Saturday, October 15, 2011
Learning Ridge Supports JDRF
It was tons of fun at Centennial Park, this morning! What a great way to spend a Saturday morning in Atlanta:)
Thursday, October 13, 2011
What Would Happen Without No Child Left Behind?
There is an old adage that "all good things must come to an end". It seems that despite the good intentions of "No Child Left Behind" a group of important lawmakers are reforming education, once again.
According to an article found in the online journal, District Administration, Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa is proposing educational law that would eliminate the use of standardized tests in reading and math to label schools across the United States as either "failing" or "competent". The discussion on eradicating this bill has been very heated and has caused a great amount of turmoil as our schools continue to struggle to meet the educational gaps in our country. Personally, I have found that the idea of rating a school based on a math and reading test - to be very short sighted in light of what the school accomplishes every day. Similar to what happens in the corporate world, your evaluation is not based on some arbitrary date that your supervisor came in to "observe" you, but a culmination of work efforts and accomplishments achieved over the course of that review period. This is how it was when I managed people, I certainly do not understand why that cannot apply to our students.
I hope that as a country, we can come together to help our students have access to not only the education that they deserve, but the skills that will help prepare them in competing for the jobs of the future. Perhaps focusing on "how to learn new skills" in addition to learning how to communication effectively in any given situation would be as important as reading and understanding how to calculate a math problem.
According to an article found in the online journal, District Administration, Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa is proposing educational law that would eliminate the use of standardized tests in reading and math to label schools across the United States as either "failing" or "competent". The discussion on eradicating this bill has been very heated and has caused a great amount of turmoil as our schools continue to struggle to meet the educational gaps in our country. Personally, I have found that the idea of rating a school based on a math and reading test - to be very short sighted in light of what the school accomplishes every day. Similar to what happens in the corporate world, your evaluation is not based on some arbitrary date that your supervisor came in to "observe" you, but a culmination of work efforts and accomplishments achieved over the course of that review period. This is how it was when I managed people, I certainly do not understand why that cannot apply to our students.
I hope that as a country, we can come together to help our students have access to not only the education that they deserve, but the skills that will help prepare them in competing for the jobs of the future. Perhaps focusing on "how to learn new skills" in addition to learning how to communication effectively in any given situation would be as important as reading and understanding how to calculate a math problem.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
The Teacher Becomes A Student
As a trained educator using Multisensory Methods to teach, you would think that I could go "back to school" and take a class in which I could instantly "ace", right? I am a typical teacher, always "telling - showing - doing" until I am put to the test in a real class, with real students, and real learning objectives. Let's just say that tonight was a great night, but unlike high school, I did not "break the curve".
Yes, after two years I finally decided to take a cooking class (despite the fact that it took me two years after recovering from the pizza class that I took that resulted in my tenth - hard as a rock pizza crust) that began with the basics of knife skills. I thought that I arrived early but ironically, I was one minute late and in true procrastinator style all the seats at the front were taken. I knew that this would pose a big challenge for me because I would need to listen, look, and repeat all of the information that this "master chef" was giving to our class of 12. Sad to say, I found myself almost convulsing in my seat because I could not really make sense of the terms that he was telling us and needed to ask the student next to me, "Is that the second knife that he told us we needed or the third... I think that I am missing a bullet point here...."
Regardless of what had happened, it seems as if learning how to cook is more challenging for me than, doing math. Moving the German made knife back and forth in a see-saw fashion without harming the appendages that help me in creating this blog entry is rather terrifying and requires "skill". I know that most home cooks have a good set of knives - I won't tell you what I have but I will say this, sometimes it takes me longer to chop up a bag of carrots than to watch a Bollywood movie (that is a long time).
The conclusion that I must draw after taking this three hour knife class is to do the following: just because you don't go to school everyday doesn't make you a different learner. What I had done in school to be successful (sitting in the front, taking notes, making friends with all of the individuals that were as ambitious if not more ambitious as me) is something that I must always do to ensure that I am successful. I also find it very beneficial to have a teacher that I can respect and look up to. In school, I was blessed to have had some of the teachers that I had. They seemed like Deities in the different subjects that they taught. This evening, I was lucky to be in the presence of a passionate professional in the culinary world. Sometimes when you meet someone who has that commitment and passion in what they love, it is easily a recipe for success!
Yes, after two years I finally decided to take a cooking class (despite the fact that it took me two years after recovering from the pizza class that I took that resulted in my tenth - hard as a rock pizza crust) that began with the basics of knife skills. I thought that I arrived early but ironically, I was one minute late and in true procrastinator style all the seats at the front were taken. I knew that this would pose a big challenge for me because I would need to listen, look, and repeat all of the information that this "master chef" was giving to our class of 12. Sad to say, I found myself almost convulsing in my seat because I could not really make sense of the terms that he was telling us and needed to ask the student next to me, "Is that the second knife that he told us we needed or the third... I think that I am missing a bullet point here...."
Regardless of what had happened, it seems as if learning how to cook is more challenging for me than, doing math. Moving the German made knife back and forth in a see-saw fashion without harming the appendages that help me in creating this blog entry is rather terrifying and requires "skill". I know that most home cooks have a good set of knives - I won't tell you what I have but I will say this, sometimes it takes me longer to chop up a bag of carrots than to watch a Bollywood movie (that is a long time).
The conclusion that I must draw after taking this three hour knife class is to do the following: just because you don't go to school everyday doesn't make you a different learner. What I had done in school to be successful (sitting in the front, taking notes, making friends with all of the individuals that were as ambitious if not more ambitious as me) is something that I must always do to ensure that I am successful. I also find it very beneficial to have a teacher that I can respect and look up to. In school, I was blessed to have had some of the teachers that I had. They seemed like Deities in the different subjects that they taught. This evening, I was lucky to be in the presence of a passionate professional in the culinary world. Sometimes when you meet someone who has that commitment and passion in what they love, it is easily a recipe for success!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Cobb County and the CogAT
As an educator, I always find it very proud to see that the county that I live in have such high standards and expectations that they set upon their students. Last week, Cobb County students had to take the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, otherwise known as the ITBS. This standardized test is one that ranks all of the students in the nation as far as basic skills are concerned. Beginning today, I had gotten wind that students had to take yet another series of tests to assess their basic proficiencies. The CogAT is another test where students are tested based on their problem solving and thinking skills. As much as I dislike the "idea" of tests, I do think that it is a good thing that the students be tested.
Why?
These standardized tests mentioned above are important in determining the level of academic rigor our students are being exposed to. Rather than giving students standardized based questions based on the Georgia Performance Standards, it would be a good indicator to see how our students are performing on the national level. When our students are graduating from high school, they will no longer be competing with neighborhood high school students but with students found all across the county for scholarships and then eventually, jobs that will help them secure the future. As much as our students may grunt at the thought of opening up that "special notebook" - it is good practice for helping them in the future.
Cobb County Students - good luck!
Why?
These standardized tests mentioned above are important in determining the level of academic rigor our students are being exposed to. Rather than giving students standardized based questions based on the Georgia Performance Standards, it would be a good indicator to see how our students are performing on the national level. When our students are graduating from high school, they will no longer be competing with neighborhood high school students but with students found all across the county for scholarships and then eventually, jobs that will help them secure the future. As much as our students may grunt at the thought of opening up that "special notebook" - it is good practice for helping them in the future.
Cobb County Students - good luck!
Atlanta! Walk to Cure Diabetes this Saturday at Centennial Park
http://jdrfgeorgia.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=66&Itemid=58
This time last year, I received a very sad call from one of my dear friends. Her son, who I have worked with for almost two years had seemed to act a bit to peculiar - despite the fact that being peculiar is in his repertoire. She told me that they had spent the weekend at Disneyworld and for some reason, he seemed to be more thirsty than normal. He repeatedly needed to go to the bathroom and when the number of times exceeded more than a handful of instances, they began to sense that something was wrong. Two days after their trip to Florida, they took him to the doctor and that is when the doctors had told my friend that her son had Type I Diabetes.
I know that it is very difficult for any parent to watch their child come home sick after a half day at school. It was very difficult for me to watch my own baby brother come stay home from school because he had asthma, which my father would say "ask-ma" because that would be the time that he would receive extra attention from my mother. However, when a parent realizes that their child has an illness that needs constant supervision and attention, I find that to be a road that not too many parents would like to walk down on, regardless of who they are.
This Saturday, I will be walking with this family at Centennial Park for the annual "Walk for A Cure". I realize that sometimes, it is better to be with the people that you really care about than to just say that you support them. I will not only be walking for my "little friend", but also for my own mother who is also a Diabetic.
This time last year, I received a very sad call from one of my dear friends. Her son, who I have worked with for almost two years had seemed to act a bit to peculiar - despite the fact that being peculiar is in his repertoire. She told me that they had spent the weekend at Disneyworld and for some reason, he seemed to be more thirsty than normal. He repeatedly needed to go to the bathroom and when the number of times exceeded more than a handful of instances, they began to sense that something was wrong. Two days after their trip to Florida, they took him to the doctor and that is when the doctors had told my friend that her son had Type I Diabetes.
I know that it is very difficult for any parent to watch their child come home sick after a half day at school. It was very difficult for me to watch my own baby brother come stay home from school because he had asthma, which my father would say "ask-ma" because that would be the time that he would receive extra attention from my mother. However, when a parent realizes that their child has an illness that needs constant supervision and attention, I find that to be a road that not too many parents would like to walk down on, regardless of who they are.
This Saturday, I will be walking with this family at Centennial Park for the annual "Walk for A Cure". I realize that sometimes, it is better to be with the people that you really care about than to just say that you support them. I will not only be walking for my "little friend", but also for my own mother who is also a Diabetic.
Friday, September 30, 2011
When Should I Get Help?
Worries That Kindergarten Parents Have..
Late one afternoon, I was talking to one of my clients that sent her son to Kindergarten just a few weeks ago. She told me to call her so that we can catch up and also, to find out the secret language of "educationalese" she was now hearing as parent of a primary school student.
I realized that this conversation would be a very delicate one because I normally have to sit on two sides of the coin - one side being "for the teacher" and the other side being "for the parent". It is hard to wear these two hats, but at least it will give her (and hopefully you) a better understanding of what is happening both in and out of the classroom. I called her right before she picked up her son from school so that we could actually talk. Some of the highlights of the conversation are listed below.
This is some of the information that she had shared with me:
"I've had my student in a pre-k program and they told me that my son has learned everything that he needs to learn for Kindergarten. But when he started kindergarten, they put him in the Early Intervention Program. What does that mean?"
My response to her is that it would be very difficult to see how prepared a child would be for kindergarten unless they were evaluated right in front of me. Not all pre-kindergarten programs are made equal. Some of them do a fairly nice job preparing students for kindergarten while others may not adequately prepare students for what they need to know for that first year. The bottom line is, just because a student has spent an entire year singing the alphabet song does not automatically mean that he or she knows how to read. The expectations for a kindergarten student is beyond identifying letters and numbers. If that were the case, then we would have kindergarten begin at 2 years old. Think about what you want your child to know before they walk into school. Now multiply that time ten (it's so much more than what you would expect. Really -some of the kindergarteners are studying Algebra, some first graders are learning basic Economic concepts such as "Opportunity Cost". Okay, I think that is cool, but then again, I'm not your typical educator...).
"My son says that there are students in class that know things so much faster than he does."
True, in life there will always be individuals that are better than you, and those that you are better than. Your role as a parent is to ease the discomfort of your child that has made this observation and make him/her feel comfortable in their own skin. It's too early for a child to make these observations about the world. The first few years are essential in the learning and growth process and I would encourage you to make it one that is positive and filled with bliss. As a sidenote, I would also like to encourage you to help your student in realizing the importance of individual achievement and effort. They do not need to be the best in the classroom - they just always need to put forth their personal best!
"My son says that the class is too easy for him..."
Learning should be accessible, but not "too easy". Perhaps I would even venture to say that the process of learning be considered enjoyable or engaging for the student. Sometimes when things are "too easy" for a student, negative behaviors appear and that may not be a good thing for the overall learning environment in the classroom.
My thoughts on the entire conversation is that when you notice that your student is struggling in their overall academic performance, please find a way to help them get back on track. Most students want to succeed and feel good about what they accomplish in life. If you, as a parent, are able to help them in achieving this goal, it will make both you and your child feel better in the long run.
If you are in the Kennesaw/East Cobb/Atlanta/Roswell/Cherokee/Alpharetta/Johns Creek/Dunwoody/Atlanta/Marietta/Kennesaw/Vinings/Sandy Springs/Buckhead area (Cobb County, Fulton County, Dekalb County, Gwinnett, Cherokee County) and have any questions about the JATP, CRCT, SSAT, SAT, GED, Summer Tutoring, Orton-Gillingham, Kindergarten Preparation, 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.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Joint Admissions Test Program in Atlanta
There are several fine educational institutions in the Atlanta area that use the JATP process for admissions. These twelve schools have created a very helpful website that has been used to streamline the process of admissions for many qualified candidates.
One piece of advice that the Admissions Directors have given me as I have visited the schools is to ask families to tour the schools. There is so much that an individual can learn from attending these meet and greet events at schools and it is also a time for one to become better acquainted with the students and staff of the school.
As the Admissions Preparation season is starting, I am very excited in guiding families onto their path to success, whether it be in helping them select a school or to determine which school fits their student's needs. It is always a very exciting time of year for me, and for them as well!
To learn more about the Joint Admissions Test Program (JATP) in Atlanta, please visit their website at www.jatp.org.
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.
One piece of advice that the Admissions Directors have given me as I have visited the schools is to ask families to tour the schools. There is so much that an individual can learn from attending these meet and greet events at schools and it is also a time for one to become better acquainted with the students and staff of the school.
As the Admissions Preparation season is starting, I am very excited in guiding families onto their path to success, whether it be in helping them select a school or to determine which school fits their student's needs. It is always a very exciting time of year for me, and for them as well!
To learn more about the Joint Admissions Test Program (JATP) in Atlanta, please visit their website at www.jatp.org.
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.
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