What the Heck! Homework?
Just when you thought it was safe to help your kids with homework, they change all the rules. If you are like many households, “homework” has become a four letter word. No longer can the average adult sit down with their 5th grader or 11th grader and help with math, their science project or their book essay. Our childrens’ courses are more advanced than when we were in grade school to start with. The teacher expectations and grading systems change not only from school to school but classroom to classroom. As parents, we often feel powerless to help and assist on any given subject matter.
With first semester grades out in many schools, your students have set the stage for another successful or painful year. This issue is dedicated to the devoted parents who want to be a help to their child and support and understand their efforts. Don’t give up just yet. There are many ways to help and make a difference. Opening up lines of communication with the teachers, and understanding their expectations is half your battle.
Earlier this month I completed a certification from the state of New Hampshire to conduct a parent workshop on Helpful Homework Hints. This workshop helps parents understand their roles and responsibilities, communication tools, how to get and stay organized at home, and the keys to studying to learn and remember. I welcome any invitation to book me to present this workshop free to your group. As always, if you have something to contribute, please feel free, or send me a note at aneal@tutordoctor.com.
Sincerely,
Allison Neal
aneal@tutordoctor.com; www.tutordoctor.com/aneal
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In The News
New Hampshire Department of Education (November 10,2010): The Grade 12 Reading and Mathematics results for 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) demonstrate that New Hampshire students, as a whole, perform near the top in Reading and Mathematics compared to the nation and the ten other states participating in the Grade 12 Pilot for NAEP 2009. The National Assessment of Educational Progress is also commonly known as “the Nation’s Report Card,” and is conducted at both the state and the national level. This assessment has been focusing on what America’s students know and are capable of doing in various subject areas since 1969. For the first time in the history of the NAEP assessment program, state-level data was collected for Grade 12 schools participating in the Grade 12 NAEP Pilot.
In Reading, the average score and achievement levels for New Hampshire Grade 12 students were significantly higher than the national averages and not significantly different from six other states that participated in the Grade 12 Pilot. In Mathematics, the average score and achievement levels were also significantly higher than the national averages and not significantly different from two other states that participated in the Grade 12 Pilot. (read more)
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Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits
New York Times (September 5, 2010): Every September, millions of parents try a kind of psychological witchcraft, to transform their summer-glazed campers into fall students, their video bugs into bookworms. Advice is cheap and all too familiar: Clear a quiet work space. Stick to a homework schedule. Set goals. Set boundaries.
There are effective approaches to learning, at least for those who are motivated. In recent years, cognitive scientists have shown that a few simple techniques can reliably improve what matters most: how much a student learns from studying.
“We have known these principles for some time, and it’s intriguing that schools don’t pick them up, or that people don’t learn them by trial and error,” said Robert A. Bjork, a psychologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. “Instead, we walk around with all sorts of unexamined beliefs about what works that are mistaken.” (read more)
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The Dancing Parent: Navigating Homework Hell, Part
The Huffington Post (November 22, 2010): Let’s begin by acknowledging that there are students who take satisfaction in doing their homework, and who, without any special prompting from mom or dad, come home each day and get to work. If their parents could bottle whatever it is that makes their kids do that, their profits would make Bill Gates’ money look like sofa change.
Because for most parents, homework is far more likely to be a nightly tug-of-war, continually demanding the exhausting, alternating roles of cop, psychologist, warden, motivational speaker, spy, cheerleader, hall monitor or a Darth Vader taskmaster — leaving many moms and dads wondering if sleeping at the office might be an altogether better plan.
The good news? A new or revised approach to your child and his or her homework, informed by a deeper understanding of what your child-student may be experiencing in connection with doing his or her homework, can, and often does, work increasing wonders. (read more)
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SAT or ACT?
It used to be the SAT was the only game in town to get into Colleges and Universities. Now most higher education institutions accept both SAT and ACT. I suggest you first check the colleges you want to gain admission to and see if they accept both. The best place to do this is on Collegeboard.com. Since both tests are quite different, it becomes very important to select the test best to leverage the expertise of a student. Read this article “Five top points to help determine which test to take” to help answer the question of SAT or ACT for me?
2011 SAT and ACT test dates are out. If your students plans to take the March 12, 2011 SAT, now is the time to think about signing them up for SAT test prep. We have a great one-on-one program that addresses your students specific areas of need for this important test. Call for a free consultation now through December 31st and receive your first session free (a $60 value)! 603.953.5025
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Be Sure to See Us at These Events
November 15 – 19 – National Education Week
November 30 – Oyster River Middle School Holiday Bazaar. 4:00 – 8:00 pm. Come join us for a wonderful, local shopping experience that can’t be beat – artisans, crafters, jewelry makers, potters, eco-goods, beautiful bags, and MANY more gift-giving ideas. There’s food and entertainment to boot! We plan to have holiday music performed by Oyster River Strings from 6 – 6:30pm and a most amazing local a Capella group – yes, right from Durham – from 7-8 pm. You must stop by the Tutor Doctor booth and enter to win a gift card for 4 hours of tutoring. For more info visit Whofish.com
December 2 – Exeter Holiday Open House, 4:00 – 8:00 pm. Santa Claus arrives at 5 p.m. to magically turn on Exeter’s holiday lights. Horse-drawn hay wagon rides, shopping at local stores and a variety of additional community events round out the evening:Festival of Trees & Auction at Town Hall – 11 a.m.-8 p.m, Gingerbread House Contest ( Tutor Doctor will have a special gingerbread house on display) 11 a.m.-8 p.m, Holiday Bazaar (4-7 p.m.); live nativity scene (4-5:30 p.m.) For more information go to Exeter Area Chamber
December 3 – Dover Festival of Trees, 6:00 – 8:00 pm. Nearly two dozen beautifully decorated trees to view. Be sure to make a visit to the Tutor Doctor Tree! If you love one and want to take it home, participate in the silent auction! Live music, hot cocoa and holiday treats. Free and open to the public at the Dover City Hall. For more information visit Dover Chamber.
December 11- Support On Belay and Build your Own Gingerbread House, 11:00 – 4:00 pm. You are invited to attend a fun event sponsored by On Belay. This is the second annual gingerbread house event… and the day will end with prizes! Supplies will be provided, however you are welcome to bring your own candy, etc. for decorating. Get all the details at On Belay
December 24 – Winter break begins for most schools and goes till January 2, 2011
Don’t forget to visit our website at www.tutordoctor.com/aneal
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