| May 2000 |
| In The News
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| President’s
Message |
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Another
month! The months move by so quickly. I guess it means that we are busy and really
don’t notice the passing days. Nevertheless, it would be nice to catch our breath to
watch the world around us. It is all a sign of the times in which we live and, more
certainly, in the work we do. Our lives at e-Tutor revolve around the Internet world
which, as you know, is dynamic, constantly changing and rapidly growing. We are,
traditionally, accustomed to things being finished. |
| e-Tutor remains a work
in progress and will continue to change and grow as our students’ needs change.
Unlike a typical product, like a CD-ROM or a book, e-Tutor will always be in a state of
growth and development. This dynamic is what gives the Internet it’s
fascination…the facility to provide material that grows and changes with the user is
something we have never been able to adequately capture before. It means that those of us
preparing content and programs for our young people have a huge responsibility to remain
current, in our research and our vision, for the possibilities this medium offers us in
the teaching/learning process. |
 We look forward to working with you and all of our
users to continue to provide outstanding educational content and programs for students and
their educators. Please let us hear from you about the ways we can better serve the
Internet education community.
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The
purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as
we continue to live.
Mortimer Adler
Professor and Author
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It has
been another exciting month at e-Tutor. We are pleased to announce the appointment of
Serifino (Sandy) Posa as CEO. Sandy brings experience as vice president of Polaroid, Kraft
and Quaker Oats. Scott Strausser comes to us as Chief Marketing Officer from Ingalls
Health Systems. Three new technicians have joined our staff, Ron Fernandez, Alex
Litvinsky, and Bill Wolter. Two sales people, James Alfred and Molly Meiners, two writers
and editors, Adriana Stanoiu and Katie Klatt-Bowen, and two clerical staff, Carmen Pfeifer
and Julie Cottone round out our new staff members. We have hired these creative, wonderful
people to help us continue to improve e-Tutor and to assist us in reaching more students
around the world. e-Tutor continues to raise the bar in providing outstanding educational
content over the Internet.
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100
Year Old 'Quotable'
When you show an interest in our work, we
are inspired thereby to do much better…..get acquainted with your teachers as soon as
possible….invite them to your homes….Call at the schoolhouse often. Don’t
go to be entertained by the teacher. Don’t take her time; it is valuable. But go to
see how your boy or girl stands in class recitation or general deportment…."
Letter to School Patrons from
W.A.H.Hobbs, Dade County (Florida) Public School Teacher, September 25, 1896
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Here are
some tips to help make homework time a lot less of a hassle for everyone. |
- Know what teachers expect. Meet with your child’s
teachers. Ask what kinds of assignments they give.
- Expect your child to have homework every day. Set aside a
regular time for homework (but let our child choose the time.)
- Don’t micro-manage. As kids grow older, they need to feel
that homework is their responsibility. If they do their best work early in the morning,
encourage them to do homework at that time.
- Set a limit on extracurricular activities that interfere with
study time.
- Talk with your children about what they have learned.
The Parent Institute, 1992
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| The ultimate measure of a
man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands at
times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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 Pain is good! Michael Jensen of
Harvard University came to the surprising conclusion after studying leadership traits that
bring the greatest success. By pain, he means the willingness to make the tough decisions
that many avoid. It’s a given that we balk at making changes that may hurt ourselves
and others over the short-term, even when there are long-term benefits to making these
breaks.Based on his work with Harvard’s
university-wide Mind, Brain, Behavior Initiative, Jensen holds that many of us operate
under what he calls the Pain Avoidance Model, or PAM. It’s not a rational mode of
thinking, but a set of responses imprinted in our minds that helps us escape pain by
readying us to fight danger or flee from it.
Jensen points out that the very signals that tell us to avoid
pain can, with training, be redirected to the rational part of our brains. We can teach
ourselves to face up to painful stimuli, recognize what must be done and act. Even though
change is one of life’s constants, never before has its pace been so rapid. Those who
embrace change…including the pain it brings…will prosper.
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| If you reach for the
stars and come out with a piece of sky, it’s better than not having reached at all. Marva Collins
Founder Westside Preparatory School, Chicago
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We have
received several e-mails from parents seeking help for their children in preparing for
tests and exams. There has been so much emphasis placed on testing over the past few years
that it is not surprising that students as well as parents are feeling the pressure.Your
child is responsible for taking the test, of course. But there are some things you can do
to help your child do better on tests. Be sure your child: |
- Studies for several days (or weeks) before the test. Real
learning takes time. Students who "cram" for a test, don’t do as well as
they would if the had more time to prepare.
- Gets a good night’s sleep. And see that your child eats a
good breakfast on the day of the exam. Rest, exercise, and good nutrition are especially
important on test days, when stress is high.
- Reads the directions carefully. Emphasize that if they do not
understand what to do, they should ask the teacher.
- Looks quickly over the test when it is handed out. Once a
student knows the types of questions that are being asked…and how many questions are
included…it will be easier to make sure everything gets completed on time.
- Doesn’t spend too much time on any one question. Help
your child understand that it is important to answer as many questions as possible. One
technique is to mark unanswered questions and then return to them at the end if time
permits.
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 Symbols
of action hero favorites decorate shirts and pajamas, wallpaper and sheets. Heroes are
huge with kids…both small and of the grown-up variety. A "hero" is anyone
worthy of being respected and honored for his or her courage, noble exploits or
outstanding qualities. On a TV screen or through a child at play cartoon characters and
fictional action-figure heroes routinely exhibit great courage. But the contrived and
scripted stages on which they act are so artificial, their actions are usually of little
value in guiding the real world behavior of kids. Children, though, don’t always draw
this distinction clearly. So, it is a wise parent who builds "thought bridges"
across which these heroic actions of fantasy champions can be translated into real life
principles and acts a child can imitate on the stages of their own family, school,
community and social relationships. Use
questions like these to help you and your children notice and value everyday heroes and
heroics:
After you have watched a hero perform in a game, a movie, on
a TV show, or in a newspaper or news report, ask:
- What do you think he/she was thinking at that moment?
- What is the lesson to be learned from what happened?
- What would prevent me from doing the same thing?
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When a friend, neighbor or family member does something "heroic"
(selfless, of true value and worthy of emulation), ask:
- How can I/we best applaud and truly appreciate what this
person has done? (Imitation is the highest form of flattery.)
- Is jealousy or rivalry coloring the value of this act?
When your "hero" fails to perform, ask:
- Should this failure or mistake change my
"hero’s" status?
- Did my hero have the character to express regret/apologize?
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| Before everything else,
getting ready is the secret of success. Henry Ford
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