Living. Blogging.
With a newborn son whose life I’m projecting way into the future, I’ve been thinking a lot about college lately. In the United States, going to college is the social norm. Everyone goes to college (pretty much). But should they? Let me point to three reasons why college is no longer necessary for success.
They say that Americans are some of the worst spellers in the world. Perhaps it is because English is not exactly the easiest language when it comes to spelling words. Then again, it might be that not everyone pays attention. Whatever the reason may be, there is no doubt that every responsible parent would want to help his child to do well in school – and part of that is being a decent speller. If your child is struggling with spelling, here are some things that you can do.
Practice makes perfect. It is a cliché, but it works. Children who struggle with spelling need to take some extra time to work on it. Be supportive and help your child – a few minutes everyday will make a world of difference. More than merely writing out words, drill your child in oral spelling, as this will sharpen his skills as well.
Teach the cardinal rule of spelling: “I before e, except after c, or when sounding like an a, as in neighbor and weigh.” You might have heard that the schools in the UK are tearing this rule down, but it has been tried and tested, and your child will really benefit from knowing this rule by heart.
Here’s another rule: “When ing comes to stay, little e runs away.” This helps your child spell words ending in –ing properly. Words like freeze and please becomes freezing and pleasing.
Bottom line: make it fun for your child and show him that you are there to support him.
I have always believed that getting bullied is NOT the fault of the child who is on the receiving end of the aggressive behavior. It is the same reasoning behind believing that there is no excuse for men raping or beating women.
According to a recent study, however, there are certain factors that contribute to a child being prone to being bullied by his peers. The study was led by Clark McKown from the Rush Neurobehavioral Center in Chicago. His team identified at least three problem areas in nonverbal communication. They are:
• Reading nonverbal cues
• Understanding their social meaning
• Coming up with options for resolving a social conflict.
While I maintain my belief that these problems do not justify bullying in any way, the identification of these problems can help parents and educators in dealing with victims of bullying. If these problem areas contribute to being bullied, then they can be addressed and hopefully, the bullied child can find a way out of his situation.
Experts point out that the bottom line is to teach children social skills. He says that it is worse for those who are rejected by their peers because they already have problems in this area to begin with. Rejection and isolation just make it worse as they do not have opportunities to practice their social skills.
This highlights an important thing for parents: make sure that you children get enough exposure to their peers as early as possible to help them gain the necessary social skills.
In a world where businesses of all sizes operate on a global scale and as the U.S. becomes an increasingly diverse country, traveling abroad can offer more than just a fun experience during college. It can function as a very valuable asset on one’s resume after graduation. Although there are plenty of destinations that are sure to create an enlightening experience, the following list references some additional considerations you might want to make when choosing your own study abroad location. [Read more…]