In The News
President’s Message
Wow! What a month! Time is not standing still for those of us at e-Tutor! We find ourselves galloping to keep up with the exciting new world that e-Tutor is moving toward. Those of you who have followed our development over the last few years have had the opportunity to watch us grow and change. We are continuing that growth and you will be as surprised, as we have been, at how fast it takes place. We have been fortunate in the last few weeks to have a group of individuals who have faith in what we are doing provide funding for new growth. In the weeks ahead we will be moving to larger office space, hiring staff and most importantly publicizing our very popular educational Internet program. We hope you will join us as we grow and stretch. I look forward to these changes and will keep you informed of where and how we are going.
Spring is beginning to show its face in our part of the world. Buds are popping, early flowers have broken through the brown earth and the grass is trying to turn green. I love all of the seasons of the year, but I find Spring revitalizes me. I’m ready to try new things. I have more energy. I want to spend time enjoying the warmth and the air after being inside all winter. Wherever you are, I hope you can take the time to enjoy this very special time of year.

 

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"My daughter’s computer knowledge far exceeds my own," wrote a parent. "And I expect that gap will widen once she starts first grade.
 

 
_Motivating Your Child

Sometimes a child doesn’t seem motivated to start a project because it appears overwhelming. You can help by teaching your child to break a large job down into smaller parts. Say, "First, we will plan a trip to the library to get the materials you will need. Then you will need to schedule some time each day for your research."
As your child completes each step, he will gain confidence and motivation. That will keep him working until the job is finished.

 

 
Growing and Aging Organizations
Living organisms have a life cycle. Aging happens to people. It does not have to happen to organizations. Young organizations are flexible and often uncontrollable. Growing means the ability to deal with bigger, more complex problems.
The maturation process depends on two critical factors: flexibility and controllability.
Organizations can be both flexible and controllable. The organization is neither young nor old. It has the advantages of youth and maturity. The crutch of status quo and the cane of tradition prop up an old organization. Organizations who deify the status quo and tradition deserve to die and often do. Old organizations get creaky and over controlling and often fall on their own crutches. Young organizations embrace innovation, creativity, and change which makes them able to meet current needs.


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A teacher asked he class to compose sentences containing the word "beans." One student quickly replied "My mother grows beans." Then a little one made this effort: "We are all human beans."
 

 
Too Much TV!
Here’s a quiz to see if your kids watch too much TV.
Answer Yes or No
____ 1. I set limits on how much television my kids can watch.

____ 2. Each week, my children and I choose the programs they will watch. At other times, the set is turned off.

____ 3. My kids have interest besides TV. They play games, read books, or play a sport.

____ 4. The set is turned off during meals.

____ 5. Sometimes, we watch programs together. Then we talk about what we have seen.

How Did You Score? Four of five "Yes" answers is very good. Three is just fair. Less than three means your child’s schoolwork may be hurt by watching too much television.

 

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Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education.

John F. Kennedy
 

 
Trick of the Nines
Is your child having trouble learning the "9" times table? Here is a trick to help. Multiply any number by 9, and the answer will always add up to 9. Try it. 2 time 9 equals 18, and 1 plus 8 equals 9. 8 time 9 equals 72, and 7 plus 2 equals 9.
The trick works for very large numbers, as well, like this 8142 times 9 equals 73,278. 7 plus 3 plus 2 plus 7 plus 8 equals 27…and 2 plus 7 equals 9.
Give your child a calculator and let her try it for herself.
 

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Things even up pretty well in this world. Other people’s troubles are not as bad as ours, but their children are far worse.
 

 
Interpreting Statistics
Numbers don’t lie….or so we are told. It can pay to be skeptical when you are given statistics and data. Ones to watch include:
  • The everything’s-going-up statistic. It is typically found in reports showing more people than ever are employed, are on welfare, etc. That’s right because there are more people than ever. More useful: The actual employment rate or the portion of the population receiving welfare.
  • The everything-is average statistic. Example: Someone argues that women can’t be combat soldiers because the average woman can’t lift as much weight as the average man. But many women can lift more weight than many men.
  • The best-foot statistic. Here the best numbers to support a case are used. Example: This year’s sales are compared with those of three years ago to show a 25 percent increase. They aren’t compared to higher sales two years ago, which would show a 10 percent drop.

How to get it right: Ask to see all of the numbers and make your own calculations.

Victor Cohn, Iowa State University Press, Ames, IA

 

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Getting it Write
If you are concerned about how many times you rewrite something before you feel it is readable, consider this excerpt from a speech by William Zinsser, a noted professional writer:

"I’m always surprised that people think professionals get everything right on the first try. Just the opposite is true; nobody rewrites more often than the true professional.

"I rewrite at least five or six times. E.B. White and James Thurber rewrote their pieces eight or nine times.

Information Anxiety, by Richard Saul Wurman, Doubleday
 

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Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood.

Marie Curie
 

 
Home Alone
Are you considering leaving your child alone for short periods of time? If so, you are not alone. Statistics show that occasional self-care is a normal experience for a large number of young children.
An estimated two million to six million children are considered to be "latchkey" children….7 to 10 percent of all five to 13-year-olds. Should your child be staying alone? The answer depends on several factors, according to Christine Todd, extension specialist for child development at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "Self-care can be a rewarding experience for children who are ready for it," she says. "However, if the child is not ready, self-care can be a frightening and potentially dangerous situation."

Benefits of self-care by children who are ready for it include increased independence, increased knowledge of self-care skills, increased sense of responsibility, greater self-esteem and a sense of contribution to the family. Concerns related to children who are not ready include reduced learning opportunities and social contacts, increased misbehavior and legal consequences for parents.

Ask yourself the following questions when determining a child’s readiness:
  • Is the child physically capable of taking care of and protecting himself or herself?
  • Is the child mentally capable of recognizing and avoiding danger and making sound decisions?
  • Is the child emotionally ready? Will he/she feel confident and secure or afraid, lonely and bored?
  • Does the child know what to do and who to call if a problem or emergency arises?

There is no "magic age" at which children are ready for self-care, and that other factors besides a child’s age or maturity may influence your decision. For example, "if your neighborhood is unsafe, if there are no adults nearby to call in case of emergency, or if your child must remain alone for a very long time, it is best to continue to use some form of child care even if your child seems ready to stay alone. "

Illinois Association of School Boards.
School Public Relations Service.

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Great March Links
http://2k.si.edu/
Virtual Smithsonian - a high bandwidth look at over 360 artifacts from the 14 museums.

http://www.electionsearch2000.org/
Want to know more about the presidential candidates? Check here.

http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/quizzes/
A grammar quiz page sponsored by the Teachers of English as a Second Language Journal. Quizzes emphasize the grammatical rules of Standard English.

http://www.noahsays.com/
Noah Says will give you the answer to your questions.

http://www.dinodon.com/
This site offers facts and fun for dinosaur fans. The author is a dinosaur expert, NOVA host, and author of several books on the giant lizards.

http://www.intelligenttaxes.com/itax/default.asp
Need help with taxes. This site offers forms, tips and news that will be helpful to you in preparing those forms.

http://personal.inet.fi/taide/karjalainen/dragonflies.html
Even if you are not studying dragonflies, take the time to view these fantastic creatures.

http://www.pbs.org/wholechild/
The ABCs of Child Development

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