate on it; you are not listening to try to understand. After a while you won't hear it but it will be affecting you. Little by little you will begin to anticipate the rhythm of the language, even before you understand everything. You will also begin to recognize certain words. You will begin to hear "beyond" the differences in pronunciation of different people and recognize the underlying word. Once you clearly hear a word or phrase, you can look it up and progressively expand your vocabulary.

2. Pattern Response Drills. You have to run through all the permutations of the new expressions that you learn. For example, suppose you just learned to say. "Pedro tiene cuatro años" rather than translating from the English incorrectly, "Pedro es cuatro". Now to make this new element of the language stick with you, you should go on substituting different ages and the names of different people. You have to be able to say comfortably, "María tiene cuatro años." "Juan tiene ocho años." "Yo tengo treinta años." "¿Cuántos años tienes tú?" "Nosotros tenemos cuarenta años." This type of drill is necessary for all the different learning styles.

Do you want to return to look at beginning ; intermediate , or advanced books? Or you can check out other Books ON Spanish at: http://www.bookslibros.com/spanishbooks.php to help you out.

Or do you want to see our books IN Spanish? You will find books on health, the family, self help, literature, etc. and the possibility to search for any other topic. Check out http://www.bookslibros.com/LibrosEnEspanol.php

Kids Can Learn Spanish! Take a look at: http://www.bookslibros.com/SpanishForNinos.htm

Kids Can Learn Spanish

Spanish for Kids, Spanish for Children, Teach Kids Spanish

Kids Can Learn Spanish! Spanish for Children

I just got a call from my two year old granddaughter. She wanted to sing "Los Pollitos" to me. You can find this children's classic in most of the collections of songs that we are recommending.

It is perfect for hand gestures. These gestures are ideal for language learning because they imprint the sense of the words as the child recites.

The text is: (translation follows)

Los pollitos dicen pío, pío, pío

cuando tienen hambre,

y cuando tienen frío.

(the kids make gesture of shivering)

La gallina busca el maíz y el trigo;

Le da su comida,

Y le presta abrigo

(the kids make the gesture of Mom hugging her kids.)

Pío, pío, pío

(the kids should ham it up, making a little chick face!)

Translation:

The little chicks say peep, peep, peep

when they are hungry

and when they are cold.

The chicken looks for corn and wheat;

she feeds them,

and she keeps them warmn

There are many reasons for wanting your children to learn Spanish. We want to help you find resources that will help you with Spanish for Kids.

Some parents are interested in preparing their children for life in today's world where it is important to know more than one language. This is even more important in our hemisphere where it becomes increasingly valuable to know Spanish.

Other people think of the intellectual stimulation that learning a language provides. They think that they can give their children a an additional intellectual challenge in a painless way. Researcher in London, England have determined that learning a second language boosts brain power which remains throughout life.

Learning a language can be a source of pride and self esteem for the child who is fortunate enough to be exposed to learning outside of the classroom.

There are some parents who are concerned that their children grow up respecting the different heritages that surround them. Concerned that the nativist tradition of United States history is always present, many parents, not of a Spanish Speaking background, choose to prepare their children to accept and embrace the Hispanic culture they live alongside of.

Their reason to encourage their children to speak Spanish is based in part on the history of a previous group of Latin immigrants to the United States, the Italians.

"Some social critics were aware of the consequences of sudden assimilation. Mary McDowell, a social worker, wrote en 1904:

'The contempt for the experiences and languages of their parents which foreign children sometimes exhibit... is doubtless due in part to the overestimation which the school places upon speaking English. This cutting into his family loyalty takes away one of the most conspicuous and valuable traits of the Italian child.' She attributed the lawlessness of some of the immigrant children to their disrespect for their parents and therefore for all authority."

(La Storia: Five Centuries of the Italian American Experience, Mangione and Morreale, p. 222)

Reflection on this same national history, and often more importantly personal experience, moves many Hispanic parents to keep their language alive in their children. They want to preserve their heritage for their children by giving them its most evocative and powerful manifestation, the language of their forebears.

Whatever your reason for wanting your children to learn Spanish, this site will provide resources to help you. You will find suggestions and experiences of others who share your interest; you will find songs and stories in Spanish that will enthuse your children with their learning task. A list of links to related sites will lead you to other resources. And you will find that the books you need for yourself and your children have been located and placed at your disposition.

¡Buena Suerte y adelante con su cometido!

Do the Parents Know Spanish?

Although most of us agree that it is a good thing for our kids to speak Spanish, most kids in the US whose parents were born in Latin American countries do not speak Spanish well.

Even if both parents speak Spanish at home, quite often the kids answer their parents in English. Look around at your Latin friends and relatives and you will see that most give up on teaching their kids to speak

Spanish. Chicano and Puerto Rican families seem to have a little better luck than Latinos from other countries with keeping Spanish alive in their barrios but even their younger generation is losing fluency in Spanish.

However, parents who want their children to speak Spanish can go against the current and set the stage for their children to grow up speaking Spanish. It is not easy. Most families fail in their resolve but it CAN be done. Take a look at our bilingual study. How to Get Your Children to Speak Your Language/¿Cómo Lograr que Sus Hijos Hablen Su Idioma? You can find it in http://www.leerespoder.com/comoeng.htm. This report will give some hints on how to improve your chances.

But it is most important for you to get your kids reading Spanish BEFORE they learn to read in English.

Don't be afraid that it will hurt their English. Unless they are living in a closed Spanish Speaking Barrio,

their English will be perfect. They will absorb it on the playground and in the school. Your job is to keep the Spanish up!

Take a look at the fuller argument presented below for the importance of your kids learning to read FIRST in Spanish.

Finally, another idea for native speakers of Spanish: You may want to review (or study it for the first time) your Spanish. I found one reference for you. Sorry it is expensive; that's because it is used as a textbook. But that will make it easy to use and will surely be complete. Take a look at Nuevos Mundos, Spanish for Native Speakers 2nd Edition, Workbook : Curso de espanol para estudiantes bilingues"

Whether or not the parents know Spanish will determine their strategy for exposing their children to the language. Obviously, parents who do not know the language well will not have native pronunciation.

If their children learn to read Spanish, they may not have the proper pronunciation. This is a tough issue. Some might say that pronunciation is not important for children. However, why not try to expose them to the correct values of the Spanish sounds. Parents should work on their own pronunciation to model as correctly as possible for their kids.

Nevertheless, the value of the parents' involvement in reading and singing in Spanish with their children more than outweighs the disadvantage of the child hearing their poor pronunciation. Much of the damage can be remedied by having the child listen to as much Spanish spoken by native speakers as possible.

So, in general terms parents can fall into one of three groups:

1. those who know NO Spanish;

2. those who know enough to read, even poorly;

3. and those who can model correct pronunciation for their children. All these parents should make sure their children HEAR a lot of good Spanish but obviously those parents who know no Spanish will be more dependent on recordings for their children to listen to. Try to find some good audio resources. Besides the tapes and CDs you might buy or take out of the library don't forget the radio and TV. All parents should expose their children to ask much passive listening of Spanish that they can. In most places there are Spanish language radio stations. TV programs from the Univision network are very widespread.

All of the above boils down to three tactics that are valid for all kinds of parents and all kinds of kids of all ages and level of Spanish.........

1. Passive Listening: Everyone should keep the Spanish radio on as much as possible. Keep the radio or TV on while the childis doing other things. It has to be the sea of sound that they swim in while they are beginning their study of Spanish. The child doesn't have to concentrate on it; they will not be listening to try to understand. After a while they won't even hear the radio but it will be affecting them. Little by little they will begin to anticipate the rhythm of the language, even before they understand they words. They will also begin to recognize certain words.

2. Pattern Response Drills: Those parents who know some Spanish can try to run through all the permutations of the new expressions that the child learns. For example, suppose your child just learned to say. "Pedro tiene cuatro años" rather than translating from the English incorrectly, "Pedro es cuatro". Now to make this new element of the language stick, you should go on substituting different ages and the names of different people. The child will soon be able to say comfortably, "María tiene cuatro años." "Juan tiene ocho años." "Yo tengo tres años." "¿Cuántos años tienes tú?" There are many examples of these drills in most language courses but the parent can generate them herself.

3. Encouragement: Don't correct their Spanish when they speak. Don't interrupt the flow of their conversation. Don't make their speaking Spanish to be another homework assignment. It should be something special, even something "secret" in your family. Kids like the mystery and intrigue of having something special of their own. Their speaking Spanish should be a joyful, non-threatening experience. If they make mistakes in their grammar, correct their errors by using the same expression correctly a few minutes after. Don't come right back at them with the correct form or they will begin to feel conscious of their expression and choke off their freedom of expression.

also...........

The Alphabet: If your child is coming up on kindergarten age, you have a wonderful opportunity to teach him or her how to read in Spanish BEFORE they learn the alphabet in English! Why? I will be brief, hoping that you will catch the direction of my thought (and my practice, with both my children and my grandson!)

Spanish is completely regular. They can learn the vowels in one sitting.This is how Spanish Speaking kids learn: from "abecedarios", the same as English Speaking children used to learn from primers. If your child learns to read (even if only simple words) Spanish first, in effect you are giving them a great head start.

You can start the child reading the simple words like Mami, comida, mesa, Papi, muñeca, carro, etc. Basically you are giving them phonics without having to buy any expensive program. You can do them no harm because, they will have a basis of the sounds that DO hold up for English; they will have achieved the satisfaction and boost to their confidence by your enthusisastic affirmation of the achievement when they read "Mami y Papi" and other simple phrases.

As they progress in English they will still have to deal with the irregularities of this language. However, they will have learned the consonants by applying them to completely foolproof regular vowels.

I said I would be brief. I am very convinced of the value of this method. I have no scientific proof, just intuition and my own experience. To work, you have to teach the child to read the alphabet in Spanish BEFORE they begin to learn in English. If they are already learning in English, it will confuse them. But if you get there FIRST, you will do them a great favor! to see a bunch of alphabet resources for you to choose from.

Toys and Games: Of lesser importance but still a possible beakthrough for certain children could be the use of toys and games (board games and others) as a way to sneak in some fun and variety into the learning process. See if Spanish Educational Toys would be useful for your child.

Computer Programs for kids If you or your child is computer savvy or if you want to combine math or science with Spanish you may want to check out the Educational Software for Children in Spanish: Reader Rabbit, Disney, Jump Start and many more...

Some First Recitations

A long time, universal, traditional favorite is "Pinpón"

Pinpón es un muñeco,

muy guapo y de cartón

(the kids smile for "muy guapo",

and act stiff for "de cartón")

se lava la carita

(the kids make the gesture of washing their face)

con agua y con jabón.

Pinpón dame la mano,

(the kids reach out their hand)

que quiero ser tu amigo

(the kids make the gesture of shaking hands)

¡Pinpón, Pinpón, Pinpón!

Translation:

Pinpón is a doll,

a handsome cardboard doll.

He washes his face

with soap and water.

Pinpón give me your hand,

I want to be your friend.

Pinpón, Pinpón, Pinpón!

Another favorite of our kids was "La Mar Estaba Serena"

Kids like this one because it is easy to follow. The repetition helps them learn the relation between noun and adjective as well as the vowels in Spanish.

The same verse is repeated by using all of the vowels in turn. It begins by the parent singing, "La mar estaba serena; serena estaba la mar". (The sea was calm; calm was the sea.) Then either the parent or one of several children taking turns shouts out, "¡con A!", meaning, "Let's sing it with all "a" sounds"! And you sing, "La mar astaba sarana; sarana astaba la mar."

"¡con e"! "Le mer estebe serene; serene estebe le mer".

"¡con i"! "Li mir istibi sirini; sirini istibi li mir".

"¡con o"! "Lo mor ostobo sorono; sorono ostobo lo mor".

"¡con u"! "Lu mur ustubu surunu; surunu estubu lu mur.

You'll find the kids really like this one.

English (sic!) As A Second Language

It might be interesting to do some "reverse engineering" and look at the world of those Spanish Speakers who want to learn English. Check out www.leerespoder.com

Reading in Spanish for the Parents

If you want to keep up your Spanish. Try to keep reading books in Spanish on a wide range of topics, la familia, la salud, los negocios, el niño, el adolescente, etc. A good source is http://www.bookslibros.com/LibrosEnEspanol.php

Good Luck! Your Kids will thank you!

Reducing College Textbook Costs

Reduce the cost of college textbooks with Used College Textbooks. - No shocker here: 80% of textbooks sold each year are used, but here are some important details to save even more:

*Make sure the book you are looking at is the correct version or release by using the ISBN to verify. Check out the campus bookstore; this will establich you local maximum price, plus you can get the ISBN confirmed.

*Ask your professor if an older version is OK. It could be as much as half the price. Don't go back more than one edition. Use the index to find the information in your previous edition when the instructors tell the students with the new (expensive) book what pages to read.

*There is no suggested retail price on used textbooks, so shop around. However, used textbook inventories change quickly, so use a real-time quick comparison tool to quickly locate the lowest college textbooks.

*Buying from individuals on marketplaces like Amazon Marketplace and Half.com may be cheapest but look at the location of the seller and shipping methods offered. Media Mail can take two weeks from coast to coast. Follow up after the purchase to make sure it has been shipped.

*Check the bulletin boards at school for used book ads or buy used books from students in the classes ahead of you. Watch for organized textbook swap parties.

*Order your books EARLY! The best deals go fast.

*Consider the resale value as you use the book. Textbook care affects its condition and resale value. Reduce overall cost by maximizing resale value.

*Put you book on the market ASAP after finals. Don't jump the gun and list too early; most services require you to ship the book within two days of its sale.

Copyright 2005

Permission is granted to republish provided source credit with link to http://www.cheap-textbooks.com is included.

How To Pay For Your Online Degree

College can be expensive. Just because your degree is completed online does not make it cost any less. Education can be a budget busting proposition so here's what I found can help!

Apply for student loans. Head to your schools’ counseling office or to your local bank. Look for low interest and long duration payment plans.

The government offers several loans to students going to school. The cap of the loan is generally set by the school you are attending. These are great low interest long term loans that you should seriously consider. Here's the online info link: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov

All loans must be paid back. However, the terms are very reasonable. The government agencies will determine the type of loan you are offered through several factors, including your income level. Some students are offered subsidized loans, in which the government actually pays the interest of the loan for them. Others are offered unsubsidized loans. Their interest accrues while they are going to school. Generally speaking, government loans are the best type of loan to take out because they are designed to benefit the student and usually offer the most reasonable rates and terms.

There are also grants available. Apply for as many as you can. A grant is a gift of money. You do not need to pay it back. The government offers grants of money to students who fall in the lower brackets of income level. Usually students must maintain a minimum gpa in order to qualify for the grant. The required gpa depends upon how much money a student (or, more often, a student’s family) has. The minimum gpa varies, but is generally in the 2.0-3.0 range. Grants do not have to be paid back. Check out some info as the same site for loans: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov

Some students don’t qualify for government loans. Those who are not United States citizens, men who fail to register for the draft, and students enrolling in unapproved schools are not able to receive funding from government agencies. These students have the option of taking out private loans from individual banks. Bank loans require that the student has established sufficient creditor is co-signing with someone who has. These loans generally have a higher interest rate and less negotiable terms.

Make sure you also check out scholarships. A scholarship is an award based on academic performance, talent, or other factors. It may have certain requirements, but you do not need to pay it back. Students can learn about individual scholarships from their schools’ counseling office (or web site) or from online scholarship databases.

Apply for everything you can in order to see what you qualify for. There is not a grant or scholarship program you should overlook interms of pursuing financing for your education.

What Really Is The IQ Score, Anyhow?

Do you know what the IQ score is? No, no, no. I don't mean if you know about it; everyone knows about the IQ score, but hardly anyone knows what it is. And even though no one is really certain about what the IQ score is, or how it is calculated, society puts a lot of pressure on us if it seems too "low", or makes us feel like we have extra responsibilities if it is really "high." Well, let me clear some things up for you right now.

It is generally known that the IQ is a number, that the number measures level of intelligence, and that the level of intelligence is determined by the individual's performance on an intelligence test. Beyond that the average person knows little about the IQ.

The letters IQ stand, of course, for Intelligence Quotient. This quotient is obtained by dividing mental age by chronological age and multiplying the result by 100.

It is Mental Age that is supposedly measured by the test. For example, if a child's test score indicates a mental age of nine years and the child is actually aged eight years and six months, his IQ would be 106, and the whole thing is calculated like this: 9/8.5 x 100 = 106

Another child who makes the identical score but whose chronological age is ten years would have an IQ of 90, and that is calculated like this: 9/10 x 100 = 90

So, the question is then, what is Mental Age?

Mental Age is the average score made by people of a particular age group. Mental Age is arrived at by a process known as "standardizing testing." The test is given to a large number of people of all ages and of presumably similar backgrounds.

When the results for the test are averaged for each age group that took it, that average test score becomes the yardstick that measures all other people of the same age. So if a person of the same age gets a lower score, the math would calculate that person to have a lower than average IQ. And if a person get a higher score, they would end up having a higher than average IQ.

How To Get Started In Home Schooling

Home schooling has been around for centuries. The beginning of schooling actually started in the home and then moved into outside schoolhouses. A homeschool is where children are taught by a parent or parents without the outside influence or interference of the school system. There are many variations on a homeschool but all fellowships basic rule of no outside interference. Home schooling is legal in all 50 US states with each state having set guidelines and rules about the homeschool process. Getting started in home schooling will require the parent to do some research ahead of time, so they know exactly what laws apply to them and what they need to do to get the curriculum underway.

The reasons parents choose to homeschool their children vary. Some parents site research like home schoolers placed in the 89th to 90th percentile in national standardized testing. Others state their reasons as being able to provide religious studies and building strong family bonds. Other parents look at the quality of homeschool and feel they have more control over the curriculum and content of the materials studied in addition to knowing their children will be safe. There is also the factor of flexibility that draws some families to homeschool. Flexibility not only refers to time, but methods as well. There are many good reasons to homeschool and each family should decide based on the reasons they feel are best for their family.

Getting started in homeschool involves quite a bit of research and studying before homeschool even begins. Parents looking to home school their child or children need to first find local and state home school groups. These groups will be able to provide you the best information on home schooling in your state. You can also go online and find homeschool websites where you can discuss anything relating to home schooling. They can offer you wealth's of information and help. The more you research and talk to others about homeschool the more you will be able to learn what you want to do in your homeschool curriculum and how to avoid common problems that may come up.

Home schooling is a broad term. There are many techniques that fit under the term home schooling. There are many different styles of home schooling that you can use. The following list describes the most common types of home schooling:

Structured - This works like a public school, in that, it follows a schedule throughout the day. For example, math would be done at a certain time, English at another and so on.

Interest-initiated- This approach is based on what is happening at the current time. For example, if it is snowing, you may chose to revolve the days curriculum around snow or if someone in your family has chickenpox, you may wish to do studies on that disease. This can be very unstructured or structured depending on your choices.

Learning-style- This method is based on each child's learning style

College, To Be or Not To Be

Somewhere around the age of fifteen, someone will begin to ask you about your plans for college. Uh? At fifteen, your most important plans involve a corsage and the latest dance moves. But, somewhere between fifteen and high school graduation, you begin to discover this faraway land of “college”.

What does this opportunity “college” really mean for most of us? It is the difference between a life and an existence. You can stop today to look around, and take the time to notice the have’s and the have not’s. The people, who have, also have a college degree. College graduates work in jobs that bring them satisfaction, not just their next meal. They enjoy what they do each day and they look forward to innovation and progress. Most of the time, they are a part of those things, they actually help to bring about change and make progress.

If you’ve never taken the time to ask yourself (as I’m sure most teens have not), begin to ask yourself questions about your basic likes and dislikes. What things in your life bring interest to you? Even the smallest things can tell you something about yourself. College helps you to further define these basic interests and find the right niche for you. The possibilities on the job market are endless and so are available College degrees. There are degrees out there in things you don’t even realize exist, until you enter the great gates of the “undergraduate” world.

What you also don’t know, (and won’t) unless you enter the realm of continued education, is that there are others just like you. The student population abounds with entering college freshmen who don’t have a clue as to what they want to do with their lives. The point is not necessarily knowing what you want to do, but having the initiative to seek out the answers. There are so many doctors, lawyers, teachers, and engineers that started out without any idea about their chosen path. They did, however, have the desire to get on the path.

Now, I realize the first, and most often used excuse, is a lack of money for college expenses. Bah humbug! I know at forty, what I did not at 18: there is money available, if you want to find money. The big hold up here is not the lack of availability it’s the lack of available guidance counselors and adults to help these young people find the funding. It would seem to me, that as a guidance counselor, you would make available all information about scholarships, grants, and student loans to any young person on campus. But this is not so. Visit any high school in this country, and for the majority of students, there is no help to be found.

College is the doorway to the imagined, but unproven. It is the bridge between what we are and what we can be. It is a testament to the age old adage, “If you can dream it, you can do it!”

The French Culinary Institute in NYC

The French Culinary Institute was founded in New York City in 1984 by Dorothy Cann Hamilton. It quickly became one of America’s foremost cooking schools, due to its combination of classic French techniques and American inventiveness. Today, it is recognized as one of the world’s most prestigious culinary schools due in part to the distinguished faculty at the school.

Faculty members include culinary luminaries such as master chefs Alain Sailhac, Jacques Pépin, André Soltner, Jacques Torres, Alice Waters, and master sommelier Andrea Robinson. They also have a series of visiting lecturers to compliment the teachings of their core faculty. The FCI provides students with rigorous, hands-on, training that allows for an easy transition into the workforce.

There are three core programs available at the FCI: The Culinary Arts Program, The Classic Pastry Arts Program, and their Art of International Bread Making Program.

The Culinary Arts Program will teach you much more than French cuisine. This program will provide you with the foundation necessary for all great cuisine. The program is broken into four levels, with each progressively more intense than the last. By the fourth level you will have direct responsibility for the menu at "L’Ecole", a restaurant highly rated by the Zagat Survey and the Wine Spectator.

The Classic Pastry Arts Program will teach you all there is to know about making the perfect pastries. Under the stewardship of Jaques Torres, one of the youngest recipients of the prestigious "Meilleur Ouvrier de France Pâtissier" Award, you will be on the road to success. The day you graduate, you will be qualified to create pastry art and designs in the finest commercial kitchens in the country.

The Art of International Bread Making Program is a 180 hour intensive immersion in all things bread making. Students will learn to bake artisan breads of France, German and Eastern European breads, and Italian breads in three two-week sessions. Graduates will receive "Le Diplome du Boulanger" upon successful completion of these courses.

For more information about The French Culinary Institute, feel free to visit their website at www.frenchculinary.com.

Finding A Scholarship Or College Grant

The cost of a college education has risen to unthinkable levels over the last two decades. Few parents have the extra cash on hand to cover these costs, so student loans and mounting debt have become a reality for many students. Image graduating with an outstanding debt of 50 to 100 thousand dollars. It almost defeats the purpose of getting that degree in the first place. With no end to tuition increases in sight, financial aid packages are essential for most students.

Fortunately, aid opportunities have also multiplied in recent years. Scholarships and grants were once thought of as only available for the poor or the brightest students. That is no longer true. These days, almost everyone is eligible for some type of award.

Free money for college can be divided into two basic categories: scholarships (usually merit based) and grants (usually need based). Of course, many other conditions apply to various awards. Minority status, gender, career plans, and field of study are the most common qualifiers for today’s financial aid awards. Almost everyone can use one of these categories to focus their search for aid.

One of the best sources for college grants is the federal government. Be sure to submit The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as possible. This will tell you if you are eligible for a Pell grant, and colleges will use this information to determine if you qualify for a school-sponsored grant. Private grant foundations may also require the FAFSA be completed before considering you for an award.

Ideally, a student would start looking for scholarships during the junior year of high school. This may seem early, but some awards require an application be submitted the year before you begin your first semester in college. Furthermore, collecting the names and contact information of prospective awards can take months. You must also factor in time for completing lengthy application forms, writing essays, and scheduling interviews.

In your search for scholarships, focus on three main sources. First, search your local community. Start with the high school councilor’s office, your local library, churches, community organizations, and any corporation that is based nearby. Next, contact the financial aid office of each college you are considering. They can tell you about all school-based awards that may not appear in the standard listings. Finally, use the Internet. The standard search engine is of some use, but dedicated scholarship search sites are a tremendous resource. Some of these data banks have up to 800,000 awards indexed. Best of all, you can search based on a personal profile that will match scholarships to your unique situation.

Of course, this article can only get you started in the right direction. College funding is a complicated process and it is easy to feel overwhelmed. Remember that almost half of all college students receive some type of aid, so the chances of success are good. With a dedicated and organized search plan, you can get your share too.

Math! Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad...

Mathematics can be one of the most challenging subjects students may take, in middle grades, high school and college. But it can be one of the most fun courses to take as well. As a tutor of basic math, algebra, geometry and trigonometry I have found that some students are very reluctant in enrolling in these classes, science classes too but I will cover that in my next article. We often look at such geniuses as Albert Einstein, John Nash, the movie (A Beautiful Mind) and others and wonder what may be wrong with our abstract thinking process, why can’t we understand math and its theories and formulas like others.

I say with confidence don’t be afraid of learning math; guess what, math is basically learning the formulas and remembering where and how to apply them. You may think the guy sitting in front of you who gets a good grade on each exam, test or pop quiz every time is brilliant. He may be but most likely he has studied and remembered the formulas and learned how to apply them to the problems given.

My older brother reluctantly assisted me in math and he would always get upset because I could not understand the problems early on in grade school. Now he and I jokingly laugh about those days because we both enjoy math, but I believe I am more in tune with problem solving then he, although he is an engineer. I said all that to put you at ease with math and the problem solving of mathematics. Some of us have study harder than others when it comes to math problems. I was one of those but it helped me tremendously. Here are few basic concepts I adopted in my grasp of mathematical knowledge.

1. Ask questions if you are unsure about the formulas and don’t be ashamed, many people may have some type of difficulty when it comes to math.

2. Study each formula carefully, in order words spend twice the amount of time studying and learning math equations from the time you are in class. Ex: if your class meets for one hour spend two hours away from class studying time on math problems. This does not mean you have to spend two solid hours studying, break your time up in 30 minute intervals.

3. If there is someone else in the class who has a better understanding of the content get with them for one on one tutoring or a small study group. This seems to help a lot when your peers tutor you and it may be fun. Keep your group around 4 to 5 members and do this early on if problems start to arise, smaller groups seem to get more done.

4. Always, always let your instructor or teacher know you are having problems. This will allow you some leverage that they are aware of any problems you may be having and may devote some additional help or sources of help to assist you.

5. You may want to study each theory or formula with a friend by conversing what you have learned with them. I found this to be very helpful.

6. Write down notes as the problems are being explained. And always try taking courses in sequential order if you can. For example take pre-algebra before algebra and algebra I before algebra II and trigonometry, well you get it.

7. Finally, a very helpful tool is Math.Com on the internet. This is a great website that breaks down problems and provides a better understanding of math.