Is Home Work Important?

  

 
                               Guide to Helping Children with Home Work

According to  the collin's dictionary home work is work done at home.  Home Work is a sore point with many parents and students. For students they feel as if home work should be non existence and takes up too much time and on the other hand home work is a torture that many parents would love to wish away.
Home work should not be a burden but rather should be a continuation of  work done  during the school period. Unfortunately  many schools pile on too much home work which really isn't necessary and often times children are very much turned off as well as parents end up doing their children's home work.

With technology at our finger tips it is very easy to access information but having this simple access is often abuse as parents  log on to the internet to get answers to their children's home work. What is meant to be a learning process for children ends up being all too easy which leaves children without learning important skills on how to access information or even acquiring correct study skills.
Some countries have looked at the possibility of banning home work. Having had a home school for several years I personally was not a fan of having students do a lot of home work, and in some instances there were parents who thought I needed to give more work. So what really is the point of home work?

Parents should not get stressed over helping  their children with home work but should rather take it in strides. When I used to be in the class room one of the things I encouraged parents to do is if they come across a concept that they do not know instead of stressing over it either tell their child to ask the teacher to explain or they set up a meeting with the teacher. But it was quite okay for it not to be completed in that moment.

1.  Parents should guide their children with home work and not give them the answers or do it for them.

2. Discourage children from going on to google to search for answers. If your child does not know the answer or how to solve a problem chances are that the concept was not grasp correctly, therefore children should be encourage to speak with their teacher.
3.  If children are in private school or in a school that gives a lot of home work parents should set up a system  to complete the home work. For example maybe start with simple subjects first and so on.

4. Children should have a desk or sit around a table when doing home work. Try to cut out the distractions around. No television in the back ground or iPods on.
5. Do not be afraid to let your child know that you do not  know the answer and if you are solving a problem and your child complains that is not how it is done by the teacher, then meet with the teacher so that you are on the same page with how your child is taught. You will then have consistency which is important to a child learning pattern.
6. Children should be encourage to do home work as they get home or at a certain time during the weekend and not wait until the last minute as this proves to be stressful to both parents and children.
7. Children with learning disabilities should not be over whelmed with  all the home work at once but rather should be given home work in small portions at a time. For such children structure is very important and breaks should be given in between.
8. Always remember that you learn best by doing and children need to learn how to learn. If helping your child with home work is stressful then seek help either from the teacher a tutor or another family member who may have more patience.

The essence of home work should be to practice and build on concepts learned. It should not be a burden or should not be stressful to children.

Are You Living Beautifully ?

Project Summary

Living Beautifully Authored by Charmaine Walker

List Price: $15.00

5.06" x 7.81" (12.852 x 19.837 cm)
Black & White on White paper
56 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1515210238 (CreateSpace-Assigned)
ISBN-10: 1515210235
BISAC: Body, Mind & Spirit / Inspiration & Personal Growth

Living Beautifully is about living life on your terms and living for yourself and not for anyone. It is about finding your authentic self and being true to the person you are instead of what society expects you to be. CreateSpace eStore: https://www.createspace.com/56370

Is University Ruining Our Children’s Future

 

 

 

 

(Source)

Back in June I went off to New York City for a good friend’s 40th birthday.
It was like the anti-Vegas guy’s trip.
Instead of screaming at each other over loud music at the various Vegas bars, this was more about conversations at great restaurants.
I even managed to get up early each morning and go for walks… it was awesome.
Or I’m old.
Not sure which.
Anyway…
The topic of the economy came up repeatedly, and after the trip it got me thinking about my children.
You see, the guys I was travelling with own a staffing company that is doing really well, extremely well in fact.
And over the last dozen years, I’ve noticed a massive trend in large companies going to either “temp workers” or “outsourcing to India” or to “contractors”.
In the software and finance world, this is happening at a super fast rate.
I’m no expert but it’s obvious to me that this is part of the reason… along with technology itself… that corporations are sitting on bucket loads of cash.
And their increased profits are part of the reason the stock market is at record levels.
This presents an interesting problem.
Because, in exchange for these profits, it’s completely destroying middle class jobs.
It’s our very strong belief that the next five, ten and fifteen years are going to present major challenges for people who cannot adjust to this.
We both vividly recall when our friends and their parent’s… who have known us for decades… told us that we were crazy to leave our high paying jobs.
It was too risky.
But today it seems the tide has turned.
And many haven’t noticed yet.
Going to school, especially University, with no plan other than to graduate and “get a job” may not look so appealing in short order… if not already.
If you have a fifteen year old today, by the time they finish University, it’ll be 2020.
Our money says that there aren’t going to be “job fairs” at Universities looking for a general University education.
An arts degree, or even a general science degree, isn’t going to be worth very much in the marketplace… if anything.
As employers ourselves, we’re in need of people with some SKILLS.
It also seems obvious to us that a career of 30-40 years at one company is already a pipe dream… that boat has sailed.
Our children better be prepared to be self reliant.
They better know how to show their value in the market.
They better know how to make some money all by themselves… without the help of a job, or a company.
Skills like getting people to websites, selling stuff in person or online, marketing strategies that can be applied to any business… those are the survival skills.
They can go off and follow their passion, but they better know how to close a sale to fund their journey.
And the last time we checked, Universities weren’t teaching that.
By pushing our kids into University, with no other preparation for the real world, we may be doing them a massive disservice.
We may be teaching them to read, write, and think critically, but we’re surely not teaching them how to support themselves financially, how to invest, how the financial system works, how to create a lifestyle they enjoy.
Maybe instead of forcing them to take first year calculus, we should be forcing them to watch ABC’s TV show Shark Tank.
We’re serious.
If they walk into a job after University, what happens after 5 years when that company lays them off, changes direction, moves to Asia, streamlines its workforce, outsources everything?
Youth unemployment in Canada is over 13% (Source) and that’s considered good… it’s over 15% in the U.S. (Source).
If we can forecast forward 10-15-20 years and anticipate less middle class jobs and more “temp” and “contract”  jobs, because of technology and globalization, then why are we sending our kids to an institution that prepares them for the middle class?
If our children go to University it sure won’t be with the hopes it will help them get and keep a job.
Until next time… Your Life! Your Terms!

Taken from Rock Star RealEstate site

Racism still exists in the 21st Century

7 Things I Can Do That My Black Son Can’t

Calvin HennickDecember 28, 2014

The writer with his son. Photo courtesy of Calvin Hennick.

Since Yahoo Parenting launched on Oct. 23, the editors and writers have posted nearly 600 stories on the site. They chose this article – originally published on Oct. 27 – as a highlight of the pieces that offer trusted advice, inspire provocative conversations, and hopefully add a little fun to your life, every day.

In the days after the Michael Brown shooting, I wrote an essay titled “I Hope My Son Stays White,” detailing my fears about what might happen to my biracial three-year-old son if he grows up to have dark skin. The upshot: America, to its shame, is still a place where black males are feared, and I don’t want that fear to turn itself on my son in a way that leads to his arrest or death.

STORY: Dad’s Conversations About Race: ‘Most White Kids Don’t Get This Talk’

I published the piece on Ebony.com, and the reactions from black readers ranged from “sad but true” to allegations that I myself was engaging in the very racism and colorism that I was decrying. But buried among these was a comment from a white reader who accused me of “sucking up to black folk” and then went on to list the supposed advantages of being black in America. (Apparently, according to this reader, my son will have an unearned fast track to a career as an air traffic controller. Um, okay?)

STORY: NFL Star Jason Witten on Life as a Dad and His (Growing) Family

I can’t help but think that, if the essay had been published in an outlet with a larger white readership, many more commenters would have chimed in to deny the continued existence of racism. In my experience, white people (and straight people, and male people, and Christian people — all groups of which I’m a member) tend to dismiss the notion that we’re privileged. It’s an uncomfortable thing to acknowledge that you’re the recipient of unfair benefits, especially when those benefits are often nearly invisible to those who receive them.

But when you’re a parent, those privileges stop being invisible. It’s the reason why male congressmen with daughters are more likely to support women’s issues. It’s the reason why Ohio Sen. Rob Portman suddenly declared his support for same-sex marriage after his son came out as gay. And it’s the reason why, everywhere I look, I see hassles that my son will have to face that I don’t. Here’s a partial list of things I can take for granted, but which will likely be problematic for my son:

1. I Can Walk Through a Store Without Being Followed

To take one high-profile instance, Macy’s and the city of New York recently settled with actor Robert Brown, who was handcuffed, humiliated, and accused of committing credit card fraud after buying an expensive watch at the store.

I never have to worry about this happening to me.

2. I Can Succeed Without It Being Attributed to My Race

When my wife, who is black, received her acceptance letter from Boston College, a peer told her she must have gotten in due to affirmative action, effectively ruining the experience of receiving the letter.

When I succeed, people assume I’ve earned it.

3. I Learned About My Ancestors’ History in School

I can tell you all about Louis XIV, Socrates, and the Magna Carta, but I always wondered when we would finally learn about African history (beyond Pharaohs and pyramids). The subject never came up.

4. I Can Lose My Temper in Traffic

Once, an acquaintance who got into a confrontation while driving told me how scared she was of the other driver, describing him as a “big black guy.” When I get heated, no one attributes it to my race.

5. I Can Loiter in Wealthy Neighborhoods

No one has ever called the cops on me to report a “suspicious person.” My wife can’t say the same.

6. I Can Complain About Racism

When I point out that black people are incarcerated at alarming rates, or largely forced to send their children to underperforming schools, or face systemic discrimination when searching for jobs and housing, no one accuses me of “playing the race card.”

7. I Can Count on Being Met on My Own Terms

If I’m being treated poorly, I don’t stop and think about whether it’s due to my race. But unless we somehow make a giant leap forward, my son will always have to wonder.

Recently, I became a father for the second time. My daughter, only three months old, will grow up to face many of the same challenges as my son, on top of the extra ones that come with being a woman: the struggle for equal pay, the catcalling, the constant threat of sexual assault.

I don’t want to give my children a complex about all of this, but I can’t wish these problems away, either. I can’t eliminate all the unfair hurdles that exist in the world. I can only do my best to raise kids who are able to jump over them.

Please follow @YahooParenting onFacebook,Twitter,Instagram, andPinterest. Have an interesting story to share about your family? E-mail us at YParenting (at) Yahoo.com.

Language Acuisition

Several studies have shown that young children from disadvantaged homes are more likely to enter school with a tremendous vocabulary gap when compared to their peers from more advantaged backgrounds.  Some experts estimate that the gap can mean about 30 million fewer words than their more advantaged counterparts.
Writing for Education Week, Sarah D. Sparks supports this finding by summarizing several studies, but she also explains that a little-regarded factor in the poorer language acquisition for these children is the quality of conversation that parents have with their children.  These children tend to enter school far behind their peers and are unlikely to catch up in subsequent school years.  Sparks reports on one part of a significant study, Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experiences of Young Children, that it’s important to do more than just bombard young children with words.  Associate professor in early language and communication and the director of the Children’s Project in Kansas City, Kansas stated, “We don’t want to just distill it down to a numbers game, because … the important message to take away is not the poor versus wealthy families, but the opportunities children have to interact with rich language.”
Jill Gilkerson, director of LENA Research Foundation in Boulder, Colorado explains, “Conversational turns are vastly more important than the number of words a child is exposed to.”  Parents should work to engage their young ones in back and forth exchanges and less “short directives” because this does not create turns in conversation.
View this example of positive parent-child interaction from the article on the Education Week article:



 https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=44&v=VV9pOkmnKCY

The Adolescent Brain By Deborah Williams

 
Adolescence. Just the mere mention of the word brings shudders to most parents.  Some remember going through it with their previously delightful children.  Others have not experienced it yet, but they dread what could be their parenting nightmare!  Writing for the NPR blog Mind Shift, Cory Turner explains things that parents might be surprised to learn.  There’s a “dirty little secret of adolescence:  The cloudy judgment and risky behavior may not last a year or two.  Try a decade.”
As if that was not enough, there’s more to learn.  Because of changes in their brains, teenagers often begin making bad choices earlier than parents may have thought: not at 16 or 17 but beginning at 11 or 12 years of age.  So, they begin to make bad decisions around 11 years of age, and this poor judgment lasts for about 10 ears!
Additionally, an experiment led by Temple University’s psychology professor Laurence Steinberg confirmed what many adults figured out:  Teenagers are more likely to engage in risky behaviors if they are with other teens.  The results of  brain scans of teens during a driving game showed that teens take a similar number of risks as adults  when they are “driving” alone; however, when they are with other teens, they are more likely to engage in risky behaviors.  An immature prefrontal cortex in their brains is the reason.


 https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=A9MWpLIT3Mo

Why Children Need To Study Music

A recent article on the Science Daily website reinforces proponents of maintaining arts programs in schools.  Researchers from Northwestern University “found that children who regularly attended music classes and actively participated showed larger improvements in how the brain processes speech and reading scores than their less-involved peers after two years.”  Sitting passively in music classes does not seem to be as beneficial as actively participating.
Researchers found that the type of music classes was important.  “Students who played instruments in class improved more than the children who attended the music appreciation group.”  This type of engagement strengthened students’ neural processing in the brain.  Lead author Nina Kraus, professor of communication sciences in the School of Communication and of neurobiology and physiology in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern, explained, “Our results support the importance of active experience and meaningful engagement with sound to stimulate changes in the brain.”
Researchers from Northwestern also looked at data from the Harmony Project, which looks for scientific evidence of academic success of some of its students.  Northwestern researchers found that “two years of music training—but not one—improved the brains’ ability to distinguish similar-sounding syllables, a skill linked to literacy.”

Stop Burying Yourself in Debt by Kevin Oleary

I get a lot of questions about how to get rich, and I always give the same answer.
Don’t spend too much. Mostly save. Always invest.
Seems simple enough, right? Yet so many people do the exact opposite—invest poorly, spend way too much, save almost nothing, and remain willfully ignorant about their finances.
Why? Because they don’t understand their relationship to money.
The first step in changing money habits is taking a cold hard look at your financial input and output. Here’s what you need to do: boil your money matters down to one simple number by adding up all your earnings and subtracting all your expenditures over three months. I call this your 90-day number.

Once you write that 90-day number down you’ll be faced with one of two truths.

1. Your number is positive. Congratulations, you’re one of the few people taking in more money than you spend!
2. Your number is in the negatives, and like the majority of men and women, you spend more than you make.

The good news is that no matter what your 90-day number teaches you about your relationship with money, there’s always room to improve. I’m going to help you do exactly that by pointing out 3 money mistakes everybody makes at some point in their lives, and teaching you how to fix them.

Money Mistake #1: You’re drowning in credit debt.
The Fix: READ THE FINE PRINT
Spending too much is a disease, and credit card debt is a cancer. The first time you get a credit card bill and don’t pay off the full balance, you’ve let the first financial cancer cell into your life.
Next time you get a credit card bill in the mail, put your glasses on and take a good, hard look at the fine print.
Credit card companies are required by law to tell you how many years it will take you to pay off your balance if you pay the minimum each month. In most instances, this number is a monstrous thing to behold.
With typical compound interest rates averaging around 16%, this black hole of debt keeps growing, and growing, and growing.
Once you take a look at the fine print, you MUST start dedicating every spare penny you have to paying off your credit. If you want to get rich, you need to eliminate your debt first.

Money Mistake #2: Spending makes you happy
The Fix: GET A HANDLE ON EMOTIONAL SPENDING
Most men and women who spend too much do so because it feels good, temporarily. But as I always say, mixing money with emotions is a toxic combination.
Don’t go shopping to change your mood. It might make you feel better in the short term, but I promise: the long-term fulfillment of saving and growing your money far outweighs the temporary satisfaction of retail therapy.
Recognize when you’re about to spend with your emotions, and go for a walk, cook, or read instead. Do anything; just don’t head for the mall!

Money Mistake #3: Frugality isn’t fun
The Fix: CREATE A “FUN MONEY” FUND
Many people who commit themselves 100% to eliminating debt and saving money find that a certain joylessness creeps in after a while. The same thing happens to dieters who deprive themselves of all their favorite foods for months, and then cave to late-night binges.
That’s not a way to live, and that’s not what I advocate. Austerity, yes; deprivation, no.
The key is to include spending on fun things in your budget. Set aside a manageable percentage every week in a fund that will let you splurge with cash. Go out for lunch, get your hair done, or use your fun money to go on a vacation—do whatever you want, as long as you pay for it outright. This way you can enjoy your splurges without feeling guilty!
Read more about finding financial freedom in the Cold Hard Truth On Men, Women, and Money.