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Boarding Schools A boarding school is one in which the students live at the school. There are all types of boarding schools: for young and old students, for boys or girls or coed, for exceptional students or those who need some extra help. What they generally have in common is a small class size, lots of attention from teachers, and a serious attitude towards building character and academic achievement. Since finding the right school is such an important decision, here are some resources to help you. My advice is just don't go to any school where they make you read Schopenhauer. Web:
Education Place When you have a spare moment and you want to look for an interesting Internet resource for your children, take a look at this Web site. You will find a variety of information, games and activities suitable for various age groups. For example, I found a multiple choice geography game that was interesting. I also enjoyed the mathematical brain teasers. Hint: This site is produced by a textbook publisher, so you will have to ignore the commercial stuff and hunt for the jewels. Web: High School Boy, I wish I had the Internet when I was in high school. Imagine: homework help, reference tools, links to resources, and free study guides. You youngsters sure have it lucky with all this cool Net stuff. When I was in high school, all I ever got to do was hang out with my friends and have fun. Web:
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K-12 Foreign Language Talk and General Discussion If you are learning (or teaching) a foreign language, you can talk to people around the world who speak that language. Learn about their culture and practice speaking with them. The art group is for general discussion of the language arts. The other groups are for specific languages and cultures: deutsch-eng (German/English), esp-eng (Spanish/English), francais (French/English), japanese (Japanese/English) and russian (Russian/English). Usenet:
K-12 Internet School Sites This Web site has links to all the known high schools and elementary schools on the Internet. Save these addresses: they may save your life some day. (For example, I have a friend who teaches in Coquille, Oregon. One day she printed the entire list, folded it in two, and put it in her shirt pocket. A short time later, she was walking past a classroom window when an over-stimulated ADD student hurled a blackboard eraser out the window, hitting her smack in the chest. If it wasn't for that list in her shirt pocket, my friend would not be alive today.) Web: K-12 Resources Here are some well-organized collections of resources relating to many areas of K-12 education: classroom activities, teaching, libraries, administration, art, fun for kids, connecting your school to the Net, museums, information for parents, and so on. I predict that whatever spare time your kids are willing to let you have will be quickly used up by the Net. Web:
K-12 Student Discussion Groups There are special Usenet groups in which students all over the world can talk to one another. This is a great way for kids to learn about other children and other cultures while developing their writing skills. The groups are organized as follows: elementary for grades K-5, junior for grades 6-8, and senior for high school. Usenet:
Learning to Read If you have children, you know how important it is to help them learn how to read. Here are some tips that can make the process effective and enjoyable. The emphasis is on talking, telling stories, reading stories together, and making the alphabet fun to learn. I have a hint of my own. Teach your kids the alphabet forward and backward. Throughout their entire life, they will find it much easier to use dictionaries, phone books and other reference books that are organized in alphabetical order. It is simple for kids to learn their letters both ways -- from A to Z and from Z to A -- but most parents and teachers don't realize how important it is. Web:
School Projects by Kids Now that we have the Net, growing up will never be the same. There are many kids on the Net who love to share their work. Here are links to projects, reports and writing, all done by kids. Why not encourage your child to participate in the global community? Web:
School Safety There was a time when schools were completely safe. In some countries, this is no longer the case. Many schools are in areas with significant drug, gang and crime problems. Moreover, many students (in all areas) have easy access to weapons, such as guns and knives, and drugs. As a number of tragic incidents have shown, it is not possible to predict exactly which students are going to cause trouble and when. ("He seemed like such a nice boy...") Instead, school administrators have to do their best to avoid a crisis, but be prepared to handle such crises as they arise -- all without unduly affecting the educational environment. If you administer, teach or attend a school, or if you are active in your community, you will find these resources valuable as you work toward making your schools comfortable and safe. Web:
Study Tips I am going to tell you a secret. How you do in high school does matter. I know you may hear stories about people who completely screwed up their grades in high school and went on to become rich/famous/powerful -- whatever. However, in general it is just not true. The people you hear about are exceptions and are rare. When I think about the people I grew up with, their success in later life correlates directly with their success in high school. (For example, I did well in high school, and I am very successful.) In my experience, the people who blew off high school ended up being unhappy and poor. Believe me, it is no fun being a middle-aged man or woman who is floundering around looking for work or trying to get by on a small salary with no prospects. One of the things you need to understand is that being a good student involves using skills that you must learn and practice. To get you started, here are some resources with a small amount of information about studying and taking notes. (I don't want you to spend a lot of time reading about studying. I want you to study.) Finally, here are my personal tips on how to do well in high school. (1) Have fun, but don't fool around too much. (2) Learn to study well and do it a lot. (3) Hang around with people who share your interests and do well in school. Avoid people who are losers no matter how popular they may seem. (4) Don't get pregnant; don't get anyone else pregnant. Web:
Test Taking Tips Tests are important. True, they can be stressful and intimidating, but studying for a test requires us to learn material more deeply than we would otherwise and, hence, pushes us to perform to the utmost of our abilities. As a general rule, there is no substitute for learning the material as well as possible. However, along with your learning, there are techniques you can master that will help improve both your studying and your performance on your tests and exams. Attitude is everything. When I was a student, I used to love exams. I studied hard, I learned a lot and, to this day, I remember much of what I learned. It makes a huge difference in my life. Learning, remembering and thinking are what makes human beings special. I know that many people -- both adults and students -- think that studying and tests are not cool. They are fools. Web:
Writing Well When your kids write well, everyone benefits. However, writing well must be learned deliberately and requires a lot of practice. Here are some useful hints to assist you in helping your children with their writing. If there is one skill they will use over and over for the rest of their lives, it is writing. Help them get started properly. Web:
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