Boy 14 + Internet in his room = Wake Up Time for Parents

Doctors to parents: Limit kids media time! Use of media is second only to sleeping.
Is this really a surprise? Unrestricted media use leads to  violence, cyber-bullying, school problems, obesity, lack of sleep, and more problems. It's not the cause but parents are clueless about the effect media has on kids.

Doctors recommend two hours of media use. This means the Internet for entertainment, Facebook, Twitter, TV and movies; online homework is an exception.

A 2010 report that found U.S. children aged 8 to 18 spend an average of more than seven hours a day using some kind of entertainment media. Many kids now watch TV online and many send text messages from their bedrooms after "lights out," including sexually explicit images by cellphone or Internet, yet few parents set rules about media use, the policy says.  "Time to get with it, " health specialists are saying.

Kids now are spending  more time with media than in school!! What happened to no TV's in their bedrooms? Kids send sexually explicit pictures and texts after "lights out." And yes, it just may be your kid!



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/28/doctors-kids-media-use_n_4170182.html

Interview Time?

We've all been there.. Sweaty palms, my shoes are dirty, my pants too short, my shirt is too bright, didn't prep enough.  It's interview time!

Here are some  comments to consider and help you relax:

1. Ask, "What are some of the short and long term projects I need to focus on with this position?"
2. "I'm flexible." Conveys the message you are easy to get along  with and bosses like that!
3. Visit their website and use their key phrases and words. This lets the interviewers know you are plugged in to the company.
4. Say, "That's a good question'" when you need time to think or don't know the answer. Learn to take a minute to think.
5. Tell them why you want the job and how this position play into your future.

To read more:

http://career-advice.monster.com/job-interview/interview-questions/best-things-say-in-interview/article.aspx?wt.srch=1&wt.mc_n=olm_skr_srch_tbl_RON38_img20

Don't Need Money....

So what helps to be successful? According to Entrepreneur Magazine these three habits of high achievers state these three are key.

   1. Say no to distractions. Every time.
      High achievers have tasks to accomplish, too. High achieves get them done by limiting down-  time. with no excuses.

   2. Read something new everyday. 
     I know. You are tired of hearing me tout the benefits of reading. Reading and success are directly proportional. I am fortunate to have a mentor who reads more than I do. She often suggests great book, articles, and magazines to read. Genres differ and it's the learning, fun, and enlightening that matters!

   3. Don't let failure stop you.
    Tell people about it and continue to strive towards your goal with a better goal. Learn the lesson and attribute it to "experience." Build relationships with strong, smart, trustworthy people and collaborate!

See  http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/229518

"To Be Or Not To Be" in MA?

Charles Chieppo and Jamie Gass from Pioneer Institute, a Boston-based think-tank, assert that MA 3rd grade student reading scores are 10 points lower than they were in 2002. The writers also state that  MA  aggregate SAT scores are 20 less than they were in 2006. MA students were the highest performers in the country. (See Taunton Gazette Mon. Oct. 14, 2013)

Are these decreasing scores the result of Gov. Patrick  changing and eliminating parts of the Ed Reform Act of 1993? (MCAS is a result of the Ed Reform Act.) Third grade literacy scores are often the best predictor of future academic success. These falling scores are a calling to wake up  and look at what is happening. 

What happened to  the MCAS History exam as part of a graduation requirement? Now we have the Common Core and PARC and with the Common Core, classic literature will be cut by half! I realize not everyone is going to college but I believe everyone should be exposed to Chaucer, Bronte, Hawthorne, and Shakespeare! One of my greatest days as a teacher occurred reading and discussing Hamlet's soliloquy "To Be Or Not To Be" and a student exclaimed, "Suicide. That's what that's about. I always wondered what that meant." Where else where one learn  of the genius of Shakespeare? Keep the Classics in and expectations high! 

Disturbing College

An explosive report, "Academically Adrift", found that nearly half of college graduates gained no critical thinking skills during college. This is due to a lack of rigor, the report suggests. Universities once expected students to study for 30 hours per week. But today, students are barely averaging 15 hours. More unnerving is that universities are also dropping their standards, resulting in adults who simply don’t have the skills to think critically, or work at a problem long enough to get the job done. And employers are taking notice. 
Read more at

http://www.amazon.com/Academically-Adrift-Limited-Learning-Campuses/dp/0226028569

Thnking about your Major? 5 Jobs not going away...

Where will you be in five years? How many times do we hear this? Do our plans go as we think?
No. Not usually. Not sure what you want to do or be? Consider these careers not going away:

1. Registered Nurses                           Make sense. We will always need hands-on care!
2. Police officers                                 Public safety is always a concern for government.
3. Elementary School Teachers           Always a need teachers.
4. Accountants                                   Businesses need to know bottom line
5. Computer Engineers                       Look how this field has grown in the last 10 years.

Does this make sense to you? Your thoughts?

Dyslexic at 3???

Amazing break through with dyslexia.

MIT and Boston Children's Hospital  identified a fiber connecting two language processing areas in the brain may linked to dyslexia. These fibers are thinner,  smaller and less organized.

As a result, earlier identification means earlier intervention. Dyslexics no longer have to experience school failure.  Earlier intervention means rewiring and rebuilding of these fibers.

Some signs of dyslexia are delayed speech, problems with phonics, trouble creating rhyming words, and a family history of dyslexia.

Watch this video....

http://www.necn.com/10/07/13/New-process-may-diagnose-dyslexia-in-chi/landing_features.html?blockID=854493&feedID=8498

"Praise Junkie" with your kids? Read this....

Do you tell your child  how smart he/she is? Most parents do and as a result, these kids often lack confidence about his ability to tackle routine school challenges. Sounds backwards, doesn't it?

 

A growing body of research—and a new study from the trenches of the New York public-school system—strongly suggests it might be the other way around. Giving kids the label of “smart” does not prevent them from under performing. It might actually be causing it. 

 

Read about  the inverse power of praise... It makes sense to me....

 

http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/

Surprising Stats

 Surprising -- or Not Surprising Stats

 

Did you know 90% of elementary aged children in Korea receive tutoring and 85% of secondary students in China do.
Why??? Partly due to the perceived shortcomings in regular schools.

No one is born knowing how to be a good reader or how to solve word problems……

If your child is struggling in school and has poor study habits, Learning Magic has the solution. 

Learning Magic provides expert instruction and practice in a one-on-one setting with certified and qualified staff. We offer flexible times and convenient locations -- our center, your home or a library!

The most common reason for tutoring is not because of poor grades but to earn better grades and test scores!!

 

Even Harvard coeds get tutored..... Stay competitive, too! If tutoring is good enough for them certainly it's good enough for your child!


Call us 508-821-7770.