The Road To Your Child’s Success Goes Through Reading

From the first day your child enters this world and hears the sound of your voice, they begin their foundation for understanding the language and becoming a reader.

From that first moment on, each time you speak to your child and respond to the sounds that they make, you are their teacher helping them to improve their understanding of the language that surrounds them in their new world.

Reading is the foundation from which all other education is built upon, and the spoken language is preparation of the surface on which this foundation will be laid.

With language as the surface for the foundation, and infants being such natural sponges soaking in everything around them, every opportunity you have to communicate with your child should be taken advantage of.

Talk, listen, and respond to your child. Sing and read to and with your child and you’ll be mapping a course of success.

A child’s early experience is, of course, language. They take in and very soon begin to imitate that which they see and hear. Soon to follow will be the recognition of the individual characters that make up the language. From there the individual characters morph into words, words then become sentences and onward. And as reading continues to develop, so does the child’s vocabulary as they encounter, recognize, and master even more new words. Then there is writing that soon develops and builds as it all ties back to reading.

With all of this going on, it’s easy to understand that becoming a reader is a step by step process for children. Not all learn at the same pace and some children will need more practice and attention than others.

However, by the age of about 7 most children are on their way. During this time frame, even the children experiencing difficulties can overcome them and become a very successful reader when given the proper attention. Your active participation in this early development of your child’s reading skills is vitally important.

It will be a time not only filled with wonderful moments of bonding and celebrating successes, but it is a foundation you are building that your child will benefit from for their entire lifetime.

Although this timeline is greatly condensed in the form of this article, you should easily see the importance and the direct correlation reading has to the long term success that your child experiences.

When your child is but a baby, read aloud to them regularly throughout each day. Cuddle up with them and read them a story in the afternoon. And by all means don’t forget about the tried and true bedtime story.

Make reading to your child a quiet, comfortable, and loving time for them; one that they look forward to and enjoy. If they are restless, energetic, and in play mode, save the reading time for when they unwind and ready to snuggle up.

Generally speaking, try to spend at least a half hour a day reading with your child. Keeping their natural attention span in mind, early on your reading time will be shorter and more often.

Needless to say, with young children, a set schedule is tough to follow as each day is such a new adventure for kids this age.

Don’t worry if your reading times don’t consistently come together at the same times each day. The key is to look for those quiet opportunities for reading and bonding time. Your child will begin to associate reading with something that is fun and enjoyable and not something that is an interruption to the rest of their day.

Doing this will keep reading fun for both of you, develop good reading habits with your child, and lay the foundation for a lifetime of successes.

Geometry Homework Help

I know you. I have seen you in my geometry classroom many times over the last 29 years. You have always, and I mean always, been a very good math student. You made good grades in Algebra with very little effort, and you have always liked math. But now you are taking high school geometry, and you are really frustrated. You’ve got good study habits; you pay attention in class, ask questions, and do your homework. But for some reason this strange course just doesn’t make sense to you and you find yourself even requiring some additional help with geometry homework, which has never happened before. Heck, in past math courses you were the one that could give others help!

To make matters worse, you are seeing classmates who had trouble with Algebra suddenly doing very well in geometry, understanding it, and actually enjoying math for the first time in their lives. Not that you’re not happy for those fellow learners, but you can’t understand why this course is so different from the other math courses you have taken, and why are you not able to grasp it?

High school geometry is a strange creature. In my 29 years of teaching high school geometry I have seen the above scenario played out over and over again. Just what is it that makes this course so different? And what are some strategies that will help frustrated students master this course that sometimes seems so strange?

First of all, if you are experiencing frustration with your high school geometry course, it is very important for you to realize that this is quite common, especially early in the course. Please know that most students do get past the confusion and frustration if they don’t give up. Practice the techniques I’m going to give you, continue to work hard, and even though it takes longer for some than others, that light bulb should eventually light up for you.

It might help if you understand why geometry is so different from other math courses. A traditional high school geometry course is about logic. It is abstract. It requires a different way of thinking. It is not what I call “cookbook mathematics” where one is given a recipe and merely has to follow that recipe in solving every problem. Geometry is not about a lot of drill and practice. It is about critical thinking, learning concepts and principles and knowing when and how to apply them.

It is true that previous Algebra courses required critical thinking skills as well, but not to the extent that geometry requires them. However, as you work at honing these critical thinking skills in high school geometry, there are some simple, straight forward skills that also must be mastered if you are to succeed.

Learn all the terms and definitions as they are presented. This is absolutely essential. The same goes for postulates and theorems. And don’t just memorize them; as a matter of fact you don’t have to memorize them word for word. But make sure you have a very clear understanding of what each term means. I often told my students “You can’t expect to solve a problem about a scalene triangle if you don’t know what a scalene triangle is.” Develop your geometry vocabulary.

Don’t rush through your geometry homework. Your goal shouldn’t be to ‘just get it done’ so that you are finished with it but to really understand it. Before you tackle the assigned problems, review your notes from class and look over the corresponding material in your textbook. As you work through the homework problems, check your answers with those provided in the back of the book. If you have something wrong, go back and rethink it. If you still can’t figure it out, put a star or check mark by that problem to remind you to ask the teacher about it the next time the class meets.

Finally, when you have finished your homework assignment, make yourself think just a little more! Resist the urge to immediately slam your book closed and put your work away. Spend just a few minutes looking back over the problems and thinking about what you had to do on each one. Developing this habit of reflecting on your work can reap huge benefits in understanding and remembering important concepts. The more you understand and remember from each assignment, the less you’ll have to study and review when it comes exam time.

Medical Assistant Key to Success -- Proper Education!

Types of Medical Assistant Programs:

Traditionally, there are two types of medical assistant programs, two-year career training programs which result in an Associate’s Degree, and a one-year, or accelerated medical assistant programs held at vocational training institutions resulting in either a certificate or diploma that also qualify their graduates to sit for the national certification exams.

Job Oriented Vocational Training:

Vocational training institutions usually structure their programs to be realistic and simulate the workplace to teach their students the skills they need to get a job, stay employed, and advance in their profession.

This includes teaching medical assistant students all administrative, clinical, technical, and nontechnical skills, enhancing problem solving, and teamworking skills, improving their oral communications, and work ethics, refining their interpersonal, and collaborative abilities with others, and reinforcing cognitive traits that they will have to rely on once they are on the job.

Training on the Job:

However, formal training in medical assisting while generally preferred is not always required. There still are many employers, usually physicians in group or private practices, who prefer to train their medical assistants according to their own specific needs.

Because all medical assistants, whether trained in a school, or on the job must be able to efficiently handle administrative, and clinical skills, which includes simple STAT lab tests, running automated office machines, autoclaves, urinalysis, and hematology systems, and pass certain other related competencies, prior volunteer experience in the healthcare field, or prior work experience in a nursing home, health clinic, home healthcare setting, hospital, customer services, or reception desk can prove to be extremely helpful!

eLearning for Medical Assistants -- Modern vs. Traditional Instruction:

More and more medical assisting and related technical career courses are being made available over the Internet via structured distance education programs. The availability of online classes is expanding coast to coast. They promise conveniences that real classroom teaching can hardly provide.

Although their lessons are often well thought out and well planned through use of virtual classrooms, audio visual presentations, and digital collaboration via a personal computer they do not necessarily offer the same quality and quantity of education as on campus classroom instruction offers. Since elearners students are lacking in the direct student-instructor, student-student interaction, and clinical hands-on aspects of the training they automatically miss out in some of the most crucial and indispensable requisite areas of quality career education and training.

Choosing a Program:

Experts in the field always recommend that medical assistant students only deal with reputable training institutions, and choose from respected programs that are recognized and accredited by the RIGHT organizations. Furthermore, they should seek out schools where caring instructors are "real world" faculty professionals qualified (through certification) and trained in the areas of clinical, administrative, and pharmacology lab. Only this way will medical assistant students receive the knowledge and training they need to succeed.

eLearners.com recommends: (Quote) "Knowing something about a school's accreditation can tell you a lot about the value of the degree or course for which you are paying. If you obtain a degree or take a course from a non-accredited institution you may find that the degree is not recognized by some employers or that the course credits may not transfer to other institutions. Understanding accreditation can also help you identify and avoid "diploma mills" (i.e. an unaccredited institution that grants degrees without ensuring students are properly qualified.)" (End Quote). Read their very informational article on Distance Learning Accreditation!

Medical assistant seeking classroom or distance education programs for their training should check whether they are approved by the U.S. Department of Education, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) and check with regional accrediting agencies that have been evaluated and deemed to meet high quality standards.

Religious Degrees - Distance Education And Faith

For people of faith who want religious degrees, distance education is a viable option. It's often hard to find faith based education that is convenient. Traditional schools that offer religious degrees may not exist in your community. If they do exist, they are frequently more financially challenged than other schools, and offer fewer classes when non-traditional students can take them.

People of any faith can find distance education particular to their faith.
There are some good reasons to take online classes from these schools. If, for instance, you plan on a career related to your faith, a faith-based degree might enhance your career opportunities. Sometimes people attend religious classes because it's just easier and more comfortable to learn with people who are like you and believe like you do. And sometimes they want to explore their own faith in greater depth, and choose a religious degree program for that reason.

Religious Degrees That Apply Your Faith

Another reason people might want to pursue getting a religious degree is to prepare for a career. It's very common to use online learning or distance education for this. Christians can attend Bible school and seminary through online learning to prepare for a variety of ministry jobs.

People of faith get religious degrees to prepare for other careers, too, such as counseling. A Hindu may choose to get a degree in ayurveda, a vedic system of natural healing that has its roots in Hindu faith. Counseling and ayurveda are both practical degrees that allow you to use your faith in your career.

Religious Degrees for Scholars

Some people pursue religious degrees to satisfy their intellectual curiosity, or to do advanced study in some facet of religion or just to learn more about religion in general. They may or may not practice the faith that they are curious about.

Distance learning is a great way to engage in scholarly religious study. Through distance learning you can not only get a degree, but you can also study with experts all over the world. You can take a class on the Talmud from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, or study the words of Jesus from a Jesus Project scholar.

Homeschooling: How To Effectively Teach Your Child

Do Certain Subjects Require Specific Hours Of Attention While Teaching My Kid At Home?

With Home school concepts parents have the benefit of enhancing and complementing the traditional ways of teaching, with better ones aided by technology.

Lots of educational software and teaching packages are available which help develop a curriculum for such type of studies. One such useful means is the internet, which has plenty of educational resources like encyclopedias and museums, online dictionaries, libraries, etc.

Depending on state to state home schooling law, the following may be applicable:

1. School officials may inquire about the qualifications of the parents’ teaching their child; however its not really necessary that parents who instruct their children have any particular qualification. Parents who are high school graduates or lesser can instruct their child, if they have a sound mind and the capability to do so.

2. Students in the elementary level should be taught: English, including, spelling, reading and writing; math, science, civics, history, geography, health and physiology, music, physical education and art as basic subjects.

3. High school level children are to be taught the following: English that includes language, speech, literature and composition. Science should include biology and chemistry. Geography, social studies, economics, world history and history of the U.S.A. are a part of the curriculum. Mathematics would include geometry, algebra and statistics; music, art, physiology and health, physical and safety education are also to be taught.

4. At times school officials might enquire about the subjects that the child should study, demand the length of home school year, as well as provide subject wise instructions.

It is they who determine instruction hours for each subject, yet the method of teaching should depend on each parent’s individual style.

Home schooling parents can evaluate and determine the hours of instruction based on their individual style, they need not imitate the public school, rather it’s more important to match and equal it keeping in mind the systematic approach and efficiency levels.

While home schooling, the parent has to gauge the child’s intellectual needs. The subjects do not actually require particular hours of teaching, even though each subject needs a specific time, so that whatever is taught is easier for the child to grab.

Also, keeping schedules is not a significant factor in home schooling, since understanding of time and usage are different from that of a normal school.

5. School officials should recognize and classify instructional materials, which might help determine the child’s grade or level and the subject. The right to demand should not be misused or try to affect the style of teaching, in which subjects are handled.

If a child has difficulty with a particular subject, for instance in reading, then the parent should allot longer hours for reading, emphasizing on that subject so that the child finds it easier.

A parent may shorten the time spent on that subject which the child willingly and easily learns and grasps. Extra hours should then be allocated for subjects which the child finds difficult, this system can effectively asses the child’s development.

During home schooling, a child can take the time to learn and understand each subject at their own speed, and capacity. Also, the parent can find creative ways so that teaching is fun and learning interesting.

Few helpful and efficient teaching materials that are not tangible, such as community service, visits to parks, travel and museums, etc. will provide significant learning skills and knowledge aside from those who learn through books.

6. School officials and parents should reach an agreement about a system of assessment or evaluation for the child; either periodic reports or standardized testing, on the child’s dated samples of work and progress.

Access your child's learning ability and style so that:

1. Awareness about the approach to be used or how to be better equipped in teaching them. Some parents have a wrong notion that their kids should learn the way they had. For example, if the parents are visual learners, they expect their children to be the same. Remember, that children are different as individuals; with distinct learning styles as compared to their siblings and even parents. You can effectively teach your child, as soon as you learn and comprehend the child’s individual style.

2.You should be prepared to chalk out a curriculum for home schooling. Unfamiliarity with your child’s learning style, might lead you to select a curriculum that can is not an effective tool to bring out the best in your child.

3. One has to identify and understand their child’s educational needs better. Most parents get upset and discouraged when their children fail to effectively communicate. If you try to understand your child’s learning styles, you might be able to help your child to understand themselves better. This enables them to interact and correspond better with their elders as well as friends.