A poor math instructor can ruin your math learning experience. The anger and rudeness of some math teachers is so intense that they might have scared students away from the subject of math. If you have a teacher like this, consider this guide and ways to improve the level of your mathematical education for this year as well as future years.
Steps:
1. Report violent math teachers. Some math teachers throw objects and scream. This is unacceptable and should be reported immediately. It is not known what the problem is but math seems to invoke a superiority complex like no other subject and attracts its unfair share of failed mathematician jerks who like to take out their anger on lesser mortals.
2. Tell the math teacher that it isn't the way you see the subject. Rather, it is the way the teacher is teaching it. Undermine their self-righteous belief that they are doing the right thing through intimidation and put-downs by aiming it right back at them. But remember to tell this teacher politely.
3. Get other students to back you up. Usually you will not be the only one suffering the wrath of an inconsiderate and unfeeling math teacher. Respond as a group and show that the discontent in the class runs high. This will force the angry math teacher to look at their own teaching or risk this leaking to the head of the school.
4. Contact the head of the school. If things do not improve after you confront the angry math teacher, it is time to get serious and put a formal complaint to the head of the school or a head teacher. Use factual examples of incidents that have occurred, as well as examples of teaching that have failed to get the point across. Do not make your petition emotional or rude. You must have facts to down a rude math teacher.
5. Do not give in. It is really not worth your entire life being marred by a fear of math because one ignorant teacher decided to treat you with disdain and was unable to convey the subject in their head to the subject on the desk in front of you.
(taken from: www.wikihow.com)
Sunday 12 April 2009
How to Deal With an Angry Math Teacher
Taking the kids: Squeezing in some adult time
(Tribune Media Services) -- Five years is too long between vacations. Just ask Amy and Matt Wilcher.
art.cruise.jpg
A little alone time on the Lido deck of a Carnival cruise ship.
The Ohio couple hasn't had a vacation since their Caribbean honeymoon five years ago. Now that they're parents, they're
contemplating an entirely different kind of getaway with their 2-year-old daughter, but Amy Wilcher acknowledges, "We simply can't think of anywhere to go that would be easy and baby friendly."
Here's the good news for all of you family vacation virgins: There are plenty of places to go with your baby or toddler that won't bust the budget and will guarantee fun family time, as well as that all-too-elusive adult time. A cruise is one possibility -- as long as you choose one that's toddler friendly. The Disney Cruise Line (www.disneycruise.com), for example, offers day care (at $6 an hour) for infants and toddlers, as well as organized programming for kids 3 and up. Carnival's organized programming starts at age 2 (www.carnival.com), while Holland America (www.hollandamerica.com) can arrange in-room baby-sitting for young cruisers.
All-inclusive resorts like Beaches (www.beaches.com) and some Club Meds (www.clubmed.com) also have organized activities and day care for young children.
Too often, though, vacations with young kids aren't vacations at all, at least not for parents. "I haven't gone to the bathroom on vacation by myself since 1999," one mom of three sighed.
Don't Miss
* In Depth: Busy Moms
"When you bring a child along, it shouldn't be called a vacation, but rather a trip or an adventure because it's not very relaxing," added Colorado mom Allison Johnson. That's why this spring, Johnson and her husband have opted to take their 6-year-old to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico, hopeful that he'll enjoy the day camp and they'll get the R&R they want.
That's nothing to feel guilty about, the experts say. Whether you want to get away without the kids (nearly one in three parents has never vacationed without their children, according to a recent survey commissioned by Kayak.com, for which I helped develop the questions) or simply carve out some "me" or "us" time when taking the kids, it's important. "As much as you love your kids, your relationship with your spouse needs time and attention as well," says Vermont child psychiatrist David Fassler, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Vermont.
Even at Walt Disney World. Just recently, WDW officials announced that the resort's most elegant restaurant, the Victoria and Albert, would no longer welcome children under 10, a decision based on guest feedback. There are many options for the kids, of course -- from a variety of supervised evening programming (Mousketeer Clubhouse anybody?) to hotel room sitters, to inviting grandma, or your favorite sitter, along.
Lisa Torres not only invited her mother-in-law on her Florida beach vacation but also paid for her travel expenses and hotel room. "We did family things during the day and then in the evening, my husband and I got to spend some romantic evenings together, while my mother-in-law watched our son. Everyone had a nice vacation."
That's assuming you don't mind vacationing with your folks or your in-laws, added Orbitz spokesman Jim Cohen, a member of Orbitz.com's new Parents Panel (http://family.orbitz.com), which offers family travel help.
However you manage to get that alone time, it's important for parents to remember that it's positive for the kids to see parents taking time for themselves," says Dr. Elizabeth Baldwin, a Connecticut child psychologist and mom to two young daughters. "It teaches the children a lot about love. It's a good thing, not selfish."
Showing the kids that they can manage without their parents -- whether for a few hours or a few days -- is also a good life skill for the kids, notes Omaha pediatrician Laura Jana, the mother of three, and a spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatrics. She worries that she's seen an up tick in the guilt parents feel about leaving the kids for some adult R&R.
That goes for single parents too. Single mom Kelly Ladyga, a Denver ski industry executive, treats herself to a couple of long weekends away each year from her preschooler, leaving her happily with relatives. "I've come to realize that taking care of myself is very important, as it helps me to be a better mother. If I'm happy, she's happy and we have more fun together."
That "me" time doesn't necessarily have to be about romance either. In fact, two-thirds of those polled for the Kayak.com survey, said that sex was secondary to simply relaxing with their significant other. "I'm just happy to sleep and not to cook," jokes Laura Davidson, a busy New York businesswoman and mom of two young sons. Her tip: Book adjoining rooms or a villa so there is a little space between your room and the kids.
Kendall Creighton, a Southern California mom of four kids under the age of five says trading off with her husband for an hour or so "has saved many a vacation."
Michelle May, a working mom from New Jersey and a member of Walt Disney World's Moms Panel (www.disneyworldmoms.com) adds that there are also pluses for the kids having that special time with the other parent -- as her daughter did with her husband while she ran a marathon at Disney World.
Besides, she adds, it's important for kids to see that their parents have hobbies and interests that are important to them. "It sets a good example," she believes. Another tip: Take a day off from work and have a mini one-day vacation with your spouse while your child is in school. "It's amazingly peaceful to sit in a beautiful restaurant for two and a half hours on a weekday afternoon, and cheaper than paying for dinner and a sitter," May says.
Sunday 5 April 2009
Your Future Is In College
by EduGuide Staff
Topics:
Choosing College
This is where the rubber meets the road. Nine-in-ten students come to high school saying they want to go on to college in some form or another. And who wouldn’t?It could mean a cooler job, a better home and an extra $1,000,000 in lifetime earnings.
But here’s the catch: only about half the students who want to go to college make it. Some drop out in high school, some never get into college and others go but don’t finish. What makes the difference?
It’s not grades, it’s not test scores and it’s not being head cheerleader, though all those things help. The biggest ingredient in who makes it to college and who succeeds are the courses you choose to complete in high school. Yes, that’s right, the courses.
The more challenging classes you complete, the better your odds are for success. Take all the university recommended Core Courses and you’ll be ready for just about anything. That’s because employers have said that the challenging courses required for college are also the best at helping people prepare for jobs that don’t require a college degree.
Think these courses may be too hard and hurt your grades? Believe it or not, you’re better off taking them anyway.
Students who get Cs in challenging courses tend to do better in college than students who get As in easier ones. Those taking the easy classes are only fooling themselves. They’ll have to make up for it in college, where about half the students are required to pay more money to retake high school level classes for no credit.
Clarence Pitchford from Wayne State University states “You can’t just graduate from high school and work at your dad’s company and you know, be successful in life. You have to have a degree…you have to obtain knowledge. That’s the purpose of college.”
Brian Mazzaferri from University of Michigan says “To me, college is all about personal growth because it gives you an opportunity to expand your horizons, really get yourself out of your comfort zone, and rise to the challenges that are presented to you. You meet people that you never would have met if you just stayed in your hometown, and even just getting out of the environment you’ve grown up in your whole life just pushes you beyond your limits as a person.”
Christina Wilkins from Lake Superior State University adds that “there are just so many different opportunities that college has given me to choose exactly what I want to do.”
Myths that Hold High School Students Back
by EduGuide Staff
Topics:
Choosing College, Study Skills and Academics
1. Algebra I is Algebra I.
The titles for courses vary and so does their rigor. Students who get an “A” in one Algebra I class may have missed so much that they would only score a “C” in a more challenging version of the course at the same or another school. Many students don’t find that out until they get to college and see how far behind they are.
Aside from asking local students who’ve gone on to college how they fared, how do you tell now if you’re really getting what you need? It helps if the teachers have majored in the subjects themselves and have a record of not passing everyone regardless of performance.
If the courses are marked as AP (Advanced Placement) or IB (International Baccalaureate), the content meets national standards to prepare students for college level work. Even if it’s not an AP or IB course itself, if it leads to one, chances are better it’s on track. You can see how well the school’s courses stay on track based on how many students score well enough on the course’s AP exam to earn college credit — 2-in-3 students pass on average.
2. My senior year doesn’t count.
It may count against you if you don’t stay on track. With more competition for college seats, some colleges are rejecting previously accepted students if their course load and grades decline. Senior year is the bridge you build to the rest of your life; make sure it gets you as far as you want to go.
3. I can get a good paying job out of high school.
Probably not. The fastest growing jobs require some education beyond high school. Adults with just a high school diploma are twice as likely to be unemployed as those with a bachelor’s degree.
4. I need a bachelor’s degree to get a good paying job.
A traditional four- or five-year bachelor’s degree is a good thing to have, but there’s also growing demand for a wide range of other college degrees and apprenticeship certifications that may take from one to several years to complete after high school. It depends on what you want to do. Choose your career path then choose your degree.
5. We can’t afford college.
Yes, you can. More than 70 percent of students get some form of financial aid. Almost all students can cover any additional needs they have with loans, if necessary. The military offers several ways to pay for college plus degrees you can earn while you serve. There’s lots of help available if you ask.
6. The hardest part of college is getting in.
Getting a degree is harder for most students. Almost half of students who enroll leave without finishing.
7. Everyone wants me to succeed.
Not always. Most people want to help most of the time. But you need to be committed to your own success even when others aren’t. Your friends may call you a geek. Even your teachers may sometimes seem too busy or wrapped up in rules to help. This isn’t about them, it’s about you. You’ll grow stronger by keeping faith with your dreams and working toward them every day.
Choosing College: The Top Five Reasons Why College Is A Good Investment
by Susan J. Demas
Topics:
Choosing College
No doubt about it. College is challenging, costly and a big time commitment. So why go?
1. It’s all about the Benjamins. College graduates on average make a whopping $1 million more in lifetime earnings than those with a high school diploma. Talk about motivation for staying in school. Spend money smartly now on college and you’ll probably get it back in spades.
2. Unemployment insurance. Did you know that a college degree is the best way to protect yourself against unemployment? College-educated individuals have much lower rates of joblessness than those with a high school diploma or less education. In a changing economy, this is a big bonus.
3. Make yourself marketable. Even in states with high unemployment, there are thousands of jobs that go unfilled. Why? Many jobs in the fastest-growing industries such as health care, education and business support services require a bachelor’s degree or above – and the number keeps growing. Right now, there aren’t enough qualified workers – there’s your opening!
4. The incredibly shrinking blue-collar sector. On the flip side, there are fewer options for those without college degrees now -- and there will be less in the future. Occupations losing the most jobs are clerks, cashiers, telemarketers, packagers and farmers. There’s more competition for jobs that pay less and have less security. Investing in a college degree is a much better deal – you have more options that pay better, too!
5. Health and happiness. Those with college degrees have better health, exercise more and smoke less. This is related to the fact that their employers are likelier to offer better health plans and perks like gym memberships. College-educated people also volunteer and vote more, making them more active in their communities. Hitting the books can cause a ripple effect for other areas of your life. Who knew?
Susan J. Demas is a contributing editor to EduGuide and 2006 Knight Foundation Fellow in Nonprofits Journalism.
Career Planning: It's Never too Early to Start
by William Rapai
Topics:
- none -
Maria Hartman doesn’t remember much about the career aptitude test she took last year in eighth grade. She knows that she put information about her interests and her strengths and weaknesses into a computer. The computergave her back a list of careers that might interest her. She’s still not sure what she wants to do.
But Maria, 14, her mother Michelle and local school guidance counselor Christine Cramer all agree that even though the computer exercises didn’t set off any fireworks, it ignited a critical spark in the freshman at Michigan’s Grosse Pointe South High School.
For the first time, she started thinking about what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. More immediately, she charted out a map for the courses and experiences that would pave her road to success.
“Our goal is to get kids looking at the bigger picture,” says Cramer. “Kids at this age tend to live in the moment. They’re not thinking about next week. They’re not thinking about their strengths and weaknesses. That kind of thing is irrelevant in their lives right now.”
“So this is a good time to get them to start– because they would not otherwise be doing that on their own,” Cramer says. “We don’t even want them to narrow it down to one pathway—we just want to get them thinking about the possibilities.”
And the possibilities for today’s students are surprising. The tech explosion and service sector expansion have created whole new career fields while wiping out others. It’s a different job market than their parents entered as few as twenty years ago.
On the one hand many manufacturing and technical jobs once thought low-skilled and low-pay, now provide professional wages. On the other hand, more and more jobs where a high school degree was enough now require at least a one or two-year college degree just to get in the door.
During this time, the unemployment rate for drop-outs and even for those who stop at high school graduation has surged, while the number of factory jobs held by people with some college education has tripled.
Fortunately, Cramer says students like Maria have new opportunities to explore and prepare for careers through:
• School programs that help students choose their courses and programs based on their career interests.
• Specialized schools that allow students to take college-level classes in high school or attend a school within a school where their daily classroom work is based on their chosen career pathway.
• A growing variety of internship, informational interview and job shadowing programs.
• After-school community programs that teach business, personal finance and life skills.
Not Your Father's Career Ladder
Although programs vary, there’s been a major change in the way schools look at this issue.
Twenty years ago, a guidance counselor might have put a student like Maria on a track to college or a vocational school without giving her personal interests a second thought. Today, students are not only encouraged to explore broad career areas but are also expected to enter high school having made some initial choices and begun a plan for their future.
At this point, parents might be wondering: why should my child start to think about a career that may be five or 10 years away when he can’t even decide what to wear to school in the morning?
Making education relevant—particularly at this level—is critical because students are more likely to drop out in ninth grade than any other grade, according to Patty Cantu, director of the Michigan Office of Career and Technical Preparation.
“Lots of students begin to wonder why they are taking these courses," Cantu said. "They don’t think they’re ever going to use this stuff.”
“It’s a process. Students shouldn’t have to make a career choice [from scratch] in the 12th grade; they lack the aptitude and self-knowledge,” Cantu says. “So schools are starting as early as kindergarten to help children explore careers. What does a firefighter do? What does a police officer do?”
“In middle school, we ask students to start thinking with a little more structure and to start to develop a plan for what they want to do in high school,” Cantu says. “If you want to be a neurosurgeon, you need these skills; if you want to be a mechanic, you need these other skills.”
New High School Choices
The first step in that future career may be choosing a high school program. For some, that process has become almost as important as choosing a college. In larger districts, students can choose between an old-fashioned comprehensive high school or new models like academic academies and middle colleges.
Even in some rural districts students have more choices through regional programs and virtual learning courses taught over the Internet. For example, Bayshore High School in Bradenton, Florida, has three academic academies—schools within the high school.
Each specializes in a different career pathway: engineering, performing arts and science, says Vice Principal Elizabeth Howard. “We want to show them that the skills they get here transfer to other fields,” Howard says. “If you are going into the medical field, you still need to have good writing skills and you have to be able to do a certain level of math. We need to give kids the necessary skills to survive and to be able to transfer their skills from one career to another.”
A different model at San Mateo Middle College in San Mateo, CA gives kids a head start on college. Principal Greg Quigley says juniors and seniors take college-level classes at the College of San Mateo along with their high school courses. Because there’s a strong career development emphasis, the high school students also use the college’s career development center and attend its job skill seminars and career fairs.
Such middle college programs, once thought to fit only the most gifted students, are now helping a wider circle of students accelerate their learning and tie it to something they can use to get ahead.
But before enrolling a student in a high school or special program, Larry Good, CEO of Corporation for a Skilled Workforce in Ann Arbor, MI urges parents to explore their options. Because many large districts offer several different types of high schools, parents need to ask, which of these schools can teach my child skills that will transfer across wide careers with several different kinds of employers?
“When I was a kid, the model was you would go to work for a company and navigate [up the ladder] within the company,” Good says. “Now, because people shift jobs and careers so often, they need skills that will go from one place to another.”
They should also ask about the program’s bottom line. What percentage of students takes courses where they can earn college credit? And what percentage of those students actually do well enough in the course to get college credit? What’s the breakdown of where students who start in the program end up? Can you talk to some of them?
Me And My Shadow
Learning about careers and picking up job skills doesn’t end at the schoolhouse door. In fact, students often learn more through hands-on experiences with employers and specialized community programs. Hands-on experience in the job market now comes in a wide variety of flavors and bite size packages that can cost as little as a few hours in a busy student’s schedule. Popular favorites include:
* Information interview.
The quickest and most overlooked way for students to get the inside scoop on a field and build connections that could land them a job some day. In a little more than an hour, you can learn more from a single live person than you might in a week of Internet searches.
* Job shadow.
Like a long informational interview except you’ll tag along with your interviewee for a few hours or a few days to see how she actually spends her time.
* Internship.
Your free or partially paid grunt labor in exchange for a few weeks or a few months of seeing how a business in your field really works and learning some on-the-job basics. The best internships allow you to take responsibility for a project or task and spend some of your time job shadowing the roles that interest you most.
* Work.
You can learn some good work fundamentals—being prompt, serving others, taking responsibility—even while you’re burger flipping. But look a little harder and you may find work that will let you get paid for exploring your interests and acquiring entry-level office or technical skills that will open the door to better jobs. Outside work can actually help boost academic performance, so long as it stays under ten hours a week during the school year.
* Running a business.
There’s more than one way to make a living and it doesn’t have to be working for someone else. Entrepreneurs are the spark that keeps our economy burning. Get a feel for the heat first hand by figuring out how to provide top-notch customer service to your lawn mowing or babysitting customers. Take it to the next level by finding products or services that you can sell to your neighbors. Take it to the max by hiring your pals to help. You may or may not earn a lot, but you’ll definitely learn a lot.
Keith Gall, a vice president at Junior Achievement Worldwide, has helped develop a national job shadow program that takes place every Groundhog’s Day for more than 1 million students. The job shadow program is exactly as it sounds: a student follows a willing adult through a workday.
“The idea behind job shadowing is not to get kids on a path that they can’t change from, but give them an idea of what’s out there,” Gall says. “This is more about getting exposure than it is about making a final decision.”
Gall believes it’s critical for children to get workplace experience before they leave high school, even if it’s just to eliminate a possible career. If a path they once thought paved with gold is really full of potholes, it’s a lot easier to find that out now and choose another route than after ten years of preparing for a career that’s the wrong fit.
If a student’s school doesn’t have a job-shadow program, companies are often willing to open their doors to curious students through a contact with their human resource or public relations department. Boys and Girls Clubs and the Boy Scouts’ Explorers program provide another way to connect with careers. The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) gives students a chance to learn about teamwork skills and jobs in the military.
Counselor Cramer compares the process to taking a trip.
“We‘re starting them on a long path,” Cramer says. “A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.”
William Rapai is a stay-at-home dad of two girls in Grosse Pointe, MI, who has also worked as an editor at the Detroit Free Press and the Boston Globe. With his youngest daughter starting kindergarten next year, he’s starting to think about his own career goals — again.
High School Questions About Career Preparation: What Parents Can Do
Preparation: What Parents Can Do
by EduGuide Staff
Topics:
Study Skills and Academics
Answering high school questions about careers can have a big payoff for your teen.
* If your teen is doing well at high school academics, a career focus can make selecting a college and choosing a major easier. It also opens the door to other training options.
* If your teen is struggling in school, a career focus can add purpose to his or her studies and give grades a lift.
What Parents Can Do...
1. Encourage your teen to investigate a variety of careers. Talk about your work at the dinner table or with friends and relatives. Keep it positive--no complaints or gossip!
2. Stress to your teen that high school academics, including student homework, is their work. Attendance is important. You don't take a day off from work just because you feel like it. The same goes for school.
3. Explore with your teen, without being judgmental, her or his personal talents, strengths, likes and dislikes. Ask: What do you like to do? What skills do you have? Do you like being around people? Do you prefer working outdoors or indoors?The more teens know about themselves, the easier it'll be for them to recognize the careers that suit them best.
4. Help your teen experience as many different work situations as possible. Take advantage of both formal and informal work exposure programs. These include:
* Job shadowing: Going through a day or two of work watching someone do his or her job.
* Mentoring: Being paired with a working adult to discuss interests, personal skills, and job requirements.
* Internships: A chance to work in a job with an employer for a few weeks or longer to learn more about a career field.
* Cooperative education: Working at a job under the school's supervision while also going to school.
* School-to-Registered Apprenticeships: A work experience in a technical field that helps the apprentice begin to learn the skills required for a specific job.
5. Provide as many opportunities as you can for your son or daughter to learn technology--knowledge that is essential for success in today's workplace.
* Encourage your teenager to sign up for computer literacy, on-line learning and technology application courses in school.
* Find out what technology courses your school offers and decide together which might be appropriate for your teen. Taking such a course will give your teen hands-on experience with the tools, techniques and skills involved in a range of careers.
6. Encourage your schools to expose students to career choices, through career fairs, field trips and class speakers. Go with your teen to career fairs in your area. Make use of career information available through your school. Many schools maintain extensive career reference libraries, including computer data bases and career interest tests.
7. Remind teens that preparing for a career is part of what education is about. It's okay not to know what they want to do for the rest of their lives. It's not okay to avoid thinking about future career goals altogether.
8. Guide your teenager toward acquiring skills. Every job requires people to use both head and hand skills. Suggest courses that teach and apply skills--like keyboarding, automotive technology, accounting, graphic design, construction, journalism, or marketing. These are equally important to both college-bound and non-college-bound teens.
9. Give your teen responsibility, the more the better. Begin with jobs around the house or for a neighbor or relative. Part time employment can be a great experience. Young people need to learn that we all have to carry our own weight--that we're all important and that people rely on us to get things done.
10. Suggest career opportunities that were once considered only for males or only for females. It may take extra commitment to cross gender lines, but there are excellent job opportunities for persons entering non-traditional career fields.
Bonus Tip!
Keep a sense of humor. No matter how hard we try to point our sons or daughters in the right direction, we can't live their lives for them. So keep your approach light. Be persistent in presenting opportunities; be relaxed in expecting outcomes. Avoid being judgmental.
If you are interested in additional information about career development opportunities and options, contact your student's school counselor.
Adapted with permission from The Link, a publication of the Macomb County School To Work Partnership
