Studying is the process of examining and learning the new material. In studying, one digs into the material, organizes, paraphrases, summarizes, determines what info is important, relates the new material to known material, and uses one's mind to ask & answer powerful questions about the new material (ex. is this fact or opinion? how is this significant? what if?? what does this remind me of...). In memorization, the error usually made is to commit the material to memory just as it is presented (some can memorize the text verbatim) and do the thinking and connecting during the exam. Memorization is useful and will be done during the process of studying...one needs a way to remember the info and the way that one has connected it. The book 'What Smart Students Know' by Adam Robinson was useful to me in reflecting on what I did in high school and college and giving me ideas on how to teach my children how to study. I didn't study at all in high school - went to a rural midwestern h.s. that didn't have student problems, so much was done in class and I could recall what little I had to read so life was easy. I didn't have to study much until jr year of college..prof had a reputation of being incomprehensible, and I wasn't going to lose my scholarshilp, so I learned...and voila the course was easy. Never did learn to take notes...just transcribed the lectures.. Typing works for my teen. OT declared not dsygraphic, but no teachers can read the kid's writing so he types and prints out everything but math. studystack.com is a freebie site to make electronic flashcards; I'm sure there are more, but that one was the first one I came across when we were looking.

Train wreck missed here....furnace went critical and had to be replaced yesterday, so pie making had to be delayed due to the necessity of shutting off the water, but otherwise no biggie... In laws declared a truce..the warring factions decided that faction #1 would have dinner w/their parents today and faction #2 would have leftovers and/or pie w/ parents tomorrow. Being neutral parties, and behind on pie-making, we decided to be traditional and go with the dog-free faction :lol: and enjoyed today. Dinner itself was hilarious as the older teen nephews served themselves first and were finished before the other 8 people were able to get their plates and sit down. Sounded like their parents hadn't allowed them to have breakfast. Oh, well.

RPI does: http://www.rpi.edu/dept/naval/www/Welcome.html

I wouldn't bring over anyone over to your SIL's dinner that is in the risk group, nor would I give them any leftovers from the meal. But that's me. I had one child who was in the risk group contract flu so far (rapidtest confirmation) and the precautions taken at the Dr.'s office were facemask and handwashing. At home, no one else was in the risk group and none have contracted the flu. We didn't wear masks, isolate the child from the rest of the household, or do anything beyond the normal handwashing and no sharing of cups/utensils/towels/personals and the standard wash sheets/ditch tootbrush once the flu passed. I agree totally with laundrycrisis. I actually find out who made what dish, and avoid the known 'stomach flu' households' contributions. I also do not eat anything that has been made the night before and reheated, because I know that my inlaws do not follow food safety rules. The harder thing that I've learned is not to eat any premade meals frozen foods that are served, b/c chances are that they were allowed to thaw on the counter rather than remain frozen and go into the oven. I feed my children before we go make our appearances...easy as the meals are at odd times anyway and my oldest understands the risks from not following food safety rules.

Would he find Brainpop movies engaging enough? They are usually short and to the point, which is a big plus over most study skills material I've seen for this age/stage. http://www.brainpop.com/english/studyandreadingskills/ Yes, do require that the notebook be kept this year. It's critical to learn that organizational skill this year as he'll need it next year. Test taking skills also should be taught...with mc, he should get into the habit of id'ing the wrong answers & why as well as the right answers & why. The daily review of notes is helpful, but the actual taking of the notes is a skill that has to be learned. Flashcards may or may not be helpful...many students find that flashcards waste a tremendous amount of time to set up compared to other techniques such as re-writing notes, outlining, daily prediction of test questions, etc. Also flashcards can lead a student to memorize, when they really should be studying (with the exception of foreign language vocab and other such things that need to be memorized of course).

If you're on the school bus route, she could do before school care. Folks here pay $5/head and drop off at the sitters' home up to an hour before bus arrival, longer if the sitter is willing and within the state guidelines for caregiver ratios. Usually the students get breakfast at school. It's an easy business if the hours work out and she's willing to clean.

Another thing to consider besides the gift of lessons (app. $20/half hour, once per week here) is the gift of band camp. Many school districts, county music educator associations, and private providers run band camp in the summer. They vary in length, but they can be very worthwhile experiences. A 2 week local program with a.m. practices runs less then $100 here. Look for signups in the spring. Also a great gift for a trumpet player is the opportunity to go to a DCI (Drum Corps International) show in the summer, or the local high school marching band competition in the fall...real, in-the-flesh teen soloists are inspiring. My 12 year old is using my student Selmer-Bundy and getting excellent results. Stay away from anything sold by a big box retailer.

Did you go in an review the math test? Here, the on and above-grade level math tests are always totally unlike anything the students have ever seen before in class or on the homework. The classwork and homework are always exercises. The tests are always problem solving and will contain multiple steps. The in-the-know parents prep for this with a tutor. It's always a good idea to make friends with an in-the-know parent.

Give that g.c. another call. Buried deep deep in the papers they don't want you to have is the official district policy on transferring credit in from correspondence courses. The policy will spell out what grades and how many credits can be transferred in; if they didn't have a limit they'd have some parents duking it out over the fifth decimal place in the quest for valedictorian status. You could also consider having her do her own thing at home and using the school course for handwriting practice/socialization; then walking up to the math chair before school starts next year and asking for a seat in the course that best matches where she is.

The high school band director or brass instructor is usually a good person to ask for the local steer in the right direction. If you go with a used instrument, it's worthwhile to have a knowledgeable person check it over. If I may, at 12, he might be better off using what he has (school loaner?) , and investing in private lessons, then stepping up to an intermediate quality instrument in 9th grade.

Is your dh's issue the drive itself, or the stay at the inlaws? With the whole top floor to yourselves, it's a great situation; much better than some families who sqeeze into the host's oldest kid's bedroom. Makes me wonder if your dh really wants to stay home. A 7 hr drive when you're not driving back the next day is easy unless you have a lot of backroads -- it's already a tradition and you probably have a few expected stops already. Maybe he could take a nap or watch a few movies to make it go faster? Perhaps a compromise would be to do Tday at your parents, then change the 2nd visit to another week...maybe Easter? Or Jan when there is a better chance of snow? I wouldn't sweat the issue of your parents coming to your house. They've been fine hosts and this hill is not a hill to die on.

If you can get the salary grid for teachers and compare that to civil service workers in your area, it would be insightful. Do remember that teachers work, per contract, 4 hrs in classroom and 1.5 hr out of classroom daily, only 5 days/week max and only 180 days per year - several of which are half days. There is no mandatory, unpaid overtime (engineers are exempt). Here the union enforces working to contract, and the district supplies clerks to stand by a scantron and feed it tests and quizzes to grade. Engineers go into teaching for the stability, the hours (no beeper, no mandatory on-call and less than a 40 hr work week..yeah!!), and the bennies, especially the maternity leave (all that the district approves and you never lose your job no matter how long you stay out) and retirement bennies. Check out this fella's opinions and data: http://www.myshortpencil.com/teachersalaries.htm

That would depend on the district student population and instructional practices. Districts like mine that offer phonics based instruction still have LD students even after intensive intervention. They also have huge amounts of students that can't read on grade level because they refuse to practice - no LD, no special need, just " I don' wanna". Here the IDW students receive mandated services which do not fall under the special education services category in the budget. By middle school it is double period classes in LA and math for these children, then they hit the vo-tech trail if they don't drop out. Literacy is not a priority in their families and never will be.

Yes. It is not fair to special needs children to omit them from an education. There is actually a case going on in our county where the parents have publicized their point of view that their high school child who is homebound needs to have a satellite link into each and every one of his classes in real-time, since in their view the homebound instructor is not providing a comparable educational experience.

There are actually more support staff than there are classroom teachers in your average public school elementary. Aside from all the paraprofessionals, clerical workers, lawyers, administrators, food service, technology support,and building and grounds personnel, there are: -gym, art, health & music teachers -resource teachers for math and language arts - they also serve unclassified students as part of the state mandated Response to Intervention -nurse and nurse ass't who also serve an the attendance clerks and administer physicals to those whose parents will not take their children for vision, hearing and physical checkups -school pyscholgists -social workers -english as a second language teachers -speech, occupational, and physical therapists -special education teachers and aides -deaf/hard of hearing interpreters Transport here varies by district. Some outsource, some are in-house. The level of compensation is much higher than our-local-country-day-school offers, in terms of salary while working and in retirement, and benefits. It is lower than the toniest private schools in Westchester County and Manhattan.

Arnold Lobel Henry and Mudge series by Cynthia Rylant Mr. Putter and Tabby series by Cynthia Rylant Young Cam Jansen series Babar series by Laurent de Brunhof Adventures of Benny and Watch some of Mercer Mayer Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Robert Munsch The Littles First Readers a little bit higher level Anatole series by Eve Titus Pinky and Rex series by James Howe Anatole series by Eve Titus Johanna Hurwitz's Russell and Elisa books Carolyn Haywood's Betsy series

It's not an apples to apples comparison. You have to understand that the local public district classified student costs are averaged in to obtain the 'average per student cost'. Consider: $150/day round trip for each sped transport, 180 days of school + 30 days summer school = $31.5K alone, that's for one student without the chaperone cost and we haven't even begun to allocate the staff support and the teachers. So the ratio of classified to unclassified students dramatically affects the ultimate per student cost. Remember also sped will be in-system for 18 years, unclassified for 12 or 13 years. Similar for all other classifications...private school is not supporting ESL, offering counseling and social services, yada yada. A private school that does not have services for classified students does not have to support all the staff, equipment and specialized transport expenses that a public school does, nor does it have an equivalent retirement cost. It's just not a fair comparison.

Dh would let his host know that he was too ill to come in to work. His company has a procedure to follow and the HR dept (either at his home office or at his host's site) would help him find the nearest hospital or urgent care if the host wasn't immediately available to assist or he was in transit. College dorm students need to let the RA know. All others would do as any adult would do. It is very good idea for college students to have taken First Aid and be certified in CPR before attending.

How about the role of cranberries? http://www.motherlindas.com/cranberries.htm

Your advice from a teacher is great. The school really should be pulling her out for response to intervention or whatever program they have for students that are more than one grade level behind in skills. It sounds like time management and prioritizing need to be done. What does the afterschool care get accomplished? Does she get her homework done and a lot of playtime/socializing outdoors as well as some downtime ? Is she having a healthy snack? If not could the priorities there be changed? With the at home routine, the rule of thumb is 10 min X grade level for homework for the average student. Many kids go out to play after arrival home, come in to help with dinner chores and then after dinner they do their h.w. and studying/reading/family time. TV on a school night is not in the routine of a successful student (other than middle schoolers who are getting their news there and above grade level students who are getting enrichment). You are not being cruel to turn it off at this stage of the game since she needs basics rather than enrichment - what I tell my kids is that if they are too tired to do anything but watch TV, then they need to lie down for half an hour. It works -- if they are truly tired they fall asleep; if they are overstimulated, they relax. Another suggestion is to change your meal planning and schedule so that she can help and most of the meal is done when you get home (crock pot, prep veggies on wkends, entree pre-cooked from the weekend or saved from an earlier meal). Meal prep is a great way to practice math skills. Perhaps she can set and help with a side while you finish the entree. It's a great way for you two to reconnect too. A good way to work in neighborhood friends and math skills is to invite them over to play board games and hopscotch & jump rope. Don't worry about spending time on academics on the weekends - most successful students do, whether they areenriched or tutored privately. She needs structure and once she sees success and progress she'll be wanting more. Also, if you get the chance, read Rafe Esquith's books for inspiration. And kudos to you for taking on so much.

There are many problems. My top ten: 1. teacher certification in content, not in 'education' 2. teachers and staff to be in a nationwide pool where they can transfer between locations without losing seniority/retirement bennies 3. reduce pay to be comparable to jobs with similar responsibilities and education in the government sector (this of course only applies to those with compensation as good as NY teachers have it) 4. bonus for teaching in urban violent areas, special needs, mentally ill when district does not stick to correct support levels 5. teacher accountability - each child must advance a year X ratio IQ in reading and math ability. No coasting, no deciding not to teach certain subgroups, no parties every Friday. Each teacher must remain in the building during their prep and teaming periods and actually prep or team (here teachers by contract terms only teach 5 45-min periods in the high school, only about 3 hrs in the ele since they have no duty during student lunch, recess, specials and teaming/prep is during the school day when the classroom is covered by a para doing the weekly reader). 6. district accountability - hire teachers that can teach the content for each class without a script. Quit taking so much vacation time within the school year. Don't pay the principal more than the the CEOs of similar sized firms in the area or military officers with comparable duties. Bring compensation in line with federal gov't jobs. Have teachers work a full 8 hours day each day of the entire year - take vacation in summer. They can use the summers to get their prep for classes done or as a sabbatical to educate themselves. 7. fiscal accountability - it's a recession. Be happy with 5% step raises; the grid doesn't need to be raised another 5% on top of that, causing the tax levy to push the grandparents out of their lifelong home. Be happy you have no copay and don't contribute out of pocket to medical coverage - the rest of the world does. 8. take Li Ping Ma's recommendation...teachers must collaborate to deliver content effectively; not each do as he/she pleases leaving horrible differences in outcome. 9. end full inclusion. It doesn't work and it is extremely dangerous to those trapped with violent classmates. fund the mental and medical health costs through another dept, not the state education dept. "nuff said. 10. don't track. Allow motivated students to take honors classes. Walk the talk when saying 'be all you can be'.

If you want to keep the Santa tradition this year, perhaps if anyone comments about no presents for the adults, just say that the adults have everything they want or need but Santa filled their stockings with things he'd thought they could use and just put some consumables in the adult stockings. Things like electrical tape or batteries (dollar store), a g.c. for gas, a g.c. for a box of ice cream, dental floss & toothbrush, an orange, walnuts, christmas candy. Keep your chin up. I was in that spot as a kid and as a college grad (bad year to graduate) ...the gifts don't matter so much as long as the company is good and there is enough to eat. I have fond memories of Monopoly marathons with my sibs - much more meaningful than lots of presents. :grouphug:

>>Thanks for the responses! I'm sure it depends on the community college and I'll have to call ours but, is it typical of cc's to offer free classes to highschoolers? It's not free in my state. Typically, high achieving public schooled 10-12th graders will dual enroll, but they have to pay for every credit hour themselves. If enough from the same high school enroll, they may get lucky and have an instructor teach it at the high school, rather than having to trek over to the CC. The district will not bus anyone over to the CC (although their vo-tech and sped busses go right on by). It is beginning to be typical of high schools that they force high-acheivers into dual enrolling rather than offering classes. For ex. my district does not offer Calc I. It can only be taken by dual enrolling. >>Also can the credits they earn be applied towards highschool and college? Yes, but here it depends on the course and the degree. P.E. for example can't be counted for both...only for CC, never for high school. College Algebra counts for high school Alg. II, but won't count toward many of the degrees at the CC. English 1 will count for 12th grade English and for College Freshman English.

French has actually been more useful to dh and I...French speaking Canada to the the immediate north, and French spoken by many of our business customers. Korean and Mandarin would be useful too...

I think it is difficult b/c Americans have less access to instructors and to practice situations when we are young. Most nonaffluent schools don't offer a foreign language in the elementary years..too busy on literacy in English. Even in the middle school, I have found it difficult for my children to learn the foreign languages they chose simply b/c there is not enough practice - no language lab, no materials to read; just a lot of memorization. Also there is a shortage of instructors - one of my children didn't even have an instructor last year - school could only supply someone to play bingo games and memorize vocab -- and that was in Spanish which, given the proximity to NY City, should have been an easy position to fill.