KidsTeensAbout

August 16th, 2007

Homeschooling - Pros & Cons

Posted by Kids and Teens in Your Family, School Time

homeschooling-pros-cons.jpg

Homeschooling is moving on to becoming a popular practice amongst parents. Studying at home has its share of advantages and disadvantages. When I decided to homeschool my kids, the pros won me over despite the drawbacks. If you are deciding to homeschool your children, go through the pros and cons list for homeschooling your kids.

Pros:
Homeschool children have the choice of what they want to study, learn and for how long. Education is imparted depending on the ability, maturity and interest levels. No homework tension.

Parents do not have to bother about school hours, homework, school calendar, etc., families of home schooled kids can plan vacations, visit parks, museums, etc any time of the week.

There is no restriction on home-schooled kids. They can dress, act and eat as they please. No peer pressure, competition, bullies and boredom to deal with.

Homeschooling allows the parents to incorporate religious and spiritual beliefs in their daily life.

During difficult times in one’s life, homeschooling helps families cope better.

Children who home school is well rested, as there are no early morning classes to be attended.

Hands on learning for activities outside the context of books such trips to the park, zoos, museums, etc is very much essential for child’s learning process. Besides learning, children spend time with their parents, fostering closer family relationships

Cons:
Too much time and effort are required of the parent to prepare teaching materials, lessons and managing child’s opportunities and interests.

Less time for parents as kids are home 24/7/365. Too much of family time can be suffocating at times.

Less opportunities for home schooled children to bond and cultivate friendship with peers. Though parents may take them to play in parks, attend swimming lessons, ballets, etc, parents have to work really hard to ensure that their kids have many such chances.

To homeschool kids, sometimes one partner might have to forgo full time employment. Loss of one parent’s income could be a big strain though.

Some parents do not welcome the idea of homeschooling; hence you and your child would be subjected too many negative comments and criticism, which could be a downside on the child’s self esteem.

May 15th, 2007

Studying Chemistry

Posted by Kids and Teens in School Time

Chemistry is a complicated subject and students can easily become bogged down with trying to remember the Table of Elements or what mixtures combine into which material. Classes and lectures are intensive and require a lot of concentration, and there is a level of out-of-class work involved. Low marks arent acceptable and higher grades are what Universities or companies look for when accepting students.

It is not surprising that students often find themselves stumped and needing assistance, overloaded by information while trying to stay above water and keep grades high. Students often find themselves bogged down and struggling to understand and memorize information. Its far better to find some help with chemistry homework rather than risk having less-than-desirable grades or even worse, failing the course.

Improving your grades can be as simple as changing your own study habits and work ethics. There are methods and ways to go about absorbing information that are more effective than others and the change may help with chemistry homework. A quiet room is the best atmosphere, and some studies have shown that playing classical music in the background can aid absorption. Setting aside a specific time of day when you are well rested and haven’t just performed a similar activity, such as studying biology, can help with chemistry homework.

How you read textbooks can also be beneficial. Scan through the chapter, reading, but not necessarily making a large effort to commit information to memory. Even better, if your chapter has sections, stop at the end of the section, and go back to the beginning. This type of help with chemistry homework is very effective. Now, read through the chapter or section more slowly. The text and information will be more familiar this time around.

Jot down information as you go along, but never highlight as the brain tends to gloss over what it’s highlighting and doesn’t properly store the information. Taking notes with a pen and paper can help with chemistry homework more than you realize. Set your textbook down, and take it up the next day, scanning through the information a third time, and you’ll be well on your way to providing yourself with your own help with chemistry homework.

Finding sources of outside help is also a good way to go about getting that extra boost of understanding and comprehension. Tutors can guide you through difficult material or help provide you with study tips. Mentors can answer questions when you find yourself in a jam. In a quick pinch, get help with chemistry homework by going straight to the source and talking to your teacher or professor.

Above all, if you find that your grades could be better, or they have begun to drop because you are having difficulty with the material, dont wait to get help with chemistry homework. The last thing you want to happen is to wait until you are so behind that you cant pull yourself up and get those grades where you need them to be.

December 7th, 2006

How To Choose The Best University For Further Studies

Posted by Kids and Teens in School Time

It was an exciting time for the whole family, and a little stressful too, when my daughter was looking at universities and deciding on the best university to go to. Melanie had done very well in her school examinations and could pretty well pick which university she wanted to enroll at. With our help, she drew up a short list of six different ones and we set about visiting each one.

Melanie had selected the six by looking at the courses available and narrowing them down to a certain radius from home. They were all in the North of England. She is an independent, capable person but she still didn’t want to be too far from home. Being able to get home on the train in a couple of hours was important to her and to us. If she was feeling homesick, she could come home without too much hassle, and she wanted to maintain regular contact with family and friends. There were other criteria for choosing the best university.

Another factor was the status of the university, and where it came in the league of educational excellence. Melanie was well qualified to go to the best five establishments in the country. She wanted the best university for her chosen course of Film Studies and one which would impress future employers. It’s also true that the cost of living in England is more expensive in the South and that was another reason for staying in the North.

After looking at the course on offer, and the prestige and location of the place, it was time to consider downtime activities. We appreciated that the best university in the world is not just about work. Students need to relax too, and we wanted Melanie to go to a campus with an active social life. Next, we thought about accommodation possibilities. She would be in Halls of Residence in her first year. That too, needed a decision, as some Halls offered cafeteria facilities and some were for self catering. After weighing the pros and cons, Melanie decided she preferred the flexibility of preparing meals for herself.

So, the six were chosen and the glossy brochures arrived in the mail. Visiting dates were arranged and we went to them, one by one. Gradually, the six came down to two. This was the hardest decision of all. What to do? Both could be considered the best university, they had equally good reputations as universities generally and for the Film Departments. They were of roughly equal size and both offered good accommodation. In the end, the decision was a matter of geography. Melanie chose the one nearest to home and we are very glad she did. We got to see her quite a lot and she ended up with a good degree. Now, where is the best university to do her Post Graduate Course?

« Previous PageNext Page »
Close
E-mail It