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<title>Hassle-Free Homework&#xae; RSS</title><link>http://www.hfhw.net/index.html</link><description>Latest HFHW&#xae; Article</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><dc:rights>&#xa9; 1989-2009 Yvonne Fournier &#x7c; All rights reserved.</dc:rights><dc:date>2009-12-22T12:00:00-06:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
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<lastBuildDate>Wed, 21 May 2008 08:05:55 -0500</lastBuildDate><item><title>Student Fails To Recognize Strengths</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>All Levels</category><dc:date>2009-12-22T12:00:00-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/fca51d2009f09df65d783331dfd6b445-162.html#unique-entry-id-162</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/fca51d2009f09df65d783331dfd6b445-162.html#unique-entry-id-162</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I&rsquo;ve also told my daughter I know she can do the work and that&rsquo;s she&rsquo;s just as smart as the others in her class but it doesn&rsquo;t seem to be resonating with her. 

...Parents know their children have demonstrated to the teacher through class participation and on tests that they know and understand the material, can apply it, and get the right answer, even if a child&rsquo;s particular application is through a process that reflects the different way he or she sees the world and what is being taught.


...What To Do: During this holiday school break, we can give our children a gift greater than any treasure found in stores: the gift of recognition of their own uniqueness by letting them see through the eyes of a parent &ndash; eyes with which no other can see.  


...And as the years go by, your daughter will one day be able&nbsp;to decorate for the holidays with this special childhood gift with insights only a parent can give and with the hope that her child learns the lesson of being a cricket.&nbsp; 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Exam Time Creates Stress Between Parent &#x26; Child</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>High School</category><dc:date>2009-12-15T12:00:00-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/65d4baa065e4647d03ea3c45185a435a-161.html#unique-entry-id-161</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/65d4baa065e4647d03ea3c45185a435a-161.html#unique-entry-id-161</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I know this should be a festive, happy time of the year but it&rsquo;s also semester exam time and I&rsquo;m afraid he will not do well on exams.   I am working extra hours so I&rsquo;m exhausted when I get home and because I&rsquo;m a single mother of three, I&rsquo;m the only one to help him and my younger children with homework and studying for tests and exams.</td></tr></table>


...These are the children who often turn their backs on their parents and give too much of themselves to their peers, all in an attempt to earn someone&rsquo;s love. 


...The &ldquo;S&rdquo; represents the five minutes in the day you have set aside for each other, not to talk about schoolwork or &ldquo;gifts,&rdquo; but to demonstrate that love has no strings.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>At-risk Students Can Use Survival Skills To Succeed</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-12-09T21:02:28-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/18b41834c38c67d523f10bcd729301f8-160.html#unique-entry-id-160</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/18b41834c38c67d523f10bcd729301f8-160.html#unique-entry-id-160</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Because at-risk children must constantly develop new strategies, our nation should look to them as our hope because in their constant thinking mode we can find strength that becomes the value-added strength our nation needs. 


Once you can recognize these four factors, you are ready to start the transition to becoming a guidance counselor, not to guide students into copying the rules that make you secure, but to help them recognize personal strengths and strategies and how to apply these to learning. 


...For example, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll underline words I don&rsquo;t understand and ask my guidance counselor to read these to me,&rdquo; or &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll tell my teacher that I&rsquo;ll write one idea I think I heard and ask him to correct it.&rdquo;


...Don't attempt to establish what success is, because you may pick something that makes you look good (such as an increase in achievement test scores) instead of what will make the student achieve with trust.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Mom Blowing Comment Out Of Proportion? </title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>Elementary School</category><category>Middle School</category><category>High School</category><dc:date>2009-12-01T12:00:00-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/3f59da68774d42fdf8074d125c7ed424-159.html#unique-entry-id-159</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/3f59da68774d42fdf8074d125c7ed424-159.html#unique-entry-id-159</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Then in Choir class the next day, the teacher said in front of the class, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s much better with Thomas in the ensemble now, so Jose, you&rsquo;re out &hellip; and don&rsquo;t go home and cry to your mother about it.&rdquo; 


...That said, people have also have lost their ability to be tactful and to understand that even though children seem to grow up faster these days than with previous generations, they are still children and can be hurt by such comments &ndash; even when those comments may be truthful and not intended to hurt. 


...When we enroll or purchase the right for our child to participate in an activity, we are also agreeing to someone else&rsquo;s idea of what our child should do and accomplish. 

...I advise parents that before enrolling a child in any extracurricular or school elective activity, they must know exactly what the instructor or teacher/coach wants and expects in the way of performance and what could happen when someone better than your child comes along. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>School System&#x2019;s Mantra of Equal Is Not Fair</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>Elementary School</category><dc:date>2009-11-03T12:00:00-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/0696bf0690be5c713cff804b19533252-158.html#unique-entry-id-158</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/0696bf0690be5c713cff804b19533252-158.html#unique-entry-id-158</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[When fair is used as equitable, then your grandson will be measured on his personal success in achieving what is reasonable for him. 


...If he was capable of making A&rsquo;s and B&rsquo;s last year, I believe he is capable of learning the material this year but he must increase his working capacity.  


...But as a child learns his or her personal working capacity - how much can be done within the set time limit - then fear decreases and the amount of work completed increases. 


...He can mark &ldquo;B&rdquo; for days to brag on him for increased efforts; &ldquo;H&rdquo; for days to hug him because he did as much as he did yesterday; and &ldquo;S&rdquo; for days when he earns a big smile as a reminder not to slip back. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Why Treat Children Like Dogs?</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>All Levels</category><dc:date>2009-11-10T12:00:00-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/b6ac3c5467c778b9464eeff4fff0f4f6-157.html#unique-entry-id-157</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/b6ac3c5467c778b9464eeff4fff0f4f6-157.html#unique-entry-id-157</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Dear Allison: In his book, Punished by Rewards: The Trouble With Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A&rsquo;s, Praise, and Other Bribes, Alfie Kohn reveals that not only are incentives for grades ineffective, they&rsquo;re actually counter-productive.


...The Assessment: Rewards &ndash; and punishments &ndash; have left children with one hand clutched to their chest in fear of punishment while they hold out the other hand for a reward. 

...What To Do: Allison, when your children bring home their report cards, ask them this question: &ldquo;If you could give yourself from one to five stars for accomplishment, how many would you get in each subject?&rdquo;  


...For example, for a child who is not gifted in math, a C in that subject could be worth five stars while a B in his or her &ldquo;do not need to do much&rdquo; subject might be worth four stars. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Achievement Tests Contribute To America&#x2019;s Decline</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>All Levels</category><dc:date>2009-11-17T12:00:00-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/49bb0add7ead40e5a55f92dee06b4747-156.html#unique-entry-id-156</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/49bb0add7ead40e5a55f92dee06b4747-156.html#unique-entry-id-156</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The Assessment: In a world that begs for divergent thinkers (people who can think &ldquo;outside the box,&rdquo; meaning thinking the uncommon that could lead to extraordinary innovations), our children are measured, through achievement tests, on their capacity to be convergent thinkers &ndash; to select the one right answer to a problem that actually may have multiple answers.


Michelle, you are no doubt like many homeschooling parents who give their children experiences that go beyond drill sheets and fill-in-the-blank, true-false, and pick-the-one-right-answer-only tests.  


...What To Do: Michelle, you can help your child prepare for the test by explaining to him and helping him understand that a standardized test expects him to read and answer the questions from the list of answers provided. 

...If he finds a question he knows but will take a long time to do, have him put a plus (+) beside it, and keep going to the next question. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Take A Business Approach To Conferences</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>Elementary School</category><category>Middle School</category><category>High School</category><dc:date>2009-10-27T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/88518e49e8f439bdab4eb8f04455746d-155.html#unique-entry-id-155</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/88518e49e8f439bdab4eb8f04455746d-155.html#unique-entry-id-155</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Fournier: Report cards are out and I have just received my child&rsquo;s along with a note from his teacher requesting a parent-teacher conference.


...Dear Lindsey: All too often, the motivation for this type of parent-teacher conference turns parents and teachers into adversaries at the very time they need to be collaborators.  

...When parents and teachers can come together as two individuals who are legitimately concerned about a child&rsquo;s welfare and who want to work together, they can easily produce realistic solutions. 


...In the case of a parent-teacher conference, you want to be developing a plan of action that the child can control and carry out. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>College Students Do Not Lack Concentration </title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>High School</category><category>College</category><dc:date>2009-11-24T12:00:00-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/5766088cff82a7ee0f19e83c853551ea-154.html#unique-entry-id-154</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/5766088cff82a7ee0f19e83c853551ea-154.html#unique-entry-id-154</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The Assessment: As a future psychologist, you must be able to assess each individual based on his or her strengths and weaknesses, past life experiences, interpretations and future perspectives.


...If you are reiterating the exact phrasing, you have not made the full transition to independent learning with the long-term goal of developing your own analyses and intuitive conclusions as you listen to others. 

...If you want to fully experience education, you should be able to create one new idea from what you have read or heard and apply it to your life. 


...If you concentrate on learning, then the process becomes a means to develop new knowledge and to create change, moving education from the past tense into the future.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>How Much Freedom Should They Have?</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>High School</category><dc:date>2009-10-20T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/42370df28f1615249fc35097ac58cb62-153.html#unique-entry-id-153</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/42370df28f1615249fc35097ac58cb62-153.html#unique-entry-id-153</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[We&rsquo;ve given her freedom because we know she&rsquo;s a young adult but I think she&rsquo;s shirking her responsibilities and is not devoting enough time to her school and homework.  

...For example, if your granddaughter made low grades on vocabulary quizzes, her strategy for success could be, &ldquo;Rather than study the vocabulary words from the book next week, I will separate easy words from hard words. 

...Mona, your granddaughter should include in her weekly plan how she will control her new ties to peers, such as driving, or what sounds to me like possible taxi service for her friends. 


...There are many scientific studies that support this so your granddaughter is fortunate that she lives in Idaho and can get a driver&rsquo;s license at age 16. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Everybody Else Does Not Do It</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>All Levels</category><dc:date>2009-10-13T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/556dd1255d3204c0ed8a6fd166dc4940-152.html#unique-entry-id-152</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/556dd1255d3204c0ed8a6fd166dc4940-152.html#unique-entry-id-152</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[While this is not a minor rule you are asking about, I would remind you of the need to remain flexible to change minor rules as your child&rsquo;s needs change.


...After you have discussed the rules with your daughter, let the other parents know what you do and do not permit, and work out a plan so that your rules will not be violated. 

...Your child may try to make you feel bad if you say no by implying that you are not cool, so expect to hear: &ldquo;Gee, Cindy&rsquo;s mother is nice because she lets her go to the movies alone.&rdquo; 


...I know plenty of parents who say absolutely not to this and besides; it&rsquo;s too dangerous a world out there for unsupervised 10-year-old girls, even at the movies.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Homework: It&#x2019;s the Result of Classroom Failure</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>All Levels</category><dc:date>2009-10-06T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/35de449d6ba54ee2eabfae503efe0df1-151.html#unique-entry-id-151</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/35de449d6ba54ee2eabfae503efe0df1-151.html#unique-entry-id-151</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I ask them to think about what they learned in class on the parts they say they can&rsquo;t do and they tell me the teacher hasn&rsquo;t taught it yet.


...Dear Cathy: It is important for you and parents around the country to recognize the change in what homework asks children to do today as opposed to when you were in school.


...This makes it difficult for you and the millions of other parents and grandparents around the country to understand why - after doing hours and hours of homework nightly - our children aren&rsquo;t ready to continue in class the next day. 


...and start asking &ldquo;Did you learn your homework,&rdquo; so children can clearly understand that they are expected to learn and not just to do.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Older Student Finds College A Challenge</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>College</category><dc:date>2009-09-29T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/1a5f89c368c76c8d423350493078f4b7-150.html#unique-entry-id-150</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/1a5f89c368c76c8d423350493078f4b7-150.html#unique-entry-id-150</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Dear Dan: In recent years, I&rsquo;ve seen an increase in letters from adult workers asking for my advice and help because they have discovered that working hard is no longer a guarantee of success nor will it guarantee that they will be able to keep their jobs.


...When the economy contracts, it&rsquo;s an opportunity for a company to &ldquo;separate the wheat from the chaff,&rdquo; meaning that companies will keep the creative, continual learners and let the hard working, loyal ones go. 


While this may not seem fair to those educated in the industrial era schools we are still operating in this country (which is almost all of our public and private K-12 schools), it is the reality. 


...As a result, people are still shocked when they are told to go back to school for more learning, or they are downsized because they do not have self-development skills &ndash; a concept not being taught in our antiquated, industrial era dinosaurs we call the U.S. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Straight A&#x2019;s Not License For Disrespect</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>Elementary School</category><dc:date>2009-09-22T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/efc21fdbdfc975c05ab9dac4558e793f-149.html#unique-entry-id-149</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/efc21fdbdfc975c05ab9dac4558e793f-149.html#unique-entry-id-149</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[However, this disrespect at home is the symptom of an even greater problem, which will manifest itself later in your daughter&rsquo;s life, if it is not properly addressed.   Without love and respect for family, how can you expect your child to truly love other people that she encounters in her daily life? 

...Whether your child plans to be a teacher, a doctor or an architect, love demonstrated through acts of caring is the underlying quality that drives people to make the world a better place.


...If she fails at being attentive to the needs of others through caring acts, no other success will ever bring her the priceless immersion in love and joy.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Son&#x2019;s Attitude Problems About School</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>Elementary School</category><dc:date>2009-09-15T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/2f47ac211764585aae85dd356f1537fb-148.html#unique-entry-id-148</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/2f47ac211764585aae85dd356f1537fb-148.html#unique-entry-id-148</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As these children go through school, some begin to hold back and by fourth grade, they may literally hide under their chairs, chew on their fingernails or escape into daydreams in an effort to avoid being called on. 

...But as the monitor of your child&rsquo;s homework, you can set up a structure with your child&rsquo;s teacher to bridge the communications gap between home and school, and to help your child rediscover the freedom of learning. 


...Recognize that his attitude not to do schoolwork or follow the teacher&rsquo;s directions about writing things down is often a child&rsquo;s way of saying, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how to do this,&rdquo; or &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t understand how or why this has anything to do with me.&rdquo;  


...As for his possible fractions and math problems, buy him a math notebook so he will always have his work in one place and can go back and see his progress. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Parents Mean Well But Could Do More Harm</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>All Levels</category><dc:date>2009-09-08T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/c8cc666a3e8f2a9ad60160c9b2fbb24b-147.html#unique-entry-id-147</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/c8cc666a3e8f2a9ad60160c9b2fbb24b-147.html#unique-entry-id-147</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Dear James: Many parents have heard their children in frustration say this about homework, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how to do it!&rdquo;


...Jeff tried to figure out from his notes how to do fractions and recall the teacher&rsquo;s explanations, but it just didn&rsquo;t make sense to him. 


...What To Do: When parents respond to that often-heard cry, &ldquo;I don't know how to do it,&rdquo; they must be mindful of their own responsibility &ndash; to make the important distinction between learning and teaching.


...Many children will be afraid of taking questions to the teacher, but learning how to ask for information is an important part of the education process and demonstrates responsibility to learn on a child&rsquo;s part. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Child Sets Himself Up For Failure This School Year</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>Elementary School</category><dc:date>2009-09-01T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/c085cf6368853be88180fb147b1d84ad-146.html#unique-entry-id-146</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/c085cf6368853be88180fb147b1d84ad-146.html#unique-entry-id-146</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[My experience with the parents I have counseled in this situation come to me not realizing that the child, post-scolding, is almost always going away and quietly saying to himself or herself,  &ldquo;This time I&rsquo;m going do it. 

...What To Do: Elizabeth, first be willing to consider that all three possibilities listed above could happen with your son and second, know that there may not be any genetic connection from yours and your husband&rsquo;s scholastic accomplishments to your son.


...Going from a C to a C+ or B- may be the mini-step he needs to learn to go forward with the assuredness and self-confidence that he is capable of bringing up his grades.


...Then by third report card, he is up to a B-, but seemingly plateaus by having a B- in math on the rest of his report cards issued the remainder of the school year. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Old Style Discipline and Authority&#xd;Won&#x2019;t Work In Today&#x2019;s World</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>All Levels</category><dc:date>2009-08-18T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/d8bec23065c5dbdecef9bb9db4f1cd64-145.html#unique-entry-id-145</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/d8bec23065c5dbdecef9bb9db4f1cd64-145.html#unique-entry-id-145</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This method may have worked well in the past but it will not prepare today&rsquo;s students to be the collaborative decision-makers our country needs for the future and for the global world in which we live. 


...If we want to prepare our children for the world Friedman describes, we should be teaching students in an entirely different way and as such, controlling the classroom in a different manner.


...Explain to them that even though today&rsquo;s schools cling to the policies of the past, they will have a wonderful opportunity in the future to work with other people and make decisions together, not just follow directions.


...For example, Robert, if your son is afraid of getting his card pulled because he doesn&rsquo;t have a pencil ready, he could carry a pencil case in the front pocket of his book bag or put a mechanical pencil in his shirt pocket. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Viewing Public Schools As A Corporation</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>All Levels</category><dc:date>2009-08-11T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/c841ac8afee76dc8ae34491d4913dcd4-144.html#unique-entry-id-144</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/c841ac8afee76dc8ae34491d4913dcd4-144.html#unique-entry-id-144</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Dear Lisa: When a child enters any school for the first time, no matter what his or her age or grade, the entire family is introduced to a new culture. 


...As a parent, you have a seat on the board of directors and with extensive knowledge of the company&rsquo;s goals and operations; you have a voice in its policies. 


...Just as you would make a professional appointment to meet a doctor, lawyer or CEO for the first time, you should also use this formal way of introducing yourself at your child&rsquo;s school.   At this professional appointment, however, you should be ready for an open discussion of goals, expectations, established policies and procedures, and other aspects of the school culture. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Help Your Child Understand What Time Really Means</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>Elementary School</category><dc:date>2009-08-04T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/54cee828a8b6543544e970889af07127-143.html#unique-entry-id-143</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/54cee828a8b6543544e970889af07127-143.html#unique-entry-id-143</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[He comes in from school, goes to the break room in my office, gets a snack and a Coke, gets out his iPod Touch and plays games on it until I close the office and we go home at 5:00 p.m.


...Using the analog watch as a picture of time, you can teach him how to learn what he can realistically and effectively accomplish in a certain or fixed amount of time which has now become  &ldquo;space&rdquo; on the analog watch.


Make sure the analog watch is on the break room table in your office or at home on his desk where he can view it as he is doing his homework so that he can check the time without losing concentration.   For this reason, your child should not look at a watch on his wrist or up at a wall clock that breaks his train of thought and interrupts his ability to work within his known limits (the space on the clock face).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Back to School (again)</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><dc:subject>Home</dc:subject><dc:date>2009-07-21T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/172fd9ad98f8bdbaa5276259b6538271-142.html#unique-entry-id-142</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/172fd9ad98f8bdbaa5276259b6538271-142.html#unique-entry-id-142</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[You don&rsquo;t have a choice about going back to school, and it is sort of dumb for adults to pester you with this question. 

...They feel the same kind of pain you&rsquo;re feeling when they return from a great vacation and have to go back to work on Monday morning or when they have to cut the lawn, pay the bills or buy groceries.


The Assessment: Mark, the adults who ask you this dumb question about going back to school in a couple of weeks have memories of &ldquo;good old school days&rdquo; when they were with friends all day long. 

...Now Mark, when adults ask you this dumb question, you can answer with a response that shows you understand what you are losing as well as what you will be gaining: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll miss getting up late, but I look forward to meeting new friends,&rdquo; or &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll miss playing my games and not having homework, but I look forward to ball games and learning new things.&rdquo;
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Getting Back to Using Time Wisely</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>All Levels</category><dc:date>2009-07-14T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/eeb7a349a8e6cc744089b826ebc62839-141.html#unique-entry-id-141</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/eeb7a349a8e6cc744089b826ebc62839-141.html#unique-entry-id-141</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[To get her back in the habit of completing a task in a certain amount of time, or by a certain date, I have given her tasks to do around the house with deadlines for when they must be completed. 

...I know she can do the work just fine because we threaten her with punishment, especially spankings and to avoid this, she concentrates on her work and gets it done. 

...He simply needs to be taught time management skills and as an adult, he has the ability to recognize this and ask for or get help. 

...Next time your child gets a similar task, she will not have to fear it because she knows she can handle it in a certain amount of time. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Dealing with teachers&#x27; sarcasm and ridicule</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>All Levels</category><dc:date>2009-07-07T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/b74c4e58fd4a84a21d8bc98294c992a0-140.html#unique-entry-id-140</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/b74c4e58fd4a84a21d8bc98294c992a0-140.html#unique-entry-id-140</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[They often seek relief from that stress by taking their frustrations out on others (many times people not even related to the cause of the stress) in the form of sarcasm, ridicule or just plain shouting. 


...I know this will seem foreign to a society where everyone wants to blame others for their troubles but taking responsibility for his life now will equip your son with the ability to deal with setbacks he will likely face as an adult. 


...What To Do: Start by helping your child recall moments when he or she has lost control in dealing with a sister, a brother or a friend because of &ldquo;outside&rdquo; stress, such as getting a low grade on a report card or just simply having nothing go right for him that day (what we often call in slang terms as &ldquo;having a bad hair day.&rdquo;)


...Finally Jenny, if this approach doesn&rsquo;t help your son this coming school year with a difficult teacher, then schedule a conference with that teacher to let him or her know the affect it is having on your child&rsquo;s emotional wellness. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Facebook Dangers: Parents can&#x27;t control it all</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>All Levels</category><dc:date>2009-06-30T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/982898a6e91ab2246d0f3e57dac6a8e8-139.html#unique-entry-id-139</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/982898a6e91ab2246d0f3e57dac6a8e8-139.html#unique-entry-id-139</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Suddenly I knew who was dating who, who was in their bed, who was going out to eat or to get coffee right then and there (like I care), and pictures of everywhere they go (some of which are nice, some I wish I had never seen).


...My social networking has boundaries as to what I say, do, and share publicly; with whom I choose to socially network; what I accept from them; and whether or not I see fit to continue socializing with them.  


...Hackers may use the information your children post as well as their pictures in a non-flattering, detrimental, or hurtful way as is the pattern with many of these hackers 


...Jan, Facebook is not going to go away although as most communication methods, it will most likely morph into new formats, which means you have to be all the more diligent in parenting your children regarding changes. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>From Mess to Success</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>All Levels</category><dc:date>2009-06-22T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/7cdb6a8bf51ac6e1c8dc9c1da70c9a67-138.html#unique-entry-id-138</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/7cdb6a8bf51ac6e1c8dc9c1da70c9a67-138.html#unique-entry-id-138</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Dear Megan: While you may think you have Tom&rsquo;s best interest at heart, asking him this question over and over just creates more stress than he can handle and makes Tom behave in the manner you described. 


...If not corrected, when Tom becomes an adult, he will be overly dependent on his boss or supervisor to tell him what to do on the job. 

...When shopping for school supplies, you should buy Tom file folders to use for an at-home filing system and a set of pocket folders that traveled with him to and from school for each of his classes or subjects. 


...Lend your help and support to Tom as he sets up a filing system that works, but remember, it&rsquo;s a student&rsquo;s job to learn, an educator&rsquo;s job to teach and your job as a parent to monitor. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Tainted Standardized Tests</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>High School</category><dc:date>2009-06-09T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/310697e045b630d226cc8902a0e62ca8-137.html#unique-entry-id-137</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/310697e045b630d226cc8902a0e62ca8-137.html#unique-entry-id-137</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The Assessment: Teachers absolutely work themselves to death preparing students to take achievement tests, but in reading all they can do is hope that the content of the reading passages isn&rsquo;t intended for suburban higher socioeconomic kids who get to learn not just through school but by the vocabulary their educated parents use, the trips they can take, the camps they attend, the extracurricular activities their parents can pay for, weekends at the lake house, water skiing, and the computer and internet access they have allowing for seeing and reading about the world over &ndash; and that&rsquo;s just the short list of advantages many suburban children have.   Most children do not have these advantages and yet both sets of children are measured by the same test without regard to how affluence or lack of it affects learning. 


...Children are asked to read and then answer multiple-choice questions about such topics as taking a hike in the Appalachians even though they&rsquo;ve never left the sidewalks of New York, nor studied the Appalachians in school.&rdquo; http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/23/opinion/23hirsch.html


...Everyone reading this column, please write to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and tell him to quit spending money on tests that serve to keep the poor in schools of cognitive oppression. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>SAT/ACT Guideline Refresh</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>High School</category><dc:date>2009-05-12T12:00:24-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/e4f864f7469b3dd959ccb3affc3bcffe-136.html#unique-entry-id-136</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/e4f864f7469b3dd959ccb3affc3bcffe-136.html#unique-entry-id-136</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Seniors:  You may already be done with the SAT or ACT, but then don't lose sight of the bigger picture: You need to complete scholarship applications and talk financial shop with your parents. 

...Getting into college with a scholarship will require him to not only have a good ACT or SAT, but to also demonstrate he is worthy -- a decisive, self-reliant, self-directed student that intends to be a leader in the future. 

...As early as tenth grade, you can take practice tests in these (PLAN and PSAT, respectively) and decide which one of these tests you wish to pursue to enter college.  

...Finally, instead of taking AP courses to get out of taking college courses, insist in your junior year and senior year on taking dual enrollment courses in a college near you. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Losing &#x27;I-Would-Never-Do-That&#x27; Teachers</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>All Levels</category><dc:date>2009-06-02T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/ac5494cf05dddd8b9691a20d716012e5-134.html#unique-entry-id-134</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/ac5494cf05dddd8b9691a20d716012e5-134.html#unique-entry-id-134</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[If so, I would expect such homework not to be graded as the child is still in the process of learning; otherwise grading serves no purpose but to penalize those who have not mastered work yet simply need more teaching. 


...&bull;	Let your child&rsquo;s teacher(s) know you will write at the top of each assignment how long it took, if it took more time than a teacher says it should. 

...If you are unable to teach your child what he/she does not know by the time the timer goes off, write a note to the teacher that your child needs more teaching. 

...Remember, when your child is forty years old and may not have you, in times of need wouldn&rsquo;t you want them to recall pleasant moments (cuddling on the couch while talking) rather than the unpleasant (mom screaming about homework)? ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Bright Child Still Needs To Master Basic Skills</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>All Levels</category><category>Skill Sets</category><dc:date>2009-05-26T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/dc68b2d54205cc10c951c5e17787426d-133.html#unique-entry-id-133</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/dc68b2d54205cc10c951c5e17787426d-133.html#unique-entry-id-133</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Now in the fourth grade, his teacher insists he doesn&rsquo;t know his math facts and has trouble spelling words he should have learned in the first grade. 

...If your child is having difficulty recalling math facts, change this and say &ldquo;he is still developing automatic retrieval of a basic sequence that with repetition and time will be mastered.&rdquo; 


...Mastering basic sequences: Once assigned to be mastered accurately by a certain date, teachers begin to test how fast a child can retrieve them. 

...Parents get called in to listen to often inaccurate conclusions such as he is not paying attention because he knows what is right on one day is wrong on another; he must have attention or memory problems so you should have him tested; he is the only one having this problem (every parent knows better); and much more...
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Uniforms or Dress Code Teach Reasons&#x2c; Respect</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>Pre-School</category><category>Elementary School</category><category>Middle School</category><category>High School</category><dc:date>2009-05-19T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/c8a64278563b6116a49092da32584de3-132.html#unique-entry-id-132</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/c8a64278563b6116a49092da32584de3-132.html#unique-entry-id-132</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Examples include a pilot who wears a uniform that designates authority and trust; a surgeon who wears pajama-like medical attire for comfort, yet it is sterile for health and safety reasons; and tellers in a bank, who generally follow the &ldquo;banker&rsquo;s blue&rdquo; dress code including closed-toed shoes for women, even though most of us don&rsquo;t see a teller&rsquo;s feet.  


...The idea that clothes are to be used as a way for children and adolescents to develop individuality is a poor excuse for not teaching children that attire has to do with those they serve or care for. 

...I have been to formal weddings where men showed up in blue jeans, a Bar Mitzvah where girls bared their midriff, a graduation where the graduates dressed as if they were heading out to a nightclub, and a church where some girls go in shorts that are almost non-existent. 

...What To Do: Starting as early as possible, every parent and school should hold themselves responsible for teaching our youth that their bodies talk, and once their bodies speak, what your body says will be, &ldquo;I command respect by giving respect.&rdquo; ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Education Reacculturation</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>All Levels</category><dc:date>2009-05-05T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/128804bd024b55c8cb2e3a71c7b2b6ca-131.html#unique-entry-id-131</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/128804bd024b55c8cb2e3a71c7b2b6ca-131.html#unique-entry-id-131</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Why is it that if something is not broken, we are so easily convinced by fear tactics of pre-school marketers that our children should be there before they are ready or else they will be considered broken?


...They&rsquo;d rather do that than deal with saving high schoolers close to a dead end life because they were killed by the education machine a year at a time, each year being convincing they were dumb and dumber, that they would never need math, that proper behavior was expected and if not genetically present, alternative measures of punishment or alternative schools would be enough to finish them off. 


...Can we begin to see that the old green, A+ hungry, accelerated curriculums are a black hole in which too many of our emotionally sick, medicated, diagnosed disabled, punished to the maximum, family-buster, uneducated youth have fallen and can&rsquo;t get out?  


...They will continue to black hole our children until they spend money on re-educating and re-acculturating parents, grandparents and teachers that there is no greater natural resource we need to save than our children&rsquo;s hearts and desires to learn, including those now in college. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Pat On The Back v. Helping</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>All Levels</category><dc:date>2009-04-28T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/8be4170f2b34d383ec97f3d212997249-130.html#unique-entry-id-130</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/8be4170f2b34d383ec97f3d212997249-130.html#unique-entry-id-130</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I have seen the problems and the problems are us parents and grandparents who don't have a clue that we should be in charge, and how to be in charge to achieve the outcome that is wholesome and produces productive adults in the end.


...However, to say that your solutions to the parenting issues you faced are THE solution for all parents clearly indicates that that you have not yet had a true grassroots experience. 


...You will never know what systemic changes must be made to help all parents be CEOs until you are willing to know what you don&rsquo;t know about the roots that love as you do yet laws and regulations keep them from food, water and sunlight. 


It is clear that to attempt systemic change you must know where the external systems fail and become barriers to parents so that they one day can say, &ldquo;I did it! ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Confront Unexpected Without Crisis Mode</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>All Levels</category><dc:date>2009-04-14T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/b2b0cb58e2ed936bc65cbc0f175f68f2-128.html#unique-entry-id-128</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/b2b0cb58e2ed936bc65cbc0f175f68f2-128.html#unique-entry-id-128</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Go over the answers with your child so that it is second nature to respond in any test format a teacher may surprise him/her with.


...Solution: From now on, as soon as your child starts a new section in each class, he/she will anticipate a test date and then each night, prove to you he/she is ready to make the desired grade should a quiz be given the next day. 


...Here&rsquo;s one example I discovered with a child: A teacher at her school asked the student to run an errand and while she was out of the classroom, gave assignments verbally. ...  Solution: Talk with your child and with the teacher about missing homework and make sure this is an oversight the teacher will not do again.  
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Stop Medicalization of Education</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>All Levels</category><dc:date>2009-04-07T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/c75e0f839946279e8c3a7704ca3472df-127.html#unique-entry-id-127</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/c75e0f839946279e8c3a7704ca3472df-127.html#unique-entry-id-127</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It is for the physician to rule diagnoses in or out, and for the educator to prescribe educational strategies that prepare the child to rein in his/her impulses, avoid distractions, and control levels of activity.  


...Do not give medication to a child assuming this is &ldquo;the&rdquo; solution to behaviors the teacher considers disruptive and/or a hindrance to the child&rsquo;s learning.  


...Unfortunately, some are too scared by &ldquo;what the teacher will say or do if she knows my child is not on medication&rdquo; because the system, equally beholden to the dogmatic assertion that ADD/ADHD is a neurological &ndash; implying organic rather than functional &ndash; disorder, at times does retaliate against the parent. 


...When the crutch is an addictive drug whose long-term &ldquo;collateral damage&rdquo; has not been checked out by research, then I say, since developmental/educational treatment has a chance of working, try that first.  
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>HW Quality = School Quality </title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>All Levels</category><dc:date>2009-03-31T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/b4a142e4b7ee57d1333c0257859e6fce-126.html#unique-entry-id-126</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/b4a142e4b7ee57d1333c0257859e6fce-126.html#unique-entry-id-126</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[She&rsquo;s making good grades but I&rsquo;m wondering what her teachers are not teaching if she has enough time at the end of her classes to do most all her homework. 

...Teachers are usually the ones that give out busy work or &ldquo;one size fits all&rdquo; homework and parents often think their children are inundated with too much homework.


...Each night, students must calculate how much time it will take to complete all homework assignments in a manner that shows their intelligence and with presentation that honors their dignity (clean, neat work to hand in as opposed to crumpled, torn paper with smudges on it). 


...Most children go to school and simply get assignments each day that the parent must use as if he or she is home schooling every night. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Superintendant Demands Board Attention</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>All Levels</category><dc:date>2009-03-24T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/001f5469664f1f6fc7d50221efae3627-125.html#unique-entry-id-125</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/001f5469664f1f6fc7d50221efae3627-125.html#unique-entry-id-125</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Fournier: I am on a school board with a brilliant 37-year-old school superintendent who gets good results but wants total command and attention yet he&rsquo;s oblivious to his 6-year-old-son&rsquo;s hyperactivity. 

...Maybe Dad&rsquo;s autocratic rule at the office goes home with him and school is the only place where the child can escape his father&rsquo;s heavy hand and be just like him. 


...He may be the child of a previous marriage searching for his position in a new family, or he could have a developmental delay in sequencing causing extreme anxiety, distraction and frustration as he attempts to learn basic skills. 

...Hopefully pointing out to your &ldquo;successful&rdquo; superintendent that his child has no shoes will make him think twice about his own ego and how he deals with all those around him.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Homework: The Good&#x2c; Bad &#x26; Ugly</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>All Levels</category><dc:date>2009-03-17T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/ed484200429ff8d243b8c3736d6005aa-124.html#unique-entry-id-124</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/ed484200429ff8d243b8c3736d6005aa-124.html#unique-entry-id-124</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Parents are finally getting fed up with the first two kinds of homework and there is a movement slowly developing in the country against all homework as a result. 


...Make appointments with your children&rsquo;s teachers to discuss the three kinds of homework and ask them what you can do to make sure your children are getting only mind wealth-building homework. 

...In recent years, parent-led coalitions have had the most success in changing the system, so build a coalition of parents to lobby the school for change in the status quo from doling out stupid and destructive homework to assigning the mind wealth-building kind. ...  The teachers and schools are merely the taxpayer&rsquo;s hired hands and you&rsquo;re throwing away yours and other taxpayer&rsquo;s money if you do not get educated on this issue and work to settle for nothing less than an a mind-wealth education for your child. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Documentary Shows Disparity In Education</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>All Levels</category><dc:date>2009-03-10T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/9e7e65b354943037ddd230f1aeacc959-123.html#unique-entry-id-123</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/9e7e65b354943037ddd230f1aeacc959-123.html#unique-entry-id-123</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This is what India and China seem to be teaching, based on my interpretation of his documentary, and what we are not teaching in our school systems. 


These children I counsel do not know how to plan their future with even the slightest research, imagination or wisdom since many a career they are contemplating will soon disappear or doesn&rsquo;t pay the six-figure salary they thought it did.


...Above all, he infers that countries interested in progress, and in the future of their children, are not using the U.S. school system as a role model for education.  

...Start a dialog at parent-teacher meetings about things at your children&rsquo;s school that need to change so that they not only keep up with this global literacy movement but that they get ahead of it and if need be, draft suggestions for change that your parent-teacher group can present to the school administration and to your local school board as well as to political/community leaders.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>2010 Education budget proposal</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>All Levels</category><dc:date>2009-03-03T12:00:00-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/cfa957979489d0566dbbcc3954c056b6-122.html#unique-entry-id-122</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/cfa957979489d0566dbbcc3954c056b6-122.html#unique-entry-id-122</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[&ldquo;Strengthens and reforms public schools to meet the needs of all students, by helping States to develop high quality, rigorous standards and assessments, vigorously supporting and rewarding effective teaching, and investing in and widely disseminating effective approaches to improving student achievement to help all students make progress toward high standards.&rdquo;


I had such hope when he was elected that he would actually bring about the change he promised, yet these words are just more political &ldquo;lyrics&rdquo; put to music and sung as powerfully as Aretha Franklin sang at his inauguration. 


They render the illusion that our values, hopes and dreams as American citizens finally deserve action rather than lip service, and a firm promise rather than rhetoric, yet this is what we got: lip service and rhetoric with a big chunk of money to keep alive an antiquated education model rather than creating a new education paradigm. 


...When children acquire the skills to access data on their own, they must enter into the process of creating their own information (a skill introduced in elementary school but weighted much less, and mastered by the end of middle school). ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>District of Crisis</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>All Levels</category><dc:date>2009-02-24T12:00:00-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/85f8e4d47005f1f310457116c2afaa02-121.html#unique-entry-id-121</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/85f8e4d47005f1f310457116c2afaa02-121.html#unique-entry-id-121</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Rhee faces a near impossible battle to win, that of &ldquo;fixing&rdquo; the DC public school system but our educational system is doing the job that it was created for, that of teaching the minimum knowledge and work ethic needed for the Industrial Era.   The problem is that we are far removed from the Industrial Era yet we&rsquo;re still teaching the that era&rsquo;s ethic: memorization (for rote tasks on an assembly line); following a job description or process to the letter (the company&rsquo;s way of doing it, even though you know a better, quicker or less costly way); how to compete with co-workers to win the best employee award (obedience award); the sense that once you get a job with a company, you&rsquo;re entitled to it for life so you can coast (called &ldquo;having paid your dues&rdquo;); and that you should not question things and leave your solutions and creativity at home (called &ldquo;don&rsquo;t rock the boat&rdquo; so you won&rsquo;t be labeled a troublemaker).


...Until we can as a nation change what the product of education needs to be, not memorization, not teaching to the test, not studying, not learning, but knowing, our kids&rsquo; next challenge will be to find a country still willing to employ obsolete minds. 

...Cowardice to tear down a horse and buggy unionized school system is the root of all evil and the solution is to build a new model of transportation, not try and fix the old one.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Trying to keep pace</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>Elementary School</category><dc:date>2009-02-17T12:00:00-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/6288833634807358ad6ef4118c83eecb-120.html#unique-entry-id-120</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/6288833634807358ad6ef4118c83eecb-120.html#unique-entry-id-120</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Teachers are teaching more of what our children can&rsquo;t comprehend at their ages and less of what they should be teaching, grade appropriate content and a love for learning.   Instead we have a second grader that the teacher feels should be tested for ADHD, even though he has all A&rsquo;s (he fidgets), a third grader who gets in the car crying each morning saying, &ldquo;I hate school,&rdquo; and a fourth grader who gets mad at me or her father when we try to help her with homework because, &ldquo;The teacher said that&rsquo;s cheating.&rdquo; 

...All of a sudden, teachers were given the ultimatum that math and science had to be taught and learned beyond the expectations of any other country, thus the &ldquo;push-down&rdquo; syndrome of math and science at an earlier age was born.


...Strange that the more microscopic the scrutiny has become, less is achieved, more students are rejecting education, and diplomas are handed out to socially promoted illiterates, all while the world&rsquo;s momentum to super achieve academically increases every day. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Teamworking Discipline</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>All Levels</category><dc:date>2009-02-10T12:00:00-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/9beb2d192c1917fd90f8f3f73ff0fc05-119.html#unique-entry-id-119</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/9beb2d192c1917fd90f8f3f73ff0fc05-119.html#unique-entry-id-119</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[With the advent of television, advertising permeated America&rsquo;s living rooms and quickly became one of the most effective, persuasive, and popular methods of selling products that were glamorized by a life projected as somehow better than the viewers, unless of course the viewer had the goods or services being advertised (consumerism). 


...By the time Generation Y and Z came along, social networking sites were added and children are now blasted from all sides with the message to &ldquo;be your own boss&rdquo; and &ldquo;excess is best&rdquo; and thus the ethic of the Silent Generation has gone by the highway. 


...Between marketing slogans and billboard and magazine pictures of what teens should look like and say, and television shows that use language even 17-year-olds should not be hearing, parents are made to look like idiots if they attempt to be parents.


...You and your wife must make a list of what is acceptable behavior and what is not, sit both boys down and present this to them, and do it as a unified team. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Choosing her battles</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>College</category><dc:date>2009-02-03T12:00:00-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/f82831231ed99e7345ede6c2f75860ff-118.html#unique-entry-id-118</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/f82831231ed99e7345ede6c2f75860ff-118.html#unique-entry-id-118</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Sadly, the Baby Boom latter-end leaders have developed and passed on the mantra to our children that more is better, and they have attached the horrific idea that it&rsquo;s okay for our children to get more by any means necessary. 

...My son said to me in a recent conversation that he thought historians would one day write that the Baby Boomers were the worst generation of this country because of the avarice and greed the generation has espoused, regardless of the collateral damage it has caused to so many people. 


...Just as rotten is the idea in your daughter&rsquo;s generation that they are, at 20 or even 21, old enough to know what is best and to make decisions with other people&rsquo;s money. 


...What To Do: This is not the time for your child to be toughing it out at a college she doesn&rsquo;t like because of some notion of obligation to a friend, and more important, with no vision of the future to guide her in her studies and playing Russian Roulette with your money. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Reassessing College Admissions</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>College</category><dc:date>2009-01-27T12:00:00-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/2e84c53dc70e17ff15edfec733d3888c-117.html#unique-entry-id-117</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/2e84c53dc70e17ff15edfec733d3888c-117.html#unique-entry-id-117</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The Assessment: Recently, it was reported in a CNN news segment that Oxford and Cambridge Universities in the United Kingdom have begun asking prospective students some rather unusual questions during the interview process, including, &ldquo;Would you rather be a novel or a poem?&rdquo; 

...These are questions that will demonstrate to them whether or not a student has really learned and can apply past instruction to create new knowledge and/or handle even the most out-of-the-box question that intuitively may lead to discoveries, such as leaders did when they challenged scientists to put a man on the moon or the Human Genome Project.


...While teaching to the tests may put out a straight A student, what good is this if he or she cannot think on their own, be responsible, continually learn on the job, and be so innovative as to make oneself virtually indispensable?


While I agree we are seeing a decline in the level of ability (not intelligence) of our best and brightest children, I do not agree with your assessment that there are no smart people in the world &hellip; only those that are the product of an old, outdated teaching model forced into the box by the &ldquo;power of the doorknob&rdquo; where teachers grade our children based on the answer they want to see or the one the book says is right.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Pink-Slip doesn&#x27;t void education</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>College</category><dc:date>2009-01-20T12:00:00-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/03864833ad1ff834fce87e8deb897f7a-115.html#unique-entry-id-115</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/03864833ad1ff834fce87e8deb897f7a-115.html#unique-entry-id-115</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It appears to many that having the proper education, being good at your job, and teaching your children ethics is useless because this country&rsquo;s leadership in business and government has a &ldquo;I personally deserve a bling-bling life&rdquo; mentality with no regard to others. 


The desire for bling (flashy or elaborate jewelry, ornamented cell phones, plasma TVs, vacations at clubs in exotic locations, expensive import cars, excessively large houses, and mistresses) is to have more of it than your neighbor or co-worker so you cannot only &ldquo;appear&rdquo; but also feel more powerful and successful as if you have earned the right to break the laws when in reality, they have morphed into idol worshippers of avarice and greed.


...Also take this opportunity to explain to your children what greed does to a person and to society and instruct them that as adults they are to care for friends, family and strangers in a way that will not bring pain and suffering as your former employer has done.


Regardless of this, explain to your children that while there will always be bad people they must make the most of their education now, which will help them prepare and change what is patently unfair in the world. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Single Sex Schools</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>All Levels</category><dc:date>2009-01-13T12:00:00-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/038da4fa9f69986b44734e6378d6640b-114.html#unique-entry-id-114</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/038da4fa9f69986b44734e6378d6640b-114.html#unique-entry-id-114</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I know of no public ones, due to landmark supreme court cases, such as the one in 1996 that required the Virginia Military Institute to admit women and the 1982 ruling that ordered Mississippi University for Women to admit men. 


...A Time magazine article published in March 2005 on the subject included this statement: &ldquo;Until recently, there have been two groups of people: those who argue sex differences are innate and should be embraced and those who insist that they are learned and should be eliminated by changing the environment.&rdquo; 

...Choosing the discipline or subject that she would like to study and which college she will attend is paramount to anything related to her future ability to get a good job and be bright enough with sustainability to get and keep the best jobs the globalized world will have to offer her.


...The one where she will be able to appreciate her talents as she becomes empowered by emerging herself fully into her passion in an environment unencumbered by the ignorance of a one-size-fits-all  education. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>ADHD Revisited</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>Diagnoses</category><dc:date>2009-01-06T12:00:00-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/f5574bc65658d5153fd63216aa32cad0-113.html#unique-entry-id-113</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/f5574bc65658d5153fd63216aa32cad0-113.html#unique-entry-id-113</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In some cases, these behaviors may continue through life and be the very strengths that lead to success, such as the &ldquo;daydreamer&rdquo; who becomes a heralded movie director or the &ldquo;talker&rdquo; who becomes a noted trial lawyer.


...No pill can teach a child the difference in reading a textbook for content and reading a novel for a book report or help a child discover his or her working capacity, which leads to personal time-management techniques.    And when she becomes an adult, no pill can teach her short- and long-term time-management skills and how to continue focusing on only one thing even if the world wants her to &ldquo;multi-task.&rdquo;  

...The idea of doing homework sounds so simple to adults, yet it&rsquo;s a complicated process, particularly for children who have not been taught long enough to actually learn the required strategies. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Red-Shirting At Kindergarten Level</title><dc:creator>info@hfhw.net</dc:creator><category>Pre-School</category><dc:date>2009-04-21T12:00:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/62a3dc0f3a12054a2ec1f38240326256-129.html#unique-entry-id-129</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.hfhw.net/Articles/Articles09/files/62a3dc0f3a12054a2ec1f38240326256-129.html#unique-entry-id-129</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The term has been pushed down to pre-schoolers whose parents must decide whether to put their children in kindergarten at the age of five or wait to give them a developmental advantage. 


...This concept has become so accepted as fact that even bright people with common sense are drones in the belief that if your child is not reading by kindergarten either you are a failure or something is wrong with your child. 


...What To Do: Children have different ages: Chronological, physiological, psychological, emotional, education-learning ready, cognitive, social (with known children), socialization (with new adults and new children), experiential, language skills, spiritual, empathetic, sensorimotor, listening for directions, new challenges and more. 


...The good thing about pre-school is that should you believe you have made a mistake, you can pull your child out at any time without it being in their record.
]]></content:encoded></item></channel>
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