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A Spotlight on the Salgado Brothers

January 29, 2016 by admin

UnknownSchool plays a necessary and crucial role in the lives of each and every child. What and how children learn has a major impact on their future success and, even more importantly, their happiness. However, deciding what school a child should attend and how to pay for said school is not always an easy process. With every young student facing different obstacles and challenges, it is not always a given that public school will be the best choice. Many children need a more challenging atmosphere, different stimulation, alternate learning opportunities, or a different social setting in order to effectively learn. Finding and providing the right learning environment for children is half the battle, and one that can make all the difference.

While many parents would move mountains to ensure their child’s future success and would do whatever it takes to create a positive academic and social experience, not all can afford to do so. However, the AAA Scholarship Foundation strives to give all parents and children another option.

The AAA Scholarship Foundation generally provides students financial aid to pursue other options. This foundation has taken countless struggling students and given them the opportunity that every child deserves; an opportunity to feel comfortable in their learning environment and to find individual success.

Amongst the foundation’s many success stories are brothers Alexander and Sebastian Salgado who are thriving at their new school, Brunswick Christian Academy. Both boys originally attended a local public school that, despite good accolades, wasn’t meeting their individual, social and academic needs.

Alexander, the older of the two boys, experienced bullying that caused his school performance and happiness to suffer. His brother, Sebastian, faced his own physical and mental struggles that caused anxiety, tantrums, and other major issues in and out of school. Determined to improve the quality of life and education for both boys, parents, Sheila and Fermin, applied for and received the AAA Scholarships necessary to send their children to BCA. The individual attention and educational environment that the academy provides has altered the path of both boys immeasurably, and they are both thriving.

The impact that the AAA Scholarship Foundation has had on the Salgado family is just one example of what the organization has done and continues to do for children in need of an alternative learning environment. The scholarship provided Alexander with the opportunity to find his passions, look forward to school, and enjoy the learning process. Similarly, it has paved the way for Sebastian to improve behaviorally, socially, and academically. Sheila and Fermin can now watch their children embark on a path that might not have been possible without the aid of a scholarship from AAA. They can now see their sons reach their full potential and achieving their goals.

The AAA Scholarship Foundation has given families like the Salgados opportunities that will go beyond kindergarten and grade school. This organization provides the stepping-stones for children to learn effectively enjoy their time at school, and to build any lives they might want. Together with its donors, the AAA Scholarship Foundation has found a way to give children the futures they deserve.

Filed Under: Blog

Keeping Children Motivated Through the School Year

January 18, 2016 by admin

kids at school-saidaonlineIt’s that time again. The excitement of winter break and the holiday season is over, and your kids are back in school. How can they possibly sit still for six hours of the day to learn equations and pronouns when they so fondly remember last week when they were free to roam and play with their friends throughout the day. It is hard enough for adults to get back into the swing of things, and for kids it is no different, if not harder.

Parents and caregivers can play a big role in assisting their kids to get motivated through the semester. Teaching kids how to stay encouraged now will benefit them in the future when they become more independent and have to learn to self-motivate. Students who are unmotivated or inattentive are less likely to benefit from their curriculum. The following five tips can help you get your kid back into a positive school routine.

  1. Don’t limit learning to the classroom: What your child learns within the classroom is crucial to his/her intellectual progress, however simply asking about the things they learn at school and showing enthusiasm for school topics at home can generate a positive attitude toward learning.
  1. Celebrate all achievements: Positive reinforcement can inspire kids to want to learn and challenge themselves. Every triumph, no matter how small should be acknowledged. Achievements can mean anything from finishing a homework assignment to getting an A on a test and all can be rewarded with small special treats.
  1. Get Involved: Putting aside some time, even with a busy schedule, can be beneficial to a child’s commitment to work and the importance they put toward school. Helping him/her to organize papers and assignments or assisting with homework can take some stress off a kid’s shoulders, ensuring they aren’t overwhelmed.
  1. Be kind, yet firm: When you feel yourself becoming frustrated, recognize that your student likely is as well. Try giving your child a break to do something physical to work off the negative energy while recharging. Then settle right back in for more school work.
  1. It’s not your fault: Remember, a lack of motivation is not your fault so do not take it personally. Instead get to know your child well enough to figure out what drives him/her, and from there you can work on inspiring them.

Keeping kids motivated during the second half of the year is a difficult task, especially for younger kids. As a caregiver, being aware of this is the first step toward creating a better attitude about learning. With your help, your child will keep on track and continue a successful school year.

Filed Under: Blog

“But When Will I Ever Use This?” An Open Letter to Teachers, Students and Parents

December 22, 2015 by admin

Students-in-classroomIt’s an age old question. Students of all ages have been taught (against their will) seemingly “useless” information for generations and have always struggled to relate to most subjects outside the classroom. This is an innate problem with today’s education system in the sense that a lack of relevance causes students to simply learn facts and regurgitate them without ever grasping a full understanding of the topics. But what needs to change in order to make subjects like Algebra, Chemistry and Physics more relevant in students’ lives? The truth of the matter is that change can (and should) really come from all fronts. If students, teachers and parents alike make a conscious effort to make lessons more relevant and engaging, we can create a culture in which students are passionate about learning even the driest of subjects because they know how it relates to them and how it can benefit them in the future.

 

Educator Robin Roberson defines relevance as the perception that something is both interesting and worth knowing. This is one of the most vital steps in education, but can also serve as a tough obstacle for many teachers in classrooms full of unmotivated students. That being said, educators everywhere should be on the front lines of the movement to make school relevant. It creates an environment where students expect to know how the subject will relate to their lives rather than assuming they don’t relate at all from the beginning. Thankfully, there are tested tools and activities that can be employed to aid in the creation of this environment. Two motivational tools to pique student interests are large pieces of the relevance puzzle and can reach a variety of students: utility value and relatedness.

 

Utility value is a tool that is academic by nature and latches on to the future goals of your students. Know a student who wants to be an engineer one day? Physics may be a dry, uninteresting subject to the average student, but to a student with career goals in engineering, physics will be both inherently interesting and used tremendously over the next several years. Point this out to students that have expressed interest in certain career paths, and make sure they know that it’s great to be interested in certain subjects (even when the average student dreads them). Tell them how each lesson would apply to the engineering field and how they would use the knowledge throughout their career. It transforms the information to very interesting and worth knowing. Utility value takes students that already have a knack for something and turns that knack into a passion.

 

We know what you’re thinking: if every student could just know what their future goals are and state their interests, your job would be infinitely easier. For those students who aren’t meeting you halfway, there’s the relatedness tool. Showing your students you can relate to them is an inherent need in education, as it helps to form a trusting relationship between you and your students. If they know you keep them in mind throughout your lesson plans, they feel like the information is more catered to them and, in turn, they are more likely to listen and engage in what you have to say. Find out what non-academic interests your students have and find ways to relate to them through your teaching. This involves finding ways in which your subject relates to the non-academic world, which is really the bread and butter of relevance in education.

 

There are several examples that we pull from in this infographic, but always look for creative ways to relate to your individual students. Do your biology students not understand why they need to dissect a frog? Point out the similarities between the anatomies of frogs and humans. While we can’t dissect humans, frogs are very similar, and this is one of the best ways to get an in-person glance at our physiology. If they ever have a surgery, they can think back to what they learned in the dissection lesson and ask smart questions to educate themselves on the goings-on in their bodies. Have a student in your English class that struggles to see the purpose of developing their writing composition skills? Put it in a real world scenario for them. While they may not end up as a journalist or lawyer, chances are they may need to file an insurance claim at some point in the future. If they can’t string two well thought out sentences together, they may not get the resolve in their case that they deserve.

In order for the relatedness tool to really work, you have to get to know your students and their interests. Two activities that Roberson has employed over the years have helped immensely in relating to her students and promoting engaging and interesting lessons with them. The first is an in depth class introduction session at the beginning of each term. She uses this as a time for her students to share a few things about themselves, where she can learn what their interests are (both academic and non-academic) as well as any goals they have for the future that can be used to relate with them in future lessons. She also uses this as an opportunity to tell her students about herself, helping to establish herself as an approachable presence in and out of the classroom. The second tool is utilized alongside assigned reading assignments throughout the duration of her class. Students are assigned to specific readings to be completed before each class, and are assigned to write a one to two page reflection paper on each reading. In these compositions, they are to draw parallels between the assigned passage and a personal experience that they have had in the past. This helps her students to understand the passage more deeply and form relevant connections between the subject matter and their everyday lives. She reads each reflection before the next class session and uses some of the anecdotes in class discussions, helping to even further deepen her students’ understanding of the subject matter and keep a congruent, conversational tone in the classroom.

It is definitely apparent that teachers can do a lot to keep their students interested in the subject matter they are presenting to them. While teachers can bend over backwards in efforts to increase classroom engagement, students and parents must take the initiative as well for the culture we seek to fully come to fruition. Students and their parents know student interests more than anyone else. Make sure that students are being vocal about their interests in and out of the classroom to their teachers. Continually ask how a lesson can be applied to real world scenarios. Keep pushing teachers to draw parallels for students, and they’ll keep pushing students to grasp them and fully understand why they should pay attention. It won’t work if it’s just the teachers putting in all the effort to reach their students. The culture of academic engagement comes from a series of moving and working parts in which each party is actively pursuing a relevant learning experience. No matter who you are, it starts with you. Put forth the effort and begin to see the change happening.

Filed Under: Blog

Communicating with Your Kids’ Teachers

December 15, 2015 by admin

Father helping son with his schoolwork

Several studies show that a consistently open line of communication between a student’s parents and their teachers can greatly benefit their learning experience and overall academic success.  A large percentage (nearly 80%) of parents consider themselves to be very involved with their child’s education. This is to be somewhat expected in the age of technology we live in today with school websites and email correspondence making it easier than ever to get in touch with teachers. Some experts feel that we are underutilizing the tools we have, however, given the level of communication we have access to. Results are showing that it’s not so much about the quantity of communication you have with teachers, but more about the quality. These 3 practices will help you more effectively communicate with your kid’s teachers to help achieve the best results for your child’s success.

 

Be Proactive

If a student has problems in the classroom (whether behavioral or academic), many parents don’t hear about it until it’s already considered a “problem.” A bit of proactivity from the parental front can do wonders in the day to day performance of your child’s learning experience and foresee a potential issue before it becomes a disruption in the classroom. Weekly email correspondence with teachers can help you stay on top of your child’s education and understand your child’s specific needs outside the classroom to set them up for success. A consistently open line of communication with teachers lets you know where your child is struggling, where they are excelling, and what actions you can take to aid both your child and their teacher in class. Seek out progress reports (both in academics and conduct) so you know where your child stands and what their strengths and weaknesses are. A full understanding of your child’s schooling situation and performance is a vital step in creating an environment in which your child strives to achieve academic excellence.

 

Recognize Success

One common problem with parent-teacher communication is that parents often only hear about the negatives when it comes to their child’s classroom performance. Be sure to seek out positive feedback from teachers, and hold it in the same regard as negative feedback. Negative feedback is imperative because it allows you to work on correcting the problem with your child outside the classroom, but positive feedback is just as vitally important as it gives you the opportunity to celebrate success with your child. Discussions about school should not be reserved exclusively for when problems arise. Rather, a full well rounded approach to discussing the good, the bad and the ugly of school stimuli and performance. Praising your child for academic success also provides them incentive for consistent academic achievement.

 

Be Receptive

When a student is consistently struggling, it is important to listen to the teacher’s perspective on the problem. Teachers spend consistent time with your child, and the way your student performs in school is a huge part of their life. Be sure not to shut your teacher out of the equation by writing off what they have to say. They have a different perspective on and relationship with your child than you do, and it is crucial to hear every side of the problem when problems arise, either with academics or conduct. Collaborating with teachers on effective solutions is often the most surefire way to help your child find success and happiness in the classroom.

All in all, the main focus here is to take an active role in your child’s education. Teachers are always available to answer questions you may have. Keep in regular contact with them, attend conferences, and do anything you can to get involved in your child’s learning experience. The more integral a role you play in their school life, the more engaged their thought processes and feelings about school will be. Parents play as vital a role in their child’s academic success as teachers do. Both parents and teachers working together for a student’s success is the best way to achieve it.  

Filed Under: Blog

Hitting the Hay: Is Your Sleep Schedule Affecting Your Everyday Life?

November 23, 2015 by admin

sleep_banner_freeThe constant struggle to get enough sleep has been a battle that students and adults alike have been fighting for generations. Now more than ever, students are finding themselves stretching their days and shrinking their nights in order to keep up with the academic, extracurricular, familial and social obligations bestowed upon teens in today’s world. Ironic, in the sense that the hours taken away from sleep to adhere to these responsibilities is actually negatively impacting each of these areas, along with a slew of other facets of their physical and mental well being. One study found that as little as 15% of high school students get 8 hours or more on school nights. Research shows that teenagers should be sleeping at least 8 to 10 hours a night to achieve a healthy level of deep sleep and be fully functional throughout the day. How does your child’s sleep schedule line up with that recommendation?

Sleep deprivation can be cause for serious concern when it comes to the health and success of our students. Teens that don’t get enough sleep find serious dips in their learning, listening, concentration and problem solving abilities, and simple memory functions such as names, dates and numbers fall by the wayside easily. Sleep deprivation can lead to aggressive or inappropriate behavior, cause mood swings, and bring about an increase in risky behavior. Driving while sleep deprived is also very dangerous; about 100,000 car crashes a year are caused by tired drivers, resulting in about 1,500 deaths.

Many physical issues can arise as a result of sleep deprivation as well. Sleep is used as the time to regroup and rebuild your cells, and has a hand in healing and repairing parts of your body on a daily basis. Going extended periods of time without sleep can increase one’s risk for heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke. Risks for obesity go up as your impulse control and metabolism plummet, acne breakouts are far more common, and hormone imbalances through puberty are prevalent when teens spend too little time sleeping.

So what, then, should we do? Students are going to remain busy. Lives of teenagers are going to stay hectic. 24 measly hours in a day are never going to feel like enough.

The biggest solution found by researchers is to simply prioritize sleeping in your life. Be mindful of your sleep schedules and patterns throughout your everyday life and try to adjust your daily choices according to what your body needs. Get your body clock ticking regularly again by eating meals at consistent times, and try to go to bed and wake up around the same time each day as well (yes, even on the weekend; “catching up” on sleep can cause your sleep schedule to fall out of balance if you’re not careful. It’s better to get a few more hours throughout the week than to throw your body out of whack every weekend). Try to kick caffeine for a week or two and see how your body reacts when bed time comes around, and always avoid caffeine after around 3 pm. Try replacing your caffeine intake with a daily dose of exercise; studies show that just 30 minutes of exercise daily can boost endorphin levels enough to give you energy throughout the day and settle down for a good night’s rest every evening. Make your bedroom your sleep sanctuary. Don’t eat, watch television, or do homework in bed. Make your bedroom for sleep and sleep alone, and your body will be conditioned to that routine.

The two biggest factors contributing to a healthy sleeping routine are mindfulness and consistency. If you can stay consistently mindful (and mindfully consistent) when it comes to your daily dose of rest, you’re well on your way to a healthier, more energized, more functional and more well rested you. Get sleeping!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: schedule, school, sleep

The Breaking Point: When, Why and How to Take a Step Back

November 13, 2015 by admin

Lehi, Utah, USA --- Caucasian teenager studying in classroom --- Image by © Mike Kemp/Blend Images/Corbis

We’ve all undoubtedly been there before: eyelids heavy, consciousness fluttering, mind racing and head swimming with countless factoids and anecdotes in a last-ditch effort to retain as much relevant information as it takes to pass the exam looming just over the horizon.   Although the art of cramming is used and accepted by students everywhere, a stockpile of evidence points to the fact that working tirelessly without taking a breather is not only less productive, it’s counterintuitive to productivity altogether. Memory retention drops, critical understanding of concepts dwindle, and overall motivation for learning and completion of tasks falls by the wayside if you don’t give yourself some time to take a step back. So when’s the best time to take a breather, and how can you make the most of your breaks?

Studies show that working in 90 minute bursts and cycling in a routine break can boost your productivity greatly. During this cycle, your brain mirrors activity trends similar to those you experience while sleeping. Over this cycle, your brain will flow through differing states of alertness, and taking a break at the 90 minute mark will give your brain a chance to refresh and reset the cycle of alertness and productivity. Take care not to make your break too long, but long enough to really refresh yourself. Research indicates that a 15-35 minute break (if taken mindfully) will greatly increase your ability to be productive during each 90 minute stint.

There are several effective ways you can capitalize on your breaks to increase the impact they have on your ability to work. One of the most useful things you can do during down time is to make it active. Physical motion helps to break up the mundane very effectively, and actually getting up and leaving your workspace can help to separate your mind from it temporarily and hit the reset button. Whether it’s going for a walk around the building or doing pushups or jumping jacks in the office (a little unorthodox, we know), find something physical to get your mind wandering and blood flowing.

When you’ve been zoned in to a project or study session, you start to feel a bit disconnected from the outside world. Use your time away from your desk as an opportunity to reconnect somehow, either by chatting with someone in person or on the phone, catching up on social media, or sending a few texts. This break from isolation will be refreshing and help you to stay motivated to dive back into what you’ve already spent time accomplishing.

On the flip side, you could zone in further and take some quality “me” time during your breaks. Take some time in a quiet place for meditation and deep breathing exercises. Reflect upon your day’s work and center yourself to continue the work you still have to do. Know yoga? Get posing. These mindful movements and exercises can greatly impact your mindset and give you a clean slate to hack away at the rest of your work.

In any case, the evidence is clear: breaks help you to increase your productivity. Reward yourself with the 20 or so minutes of down time after working hard for 90. It’s good for your work, your brain, and your overall well being. Start taking routine breathers while working on your next big project and see the results for yourself.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: break, studying, work

Learning Effectively: A How-To Guide

October 15, 2015 by admin

African American student studying while sitting in the library.

As September comes to a close and makes way for October, it’s safe to say that the 2015-2016 school year is, by now, in full swing. The excitement and spike in motivation to buckle down that tends to come with the start of a new year is most likely starting to wear off, and study habits are already starting to slip as extracurricular activities and heavy workloads weigh on the minds of students and parents alike. This phenomenon (let’s call it the “Mid-Quarter Slump”) is a very real experience for many students, and is a strong inhibitor to the learning opportunities of those who don’t bounce back from it.

 

What exactly is it that causes students to fall into the mid-quarter slump, and what can we do to combat it? Simon Oxenham of Big Think provides the compelling argument that we’re never taught how to truly learn in our early educational years, and believes that a large contributing factor for a loss of motivation could be that our lack of technique in the learning process makes it less stimulating and more difficult. An article published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest discusses ten different learning techniques along with the researched effectiveness of each one. We’ll briefly cover some of the ten that you may not have heard of, starting with the least effective and summing up with the most effective ways of learning.

 

The techniques with the lowest effectiveness ratings were highlighting, the keywords mnemonic, rereading, imagery use for text learning, and summarization. Despite proving largely ineffective for long-term information retention, these are some of the most common practices taught and used in the education system today. The Keyword Mnemonic links phrases and their meanings to the sounds of the words themselves, and while it serves a purpose for memorization, it lacks the substance to convert knowledge into application and often doesn’t carry on into long term knowledge. Imagery use is a technique in which students mentally associate images with the text they are absorbing. While this can be effective for young students, the focus in older students tends to become more on forming the relationships with the images than the information itself. Summarization is shown as ineffective primarily because it does not help students retain for information-based tests, such as multiple choice. However, it has proven to be effective for essays and tests in which the student is not prompted with a possible correct answer.

 

Ranking in the middle range of effectiveness were elaborative interrogation, self-explanation, and interleaved practice. Elaborative Interrogation was seen as having moderate effectiveness because of its ability to prod students to critically think and ask why information is true and what conclusions can therefore be drawn from it. It is most effective, however, when the learner has prior knowledge of the subject, so this technique may not be best for a brand new subject to the student. Self-explanation involves the student explaining their thought processes in coming to their reached conclusion. This helps the student fully grasp the subject matter and their thinking, but ranks only as moderate because it can prove to be very time consuming. Last on the moderate scale is Interleaved Practice. This technique involves changing the subject matter being studied fairly frequently to keep the student from growing bored of or getting “burnt out” on any particular subject. In theory this seems as if it would be effective, but there is not much research to indicate it is a highly useful technique.

 

The techniques that scored the highest levels of effectiveness were practice testing and distributed practice. Practice Testing can be a number of different things, ranging from actual practice tests distributed by a teacher to making flashcards to study prior to a test. Testing provides a high-stress, high-stakes environment for students, and practice tests allow them to test their knowledge prior to the event in a much lower stress situation. This has proven to enhance their opportunity for learning and information retention greatly, as well as increase their test scores overall. Distributed Practice is the act of spacing out learning and studying into periodic sections based on how long you wish to retain the information. Studies show that only 10-20% of time studying is required in relation to the length of time one wishes to retain information. Therefore, if students study in a more spaced out and less time-intensive fashion, they are more likely to retain the information day to day.

 

Ironically, most students tend to stray away from both of these highly effective techniques and run in to problems. The method of procrastination and cramming in the days and hours leading up to a test (the exact opposite of distributed practice) will almost always lead them to “winging it” on the test, and they will have never had the opportunity to do a practice test beforehand. This perpetuates the stress that often surrounds testing and elevates the stressful culture of schooling that most students often feel in general.

 

Learning styles vary widely from student to student, but these proven techniques, when implemented (along with other techniques that work for you) will help you keep the Mid Quarter Slump at bay and ensure that you learn effectively!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: learning, school, studying

4 Ways to Interact with Your Kids After School

October 1, 2015 by admin

iStock_000061836450_MediumAfter a long day at school, the last thing most kids want to do is more schoolwork. Some scholars argue that keeping kids in the “school” mindset immediately after coming home is beneficial, however others believe it is better to let your kids have time to free their minds and relax. Regardless of when it happens, everyone can agree that it is important to allow your children free time every day, after school.

 

Making sure a family spends quality time together is key to strengthening emotional bonds and creating trust within the family. Spending just a few hours together a day can help you create fun family memories as well as influence your kids to make better decisions and stay out of trouble. So, how can you spend more quality time with your family? Here are 4 ways to hangout with your kids after they come home from school:

 

  1. Games

Playing games with your family helps you create fun memories and allows you to share laughs together! Family games will also teach your children good sportsmanship, communication skills, and will help them understand the importance of following directions.

 

Game Ideas:

  • Card games like “Close Call” or “Quick Stop” can help build math skills.
  • Board games such as “Scrabble” can advance your child’s spelling and literacy skills
  • Interactive games like “Mother May I?” will teach children basic social skills such as asking permission.

 

  1. Dinner

Eating dinner together as a family allows you all to relax, tell stories, and laugh together while also building your child’s communication skills and vocabulary. Creating healthy meals that are “family style” allows for picky eaters to decide which foods they want on their plate and will put them in a better mood for conversations!

 

Conversation Ideas:

  • Ask your children their favorite and least favorite part of the day.
  • Ask them to tell you their favorite joke, and from where they heard it.
  • Ask what kind of super power they would want!

 

  1. Crafts

Crafting with your kids can be especially fun because it allows kids to be creative and take pride in their artwork. When creating art there is no right or wrong way to do it, therefore your children can express themselves in any way they want! Creating art has been found to boost children’s ability to problem-solve and think with an open-mind (something they do not often get to do while in school).

 

Crafting Ideas:

  • Finger painting is not only fun, but also it strengthens hand and finger muscles, which will improve motor development.
  • Playing with chalk promotes thinking “outside of the box” and the best part is it’s not permanent!
  • Scrapbooking helps kids remember the fun times they’ve had and they create family heirlooms.

 

  1. Exercise

They say a family that plays together stays together! Allocating time to exercise together with your family will not only help your health, but it gives you time to talk to each other about your lives and strengthen your family bonds. Exercising with your children emphasizes the importance of playing sports for fun and not for competition.

 

Exercise Ideas:

  • Sports like football, softball and soccer will teach children skills like teamwork and adherence to rules.
  • Walking your dog together as a family will give you time to talk to each other and can teach your children to be responsible for a pet.
  • Having a dance party with your kids will not only be fun but it lets your children release all of their build up energy in a positive way.

 

Remember, when you’re interacting with your children make sure you all put technology away so that you can give each other 100% of your attention and avoid the negative consequences of technology use. Your children look up to you so set an example and keep the phones and tablets out of family time.

 

Although some days can be long and stressful for parents, it is important to remember that your kids have had a long school day too. So use these tips to make your child’s day brighter while having fun and strengthening your family bonds!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: games, kids, parents, school

Are Your Kids Reaching Their Full Potential?

August 31, 2015 by admin

iStock_000053850462_SmallIt’s a thought that almost certainly crosses every parent’s mind, “am I doing everything in my power to help my child reach their full potential?” Often times parents think, am I paying my child enough attention? Am I making enough money to provide them with what they need to succeed? Am I doing something that will hurt them later on in life? And on, and on with the questions. Chances are that if you’re asking these questions in the first place, you’re probably doing a great job providing for your children, but have you ever thought to ask these questions of their school?

Is my child’s school providing the right environment to help them learn? Are they learning all the vital skills they will need to succeed later in life? Do they enjoy going to school, and do they view it as a positive environment? These are all questions you should be asking of your child’s school. After all, they spend six to eight hours there a day, sometimes more! If you can’t answer these questions, or if the answer is no to a lot of them, it might be time to take a closer look at what you can do to find a school that is the right fit for your child.

Many parents believe that they don’t have any other options when it comes to where their child goes to school, other than the public school in their district, but this is not always the case. There are many options families have to remove their child from a school that simply isn’t the right fit, and put them in one that is the perfect fit! One of those options, school choice, is one that isn’t talked about all that often.

School choice is a program that allows students and their families the option of attending a private school of their choice, often partially- or fully-funded by a scholarship. These scholarships are available through programs such as the AAA Scholarship Foundation, are funded by tax-credit donations, and awarded based on a variety of criteria. Currently, approximately 190,000 students across the U.S. are using tax-credit scholarship programs to help pay for tuition and 14 states have enacted tax-credit-funded scholarships programs. There’s no doubt that these programs are helping a lot of children reach their full potential, and there’s no reason they can’t help your child!

Children who attend school in an environment that causes stress, anxiety or depression are less likely to learn and grow to their full potential. Instead of focusing on the lesson, they are focusing on their environment and how badly they wish to be somewhere else. As a parent, you can help your child by providing them with an environment where they can truly learn and thrive. In fact, one of our most recent scholarship recipients, Ky’mier Bowie, experienced just this, when transferring from his volatile public school, to a private school of his choice. His struggles (and successes) are highlighted in our Scholarship Spotlight; “’Before I started attending Fruitful Ground, my family was constantly leaving work to come up to my assigned school because I was frequently getting into fights,’ admits Ky’mier. Expectations of success and thriving were a new concept for Ky’mier at school. Before, he had just hoped that he survived each day. In a short time he did a complete turnaround.”

Stories like Ky’mier’s, of children being given the opportunity to reach their full potential, are becoming more and more common in the U.S. and this can be attributed to the success of the school choice program! If you would like more information on how we can help your child reach his or her full potential by going to a private school of their choice, contact us today!

 

 

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: parents, potential, private school, Scholarships, school, school choice, students

How to Help Your Kids Handle the Stress of Going Back to School

August 24, 2015 by admin

If your kids have already gone back to school this month, or are getting ready for their first day, it’s no secret that the stress of making that kind of major change is nothing to be ignored. Waking up early, meeting a new teacher and students, learning new and unfamiliar subjects, and in some cases, starting at a completely new school can all help contribute to anxiety and stress that can be expressed through behavioral issues, lack of sleep and/or appetite, or even illness. As a parent, it might be hard to understand what you can actually do to help combat the effects of stress on your children. After all, you’ve got your own stresses like work, bills and family schedules to worry about, and your kids have to go to school.  So, what can you do to help keep your kids calm and stress-free as they make the transition back to school?

Start with SLEEP! School-aged children and pre-teens need approximately 10 – 11 hours of sleep a night! Teenagers can get away with a little less, at a recommended nine hours a night. Getting enough sleep at night is one of the best things we can do for our bodies. This period of rest helps our bodies reset and repair from the day’s stresses and many experts believe that when children don’t get enough sleep it can affect their growth and immune system. Sleep also helps us humans deal with stress better. Having a well-rested mind means having a clear mind, one that is ready to take on the day!

How do I ensure that my children get enough sleep, you ask? Start with a bedtime routine, if you don’t already have one. Establishing a routine that they can rely on will help make bedtime easier for all involved. They key is consistency, children need consistency in their lives before any kind of habit can be established and it’s up to you as the parent to enforce it.

Next, set aside some time, every day, to allow your kids to exercise! Physical activity, whether it’s guided or not, can help release pent-up energy, help build strong muscles and bones and even help balance hormones – leading to better performance on a stress test. This time for physical activity can be something as simple as running around on the playground, playing sports with other kids in the neighborhood, playing tag in the backyard or even doing some family workouts! In fact, kids are more likely to want to exercise if they see you doing it, so lead by example and get moving!

While getting more sleep and exercising are both great physical actions you can take to help your children combat stress, ensuring mental stability is just as important. Young children experiencing stress or anxiety for the first time might not fully understand what they’re feeling, and certainly won’t know how to handle it. Taking the time to talk with your children about what stress is, and helping them understand how to deal with it can go a long way! The American Psychological Association has these tips for talking with you children about stress:

  • Be Available
  • Listen Actively
  • Respond Thoughtfully
  • Consider
  • Seek Help if Necessary

And finally, make sure you laugh! Spend some time joking with your kids, tell them a silly story, or let them tell you one. Laughter is a great way to release some of the stresses of the day, and who knows, it might even help you relax too, Mom and Dad! In fact, according to the Mayo Clinic, laughing can have both short-term and long-term positive effects on us! If you’re looking for some laugh-spiration (laughing inspiration, get it?) here are some family-friendly jokes to try at the dinner table tonight!

Stress can be a serious factor in the success of your child, so use these tips to help keep your children happy and healthy this school year!

If your child is unhappy or under-performing in their school, contact us to see how we can help you and your family have access to a private school that’s right for them!

 

 

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: back to school, parents, stress, students

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