President’s Message
Speaking of easier route....we are so delighted to continue to receive more new students into the e-Tutor world of learning. Your pathway to us is quick and easy....an email or phone call will get you the help you are looking for. We have enjoyed visiting with many of you in the past month and hope you will continue to keep the calls, letters and emails coming.
Enjoy the beauty of this season. The colors and crispness in the air revitalize minds and bodies grown lethargic from summer's heat.
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It
is hard to believe that Halloween is just around the corner.
More than in past years, my neighbors have gone to great lengths in
decorating their lawns and doors. I finally broke down and
bought some candy for the little ones this year. In the past, I
have tried to give a treat other than candy. There are more
non-sweet items to chose from this year, so I have no excuse other
than lack of time. Sometimes we just need to take an easier
route.
We
need your help. This month outside observers will be visiting
us, as a method we have chosen to assure that the e-Tutor program is
meeting its mission and objectives. One of the things they will
be looking at is the satisfaction of students and parents in using the
program. If you are interested in being a part of this study,
please drop us a line: 
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People
have always dreamed of flying like birds. We still
can't flap our wings and take off into the sky....but we
have discovered a lot of other ways to float, soar, fly and
land! This issue of Learning Themes at 
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 Learning with e-Tutor: Goals of the E-Tutor Language Arts Curriculum
OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVES
Twenty-two new lessons were added to e-Tutor this month. Join the e-Tutor world of learning today to view the Lesson Library. |
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General Rules for Solving Problems
Rule
1: Define the problem Rule
2: Collect facts and opinions of others Rule
3: Consider all solutions. Rule
4: What results are expected from solving the problem? Rule
5: Pick the best solution. Rule 6: Act. Adapted from The Public School Administrator
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John F. Kennedy, 1962 |
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It is that time of year when students are coming home with their first reports about classroom work for this school year. Many schools hold parent conferences around this time of year, as well. Here are some suggestions on how to get the most out of conferences:
Illinois Association of School Boards Tom peters, co-author of In Search of excellence and A Passion for Excellence, claims exceptional leaders have many traits in common. Prominent among them are:
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We sometimes will run for cover when swept over by change. If you have a tendency to join others in the corner, hoping you won't need to be involved, you're probably doing more harm than good. Refusing to be intimidated by change, you can:
Adapted from Working Smart |
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John Galsworthy |
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All the experts on time management agree on at least one rule for getting results: "Do it now!" But tacking tasks now is not always as easy as it sounds. To procrastinate means to put off doing a task....for no good reason. That last phrase, "for no good reason," is the key, because there are sometimes excellent reasons for putting off a certain task. In fact, deciding to do one thing before another is what prioritizing is all about. However, if you have organized your "To Do" list and are having trouble working through it in priority order, then procrastination may be the problem. It that's the case, try these ideas. Persuade Yourself.
Most procrastination is the result of irrational thinking because you
think the task is awful. You talk yourself into putting off the
task. Convince yourself that the task is worth doing, even it
it's hard getting started. Challenge Your Excuses for putting the task off. For example, if you generally excuse yourself by saying, "But I work so well under pressure," argue that "Working under pressure really leaves me harried and tired and I don't have the time I need to be creative." Counterattack. Forcing yourself to do something uncomfortable or frightening helps to prove that it wasn't so bad after all. Remove the Reward. Don't let procrastination be a pleasant experience. If you must procrastinate, do it in unpleasant conditions. When the fun goes away, the procrastination will too. Write a Contract. Make
a written promise to yourself that states a goal and includes a reward
for accomplishing the goal. Jog Your Memory. Put important papers in a red folder. They must be done today. Signify important items on your "to do" list with a red star. Use any gimmick that keeps you on track. Divide and Conquer. Break big tasks into small pieces and complete one piece every day. Discipline Yourself for five minutes. If you really don't want to do a task, promise yourself that you will work on it for five minutes. Set a timer. When the timer buzzes, decide whether to work for five more minutes or quit. Develop a Routine. Confirmed procrastinators usually work in a feast or famine pattern. One way to fight the tendency is to schedule frequent tasks for regular times.
Adapted from Practical Supervision |
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Next time you're feeling the stress of a difficult situation, ask yourself how your favorite cartoon character would handle it. This might cause you to pause and chuckle. Steve Allen Jr., The Washington Post |
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The more words you use in speech, the more likely you are to be misunderstood. Simple English has been drowned in jargon that ranges from psycho- and technobabble to the globaloney of bureaucratic speech. "At this point in time" takes a lot longer to say than "now" and doesn't contribute much to clarity. It isn't easy. Words have multiple
meanings and have to be understood in the context of usage. One
study found that the 500 most commonly used words in English have a
staggering 1 And then there's the psychological overtone of words, the negative codes that attach to them and set people's teeth on edge so they tune you out without your having a clue. Here are some guidelines to follow:
Adapted from Executive Strategies |
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When designing a learning program, accommodate these findings on adult training to the older teen's learning preferences:
Also important: constant feedback and praise. praise as you go. Don't wait until the session concludes. Adapted: Carolyn Nilson, How to Manage Training |
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Work Shouldn't Be Like Clockwork Some educators expect their students to work at a sprightly, steady clip all day long. And many of us expect this of ourselves. We believe we should fill every minute with productive work. This expectation is contradictory to human nature. Clocks tick along at a consistent pace at all times. But clocklike regularity is not the way of nature. In
nature, no day, not even one minute, is the same as any other.
The amount of light and darkness changes from day to day and the
weather is shifting....sometimes obviously, sometimes
imperceptibly....from moment to moment. There's no precedent Sociologist Edward Thompson has studied the pace of work practiced by people who're not regulated by external forces, mostly self-employed people such as artists and writers and small farmers and craftsmen. He found they don't work at a steady pace throughout the day. instead, they alternate bouts of intense labor and idleness....mixed together into their own personalized work rhythm.
The Pryor Report
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Making Study Time More Effective Want to make your study time more effectively the SQ3R method. The letters stand for a five-step process that works. Survey.
Quickly look over the material to get the main idea. Look at the
title. Check Question. Now that you know the main idea, think of questions to answer. As you read, ask yourself Who, What, When, Where, Why and How. Read.
Now it's time to read the assignment. As you read, look for
answers to the questions you developed. Restate. After you've read the chapter, see if you can restate the main points. This is also a good time to take notes on what you've read. Put what you've read into context with what you already know. Review. At the end of your study session, spend a few more minutes reviewing. Did you find answers to all your questions? What else did you learn? American Association of School Administrators |
Halloween Online: This is an extensive Halloween resource, with decorating and costume tips; a guide to carving and displaying your pumpkins; a selection of featured articles and interviews; Halloween recipes; downloadable graphics ("Scream Savers") and music files; e-cards; online games; and a large collection of links. Handwriting for Kids: Worksheets online to help our children or students tackle
Manuscript (printing) or Cursive letters. Sheets for manuscript handwriting include
months of the year, days of the week, and basic sentences. Kindergarten Resources: A
great list of kindergarten resources with lots of resources and tools for the early childhood
educator. Resources, Themes and Literacy are some of the categories of Fed 101 - The Federal Reserve Today:
Why does a change in the interest rates by the Federal Reserve always
make headlines? Students can learn the history of the Fed, follow the
path of a check written at a neighborhood store and become a virtual bank
examiner. This is great information and activities for middle and Westward, Ho: Westward Ho is now taking registrations. The wagon train leaves in
January, so pack your wagon and start heading to Independence, MO, the
starting point for the journey. If you want to participate in this trip, which will be filled with thrills,
you will need to register ahead of time.
Have a Bewitching October! 6713 No. Oliphant Ave. Copyright © 2004 Knowledge HQ, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
he problem.
things that will help
the teacher understand your child better....for example outside
interests and hobbies. Make another list of things you want
to find out from the teacher, such as daily schedules, services
and programs the school offers, discipline and grading policies
and extra-curricular activities. 
Principles
Post a Chart and make sure
you can see it easily. Give yourself a gold star for each task
completed in priority order and a red minus for any you miss.
(Think what affect this will have on youngsters in the family.....you
are setting a good example.)
4,070 meanings. That's an average of 28 per
word! 
inadequate or foolish will backfire. 
in
nature for the relentless, unvarying pace of our full-schedule
schools. repetitive office work or our factory assembly
lines. 
Formal
organizations might also do well to loosen up the pace at which people
work. Michael Young, also a sociologist, writes, "No one
can know what fits someone else. The more people pick
their own rhythms, the better the chance they will pick the right
ones. Society would not survive everyone's making their own
choices....but at least there do not need to be so few choices for so
few about how to make use of their most precious asset [time]."
headings. Read the bold type. Look at
pictures, charts or other visuals. Turn to the end of the
chapter to see if study questions are listed. This should be
quick....spend no more than ten minutes on this first step.
