School Breakfast for Hungry Students in Illinois

The state of Illinois launched a campaign to reduce the number of kids going to school without breakfast.  Research shows kids going without breakfast do worse in school than kids who have a regular breakfast.  The campaign is called Rise and Shine Illinois.  You can find out more about free breakfast for needy kids at http://riseandshineillinois.org/

What I wish I Knew Then What I Know Now

A lot of people ask, what do know now that you wish you would have known back when you were in High school.  I had to think about that a lot.  I am the first to admit that I made a lot of mistakes in my education career.  For one thing I did not take grade school seriously enough.  I also made every mistake possible when it came to going to college.  But now that I have accomplished a few things in my life, I think I can give some advice.

Let me start by saying what you don't need to know in high school.  You don't need to know what your career will be when you grow up or what you will do with your life.  in reality there is no hurry to decide what you will do with your life at age 16 or 18.  
 

The Importance of Going to School Everyday

One of the most important thing your student can do to do well in school is to go to school.  The more your child is in school the more they will learn.

Why go to school everyday?

Students will be able to keep up with their homework and take tests on time.  But there are more reasons to go to school everyday:

School is easier because you learn more.  Students who go to school everyday are more likely to do well in math and reading.

Students learn more about being reading for college.  Students who go to school more learn about getting ready for college. What entrance exams to take and the imprtance of grade point average (GPA).

Learn English language better.  For students learning the English language going to school everyday gives the student more practice.  Of course learning English faster helps your student learn the other subjects being taught in English.

What you can do:

No excuses: Other than serious illiness or phyiscal difficulties in getting to school you should not allow your child to stay home.  Every time he or she stays home from school the harder it is for your child to keep up.  Your child never just keep up they should get ahead (see our posts about tutors). 

Check homework:  Check every night what homework your child has and that she understands the homework.  Have phone numbers of parents of children that go to your child's class.  Sometimes other parents can help explain the homework.

Ask questions:  Ask your child about their day at school.  Pay attention to any compliants about school being hard or complicated.  Anything sounds like frustration.  Go talk to teachers if you can't fix the problem at home.  The teachers are there to help.  Don't be afraid to ask questions.  

Is your child safe?  Check to make sure your child is not being bothered by bullies.  If your child is unable to tell you what is going on at school or on the way to school talk to the school counselor, teacher or principal.  

Don't miss school because of vacation or medical appointments:  Families that take their kids out of school early or the middle of school session for a medical appointment or vacation are making it hard for their child to learn.  Aviod it!

Don't be late for school: Plan ahead.  Have homework and the next day's clothes ready the night before.  Get plenty of sleep.  

By making your child's school attendance a priority, you will be taking an important step in supporting your child's school success, and setting a good example. Remember every day counts!

Talk to Your Children

The more parents talk to their children the better. Especially from birth to preschool, talking will help their brains develop faster. Scientist have found that the amount of words a baby hears by the age of three is related to how well the child does academically by age nine.

While many people agree sending your child to preschool at age four is important, parents can help their children to succeed academically by talking to them as often as possible. Children even at the age of 18 months old can be many months behind in their brain's development if parents don't make a habit is speaking to their children directly.  

So what can you do? Putting your baby in front of the TV is not going to work. You have to speak with your baby, show them an object and then speak the word. You can read to them out loud. All these things help you baby increase their vocabulary.  

Read more: http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21596923-how-babbling-babies-can-boost-their-brains-beginning-was-word?fsrc=scn/fb/wl/pe/inthebeginningwastheword

How can Parents and Teachers work together?

The experts all say that parents and teachers need to work together to improve the education of the children.  No one would publically speak out against this idea.  It makes a lot of sense for parents to be on the same page with teachers about what their child needs to do outside of the classroom.  Is it enough for parents to know what Johnny or Sally homework is that night?  Is it enough to reduce TV watching and making sure their child reads every night?

Certainly this would be a great start for all parents.  Most parents do not have time for more than that.  A lot of parents don't know how the education process even works and don't know how they can participate.  Education is both a science and an art.  The science of teaching children is complex and important.  In one classroom each student is different, every student learns differently and are at different educational levels.  Factor in if your student does not speak English.  Pretty complicated stuff.  

Should parents leave the education of their children just in the hands of the teachers?  The most effective way to improve the education of your child is to somehow work in partnership with the teacher.  But how?  

1. Talk with the teacher about your child's educational needs.  Every parent has the ability to make a big difference in their child's education.  Doing the basics like reducing TV watching, making sure homework gets done, getting enough sleep is a big help.   

2. Get educated about education.  There are a lot of new ideas about education.  Some ideas are good, others are just fads.  Learn what works and what is not proven. 

3. Get active. There is a big push to do something to improve the education system locally and nationally.  Often parents don't speak out in support or against these ideas.  The problem is these ideas are not being questioned by parents in general.  Politicians , school systems, unions, business leaders are all debating what needs to be done to prepare children for the future.  Parents need to be a part of the discussion . 

The future is bright, help shape it by letting yourself be heard. 

Get a Lot of Rest

Research shows that people perform better if they get plenty of rest.  Most people need at least six to seven hours of sleep. A lack of sleep affects your ability to focus and control your emotions.  More sleep improves performance. The Stanford Sleep Disorder Clinic and Research Laboratory has found that brain performance improves with more sleep.  Basketball players were 9% more accurate after sleeping 10 hours.

Besides sleeping, the brain needs other kinds of rest.  One excellent form of rest is being in nature.  Research shows that people who hike in nature are better able to solve problems.  Disconnecting from TV, work, stress and getting plenty of sleep is what you need to perform better in school.

After School Activities Can Help

Parents who are looking for activities after school for their children have a lot of options. Research shows that spending time with your children helps your child in many ways including academic.  You can garden together, jog while they ride their bike or do arts and crafts at home.  Anything that can take them away from video games and the television is always a good thing.  

Some parents can't spend time with their children after school.  So the next next best thing is after school programs operated by community organizations, schools, or city services like the parks.  See the list below for some ideas: 

After school programs for CHA residents:

http://www.thecha.org/pages/youth_opportunities/114.php

After School Matters - free programs for teens:

http://www.afterschoolmatters.org/#

Chicago Public School After school programs:

http://www.cps.edu/Programs/Before_and_after_school/Pages/Beforeandafterschool.aspx

Boys and Girls Clubs

http://www.bgca.org/Pages/index.aspx

YMCA

Find your local YMCA (on the right side) for fun and educational after school programs. 

http://www.ymca.net/

8 Ways to Make Your Student a Better Reader

Being able to read well is important in every grade and in every subject.  Many students graduate from high school without reading at their age level.  That will affect their ability to go to college, get a good paying job or enjoying things that are not taught in schools.  Parents can help by making reading a high priority.  Here is a list of things you can do to help your student be a good reader:

1. Make reading interesting: Find books that are related to their students interests.  If he likes sports then get books about sports.
2. Start reading from the beginning of birth: Parents should start reading with their children from the very beginning in order to get your child to read on their own eventually. 
3. Make reading a habit: Set aside time every night (weekdays, weeknights, holidays, every day no exceptions) to read.  
4. Read with your student: If your student does not see you reading then she won't think reading is important.  Every adult should read with their children.  This should not be left to one adult in the household, it should be a family effort. 
5. Make reading available: Make sure their are books (real books or ebooks) are around the house.  You can buy books at stores, like used book stores or borrow books from the library for free.  
6. Have reading activities: At dinner talk about what everyone is reading.  Talking does many things. First it tells your children that reading is important. Second it improves your student's vocabulary. Third it helps your student understand what they are reading by answering questions. 
7. Read outside the home: Ask teachers about what reading exercises are being done at school and how you can help at home.  When you are outside have your student read signs, read museum displays and at the supermarket read the labels.  
8. Watch less TV: Reading should not compete with TV watching (and video games). 

Remember, reading is very important for your child's future.  If he or she is a good reader they will do better in school, will be able to understand other subjects like math and science.  And reading is fun, it takes the reader to new worlds, travel back in time or even learn to be a better athlete.

Keep the TV out of the bedroom

Having a TV or video game equipment can hurt your student's chances of doing well in school.  Research from around the world shows how harmful having a TV and/or video game equipment in child's bedroom. 

Students who do not watch TV or play video games during the week do better in school than students who watch TV during the week.  Why?  Educators believe students should study every night, read every night, and get plenty of rest every night.  If you had TV or video games on school nights then that takes time away from studying, reading and rest.

Putting a TV and/or video game equipment in the student's bedroom makes doing well in school even harder. A TV in a bedroom makes it harder for parents to see if the student is doing their homework. Reading time is reduced or worse the student does not read at all.  Consider the following points:

• Children with a TV in their bedroom do worse on math and reading than children with no TV in their bedrooms (click here for comparison chart).
• Children with a TV in their bedroom watch 4 hours of TV more a week than kids without a TV did worse in school than kids who did not watch any TV during a school night. 
• Children who watch just one hour of TV were less likely to finish their homework. Children that watched 3 or more hours a day were even more likely to not finish their homework.
• Research shows that children with a TV in their bedroom have a lower GPA than kids without TVs in their bedrooms (2.6 vs. 2.9) - University of Minnesota School of Public Health
• Kids with 1 electronic device were more likely to be overweight.  Kids with 3 more or devices had an even greater chance of being overweight.  The reason is when kids have electronics in their rooms they are more likely to not get enough sleep and are exposed to more advertising promoting poor eating habits.
• Kids who do not sleep enough have greater physical and mental health problems
• Kids who sleep enough do better in school.
• The more television a child watches the harder it is to get a bachelor's degree be age 26 (click here for chart).

If you want your teen to have the best chance of academic success, consider limiting television viewing to less than an hour a day. Save television time for weekends, when your teen wants to watch a show with friends or family. Don't let television viewing become a default activity when your teen is bored. And be careful of letting your teen have a television in his bedroom. A study published in the April 2008 issue of "Pediatrics" found that not only did teens who had a television in their bedroom have less academic success, but they also were less physically active, spent less time eating meals with family and had poor dietary habits.

Why you should visit a museum

Museums are a good way for families to spend time together.  Museums help students better understand what they are being taught in school and it's fun and affordable.

Museums can help students learn complicated ideas at their own pace and gives parents a chance to help.  Students get exposed to many subjects that may open them to new interests.  

Most museums have been modernized to be more fun by giving them a chance to play games, make things move or even hear the sounds of animals.  If your student seems more interested in video games, try exposing them to historical information behind the game's theme. For example if they play Madden NFL. Football, take them to museum that has football history.  

Museums don't have to be expensive. Many museums offer free passes at local public libraries. Some museums have free days.  

In Chicago all the museums have free passes at all of its public libraries at the front desk. There are limited number of passes so plan ahead.  

Links:

Field Museum: http://m.fieldmuseum.org

Museum of Science and Industry: http://www.msichicago.org

National Museum of Mexican Art: http://www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org/

Free days at Chicago museums: http://www.chicagoparent.com/picks/museum-free-days

Parent Involvement - Secret to Education Success

Parent involvement is important in your child's education no matter what level of education you may have.  Parents that are involved shows their children that education is important.  The bottom line is to remove as many obstacles from your child doing well in school. Here are some examples on how you can get involved:

At Home Basics:

• Make sure they do their homework;
• Make sure they go to sleep early every night;
• Create a routine where the entire family reads every night (link);
• Control the amount of TV and video games they play during the school week;
• Remove the TV from their bedrooms;
• Eat dinner together as a family and discuss current events; 

Homework Help:
Never do your child's homework, instead help them understand the homework assignment. Also focus on what your child is doing and learning instead of being only focused on performance.  There’s a big difference between a parent who’s focused on what the child is doing — that is, on the learning itself — and a parent who’s focused on how well the child is doing.  To ask “So, what’s your theory about why World War One started?” or “If you had written that story, would you have left the character wondering what happened, the way the author did?” represents a kind of engagement that promotes critical thinking and enthusiasm about learning.  To ask “Why only a B+ is a kind of engagement that undermines both of these things.

• Help them understand the homework;
• Get them a tutor to catch up and get ahead;

At school:
Many parents work so it is not possible to volunteer at the local school.  Parents should go to the school for meetings and get information.  No question is stupid.  Ask as many questions as you can until you understand.  Here are some examples:

• Attend parent teacher conferences;
• Pick up report cards;
• Meet with a counselor;
• Get help for your child;
• Sign up for free breakfast and lunch (must be income qualified);
• Attend workshops like "how to get into college.";
• Help your child enroll into a community college or university (especially if its your first child);

Students need a lot of rest to do well in School

Research shows that people perform better if they get plenty of rest.  Most people need at least six to seven hours of sleep. A lack of sleep affects your ability to focus and control your emotions.  More sleep improves performance. The Stanford Sleep Disorder Clinic and Research Laboratory has found that brain performance improves with more sleep.  Basketball players were 9% more accurate after sleeping 10 hours.

Besides sleeping, the brain needs other kinds of rest.  One excellent form of rest is being in nature.  Research shows that people who hike in nature are better able to solve problems.  Disconnecting from TV, work, stress and getting plenty of sleep is what you need to perform better in school.

Tutors are Coaches

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Many parents have their children involved in sports or learning how to play the piano, dancing. These activities are important for a child to grow up healthy and happy.  But many parents don't consider getting their child a tutor.  Parents have many reasons why not to get a tutor. But there a lot of advantages for getting a tutor.  Just like baseball players have pitching coaches to teach them and help them practice to be better pitchers, tutors are coaches that can help your child become better students. 

The best reason to get a tutor for your child is to help your child do better in school.  A tutor can help your child really understand the core subjects like reading, math and writing.  Tutors can help your child catch up if they are falling behind. And when your child has a good understanding of the basics, a tutor can help your child get ahead in school by reviewing subjects ahead of the class.  

Students can easily lose their self confidence if they fall behind in school.  Tutors can reduce the stress of school by patiently explaining the subject matter.  Seeing a tutor regularly even after your child catches up will improve your child's confidence when they are ahead of the rest of the class.  Your child gets one on one attention. This is one of the best reasons to get a tutor. Children who are falling behind or who are quiet can get lost in today's large classrooms. In a tutoring session, with just the tutor and maybe only a handful of other students your child can more easily asks questions. 

How much do tutors cost?

You need to consider a tutor an investment.  Consider how much a private high school or universities cost these days.  In Chicago private high schools can cost between $6,000 to $15,000 or more. Chicago has some very good enrollment and IB high schools that are free.  Those schools do a great job of preparing your kids for college with scholarship opportunities. but to get in those schools your child needs to do really well in school and on the enrollment tests. A tutor can give your son or daughter the extra help to do well on those tests and on their grades.  So what you spend on a tutor can be considered a cheap investment. So how much?  You can pay as little as $10 an hour, if the tutor is a licensed teacher you can expect to pay $15 to $35.60 per hour as a tutor

Where can I find a tutor?

Finding a tutor can be as easy as asking other parents for the name of the tutor they might be using.  You can ask a teacher or principle for ideas.  Another way is to advertise at your local university.  College students make good tutors and mentors.  You might even qualify for a free tutor.  Check the article about No Child Left Behind.

Try:

Wyzeant.com

Conclusion

Tutors are for everyone not just for students that struggle.  Get a tutor that is patient, will help your child not only catch up but race ahead.  

Read Every Day!

Probably the single most important skill you can teach your child is reading.  Children who read everyday will do better in school, score higher on the SATs, and do better in high school and college.  Children who grow up enjoying reading have greater opportunities in life.  The trick is read every day! Children should be read to from birth (some say before birth) until they can read on their own well. Then read with them.   

Unfortunately, there are too many things competing for kid's attention.  Movies, video games, television and instant messaging take away time from reading. The volume of outside activities can also reduce time for reading.  And there are children who live in families where there are no books or parents who do not like to read.   

Everyone knows that to be good at anything in life you have to do it repeatedly, over and over until it becomes a habit.  Athletes practice everyday and the real good athletes enjoy what they do and get even better.  The same thing is true with reading.  Parents need to set aside time every day, the same time everyday for reading.  The best time is before bedtime.  Set aside a half hour or hour every night before bed time to read.  Shut off the television, put away the game controllers, turn off the cellphone, get ready for bed and have you and your child read.  Parents should read aloud to their children for as long as you can.  And after your child reads on their own, parents need to read with their children.  They need to see you read, it shows children that reading is important.  

Find books they like to read.  Don't force them to read something they hate.  Reading should be fun (remember the great athletes enjoy what they are doing - your child will become a great reader if they love what they are reading).  Limit TV and Video game time to allow more time for reading.  Reading is the most important thing you can do as a family that will help your child succeed in life - so make it a fun priority in your every day life.