• President's Message
• Learning With e-Tutor
• The Book Case
• Post Holiday Wisdom
• Risks
• A Community of People

• Life's Worries
• Heavy Reading
• Using Basic Affirmations
• Tips for Workaholics
• Jaunty January Links

Happy New Year!

Wow.....2007!  Did you notice that big volume number 10 for the eNews?  Ten years!  It is hard to believe that we are going into our tenth year of providing online education for students around the world.  How things have changed!  When we started friends and acquaintances thought us quite crazy.  Finally, it appears that online education is the model for the future of education.  Early on, I remember one superintendent telling me,  he could not purchase the e-Tutor program for his students because some may not have computer access.  That is an argument I don't get much today.  Now computers with Internet connection are a necessity.  We feel fortunate to be where we are and thank you for your trust and confidence in the programs and services we offer.  We look forward to the next ten years with much anticipation and hope you will continue to be part of the "journey" with us.  

Over the holidays, I had several opportunities to "spin my wheels" in airports around the country.  I was not alone.  What I found was a cohesion amongst strangers who found companionship and interest in each other.  Although none of us chose to be in such a situation, the forced delay gave each of us time to chat and get to know a little of others with whom we would not normally have taken the time to talk.  Although, our lives are full, it is reassuring to know that we have not lost that trait that endears us to one another....our interest and enthusiasm for one another.  

I don't know about you, but somehow the holidays just passed by more quickly than I expected.  This year I did not get the baking, letters and cards done that I usually do.  The fond memories of the days and weeks,  I will share with my family and friends later when things slow down a bit.  May your own memories cast a warm glow for you throughout this wonderful New Year. 

Have a great month!

Refer a Friend

The "Refer a Friend" program has been a success!  The referral program we started in the Fall has been very successful thanks to you!  We are going to continue the program for our subscribing families.  You will earn  $100 for each new subscribing family you recommend to e-Tutor.  It is easy to participate, just ask your friends to include your name in the referral section of the subscription form. 

If you would like more information call 877-687-7200.

Education is a social process...Education is growth....Education is, not a preparation for life: education is life itself. 

John Dewey 

      
 Learning with e-Tutor:

Graduation Requirements for e-Tutor

We get many phone calls from students and parents who are seeking to complete their high school coursework in an alternative program.  Others are trying to complete course work before returning to a private or public high school.  The information today may help in your planning.  

Required Subjects and Credits needed from each Curricular Area. (These are minimum standards. Students are encouraged to take more.)

Twenty-seven new lesson modules were added 
to e-Tutor this month.

Join the e-Tutor world of learning today to view the Lesson Library.  

www.e-tutor.com

Success is a result, not a goal.   

Post Holiday Wisdom

How much we enjoy what we have is more important than how much we have.  Life is full of people who have more than they know what to do with, but cannot be content.  It is the capacity to enjoy life that brings contentment.  

Bits and Pieces

Risks

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool. 
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.  
To reach out for another is to risk invovement.  
To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.  
To place your ideas, your dreams, before a crowd is to risk their loss.  
To love is to risk not being loved in return.  
To live is to risk dying,  To hope is to risk despair.  
To try is to risk failure.  
But risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.  The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing and is nothing.  
They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they 
cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live.  
Only a person who risks is free. 

Janet Rand

Responsibility is the price of greatness.

A Community of People 

We have a very involved and active community.  But over the years we can identify the differences among us as well as the similarities.  Which one are you?

• Nostalgics....those who resist change and yearn for the good old days.  

• Maintainers....those who seek maximum security for minimum risk and effort.  

• Producers.....those  who dislike group activity and prefer to work on their own.  

• Builders....those who are high achievers committed to building the neighborhood and community.  

Adapted from Communication Briefings

Life's Worries

Stress is a human reaction to life's worries.  There is no universal strategy for dealing with stress, but there are ways to strengthen families and strong families do deal with stress more positively.

• Be optimistic.  Don't pretend problems will vanish on their own, but look at situations as an opportunity for your family to grow closer and stronger.

• Believe in control.  If you believe you are helpless to solve your problems, you might not feel it's worth the effort to face them.  Explore your options. 

• Develop family esteem.  Spend more time dwelling on the positive and less on noting deficiencies. 

• Stick together.  Develop a  for-better-or-worse attitude toward family life.  The key to this is more effective communication.  Rather than lashing out at a family member, express your confusion and hurt over a situation and when they respond, listen for the feelings behind the words. 

• Spend time together.  Spend yor time together in a way that works best for your family.  Families with young children may find bedtime a suitable time, families with young school-age children may find the weekends a good time, and families with busy teenagers may only manage a meal a day together.  Whatever the family situation, make spending time together a priority. 

• Seek a balance.  No one can be all things to all people.  Balancing obligations to family, employer, and community and taking some time for yourself is necessary.  It may sound selfish to assert your own needs, but it's actually a vital investment in your family's well-being.  If you are finding personal satisfaction you will be a more effective parent or partner.  

All families experience stress, but when families work together to find positive ways to adapt and respond to change, then members will see their family as a source of support and love.  

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

Heavy Reading

While you may handle the short stuff well, that comes your way, the heavy stuff.....say, a book or a long report....may be harder to cope with.  It may require more concentration, so it sits around like a roadblock because of your reluctance to begin what you believe you can't do justice to.

Here are some steps that can help you cut through the problem:

1. Do a 10-minute flip-through to see:

• How is the material organized?

• Long chapters and sections....or short?

• A lot of diagrams, pictures, tables?

• Are sections or chapters subdivided by headings or is each a long copy block?
  Scanning a table of contents won't do as much for you as a thorough flip-through.  This, in turn, makes it possible for you to:

     2.   Do a five-minute evaluation.  Ask yourself:

• How much of this material is actually new to me?

• Does this material deserve priority?

• How much needs full concentration and how much can be skimmed?

• How much time will I need for this job?

     3.  Mark it up.  If the material is yours to keep, circle, underline, write notes in the margin....do anything to help find your way through.  If the material is not yours to keep, use paper strips or post-it notes as markers.

     4.  Bypass.  Skip over ruthlessly any material that is repetitious, irrelevant or wordy.  

       Working Smart

Using Basic Affirmations

Affirmations are positive declarations used to control reactions to life's situations.  Basic affirmations are similar except that they have a deeper, more permanent meaning in your life.  They can direct the course of your life and shape your basic attitudes.  Basic affirmations are used to release the power of both the conscious and subconscious mind.  

In order to store your basic affirmations in your subconscious mind, building up their power to impress themselves in your life, the following steps should be followed:

• Sit in a comfotable position, hands on lap, both feet on the floor.

• Close your eyes.

• Become as completely relaxed as possible letting go of every muscle from the top of your head to yor toes. 

• Remove every negative thought from your mind....all hate, fear, doubt, criticism, self-ptiy or inferiority.  There is nothing you cannot do or become. 

• Now place the affirmation in your mind that you would like to impress on your life.  It might be a positive statement affirming your strength, personal power and effectiveness or something you would like to achieve. 

• Hold the thought there for 30 seconds, repeating it mentally.

• Do this at least three times a day. (The more times the better.)

After you have gone through the above then continue your activity of the day but believing and acting as if the thoughts you had just stored in your mind had come true.  

No one is going to tell you what to say in your basic affirmations.  Suggestions will be made of typical basic affirmations, but these are only examples.  The most powerful basic affirmations for you are the ones you create especially for you.  You are the author and the architect of your life.  You must learn to put together the thoughts and words that will make your entire life exhilarating. 

The most effective basic affirmations are the ones that begin with the words, "I am....," "I can...," or "I will...."  Just looking at these words and repeating them should spark your imagination to expand your thinking and make positive statements about yourself. 

In the next few days repeat the words, "I am, I can, I will" dozens of times so they become an automatic response to any situation, objective or experience in your life. 

The Public School Administrator

Tips for Workaholics

Because of the nature of our work, we tend to work long hours.  If you are a workaholic and want to change, consider these suggestions:  

• Relize that too much time at work could affect your judgment and lead to poor decisions. 

• Put strict limits on your day.  Tell yourself that you will finish a task at a certain time and then walk away from it. Accept the fact that you don't have to complete everything that needs to be done in one day.  Some things can wait until the next day, when you are rested and more efficient.  

• Before you go to bed at night, plan your priorities for the next day.  This will give you a sense of stability.

• Commit to spending time with family or friends.

• Buy theater tickets or make reservations for a sports event.

• Put a deposit on a weekend trip.  Jot down these planned diversions on your calendar so you don't schedule work for these times.

• Consider blocking out every late Tuesday afternoon or Tuesday night for relaxation.  Schedule it the way you would a child's practice or sports event.  

Adapted from Your Company,  American Express Small Business Services

Believe that you possess significant reserves of health, energy and endurance and your belief will create the fact. 

William James

Jaunty January Links:

Welcome to the Mary Rose:  Come and explore Henry VIII's great warship and meet some of the crew in this website!  Hear the crew talk, find out about the objects found on the wreck, try your hand at the quizzes, then print out an activity sheet to do afterwards.  A second site, The Learning City, is based on life aboard the Mary Rose.  Even if you are not studying history, there are some great pictures and information on these sites.  
http://www.maryrose.org/

National Geographic Creature Feature Archive:  The archive links to short, flashcard-like information about numerous animals including: bats, bears, cheetahs, chimpanzees, coyotes, crocodiles, and so on through the alphabet to warthogs.  Click on an animal, experience a Flash intro and then access photos, video, audio, postcards, fun facts and links to further info.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/kids/creature_feature/archive/

What Is....Every File Format in the World:  Did you ever see or receive a file with an extension that was completely unfamiliar?  Here's a quick and easy reference that's been around for years.  Whatever you do from there, well, you are on your own!
http://www.ace.net.nz/tech/TechFileFormat.html

The Race to Build the Atomic Bomb:  Just theory in the late 1930's and not funded until the end of 1941, a collection of American and expatriot scientists race to build the first atomic bomb.  In four short years it is developed and causes an end to World War II.  This web site looks at the people and science that made it possible while providing resources, lesson plans and research tips.  Keep scrolling right or use the arrows to see the content.  Click on links to expand content. 
http://www.cccoe.k12.ca.us/abomb/

Firefighter Protective Clothing Tour:  Every piece of standard firefighter gear is shown along with videos, sound bytes and information about how and why the gear is used.  You can rotate items, such as the helmet.  Small informational windows pop-up and provide further explanations.  Short videos are of firefighters responding to calls.  Click on "Extras" to see firefighting gear for special fires.  
http://www.ci.davis.ca.us/fire/pct/

Ology:  You'll zoom through time, meet enormous extinct dinosaurs from millions of years ago and smaller dinosaurs that exist today.  You'll zip through space, tour our solar system and the Milky Way galaxy.  You'll explore microscopic DNA.  You'll meet Museum scientists.  Bright, colorful and lots of content.  
http://ology.amnh.org/

West Point Bridge Design Contest:  The contest is open to kids 13 through high school.  Students download a free copy of the Bridge Designer software and construct structurally accurate bridge designs.  Students upload their designs for judging.  The contest is sponsored by the United States Military Academy and the American Society of Civil Engineers.  
http://bridgecontest.usma.edu/

Best Wishes for a Successful New Year!
From the Staff at Knowledge HQ

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