_In The News July 2005 Vol. 8-7
President’s Message
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There
is excitement in the air! Although we can't see the activity, we
can feel it! I call it 'churn' for lack of a better
term. Our co-workers in sales have been extra busy this
summer. Their phones have
buzzed daily as they talk with different states, agencies and
institutional leaders. By the time, I get to talk with these
folks, they are well aware of the value and importance of online
learning. They know that the e-Tutor Virtual Learning Program
stands well above others in the space. We look forward to
sharing with you how some of these agencies, schools, states and
individuals are using e-Tutor later this Fall. |
This is the month when families and
individuals traditionally get away for a few days, weeks and even
months. When I was young we always looked forward to those times when
all six of us would stuff ourselves into the old family station wagon
and take off for a week of camping. We played, laughed, and,
sometimes, argued and cried with one another. It was fun and
different, because it was not at home and we weren’t bound by the
schedules of our regular days.
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Lesson Writers
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So
often, in these fast-paced times in which we live, we find it
difficult to allow time for ourselves. It is often hard to break away
from important work or activities that hold us in one place day after
day, but a change of pace and space can be revitalizing. For some it
is a day or two away at home or in town, for others it is an extended
visit to far off places. What ever you choose to do, leave your work
behind, enjoy the time away, and then come back
refreshed and ready for the important daily work or activity you do.
Have Fun!
The
call for lessons is still open. | Page 2 |
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When the shoe fits, the foot is forgotten; when the belt fits, the belly is forgotten; when the heart is right, "for" and "against" are forgotten. Chuang Tzu (c. 369 -c.286 B.C.), Theologian and Writer |
 Learning with e-Tutor e-Tutor Subscribers not only have access to over 1800 lessons, but many other features, including: Study Tools, a Communication Center, a File Cabinet, Fun Pages and an Art Gallery. These are accessed through "buttons" at the top of the Student Page. After
School Fun
Within each activity page there are lists of links that will keep your child interested and involved right within the program.
Art Gallery
Twelve new lessons
were added to the |
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The California coast was shrouded in fog that 4th of July morning in 1952. Twenty-one miles to the west on Catalina Island a 34-year-old woman waded into the water and began swimming toward California, determined to be the first woman to do so. Her name was Florence Chadwick and she had already been the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions. The water was numbing cold
that July morning and the fog was so thick she could barely see the
boats in her own party. Millions were watching on national
television. Several times sharks, which had gotten too close,
had to be driven away with rifles to protect the lone figure in the
water. As the hours ticked off, she swam on. Fatigue had
never been her big problem in these swims....it was the bone-chilling
cold of the water. More than fifteen hours later, numbed with the cold, she asked to be taken out. She couldn't go on. Her mother and her trainer alongside in a boat told her they were near land. They urged her not to quit. But when she looked toward the California coast, all she could see was the dense fog. A few minutes later...at fifteen hours and fifty-five minutes...she was taken out of the water. it was not until hours later, when her body began to thaw, that she felt the shock of failure. To a reporter she blurted out, "Look, I'm not excusing myself. But if I could have seen land, I might have made it."
It was the only time Florence Chadwick ever quit. Two months later she swam that same channel and again fog obscured her view, but this time she swam with her faith intact...somewhere behind that fog was land. Not only was she the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel, but she beat the men's record by some two hours! Bits and Pieces |
She
had been pulled out only a half mile from the California coast!
later she was to reflect that she had been licked not by fatigue or
even the cold...the fog alone had defeated her because it obscured her
goal. it had blinded her reason, her eyes, her heart.| Page 3 |
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Along with success comes a reputation for wisdom. |
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A good storyteller is, of course, an artist. nevertheless, student storytelling is a worthwhile endeavor not only for oral language development but also for practice with sequence, paraphrasing, story structure and voice elements, such as loudness and highness or lowness of the voice. Even young students are able to tell about fairy tales that have been read to them. Educators have found that if a child hears a story, the child will be more likely to find the story and read it himself or herself. If your child is hesitant about telling
stories, there are some ways to get them involved. You can begin
an original story with a single sentence ("I am a bug, and I can't
wait to get to that picnic in the park"; "The mystery of the
lost gold Student and parent can find pictures from magazines and create a short oral story about the picture. Older students can retell or create their own tall tales. Help you child answer the following questions: who, what, where, why, when and how. Adapted from Silver Burdett and Ginn |
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The fact that over involved parents can cause problems for their kids is well known. New research shows they can drive themselves nuts too. Parental over involvement has increased markedly during the past 20 years, according to Peter Stearns author of "Anxious Parents: A History of Modern Child-Rearing in America." H cites a competitive frenzy over school success; guilt over mothers working and growing parental distrust of schools and media as an influence on kids. While there are benefits, including parents' spending more time with their kids, Dr. Stearns says, the emotional bottom line for parents isn't pretty: Parental worry and dissatisfaction are up sharply In one study, twenty percent of the
parents were found to base their own self-worth on their children's
performance. While all parents feel bad when their children
don't do well, the researcher found, only over involved parents
fee The hazards of basing your self-worth on external factors, such as others' judgments, have been documented. Looking for your self worth in others fosters more intense and volatile emotions in general...higher highs and lower lows. Some warning signs of hover parenting:
Adapted from The Wall Street Journal, Sue Shellenbarger |
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A talent can be cultivated in tranquility; a character only in the rushing stream of life. |
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As educators it is important give ample opportunity for a child's active discussion, rather than simply showing them a procedure to use in a given situation. If
you were visited by a creature from another planet and you wanted to
convey the notion of what a tree is, you would hardly succeed by
writing the word tree on a slip of paper. Your success might improve
if you tried to draw a picture of a tree. The stranger would
then have a better chance of gaining some idea of what a tree is, but
that understanding would be severely limited by your ability to
draw. In any case, even a photograph would leave some misunderstanding
about the nature of trees. if you want to give the stranger a
foundation for understanding what a tree is, then it would be better
to take the stranger outside to see and touch one. This is a good analogy for the levels of abstraction found in much of teaching, especially in mathematics. If you want to teach children about division, you would have little success simply stating a rote rule or procedure. A picture of what takes place when you divide would certainly be more beneficial, but it would still be less effective than using physical objects to illustrate the process of dividing a set or collection into equivalent groups. Students are not prepared to learn a concept at the abstract or symbolic level until they have had sufficient experiences with the concept at the concrete or manipulative level or, at the very least, at the representative or pictorial level. Adapted from Today's Mathematics, Jmes W. Heddens and William R. Speer |
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The word problem is a very general term
used to define an unsettled situation or question. Most people
believe they have a problem when they feel they have a problem.
It is an emotional disturbance. in a way they are right.
Because if a person feels there is a problem, then that person has a
problem. Although, in many cases, these feelings are a greater
problem than the problem itself. In other words the symptoms are
more serious than the sickness. So the first step in handling
any problem is to examine your own feelings, viewpoints and reactions
to the problem. Your own attitude is People are much too serious about problems. The end result is that it inhibits their effectiveness in handling the myriad of little decisions and day to day problems that arise. The tension and anxiety surrounding problems is not inherited; it is learned. It starts at an early age. In fact, handling problems can be fun and self satisfying. All you need is your own intuition, judgment, a few simple rules and practice. here, to start you off, are the rules we suggest
Adapted from The Public School Administrator |
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Whether changing your tennis stroke or lifestyle, new habits are hard to establish. The old images and attitudes tend to be self-reinforcing. If you believe you can't remember names, you will confirm that fear each time you meet someone new. For effective change, we must first reprogram the mental set, attitude, or belief that supports outcomes we want to change.
The following are suggestions on how to make your program of affirmations most effective:
Working Smart |
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Decision and determination are the engineer and fireman of our train to opportunity and success. |
Listening to the Walls Talk:
The goal of this online project is to teach students basic geographic and research skills. More importantly, it raises student awareness of
the importance of each community and neighborhood as they record the history of houses and neighborhoods around them. Although designed for
middle schools, all ages may participate by building and publishing Exploratorium: Global Climate Change
Research Explorer: At this website, you can explore scientific data relating to the
atmosphere, the oceans, the areas covered by ice and snow, and the living organisms in all these domains. Study the atmosphere,
hydrosphere, cryosphere, biosphere and global effects and access current
research of our changing world. There are great links included for student researchers. California Academy of Sciences: Anthropology Collection Database:
Searching for Anthropological artifacts is a snap with this website. Choose Search the Database, then choose the category. Be sure to check
the box for image if you want the items returned in your search to include an image. For a test, try the category Raw Materials, check
image, then take a look at some of the materials humans have used in their creations. Animaland: Provided as a public service by ASPCA, this colorful Web site is
From the Knowledge HQ Staff Copyright © 2005 Knowledge Headquarters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. www.knowledgehq.com
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begins in an old, deserted house on Maple Hill.") The child
can take turns with you adding to the story.
l
bad about themselves. 
by
far the most significant element in facing a problem. 
can be for minutes, hours or days depending on the seriousness of
the problem. 
will get good results. 
Best
wishes for a