Homework Tips for Kids & Teens

Homework has been a perennial headache for kids and teens as well as for their parents. Following are some tips to make homework time more effective and enjoyable for all concerned.

1. No TV. As a general rule, kids should not watch TV while doing their homework. It might be a good policy to have the television turned off any time it's time to do homework, depending, of course, where the television is located.

2. The radio is OK. Contrary to what many so-called experts recommend, actual studies have shown that having the radio on a child's or teenager's favorite music station can actually help him learn better.

3. Set fixed hours. There should be a set schedule for homework. This way, the youngsters can arrange their schedules and make sure they get their homework done every day. It's also a great way for answering those comments. "I'll do it later, after I've finished whatever," which is a standard line among kids when asked if they've finished their homework. You may want to set a standard time for supper and family discussions, followed by study time. If the student doesn't have other commitments and gets home reasonably early from school, some homework can be done before supper.

4. Set telephone rules. As a general rule, kids should not be allowed to use the telephone during those hours when they are supposed to be doing their homework. However, sometimes it becomes necessary to use the phone, say, for confirming homework and the like. In these cases, the parents should set a fixed number of minutes for discussing school-related matters so the kids can get back to their homework right away.

5. Create a good study area. First, designate an area where it would be ideal for your children to do their homework, usually in their rooms. Set up this area to make it conducive for studying by putting proper lighting, an area for studying supplies such as pencils, pens, paper, books, and other essentials and make the area free from distractions. It might be a good idea to set up a bulletin board there as well.

Great Study Tips For Parents

With time comes change and this holds true for methods of parenting. Gone are the days of black and white television or the days when the telephone was connected to the wall in your home and still had a cord! Yes, remember what a telephone with a cord looks like? To even think about having a computer in your home was laughable. Look at us now!

Parenting is not lost among the changes taking place in our world. Let's take a look shall we. The majority of mammals go straight from infancy to puberty. The human baby does nothing of the sort. In fact, although they come into the world with their genetic code intact, without their parents the survival rate for humans would plummet. Looking at the evolution of species, the human baby remains far more dependent upon their parents than any other mammal.

Now for parents of pre-teens and above, the thought of having them fend for themselves at times sounds appealing. You can walk, talk, and dress yourself... see ya! Ah, but that is not how we raise our young, is it? We love and nurture them. We do our best to instill a moral cnmpass. Here is a tantalizing thought, children become capable of reproduction between the ages of 10 - 15, but which one among us would dare say they are ready for the adulthood that awaits them?

What was the parenting style you were brought up in? Does it shape the way you parent now? What's the difference? It is commonly known that if you were brought up strict that as a parent you then lean towards a more liberal approach. The same holds true for those who were brought up with very little boundaries. Did your parents lavish you with hugs, love, and praise, or did they say token words of affection? Does the way we parent have direct consequences on our children's behavior? Very tantalizing questions. Let's look at a few different parenting styles.

PARENTING STYLES:

Indulgent: more responsive to their children than demanding. They don't hold fast to the traditional roles. The lean more towards allowing the child to self-regulate and tend to avoid confrontation with children.

Authoritarian: tend to be more obedience driven. They expect their orders to be obeyed without question.

Authoritative: have clear rules of conduct for their children. Often times are assertive without being overly restrictive. They prefer supportive methods when it comes to discipline.

Uninvolved: self-explanatory... this can lead to neglect and abuse.

Attached: in it's simplest term is to develop a strong emotional bond with parents during childhood.

I was raised in a very strict environment peppered with violence. I learned early that love and affection was earned and just as quickly taken away. How did this affect the way I parent? Dramatically! Although, I will say that through the years of being a parent my techniques have changed with the knowledge gained.

In my early years as a parent (and I will speak only to raising children and not the many complications that are included in the family unit) I did my best to lavish love. To the point of smothering? I tried not, but I definitely did all in power to let my children know that no matter what they did I would always love them.

During the time my children were young, "Attached Parenting" was not as common as it is today. I breast-fed, cuddled, and held my kids when they were crying, hurt, or anything else. I also tried letting them cry themselves to sleep but this often broke my heart. I think those emotions were directly connected to my upbringing. Enough of my parenting attempts, how has your upbringing colored your parenting skills? What do you do the same or different.

English Study Tips for Kids and Their Parents

Kid whose parents take an active interest in their child's education will probably be much more likely to become successful language learners. This is why parents should get involved in their kids learning process. This article provides some useful tips for both kids and their parents. However, before you start reading this, keep in mind that kids' learning process is not the same with that of adults. So do not except your kids to learn English the same way - and at the same rate - you do.

Useful English Study Tips:

o Help your child access interactive websites on the internet especially relevant to young learners. There are tons of free and useful English websites for kids.

o Encourage good study habits by scheduling regular homework time and offering help and encouragement when necessary,

o Listen to English cassettes - for example music with English lyrics or storytelling.

o Use CD-ROMs with educational games:

o Watch appropriate English DVDs/VCDs/television programs suitable to the age and level of student. Animated films on DVD with language options can be a very good choice. Use English when the child is already familiar with the story. This will help them focus on the language rather than the plot.

o Encourage children to read you any English stories you every day.

o Let your child teach you what they learned in class. Look at the pages in the book your child studied. Ask them to identify pictures and name objects.

o Put stickers around the house labeling objects students have recently learned. This helps to bring language alive and gives learners day-to-day exposure.

o Ask your child to copy new words ten times each. This improves handwriting and reinforces word recognition and good spelling.

o Help your child make a 'personal dictionary'. In a notebook, write a letter of the alphabet at the top of each page. Start with A and end with Z. Children can record new words learned at school on the appropriate page. They can draw pictures to illustrate the meaning, give the translation or use it in a sentence. This can be a great way to review.

o If parents can speak English encourage conversation when possible.

Be Realistic about What Your Child Can Do

o All students have active and passive knowledge. This means that students can understand and recognize more than they can say or write.

o Focus on what children know rather than what they have forgotten. Students often personalize new words. Lilly might remember "doll", "skipping rope" while Tom remembers words like "dinosaur" or "robot".

o When children acquire their mother tongue, they understand and speak before they are capable of reading and writing. This is `lso true when learning a foreign language.

o Foreign language learners often go through a 'silent phase' when beginning to learn a language. This is normal. They are listening and noticing language. When they are ready, they will speak.

o Learners need to encounter language many times over a period of time before they 'know' it. Don't expect your child to 'know' it all after the first lesson. The teacher will review words in the next lesson to help students remember.

o Studies show that learners who have regular exposure to another language before puberty are more likely to have better language skills (including pronunciation) by the time they are adults.

o Making mistakes is a natural part of the learning process.

Most important of all: Remember that kids are not sponges! Do not expect them to absorb all that they have been taught at school. Also, do not be too hard on your kid. Parents should make English learning as enjoyable as possible.

Popular Math Websites For Kids Ages 6 to 10

Children can never get too much practice in math, especially if the learning can be extended into a learning game. Every child loves games and now the Internet has made it even easier to entice children into learning. There are a myriad of online math learning games, but one must be careful about choosing online games. Below are some popular math websites for kids ages 6 to 10:

Math Man: Math man is a free online math game that helps students practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division skills. Depending on your child's learning needs, there are opportunities to complete order of operations too. This is a great internet resource to help improve students basic operation skills, which is the foundation to learning other complex math concepts. Math Man is played just like Pac-man and students truly enjoy playing and learning math at the same time.

Cool Math: Cool Math has a series of games that focuses on various subjects, including strategy, logic, and memory. Upon first glance, it may look like your child will not learn from these learning games, but this is not the case. Children actually do learn business skills and other real-world skills that they need to apply mathematics to their lives. A good strategy to use when exposing your child to this website is to make sure that you pre-select the game for them to ensure that they are practicing the skill that he or she needs assistance with in math.

IXL Math: IXL Math is the best website to have children practice their math skills in a real-world, problem solving setting. Children ranging from pre-kindergarten to high school have the chance to practice skills, which are tailored to their learning needs. All parents have to do is find out which specific skill that their child needs assistance with and can focus solely on their skill or a particular set of skills.

Sheppard Software for Math: Sheppard Software for Math is a one-stop math world that allows children to work on all math skills at the preschool level and beyond. Children can use the website games to practice daily on skills that they have already learned or are about to learn in class.

Children naturally loves to learn and these online math websites will continue to motivate them in learning how to do math. The bottom line is that children will benefit from these popular websites for ages 6 to 10.
About this Author

Alicia Holland-Johnson, EdD, is a proud mother of two beautiful daughters and an educator with ten years of teaching experience at all levels, including university teaching. She also works as a professional tutor at Realistic Measures & Consulting ( http://www.rmctutoring.org ) and a consultant in the education industry. Her passion is helping individuals believe in themselves and go far. To receive a free special report, join the blog at http://www.parentseducatechildren.blogspot.com.

Education in the Third World

There are 72 million children around the world who are denied the opportunity to go to school. And it's no coincidence that these same children make up a significant portion of the world's population who are confined to a life of poverty. The correlation? Education beats poverty, and it is likely that children denied the opportunity to learn skills, cultivate their intellectual capacity and invest in their future will contribute to the continuing cycle of poverty in Third World nations.

When born into this world, the future of each child is a blank canvas - in terms of intellectual capability or imagination there is no discrepancy between a First and Third World child. It is the environment and opportunities available to them that then begin to mark and shape that canvas and determine the life path of each child. Will they get an education? Will they be fed, housed, healthy and looked after? Opportunity, education and environment become barriers in a

Third World child's life - what's to say that given an education and the opportunity these children couldn't be sporting heroes, politicians or the doctors of tomorrow?

While education forms the foundation of many Western societies, in the Third World there are endless obstacles to school attendance, whether they be school fees, illegal child labour issues, illness, lack of parental guidance or political conflict. Reversing this trend is crucial, because education is not only the key to alleviating poverty on an individual or family level, but can also break the cycle of poverty for an entire country.

Here are a few reasons why education is the key to beating poverty:

Ultimate investment: Investing in a child's education is an investment that pays for itself. It's the best tool or gift that can be bestowed on an impoverished child. If educated, a child will eventually earn more money, be able to help support a family, and be able to help improve the quality of life for not only themselves but others. Educating a child will hopefully spark a pattern of education in their family that turns a cycle of poverty into a cycle of education and opportunity.

Statistical evidence: There is statistical evidence to support the idea that 'education beats poverty'. For example, a child who goes to school will earn an extra 10% for every year of schooling they receive and be 50% less likely to become infected with HIV/AIDS if they complete primary school.

Feed the mind to feed the body: By feeding and stimulating a child's mind, you place them in a better position to be able to feed themselves and others. Education ultimately gives impoverished children a chance in life, and a chance to imagine and create a life different to the one they were born in to.

How can you help? There are a number of charitable organisations dedicated to alleviating poverty through educational measures. One of the most effective ways of helping to create educational opportunities for impoverished children is through child sponsorship.

While you'll be assigned a child through which to monitor the changes and improvements your money is contributing to, that donation will be used to benefit the community as a whole with a significant portion of that money going towards improvements in the available education. Child sponsorship is a tax deductible donation meaning you'll ultimately see that money again. To be eligible for this tax deduction, donate generously today and help feed a child's mind and give them a chance in life.
About this Author

Are you looking to make difference to third world countries? Why not donate to charity? Charities work across many different causes in several areas of the world. Each charity will have its own focus area and enabling you to donate to a cause you prefer.

The Effects of An International Education in Emerging Countries

The 21st Century has signified one great change in the way the people are Educated, especially in Emerging Countries. One example has been implementing International Education, into the local Educational system.

A good example of this is in Indonesia.

In the space of ten years, Indonesia has de-regulated the once rigid State Education system, and allowed localized private Schools to offer International Education to its own citizens, as well as expatriate children.

This has allowed Indonesian-based students to study locally Cambridge, International IB, and UK IGCSE programs in private Schools in the Cities, and Towns across the Islands of Indonesia. And produced some amazing results with Indonesian children often ranking alongside their British and American counterparts, equally.

Some critics of this policy have stated whilst the State provided Education system sometimes lacks the basic facilities, a new "elite" of Western Educated Indonesians are being created, who can afford the higher school fees to enter these Internationalized Schools.

But studies have showed that in the 1990's, this new educated "elite" were often sent to study in Singapore, Australia and the USA, and now their Western-educated Parents prefer them to study closer to home. It also allows more Indonesians to allow their children to get an International Education, when they previously could not afford to send them overseas.

Many Indonesians have always looked Westwards towards getting a better Education, with many Indonesians today working in the nations urban centers holding Degrees mainly  from American , and Australian-based Universities.

Local Critics cite the recent Economic meltdown in Countries outside Indonesia, claiming that perhaps as Economies failed - so has the Education system wstem that created the Leaders who presided over the economic decline of many of these Countries, and Indonesia imitates these Countries too much.

The "westernized" Education system these Schools offer ,are Internationalized- but also in the long term may teach values of Countries some say are alien to the local culture. Values that are based on "pop" culture, and Western ideas, rather than Indonesian "family values."

Some Academics see this trend as disturbing, when a new generation of "western" Educated Indonesians may run Indonesia, at a time when some economists do predict that China, and India could be the main influence on Indonesian society.

Other Critics state that students lose their cultural identity, and become less of a National Citizen, but more of a global Citizen. Identifying with the United States more than their own culture, and often migrating there, once they have finished studying.

Those that agree the changes are beneficial, claim that Indonesia will have a new generation of citizens both ready and able to cooperate, and compete in business with their Western counterparts. Bringing wealth to Indonesia.

However to most Indonesians, an International Education offers opportunities in Indonesian society and beyond, that a State system can only provide from certain Schools. And until that changes, hundreds of thousands of Indonesian children, will attend local Schools studying IB programs, and IGCSES, and in some*cases gain higher examination results than their counterparts in the USA and Europe.

(This article is part of a new series of articles based on Educational and Training trends in the 21st Century)

The Role of Child Care Centres in the Modern World

The importance of early*childhood education in today's world is crucial. With so much gang violence, limited child care centres, latch key kids, and even divorce playing a factor, is there any hope at all that the future of our world will change for the better?

It always has been said education starts at home. Children learn by example in child care centres. Many of today's parents have poor literacy and math skills without completing high school and simply do not have the skills to educate and teach their children.

It can be up to child care centers to step in and make sure that early childhood education is covered. When a child is dropped off at daycare centre, it is not supposed to be just a babysitting service it is a place where children can learn and grow through an array of experiences that help them develop mentally and emotionally.

Things for parents to think about:

Focus on each child's needs. What are their special gifts? Does one love to read and show a hunger to learn more? What if one child is lagging behind? Who in the child care centre is giving that extra attention to show the child how to catch up?

If the child is actually enrolled in a child care centre, the parents need to do their homework. There are paid preschools versus public preschools. But, money doesn't always buy an education. Parents need to do background checks, ask questions with the teachers and staff. See how your child relates with the teachers. When you walk into the preschool unannounced, is it quiet or are kids screaming out of control? Make sure there are not too many children to teach with one teacher being overloaded. This is quite common in a preschool.

It is important for parents to stop and discuss with their child what they learnt that day and keep the learning going at home. A child can always teach a parent something they never knew before.

A child care centre is a real home away from home. Sometimes the children spend more time there than at home. So, preschools and child care centres need to focus on a new generation that will be taking over this world in the next twenty years. They are the ones that will help shape the future of many countries, not just the parents. The parents and the schools must start working together. With caring, love, and kindness, education can be a beautiful thing learned that will last a lifetime.

Virtual Worlds For Kids That Focus on Education

In an age of highly advance computer technology and the World Wide Web at our disposal, using virtual worlds for kids that focus on education is a good way to get children interested in learning. It is recommended that you read this article to learn more about these virtual platform of learning to enhance your child's educational development.

Research has shown that children who actively use virtual platform for learning, not only benefit in terms of education but also learn to be technologically smart and the art of socializing. The educational value from using virtual worlds for kids that focus on education can be quantified in terms of engaging a child's mind in study and the ethical values that a child learns from playing games that require ethical decision making skills.

There is this virtual world which allows a child travel to over one hundred factual places around the globe; travelling through time and space, you will meet many famous people, plays loads of enriching and fun games, party with new friends, buy island and build houses, explore many secret places and solve mysteries and puzzles. What could be more inspiring or fun? A safe site that allows children to learn about history and geography and so much more, giving the player fun filled hours of exploration and discovery.

Virtual worlds replicate all of the bullying and racism found in the real world to help educate your child on the realities of life. Parents are advised to take an active approach with their children in these virtual worlds. Going into the virtual world with your child will give you a better understanding of the level of education the child receives from playing these games.

Educational virtual worlds are a combination of different learning activities, imagination and plenty of fun for your child and the adult too. Virtual worlds offer children a range of activities that include puzzle solving, action games, contests, fascinating facts and a host of learning activities, all combined to make learning fun. There are various educational elements of math, history, geography and English woven into the fabric of the games, so children learn while they play.

These virtual platform offer the opportunity of earning virtual money as various activities are completed. The money can then be used to buy different items like homes or pets. The really good part about virtual worlds for kids that focus on education is parents can also register an account and link it to the child's account. In this way parents can control the child's play and chat safety features.
About this Author

Galen spends 48 hours on the Internet every day as the Online Marketing Manager of Mediafreaks. He is currently driving the online marketing efforts of various free online adventure games and commercial projects produced by the award-winning 3D animation studio based in Singapore and China. Galen is also known fondly as 'The China Man' by his colleagues as he spent years in China running the Mediafreaks China office.

Teaching Methods in Education

To achieve the goal of teaching, the teacher must adopt effective teaching methods in education. The teacher has many options to choose from different teaching methods designed specifically for teaching and learning.

Writing lesson plans is a foremost thing that a teacher must do before executing any teaching strategy in the class. The teaching method should be adopted on the basis of certain criteria like the knowledge of the students, the environment and the set of learning goals decided in the academic curriculum.

Students respond differently to different methods of teaching. Also, the students have their unique way of demonstrating the knowledge acquired and absorbing the information that is imparted. So, to aid this process of demonstrating the knowledge, the teacher has to adopt a technique that assists the students in retaining the information and increasing their understanding. There are many teaching methods for children like questioning. modeling, demonstrating, collaborating and explaining that have been discussed here.

Teaching Methods and Strategies

We all know about the importance of higher education, so now let us learn some methods of teaching as well. Here are some of the basic teaching methods for higher education as well as for the middle education.

Questioning
Testing and questioning are always known to be effective teaching methods due to its interactive nature. The questions are asked by the teacher with an intention to know what the student has learned from earlier discussions and what it helps in deciding what should be taught further.

This can be even vice-verse, students questioning the teachers to clarify the doubts that would enhance their understanding of the subject. The inquisitive instinct of the students evoke them to ask questions and satiate their query.

The teacher should encourage this in a positive way so that the student's critical thinking is developed. Testing differs in one aspect from questioning. Test is done in order to know about the previous knowledge and already taught things to the student.

Explaining
Explaining is one of the very important teaching methods in education. It has taken a form of lectures in teaching methods for higher education where the teacher presents the factual information in a direct and a logical way.

Sometimes the experiences can also be shared as a part of knowledge that would work as a source of inspiration for the students. While adopting this method the teacher should give an introduction and a proper summary. Make sure that the information is specific to the audience.

The explanation should be accompanied with suitable examples for the better understanding of the students. It is like a discourse on a particular subject or topic that is for the entire class or public. Explaining can be clubbed with the modeling process to be more effective and to have a long-lasting effect on the pupils.

Modeling
Modeling is a type of visual aid for teaching as well as learning. It is a known fact that human brain absorbs more and understands better when visual aid facilitates explanation. This method works on three criteria - observing, retaining and replicating. The students learn more by observing the things and acquire it by imitating it time and again.

This is also known as reinforced behavior. This type of learning has very important role to play in the learning process especially during the childhood, though it can happen in any stage of life. This helps the students to visualize the things and, then hypothesize the solution.

Demonstrating
With the help of demonstrative teaching methods in education students get an opportunity to explore the various aspects and understand the theory from a different perspective. Demonstration is a step-by-step explanation along with their reasons and significance for the better understanding of the student. It enhances the student's understanding by practically applying the knowledge and sharpen their skills and hence, they become capable of identifying and organizing the subject matter in a more efficient way. Practical experimentation is a very good method used for demonstrating the subject.

Collaborating
Teamwork is a contemporary form of collaboration. The students are taught to work in a group that makes the instructing easier for the teacher. This method of teaching promotes a sense of mutual responsibility among the students. They learn to put in more effort to research for the topic and apply effective techniques to get the result.

This inculcates patience and develops an ability to critically analyze a subject. It gives an opportunity to the students to solve the problem by a healthy discussion and co-operation. This is what we call 'group discussions' which motivates the students to perform in a team, show leadership skills and enhances the presentation capabilities as well. This is one of the best direct instructional methods.

The teaching methods for special education is a little different from the teaching methods and theories for others. The education is imparted to these students based on their strengths and weaknesses. The teachers cater to the special needs of the students like modification in the regular teaching program, use of supplementary aids that allows students to participate in the learning process. Different effective teaching strategies are adopted on the basis of the disabilities. Four kinds of provisions are adopted in special education and they are inclusion, mainstream, segregation and exclusion.

Apart from these defined methods, nowadays many other teaching methods in education are being adopted to give quality education. The methods like role-play, story or games, seminars, presentations, workshops, conferences, brainstorming, case study, educational trips and modern audio-visual aids like documentary films, computers, internet, etc have been introduced in education. These new methods have increased the pace of learning and understanding. This also enhances the capability of the students to research and logically think for a given problem.

Tips for Improving Your Child's Study Habits

I realize that the title of this article makes the assumption that your child already has study habits that we are now going to improve. Unfortunately, it is more often the case that students don't actually have any regular study habits. Many students get to high school and readily admit that they don't actually know HOW to study. This is especially true in math classes. This list of tips applies to students of all ages, but my hope is that parents of early elementary age children will instill these habits into their young children and then continue to reinforce these all the way through high school. What if your child is already in high school? Then start immediately. It is never too late.

1. Always encourage your child. Make sure your child feels that you have confidence in his/her ability to master the material. Likewise, provide a safe place to fail.*Your child needs to feel confident that you will support and help him even if he is not successful at first. Take care, though, that your child understands that homework is his responsibility--not yours!

2. Remember that your child is preparing the groundwork for his/her future. Stress success! NEVER say, I wasn't good in math either." (Insert any subject name.) This simply provides an excuse to fail. Likewise, if you were a whiz in school, avoid making an issue of it. Your child may just decide he/she "can't measure up" and won't even try. Keep the emphasis on the child.

3. In your home, set up a study area (not the child's bedroom), and have a consistent study time. Have space for you or a tutor to work with your child. Study sessions should be limited to 15-45 minutes at a time (the time increasing with the age of the child.) Then allow a snack or phone break for 10-15 minutes. Then repeat the pattern until homework or studying is finished. Check over completed homework every day. You do not need to know if the homework is correct. Just check for neatness and completion. If necessary, get an assignment sheet from the teacher so that you know what is expected. If the math homework shows only answers with no work, check with the teacher about the homework policy. Math teachers generally require that students show their work. Do insist on some review time with your child for any subjects causing difficulty.

4. Don't accept "I can't learn math." Remind her that if she can memorize the words to 25 different songs, and the steps to get to level ten in a video game, and the phone numbers or her 15 closest friends, then she can learn!

5. Have your child read homework chapters and questions to you OUT LOUD. Then have him try to explain what he just read. If he can't explain it, then he doesn't really know it, and won't be able to pass a test over it. You don't have to understand the material yourself. Just listen for hesitations and/or the ability to complete a thought. If he obviously doesn't understand it, he should read it again and do so until he understands what he is reading. If he never understands it, then ask the teacher for suggestions.

6. Far too many students do not know how to study for a test, especially a math test. Students tend to think that if they did the homework, they are ready for the test. NOT TRUE! Studying means reading and re-reading the material, verbalizing concepts both old and new, reviewing all previous lessons, studying/reviewing with others, and practicing some of the previous homework questions. If the chapter ends with a practice test, he should do it. Be sure to have a test schedule for each subject. Do not allow your child to slip into the habit of being absent on test day. This creates a situation of the student being behind for the remainder of the school year.

7. Help your child study by using flashcards. This "old-fashioned" idea has lots of new-fangled value in learning in all classes--definitions, math facts, dates, etc. Just because we used flash cards "in the old days" doesn't mean they have no value today.

8. Encourage your child to use his strengths for learning in all classes--if he is artistic, he can make pictures to help understand the material; if musically inclined, he can set class information to music; if addicted to the computer, then you could invest in a good educational program, etc. Learning strengths from one area can help learning in difficult subjects.

9. Keep in close contact with the teacher. Arrange to meet the teachers early in the school year. Check on your child's grades early in the year and check often. Do not wait for six or nine weeks to find out that your child is struggling. Do not expect the teacher to contact you frequently. The teacher may have 150-200 students and contacting all parents frequently is impossible. However, if you initiate contact by phone or email, the teacher will be thrilled to respond to an interested parent! REALLY!

10. Get a tutor at the first indication your child is struggling. Sometimes students are embarrassed to get or ask for help from parents, but would welcome a tutor; and the cost of a tutor is nothing compared to the emotional cost of failure.

The sooner you can establish a good study routine, the quicker it will become ingrained in your child's mind and become habit. If you can start this routine during the early years of school, then your child will begin to grasp the concept that learning is his responsibility, and less and less supervision will be required by you.
About this Author

Shirley Slick, "The Slick Tips Lady," is a retired high school math teacher and tutor with degrees in Mathematics and Psychology and additional training in brain-based learning/teaching. Her goals: (1) to help parents help their children with math, (2) to help eliminate the horrendous Algebra failure rate, and (3) to inform the general public about problematic issues related to the field of education. For your free copy of "10 Slick Tips for Improving Your Child's Study Habits," visit her website at http://myslicktips.com/.