In The News Summer 2010 Vol. 13-03
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It
s The first of July we
closed the Chicago office and ha There were many reasons
for making the change in our business operations. Boulder has a
vibrant tech community and we have been able to tap into some of the
excellent resources available to us here. The e-Tutor program is
being totally reconstructed from the bottom up. Over the years
we have made many changes We so enjoy what summer offers in our communities. One of our favorite places to go on Saturday mornings is the local Farmer's Market. Each week we come home laden with fruits, vegetables, and goodies from local producers. We take the opportunity to meet with friends, eat a bit and enjoy performances by local artists. Afternoons and early
evenings can find us out on walks and hikes taking advantage of the
cooler hours. It gives us a chance to reconnect with the
splendors nature has to offer, visit with neighbors and meet new ones
and relax after Many of your may recall
that gardening is one way I like to relax a bit each day. While
I continue to monitor a new breed of flower in a different climate, I
find I am not spending as much time tending the new buds as I would
like. In spite of time restraints, I've enjoyed learning about
different plants that will thrive in this new climate while still
relying on some of my old favorites. Hopefully by next year I
will see the results of my meager efforts this year. Please enjoy the remainder of this wonderful summer of 2010. We hope you will continue to stay in touch with us and will let us know how your summer is going. Best wishes from Boulder, Colorado
Enroll Now for Fall Courses
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eems
hard to believe that we are three quarters through the
year. Where has the time gone? We continue to be extremely
busy and have welcomed many, many new students and their families to
the e-Tutor program. 
ve centralized all major business to
Boulder, Colorado. We still have a telecommuter, Kate, in the
Chicago area. Many of you have spoken to her or your
students may be working with her. She will continue to provide
the excellent service to us that all of us have become accustomed
to. 
to the program which have provided added
benefits for our students and parents, but that has also come with
some costs. The new program will look and feel
differently. Many new features will be added and the speed and
ease of use will even become greater than what you are used to.
In the next few months we may be contacting a few of you to give the
new program a try. If you are interested in being in this select
group of users, please send us an email at 
a busy day at the computer. 
It is that time of year
again when many parents and students are looking for the educational
program that will meet their needs. Don't delay in signing up
your students for the school year. e-Tutor is accepting
enrollment right now. You can enroll at | Page 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mark Twain |
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We have worked many years to provide a program which gives you an alternative to what students experience in regular public and private schools. eTutor will help you solve the problems your child is facing in regular education. The
difference between regular school and online learning……. It may seem obvious, but it sometimes
comes as a shock to students that online learning will require
increased academic skill. Consider the following:
Join the e-Tutor
world of learning today to view |
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Teach your children that "life ain't fair." |
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Your daily newspaper, either in paper form or online, provides a source of inexpensive learning activities. As well, getting your child into the habit of reading, the newspaper will benefit him throughout life. Here are some ways to use the newspaper to help your child achieve in learning.
American Association of School Administrators |
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Why
Superheroes are Spider-Man, The Incredibles, Wonder Woman.....A lot of kids love imitating these mighty superheroes, battling the bad guys and flexing their superpowers. You, however, may be less than thrilled about the idea...the running, the jumping, the fighting. "But from a psychological standpoint, superhero worship can be beneficial," says Jeff Greenberg, Ph. D., a professor of social psychology at the University of Arizona. "Kids are pretty powerless and vulnerable, so pretending they are superheroes is one way for them to gain a sense of confidence and competence in a positive way." Think of it this way: We all want
to feel like we're doing good in the world, Parenting Magazine
A little person who loves himself grows up to be a responsible adult, able to live life fully. High self-esteem is the best foundation for your children's future. Experts in child development tell us that when children have high self-esteem they are able to learn and function better in school, they have friends, they feel connected with others, and they know they belong. They are competent, can make meaningful decisions, and are willing to try. They are optimistic, curious, and enjoy life. Loving oneself develops true character that cannot be swayed by such things as peer pressure or the countless outside influences your child will surely face. Helping your children
accept themselves just as they are is what unconditional love is all
about. So above all else, don't base your love on what they do,
but rather simply on the fact that they exist. When a little person finds herself through the miracle of self-acceptance, her life becomes a self-fulfilling journey; suddenly she's powerful enough to bravely cope with all the challenges and the ups and downs that life will bring. The bonus is, as she learns to be compassionate toward herself, love for others is sure to follow. Wonderful Ways to Love a Child, Judy Ford
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We must have something to live by, to live on, and to live for. We must stand aside fro the world's conspiracy of fear and hate and grasp once more the great monosyllables of live: faith, hope, and love. Men must live by these if they live at all under the crushing weight of history. Otto Pay Kretzmann
(1901-1975) |
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Creativity cannot be taught as facts are memorized, but it may flourish under conditions that give first consideration to understanding the individual and her/his uniqueness. The following suggestion may be helpful in understanding and encouraging creativity. Cultivate
the habit of questioning assumptions. Hold the belief that an
open mind does not accept or reject but continues to inquire, to
investigate, to experiment in order to discover new knowledge, new
information that may prove beneficial. All answers have not been
found, new horizons are ever open to the inquisitive person who is
aware and seeks out and continues to ask questions. Try to
examine a problem from all its angles and facets. To cut off
this natural curiosity with stereotyped pat answers which leave little
or no room for further investigation means to stifle the chances of
discovery. If mankind had not question The Public School Administrator |
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Another tradition is phonics. Some parents worry if children don't do lots of phonics at school. We know that children must develop an understanding of the sound/letter correspondences of English and the spelling patterns of words in order to decode. However, we know that studying lots of phonics in isolation for an extended period of time is more than most children need. It is now recommended that phonics
instruction be reduced and that learning should focus on key ideas, to
be taught efficiently in short lessons, and to be completed by the end
of second grade. Short periods of focused phonics instruction
will give your children more time to practice reading texts and
stories. In addition, we know that many children develop their own systems for figuring out how to pronounce words. If these children need any instruction in phonics, it need not be the same as for other students. Finally we know that many children develop much of their knowledge about this system through reading complete stories. Reading is not just "sounding out words." Reading is the process of constructing meaning through the dynamic interaction between the reader, the book, and the reading/learning situation. In reading instruction we work toward developing readers who are independent problem solvers and who will integrate reading into their lives for information and enjoyment. Adapted from Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction |
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Salt: The Essence of Life: Salt is an essential component of our daily lives with more than 14,000 known uses. Many of these uses derive from the chemical properties of sodium and its essential role in human and animal nutrition. Salt, thus, can be used to illustrate -- and teach -- principles of chemistry, biology, geology, history and economics, among others. http://www.saltinstitute.org/Education-Center/High-school-teachers Science,
Optics and You: This
is a science curriculum package being developed for teachers,
students, and parents. The activities are designed to promote the
asking and answering of questions related to light, color, and optics.
The program begins with basic information about lenses, shadows,
prisms, and color, leading up to the use of sophisticated instruments
scientists use to help them understand the world. The goal of Science,
Optics and You is for students to acquire the skills with which they
can do microscopic analysis of a variety of samples in multiple ways. Global Warning, Kids Site: Earth has warmed by about 1ºF over the past 100 years. But why? And how? Well, scientists are not exactly sure. The Earth could be getting warmer on its own, but many of the world's leading climate scientists think that things people do are helping to make the Earth warmer. http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming/kids/index.html The History of Ballooning: The caged duck looked down as terra firma slowly drifted away. Above the duck, a balloon, constructed of paper and fabric, provided the lift necessary to carry aloft the duck and its companions, a sheep and a rooster. This Nova site offers a fascinating picture of early ballooning. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/balloon/science/history.html D-Day History:
The Education Department at The National WWII Museum is provided to
help students learn more about WWII and to learn about how WWII has
helped shape the world we live in today. The generation of
Americans who came to adulthood during the 1930s grew up in a world
shadowed by extraordinary economic and military threats. Leo the Lion:
Leo, the Lion, is a very majestic feline. This constellation is easy
to find because his head looks like a backward question mark with the
bright star Regulus at the bottom. Leo is also close to the Big
Dipper, which you may have already seen. Celebrate the last of summer! From the Knowledge HQ Staff Copyright © 2010 Knowledge Headquarters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. www.knowledgehq.com |
explore values.
but 6-year-olds don't
necessarily understand how a doctor, scientist, or lawyer can have an
important impact. The concepts of their work don't resonate very
well yet. A superhero, however, can hold up a building and save
hundreds of people! Now that a kid can understand.
And rest assured, the whole superhero thing is a phase that will pass
as your child gets older and begins to find other ways to nurture his
confidence. "But for now," says Greenberg, "I say
let him pretend. What parent doesn't want a creative,
accomplished-feeling kid?" We couldn't agree more.
ed down through the ages,
progress or change would have been impeded. Try not to oppose
ingenuity and change. Welcome new thoughts and questions. 
There are some reading traditions that
most of us experienced in school which we now expect our children to
experience. One of these is "workbook pages."
You probably think of them as representing the basics of
reading. However, recent research show that workbook pages have
little to do with success in reading. On the other hand, lots of
reading does relate to success in reading. Children
become better readers by reading, which is the best practice.
