Fall in Love with College Prep

It’s the season of love! February is a time for eating delicious chocolates, receiving fluffy teddy bears, and recognizing the sacrifices and successes of African Americans during Black History Month. 

But, during moments filled with red, white, and pink hues, the spirit of the month of February can also be channeled into a love of college preparation among high school juniors and seniors. For students with aspirations to pursue post-secondary education, whether a community college, technical school, or university, I've outlined below a few steps to take during the month of love.

Parents of Juniors:

I. ACT/SAT Prep 

February is a good month to prepare to take the ACT or SAT, the top two college entrance exams. These tests provide colleges an overview of students' academic strengths and weaknesses. Taking the ACT or SAT during one’s junior year can give the student an idea of the areas in which they may need to improve. If your child’s school district offers the ACT or SAT on-site during the school year, I advise that they also register for an additional test during their junior year, so they can gauge their progress from the previous test or need for improvements. Students can check with their high school counselors for available testing fee waivers. 

The ACT and SAT offers tests several times during the year. Specifically for the ACT, if you were notable to meet the testing deadline for the February ACT, the next ACT offered during the 2018-2019 school year is Saturday, April 13, 2019, with a registration deadline of March 8, 2019. (If possible, take the writing section of the ACT at least once because some schools require this section for admissions.)

More information about the ACT concerning costs, additional test dates, and more can be found at actstudent.org. Information about the SAT can be found on College Board. Check within your community for ACT and SAT workshops which are often hosted at churches or tutoring centers. 

II. Transcripts 

Also, during the month of February of a student’s junior year, it is good to obtain a current Grade Point Average (GPA) from the high school counselor. Students or parents should be able to request an official transcript to reflect grades from freshman and sophomore years as well as the first semester of their junior year. 

Knowing your GPA gives an idea of the gap (if any) between current performance and college entrance or scholarship goals. Working to obtain a high GPA results in more options for college admissions, scholarships, and grants when students begin to apply for college during their senior year. 

III. Extra-Curriculars 

College admission officers often value students’ participation in extra-curricular activities.  Encourage juniors to get involved in clubs and organizations at the high school and in the community. Their involvement can provide opportunities for leadership and ways for them to showcase their talents. They may also become more eligible for scholarships in areas like leadership, sports, or music.

Parents of Seniors:

I. The List 

For seniors, February is a time to take the ACT or SAT, obtain a current transcript, and participate in extra-curricular activities. This is also a time to narrow a list of colleges for admissions and scholarships. Parents can work with students to create a list of about 6 colleges which includes schools that are in-state, out-of-state... a student’s dream school or the most economical schools for your budget. Always search for cheaper alternatives in case your student does not receive the amount of financial aid expected and to avoid taking out thousands of dollars in loans. Be determined to send your child to a school that is accredited and is the best option financially!

After creating the list, place schools in a chart that includes the following categories: Admissions Requirements, Scholarships, and Tours. Check off each category upon completion. For example, under the category of Admissions Requirements, ensure that all items are submitted as stated by the college or university. Some items may include an official copy of the ACT scores, an official transcript, and immunization forms. 

II. Scholarships 

For the category of Scholarships, be sure that the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) is completed for the upcoming school year, and that scholarship applications are complete. Some schools only require one application to be eligible for all scholarships, and other schools may award scholarships from admissions items. Common scholarship requirements include a letter of recommendation, a transcript, and an essay, which your student can learn how to write here. 

It is best to begin searching at the schools of interest before searching for external scholarships. Institutional scholarships include academic, leadership, sports, music, art, foundation, and alumni. These scholarships have a smaller competition pool than state or national scholarships. Often, institutional scholarships are valid for the duration of a students' college tenure. In other words, if a student is awarded this kind of scholarship, tuition, fees, room and board may be covered for up to 4 years. I give more information about the types of scholarships in my book. 

After applying for all eligible institutional scholarships, search for local, state, and national scholarships. These scholarships can be offered through banks and credit unions, sororities and fraternities, rotary clubs, and places of employment such as Wal-Mart and Wells Fargo. Also, organizations such as Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Ron Brown Scholars Program, and United Negro College Fund offer national scholarships. Many of these also require an essay. 

III. Tours 

Lastly, arrange college tours for high school seniors. Visiting the campus provides a different perspective as students walk the grounds, meet students, and engage with professors. Most schools provide guides for campus tours or have "high school student days" for prospective students.

For more information about navigating the college process, visit my website at www.edwritingservices.org. 

For more information on obtaining scholarships and composing scholarship essays, check out my book, Write Your Way to a Successful Scholarship Essay!

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A very special thanks to guest blogger, 

Candace Chambers, CEO of Educational Writing Services LLC. 

Candace is an academic coach, educator, and writer 

who's snagged over $100,000 in assistantships, grants, 

and scholarships by writing essays.

Couponing for a Cause: Improving math skill with real world experiences

Before we begin this post, I have to make a confession: prior to writing couponing blogs and becoming a stay-at-home mom (now a homeschooling mom as well), I was a math teacher. A middle school math teacher. Yes. I know... quite terrifying. And you know what? I loved it.

Teaching math is my passion. It's so much a part of me, that when I began taking advantage of couponing deals, all I could think about was how valuable the experience would've been for my middle school students during my teaching days. You see, couponing hacks are all rooted in math. 

If you want to learn more about how to coupon, check out my FREE ebook that offers couponing basics for beginners. This couponing guide teaches readers how to invest 20 minutes a week and save hundreds of dollars a year on groceries. 

Below are six reasons it's worth the effort for math teachers to join the couponing community.

Fractions
Ratios, proportions, and unit price may all be written as fractions. In order to solve these kinds of problems (during a test and in the real world), we need to have a basic understanding of the properties of fractions. This can be challenging for many students, because understanding fractions requires us to generate a mental model of fractions operations. If fractions is a pain point for the students in your life, make fractions operations  more tangible through couponing.

Adding and Subtracting Decimals
When working with money, two places after the decimal represent cents (a fraction of a dollar). If an item costs $1.99, and the coupon takes off $1, it doesn’t make sense that the item would now cost $1.98. Lining up the decimal places when you add and subtract makes a lot more sense when you do it with money!


Unit Conversions
Couponing requires understanding of unit price. When you are trying to find unit price, items price labels may show different measurements. For instance, one bottle of soda gives volume in ounces but another shows volume in liters. In this case, couponers (and students) need to tap into their math skills to convert between the two units. A different example of unit conversions involves tripling the serving size of a recipe. Instead of purchasing 21 Tbsp of a grocery item, it may be necessary to convert this amount into cups.

Percentages
A coupon or sale may provide for a certain percentage off the price of a certain item. Couponing teaching learners to calculate discounts in this way: students learn how to determine the resulting price after taking 25% off a certain amount. Why use percentages worksheets, when couponing gives real world experiences? Would you learn more from percentages word problems or saving cold hard cash in real life? Calculating discounts and sales tax are opportunities to solve multi-step mixed operations with whole numbers and decimal numbers.

Ratios, Proportions, and Unit Price
As couponers, we're always after the best deal. If six rolls of toilet paper cost $3, and eight rolls of toilet paper cost $3.50, which is the better deal? You have to brake it down into how much one roll costs with each deal. This involves using proportions to find the rate in price per roll, which is the unit price.


Greater than, less than, or equal to
An app called Flipp scans grocery stores near you. Searching the app shows the cost of grapes at different stores, for example. This feature of the app provides an opportunity to defend decisions about which store has the best deal. This approach is especially useful for comparing decimals.

There are many ways that coupons can help children master math standards; these are six important approaches to improving math skill with real world experiences. If you have other ideas, or you just want to share how you were able to use these tips, I would love to hear about them. 

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Tiffany Thomas is a former math teacher and SAHM who loves finding good deals! She and her husband launched The Crazy Shopping Cart. They enjoy spending time with family, geeking out over sci-fi, and saving money.

Remember to Remember: Reflecting to Change

Imagine you are preparing to teach students a new skill. You do your due diligence by researching and planning a stellar lesson. You have a clear focus and engaging activities. You rehearse the lesson format and feel confident. You begin the lesson, but as time goes on students begin to lose interest and goof off. The lesson ends and students do not grasp the concepts. You are left feeling frustrated and confused. Sound familiar? 

This scenario is common across classrooms everywhere. It doesn’t matter if you are a novice teacher or a veteran, it is  incredibly difficult when instructional plans go awry. As hard as it may feel, this is precisely the time when you have to remember to remember. Put differently, reflect on the instructional plan and delivery. Intentional reflection can be transformative if done on a regular basis. Consider the following during reflection exercises, especially when lessons are not well received.

Focus on the positive. It does not matter how much experience you have. There will be many times when things go wrong. Teaching is a courageous undertaking that requires bravery. Try not to be negative with yourself or your students. Avoid negative thoughts by embracing successful moments during a lesson. Find at least one aspect of the lesson that was successful. Did you plan a great introduction? Were students engaged during a particular part of the lesson?

Don’t take it personally. It is easy to take misbehavior personally, but this is usually a symptom of something deeper. Rather than focus on student behavior, reflect on aspects of the lesson that caused disengagement.  Also, think about ways to address similar situations in the future lessons. Was the activity explained properly? Was the amount of content too overwhelming? Really pinpoint where the breakdown happened, so that you can identify effective solutions.

Ask for help. Now that you have a positive outlook and you've pinpointed areas needing improvement, ask for help. Look for resources. Brainstorm with a colleague. Bounce ideas off of mentors. Seeking help from others yields a variety of strategies to improve engagement during lessons.

How will you practice intentional reflection?

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A very special thanks goes to

guest blogger, Kandice Cole. 

Kandice is a writer, teacher, and education consultant. 

She resides in Chicago with her husband and infant daughter.

Educational Support: Shaping My Future

I am young enough to recall specific pivotal moments in life that influenced personal choices along my professional path. Yet, I am old enough to reflect on how those moments served as a springboard during my journey. 

Formal education was rocky for me in the beginning. School was not easy. I, like many children who have trouble learning, deflected by misbehaving.  I remember being labeled by teachers and other adults; my self-esteem shrank.  I vividly remember the pain these labels caused.

Fortunately, a fourth grade teacher saw past the superficial and encouraged me.  At first, I applied myself simply because I wanted to please her.  Oh, how I yearned for more positive reinforcement. I became attentive in school and soon found I no longer had a desire to misbehave.   My grades improved, and I passed to the next grade instead of being held back as others had predicted. Eventually, I embraced my mother's love of reading. I viewed books as an escape from reality. I read everything - whether age-appropriate or not - to my mother's chagrin. My mother encouraged reading by purchasing books and newsletters within her limited budget. When I was of age, I registered for a library card at local library. The more I read, the more curious I became about the world and what it had to offer.  I would - and continue to - get lost in books.  

I also received encouragement from my grandmother to do well in school.  Due to her limited 2nd grade education, she could not offer assistance with homework, but she offered support. My grandmother purchased school supplies and attended every school award ceremony. This was no small feat because my grandmother had serious health issues; it took Herculean effort for her to be present.  Later in life, I understood the value of my grandmother's support and encouragement, the value of seeing her in the audience as I accepted an academic award.  Believe me when I say this: I scanned the audience until I found her beautiful face!  Even then, I knew that disappointing her was not an option. She made sure that I had an opportunity to have what she was denied. I was motivated to strive toward her expectations.

Yet another teacher took an interest in me and went beyond the call of duty by exposing me to museums, art galleries and higher education. She would often spend Saturdays with me at Cambridge Commons and Harvard Square "teaching" in a way that many classrooms preclude.  Because of her, I experienced the classroom of life outside of my neighborhood school. This stoked the flames that had arisen from reading.  

Due to the encouragement, exposure to unfamiliar experiences, and educational support received, I developed the self-confidence needed to overcome (what I believe was) an undiagnosed learning disability. Educational support was vital to propping me up so that I could achieve successes and persevere in the face of failures. We know that failures are part of life, but students have to experience success. A record of success is the foundation which fosters the wherewithal to power through obstacles, to once again relish the sweet taste of success. 

Without educational support, my life could have been very different. For these reasons, I am so thankful for a structured educational services provider like Jackson Education Support. This firm provides the  encouragement, exposure, and academic support needed to build self-esteem and promote success among students and citizens. 

Don't let your child's natural-born flame to learn be extinguished. Contact Jackson Education Support to foster your child's life-long love of learning.

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A very special thanks goes to
guest blogger, Mrs. Pamala Feehan.
Pamala is a wife, mother, grandmother, and entrepreneur.
She has experiences as an instructor and director in academia.

Ten Ways to Encourage Reading

Encouraging reading for kids varies widely by each child’s nature and learning style. The ultimate goal transitions from learning to read to reading to learn to fostering love of reading. Encouraging children during the process results in adults who love to read.  

I have a 10-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son. Whereas they read some of the same books to the point that I have to buy two copies sometimes (thank you Rick Riordan!), they require different kinds of motivation. The following Ten Ways help me encourage their growth.

1. Follow Reading Style
Once kids have learned to read, it is important to find out their reading style. 

My son loves math and the linear nature of solving equations. I found that he loved mysteries because they are also very linear by nature. Defined characters who solve crimes imitate step-wise, formulaic algebra. Focusing on love of a linear plot, we started with The Hardy Boys and Encyclopedia Brown. Then, he discovered Clive Cussler and James Patterson. Both of whom write mid-grade novels as well as more well-known adult books. Once he polished off the mid-grade novels, he moved on to reading the adult novel versions.

2. Model Reading
If parents read, kids will follow. If there are books in a home, children look for their own books. Likewise if a parent speaks badly of reading or doesn’t encourage reading outside of school, a child may never see the value in picking up a book just for fun. 

I am in a mom book club that meets once a month. My middle-schooled aged son participates in Battle of the Books where his team answers questions about a pre-made list of books. Similarly, my daughter saw value in joining her own kid version of my mom book club. The girls choose books, read them, and met up to discuss over snacks. The book club model nurtures our love for reading, because we have someone with whom to share the experience. 

3. Read Aloud
My 10-year-old still enjoys read alouds. Sometimes, I read books that are slightly above her reading level. Other times, I read her old favorites aloud using fun voices. When we are in the car, audio books have the same effect. Sometimes, my daughter prefers to listen to books as she does homework.

4. Find the Passion
Ask kids what they like, and search for novel on the topic. If they identify with the character(s) or setting, children gravitate towards reading. This can be a non-fiction pursuit like marine biology or something more fictional about pirates.

5. Think Outside the Book
Sometimes a child will find an interest that falls outside the reaches of 'traditional child' or 'young adult literature'. 

My son loved studying WWII and quickly exhausted most age-appropriate literature. I found the Mr. Biggles series on Amazon. Long out of print, the books gave him a first-hand but personal essay style of reading about the war and a pilot’s experience. Around the same time, he wanted to learn about physics. I found the Graphic Novel Guide to Physics which gave him a more age-appropriate overview of the material. 

His sister loved the idea of mysteries as well but we had to look harder to find strong girl role models in mystery literature. She needed to read about a protagonist that she could identify with. We found the Enola Holmes mystery series involving Sherlock Holmes’s sister, a character who solved crimes.

6. Don’t Get Stuck on Reading Levels
My kids will often pick up a book that might be below their reading level because they are old favorites. On the other side of the coin, introducing a child to a book of interest at a higher reading level can strengthen and expand their reading skills. Reading books out loud to kids also can expand their reading comprehension level and vocabulary levels. As kids get older, the reading level itself becomes less important as most adult novels are written at sixth and seventh grade levels.

7. Introduce a Book Series
There's a reason we love sitcoms and movies with sequels. Introducing a book series can motivate kids to read more as their attachment to story lines grows. From Harry Potter to the Lightning Thief series, there are many options. Kids that are hooked on a book series continue reading.

8. Provide a Multi-sensory Experience
After my kids read books, I frequently find the video or movie version of the book or other complimentary option. My daughter loved reading about Helen Keller and found even more depth in the books when she watched The Miracle Worker. The Junie B. Jones books and Lily and Plastic Purse books came alive when she visited the children’s theater to watch live theater versions of the books.  The Narnia series of movies gave both of them a fantastical view of the books to add to what they'd already imagined.

9. Supplement with Project Based Learning
Check out Scholastic for teacher lesson plans to add further dimension to the simple act of reading. Incorporating project-based learning projects with text-reading has a longer-lasting impact on learners. 

A science-themed book might instigate a trip to a local science museum while a crime-solving heroine like Nancy Drew may be complimented with an inexpensive spy kit. Also, kids studying Houdini might appreciate learning simple magic trips to identify with Harry’s pursuit of magic.

10. Encourage Questioning
I read books as a child that were probably horribly inappropriate like Clan of the Bear and Flowers in the Attic and Are You There God, Its Me Margaret. With many online sources offering parent and publication reviews, parents can examine content without reading ahead and also prepare responses to questions about sensitive subjects introduced in texts. Kids should feel comfortable to openly talk to us about content.

By taking a look at a child’s interests with an eye on expanding the reading experience, parents and teachers can encourage a lifelong love of reading.

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A very special thanks goes to educator and 

guest blogger, Amy Barnes. She and 

her husband created ExitBoxMedia.

Get Your Child to LOVE Reading

February is American Heart Month! It’s only fitting to discuss an activity that, according to psychologists, eases tensions in the muscles and heart: reading. 

Losing yourself in a book is considered the ultimate means of relaxation, but it doesn’t come naturally. Let me explain...

We were born to speak, not to read. Children are reluctant to read, because reading is not a natural (or instinctive) function. Children learn to speak through exposure. However, they learn to read through intentional instruction (i.e., direct teaching of phonemic awareness, decoding, and comprehension).

Reading is easily one of the most difficult skills to develop. This in mind, it may be increasingly difficult for parents and educators to cultivate fondness for reading.

1)    Your attitude about reading is reflected in your child or student. Display enthusiasm even if reading feels like a chore. One trick I use: imagine something you’re passionate about as you describe reading. Even the slightest waver in the tone of your voice affects children’s perception of reading.

2)    Punishing children by making them read creates a negative stigma; they associate reading with ‘doing something wrong’. This impression spills into the classroom.  Replacing tablets with books can make children feel penalized, because they no longer have access to a preferred means of entertainment. Though this seems like a no-brainer, children may view the substituted means of entertainment – books – as dismal.

3)    Use interests to propel children’s love of reading. If your child likes a specific character, purchase books about that character. If your child has an affinity for a specific subject or animal, subscribe to a periodical that features the same. (Getting Highlights in the mail was an epic experience for me growing up.)

4)    Find post-reading activities. My favorite activity is to make Green Eggs using avocados after reading green eggs and ham. There are countless, easy-prep activities that foster a love of reading. Pinterest has a reservoir of pre- and post-reading activities.

Is time an issue? Try these two methods:

·         Car reading - turn mundane road trips into reading adventures. Whether to the grocery store or to visit relatives, pack your car with books on your child’s reading level. Keep reading level in mind, so children move through the text independently. Though bumps are expected, encourage your child to spell difficult words for help reading.

·         Watch books - leverage a routine activity to build reading skill by incorporating story time via online platforms like Youtube. Bath time and bed time are great opportunities to listen to audio books on a mobile device. Often, the stories will include humorous character narrative to engage children. If they’re laughing while learning, mission accomplished!

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A very special thanks for this contribution goes to 

guest blogger, Jeannette Washington. 

Jeannette is the owner of 

Bearly Articulating.

SMARTening up your targets

New Year’s Resolutions... those fantastic goals for the coming 12 months. We all set them: to lose weight, take up running, get a new qualification, travel more, join a gym, etc., etc... We force ourselves to enjoy these challenges for the first two weeks of January, start to slip in the middle of January, and the gyms are again empty by February. The diet clubs lose members, and we avoid going for a run in favor of watching TV.

These vague targets are soon forgotten, but with some tweaking you can transform vague targets into SMART targets making them useful, far easier to reach, and a great way to improve learning.

Let’s say you decide to Help your child with homework. What does this actually mean?

Specific

Helping with homework sounds great. But, is it sitting with a child each evening and gently guiding them? Or, buying them books to help them learn? Is a tutor a better plan? Are they struggling with a subject you know nothing about? Or, is time management an issue? Are they constantly losing worksheets?

Targets:

1. Help children become more organised.
2. Improve maths skills.
3. Reduce the amount of screen time.

Measurable

Help is a great word, but it needs to be defined further. This could mean a number of things. I could hand them a sheet of paper, so they don’t have to get up. I could read their work before submitting for a grade and offer feedback...  Make sure there is a way to measure when you’ve reached the specific goal.

Targets:

1. Watch a maximum of 2 hours TV per night.
2. Set a goal to achieve 80% on a Year 4 Maths test.
3. Create study area with folders for each subject.

Achievable

We’d love to be helping every night and achieve A's by the end of the year in all subjects. But, that just puts too much pressure on you and your child. You’re going to be helping them stay organised? Plan to work on this one or two nights a week when it doesn't clash with your work schedule. Plan to boost performance by two letter grades per year. (If children achieve more, that’s fantastic!) Avoid setting unobtainable goals.

Targets:

1. Review papers and organise them together two days a week.
2. Improve Maths grade from a D grade to a B grade.
3. Set aside homework time each evening.

Relevant

Do they actually need homework help, or is a different issue to blame? As a professional charged with the responsibility of helping struggling students, I normally sort out learners' problems in one move: limit screen time. Between social media, games consoles and their favourite programmes, often the issue with too much homework relates to an issue with too little free time.

Targets:

1. Reduce screen time.
2. Set aside a specific homework times for them to do homework.
3. Improve handwriting so students can read their own notes.

Timed

When are you going to start helping? How long is it expected to last? By when should grades improve? If you need to set aside daily homework time, are there other obligations to consider?

It seems like a small change, but rather than Help with Homework, your improved target could be...

1. Download a workbook and two textbooks to work through together for an hour each night to improve their D grade in math to a B grade by the end-of-year exam.
2. Reduce screen time outside of schoolwork to a maximum of two hours each weekday evening by removing their phone and tablet from the bedroom and turning off the television.
3. Set up a filing system to help organise class docs and plan for the week ahead on Tuesday and Friday evenings.

Can you see how the targets now are more specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timed?

Try redefining one of your targets. I don’t need to be more organised. I need to timetable two hours per night, Sunday through Thursday, to mark student work and plan the next day’s lessons. How can you SMARTen up your targets?

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A very special thanks for this contribution goes to guest blogger,

Ruth McDonald, B.Sc., M.Sc., pgDTLLS.

Ruth is an educator with 
Sailing Through School.

Her role is to improve learning for children and adults outside the classroom.