Tips on helping your child become more independent

This last week, I had a conversation with a mother who was telling me about how she wishes her child to be more independent when it comes to his school work. After the conversation, I realized that this is a common cry that many parents have not only in Atlanta, but in all parts of the United States.

So, the problem that I pose to you is - what can we do to make our students more independent? Here are a few suggestions that I have come up with:

1. Involve your student in sports:

There are many positive attributes in joining some type of athletic team. It will allow your student to learn how to work with others and more importantly, take responsibility of their actions.

2. Work on a project and have them manage it:

Some of the different things that happen in your home such as creating a grocery list, putting together a scrapbook, or organizing a chore list is all very detailed and structured. Ask your student to take part in this activity by giving them ownership of one of the tasks and slowly adding on to their role in managing that task.

If you like scrapbooking, they can be responsible for laying the pictures out, if it is creating a to-do list for a football team dinner - they can manage the guest list. There are a myriad of activities that your student can do.

3. Allow your student to ask for help:

Students who constantly need someone to help them with their everyday tasks may not be as great in problem solving as those who are able to solve problems on their own. If your student is constantly asking you to help them with their homework, allow them to write their questions down on a sticky note. After they have worked independently for a certain period of time (ten, twenty, or thirty minutes) have them place all of the sticky notes on the door and go over these questions. They may be surprised that many of their questions have already been answered!

If you are in the Atlanta/Marietta/Kennesaw/Vinings/Sandy Springs/Buckhead area (Cobb County, Fulton County, Dekalb County, Cherokee County) and have any questions about the CRCT, SSAT, SAT, GED, Summer Tutoring, Orton-Gillingham, Handwriting Without Tears, Writing Strategies, or any methodologies or instructional methods that may help your child succeed, please contact me at  christine@learningridge.com or visit my website at http://www.learningridge.com/. You can also call me at (404) 964-8533.

Handwriting....is it still important?

As I watch this new generation of students communicate with their technological devices, I ask myself - how well do they write? It seems that the more advanced a student is with their gaming devices, the less legible their handwriting becomes.

In the field of education here in the United States, we have focused less on handwriting and more on keyboarding. Although I believe that keyboarding is an important skill, I also believe that the ability to properly grasp on to a writing utensil to jot down a name, number, or even an address to be quite an important task. I am not saying that you need to write elegantly, but sufficiently enough so that your peers can understand what you are saying.

For more information about the Handwriting Without Tears, a wonderful researched based program - feel free to contact me at (404) 964-8533.

If you are in the Atlanta/Marietta/Kennesaw/Vinings/Sandy Springs/Buckhead area (Cobb County, Fulton County, Dekalb County, Cherokee County) and have any questions about the CRCT, SSAT, SAT, GED, Summer Tutoring, Orton-Gillingham, Handwriting Without Tears, Writing Strategies, or any methodologies or instructional methods that may help your child succeed, please contact me atmailto:christine@learningridge.com or visit my website at http://www.learningridge.com/. If you need immediate assistance, you can call me at 404-964-8533.



Have a great day and I look forward to hearing from you soon!!

What is an IEP?

An IEP - also known as an Individualized Education Plan, mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, claims to meet the unique needs of an individual child who has been diagnosed with a disability. The IEP helps the children reach their goals that they would not be able to obtain otherwise in the general education environment.

Some information that an IEP contains is how the student best learns, what methods are used to show that a student is learning, as well as the service providers that can assist the student in achieving these goals.

During an IEP Initial Meeting, the results from various assessments that were conducted by the School Psychologist will be discussed by the IEP committe of general education teachers, special education teachers, administrators, and the parent. It is during the IEP meeting that the various accommodations, modifications, present levels of performance as well as goals and objectives for the student will be discussed.

The best way to prepare for these meetings is to review the Draft IEP that your student's case manager sends you as well as your Parental Rights. Additionally, take notes to make sure that you remember what was discussed during the meeting.

If you are in the Atlanta/Marietta/Kennesaw/Vinings/Sandy Springs/Buckhead area (Cobb County, Fulton County, Dekalb County, Cherokee County) and have any questions about the CRCT, SSAT, SAT, GED, Summer Tutoring, Orton-Gillingham, Handwriting Without Tears, Writing Strategies, or any methodologies or instructional methods that may help your child succeed, please contact me at christine@learningridge.com or visit my website at http://www.learningridge.com/. If you need immediate assistance, you can call me at 404-964-8533.