Why do you need to learn most, if not all, of the important terms that you
usually find in your life insurance quotes? The answer is probably simple: you need it so that you could get the best
kind of insurance coverage as you always want it yourself.
And how this is possible then? You see, most of the insurance companies are
fond of using specific terms which means also in much specific way than in
general. Terms such as rates, claims, penalties, premiums, all of these have
their unique ways in the overall processes of your insurance buying and paying
methods.
Thus, you had better ensure
yourself that you do know what a claim means, for instance, in your life
insurance coverage, before you decide to buy any. Make sure you do understand
how to make one and in what condition, or conditions, you are deemed eligible
to apply for one. Such knowledge will not just help you getting the best life
insurance coverage precisely as you want it for, but it could also help you
saving more and much of your time, energy and, of course, money: for why bother
trying to make any claim if you know a certain condition is simply ineligible for
one?
Homeschooling in the USA has grown considerably from its once obscure beginnings to its present status as a justifiable alternative over the regular academic environment.
In 2007, it was estimated that 1.5 million school aged students are being educated in their homes. This number has an estimated growth of 2.9% from the last survey made on 2003. Presently, the statistics of homeschooling in the USA continues to grow.
The parents' decision is the major factor of this increase. There are many reasons considered why they have decided to pull their children out from their corresponding schools.
According to a study done by the National Household Education Survey (NHES), there are three major reasons why parents have decided to put their children in homeschool.
The biggest factor is the parents' growing concern about the country's worsening school environment. These parents felt that they can do a better job in teaching their children from the safety of their homes, away from the poorly controlled environment that most American state schools have today.
The second factor is their religious and moral obligations to teach their children the lessons that are acceptable to their chosen faith. Religion in the USA is widely diversified making it hard to tailor fit the lessons that will be acceptable to each student's religious orientation.
Lastly, the third influence would be the poor perception of parents about the school curriculum. They believe that their children are not being challenged enough which results to a lower performance as compared to the standards set by other first world nations. This greatly affects their children's competitiveness and proficiency.
Another American school, Trinity, did a survey which greatly reflected the same sentiments of the parents. These are the same sentiments that drove them to put their children into homeschool. The factors are as follows:
• 48.9% of parents are confident that they can provide a better education to their children with a better curricula, social programs, and moral developments.
• 38.4% of parents are compelled to give their children secular education because their religious beliefs are not being tackled by the available schools in their area
• 25.6% of the schools in the US today are perceived to have a poor learning environment; therefore they tend to stunt the growth of the attending students. The school is trying to accommodate everybody making it crowded for all the students. This in return results to an unfocused learning environment
• Family reasons are cited by 16.8%of the parents.
• 15.1% of parents are also concerned that the school is not developing their children's moral being
• 12.1% of parents strongly object the school teachers method of teaching
• 11.6% of parents believe that the school is not challenging enough for the student making them intellectually inferior if compared to the students of other nations.
• 11.5% say that there are problems left unidentified by the parents with the schools available in their area.
• 9.0% of the parents have observed that the students attending the existing school in their area have different behavioral problems uncontrolled by the school's disciplinary committee
• 8.2% of those have kids have special needs or disability that cannot be addressed by regular schools.
In conclusion, homeschooling in the USA have grown much because of these factors. Currently, this matter is still being debated whether if it's really beneficial for the homeschooled children while not being able to experience the social interaction that is being promoted by the state schools. Meanwhile, the parents who decided to teach their kids at home must be greatly committed in order to give the quality education that their children deserve.
It is not easy to decide whether or not a home study program is right for your child. There are many considerations that you will have to weigh in order arrive at a logical choice. This decision is a consideration of many factors like the necessity of the program to the well-being of your child; the level of competence that your child have; the teacher's skills and credentials; and the willingness of both parent/s and child to share the experience of homeschooling.
Each decision has two sides that will have to be carefully deliberated. There will always be gains and losses - the secret lies with how much do the gains outweigh the losses?
One should always bear in mind that no matter how good a lesson plan is, it can never take the place of social interaction and emotional training that typical schools normally offer. If this is remembered, a good planner can actually make a home study program successful by trying to introduce innovations that are designed to compensate the training gaps of home schooling.
One major factor that can greatly affect your home school decision is the child itself. It is very important that the would-be student is willing to take the home study challenge. A child that resents the very idea of home schooling is a disaster recipe that is about to be cooked.
The child should be determined to learn his lessons even if the homeschooling program has its limitations. He must have the emotional maturity to understand the reason of the new study program and why was he pulled out from his former school.
These limitations can be resolved by the introduction of varied activities that will stir his interests; it will also make up for the drawbacks of being homeschooled. These activities may include sports, arts, music, and other outdoor activities.
The success of the home study program doesn't rely alone on the student but the educators were also asked to play their vital part. If the teacher is also one of the parents, he will have to sacrifice a great deal about his social life in order to provide the best education for his children.
It is also important to assess if the educators are capable to teach the required curriculum. It will be such a waste if it will be discovered later on that the kids have not learned enough from the program. Attendance is also a must. It is advisable for the parent or teacher to set a regular schedule for the class and a different time for doing other things. This will set the kid's minds about consistency and regularity of the set-up.
Aside from these mentioned advices, a successful home study program greatly relies on the commitment of parent/s and the children. Focus is undoubtedly needed in order to finish whatever both have already started, even if distractions will come to your way.
Lastly, it is important to always seek what else can be done better when you're homeschooling. Above everything else, homeschooling is being proposed if there is something you could do better for the child. Always make sure that the kid is really getting the best education as it should be.
With the dawn of modern technology, the world has become more and more connected through the use of the internet. Today, the worldwide web is beginning to be an alternative medium in the field of education. Homeschooling online is a growing trend that is expected to become even more popular in the coming years.
This newest way of learning can have a number of advantages for parents who are considering enrolling their children in a homeschooling online course. In this article, the factors that need to be taken into account are further discussed.
Alternative Learning Medium
Homeschooling online is a good alternative to regular school. It provides opportunities for children to learn at the comfort of their home with a computer and an internet connection as a sole requirement. Further, homeschooling parents can find support in certain subjects that they find difficult to teach. Through homeschooling online, busy parents can also have their children enroll the whole course online which lessens the responsibilities that they have to attend to. It also avoids homeschooling burnout since parents will only give minimal support in their children's learning.
Age-Appropriate Instruction
It is necessary to keep in mind that the age of the learner enrolling in a homeschooling online program is a factor to be considered. Children who can work independently, access the web on their own and follow specific instructions are the ones who are recommended to take a full course that is internet-based. Younger kids may not learn effectively from online education because they need to have more interaction and are easily distracted. However, parents can choose to have younger kids take a subject online and combine it with parent facilitated instruction. In this way, close monitoring of performance can still be done and an introduction to computer-based learning started. There are a number of online programs that are dedicated for the young nowadays. Interactive and fun activities are also being prepared by online teachers which parents can make their kids try.
Available Resources
Homeschooling online also provides opportunities to access a number of resources which they can use for learning. Majority of these learning materials are of good quality and follow the standards. Online teachers also have plenty of creative activities for learners that can elicit meaningful learning. With the vast collection of educational resources that homeschooling online can provide, parents will be able to acquire additional support for their teaching and enable their children to become more engage in studying. These selections can help kids to fully enjoy learning and acquire more information regarding the lessons they are taking.
Online-based learning can have a lot of benefits for both learners and their parents. In considering this option, it is vital to think about how an alternative learning medium that is internet-based will affect children's education and overall development. Not all kinds of learners can succeed in such a methodology and the learning medium must suit the children's character. In many cases, a blended approach to learning will still be the best. In this way, not only does kids get to experience independent learning through homeschooling online but also direct instruction from parents.
One of the downsides of homeschooling is that it fails to provide opportunities for children to interact with peers and build valuable relationships with them. As parents, it is essential to provide them these opportunities in order to foster a healthy development. Aside from constant monitoring of the lessons given in homeschool, staying connected with social groups is important. There are a variety of means where parents can foster a positive social development for their children. Some of the suggestions enumerated below are proven to work well by many homeschooling parents.
Scheduling Play Dates
A regular interaction with age-mates is necessary for the overall well-being of a child. Mothers can participate in play dates with friends having children of the same age or neighbors. Scheduling play dates will help your children enjoy the company of other kids and enhance important social skills that are necessary for dealing with others. More than that, kids will have the chance to build friendships with other children which can aid in maintaining social interaction between them. Engaging in social play also poses numerous advantages for socio-emotional development.
Visiting Adult Relatives
Visit other relatives and have children socialize with other adults. Trips to an aunt's house or an uncle's farm will help children not only in getting to know other members of their family but also get involved with them and, possibly, what they do. This will be a unique experience for kids.
Joining Groups
It is also an additional advantage for a parent to join a group of other parents who have children taking homeschool. Staying connected in this way will benefit them greatly since they can get support from other parents. Often, these groups schedule group instruction where other homeschooling children can participate. Group instruction provides an alternative from the usual one-on-one instruction for kids and will also give opportunities for them to interact with other children. Children are able to share their views and talents with others during group instruction. It is also through this means that they get to experience working with other people and effectively communicate with them.
Attending Classes
Enrolling kids in various classes like painting, ballet, football and swimming is also helpful. These classes will hone the hidden skills and talents of children which can also stimulate their emotional well-being. Other than that, socialization with different kinds of people becomes more possible through these classes. They can develop the value of respecting others, camaraderie and effective communication as they go through these programs. Although said to be expensive, the lessons they will learn in taking up classes like those mentioned will definitely foster total development and the enhancement of their talents.
Social development is an area that must not be taken for granted by parents. It promotes total well-being and the ability to deal with other people which is an essential trait needed in adulthood. It is necessary to review options for fostering social interaction that is most available to parents and children for effective promotion of these skills. Interacting with other people is not really provided through homeschool. Staying connected with social groups, however, is a way in which parents can support total development for their kids.
Homeschooling can have plenty of advantages. It enables parents to be more involved in their children's education and thus direct their learning. Nevertheless, homeschooling kids can pose major challenges to moms. Since moms are often the ones in charge of the children's education and other household responsibilities, such an endeavor requires more time and attention to multiple tasks.
Oftentimes, mothers experience homeschooling burnout. This is a typical reaction of many homeschooling moms because most of them have difficulty coping with the adjustments that must be made when they enroll their children in a homeschooling program. Still, there are ways in which homeschooling burnout and mother overload can be avoided. Here are a few tips that moms can follow:
Learn to Prioritize
Mothers are tasked to be the ones in charge of the household and the well-being of the children. Having kids homeschooled means additional responsibility. With multiple tasks like these, it is necessary for moms to learn how to prioritize. Determine situations that need the most immediate attention. Remember that chores can always wait and the point of homeschooling is that studies can be scheduled during varied times of the day depending on your preference. Unexpected events that can ruin daily schedules may need more attention and importance. Flexibility can be a trait that can surely help mothers from getting stressed out. It is also essential to know that learning for children does not only depend on books. Situations that may arise like caring for a sick relative or going to the grocery can provide meaningful learning. Occasions like the ones mentioned is where children learn values that they can carry throughout life and getting them to understand them is also necessary more than hitting the textbooks.
Organize Schedules
Another effective way of avoiding homeschooling burnout is planning. Organizing daily or weekly schedules so that proper attention can be given to each activity will help. More than this try to stick to the planned schedule if there are no emergencies that needs to be given priority. Effective time management is always the key. Have a time for rest and relaxation as well. Every mother deserves to have a time for herself. Getting the right amount of rest will aid in having replenished strength to do chores and responsibilities.
Be Innovative In Teaching
In many cases, homeschooling moms would always dedicate learning time to hitting the books and lecturing as a teaching style. As the ones in charge of their children's learning, mothers have the option to choose various teaching styles that will prevent the kids from getting bored and themselves from acquiring homeschooling burnout. An option would be to take the children outside or have them do a project. There are a wide array of choices. It is also essential to keep in mind not to overcrowd various activities in a single lesson. Lowering your expectations and selecting one or two ideal activities for every lesson is recommended.
Seek Support
There will be times that the bulk of work for moms can be overwhelming. In such events, mothers can avoid homeschooling burnout by getting the help of dads in teaching their children. Fathers have an equal responsibility for the kids' education and can contribute greatly to their learning. Other than this, moms can seek support from other homeschooling moms for tips and joint learning sessions for their children.
Homeschooling high school can be challenging enough to undertake with normal high school kids, but throw in a student who is significantly advanced or gifted, and some parents might be tempted to call it quits! How can you keep up with a kid who's studying statistics, anatomy and physiology, and Greek, and asking for more?! Both my sons were gifted, so I know how difficult this can be. Fortunately, there are some practical things you can do to make the process easier and more manageable.
The first strategy that I find useful is called acceleration, which means that you allow your children to work faster. This strategy requires you to let go of the whole parent-teach-the-student model, because your job is not just to teach your children; your job is to help your children learn how to teach themselves. Fortunately, there will be times when you realize your child already knows a subject, perhaps because they have learned it by osmosis, so you can spend less time on that subject.
At high school level, it's important to remember that when your child finishes a standard curriculum, you can give them high school credit for it. You don't have to make them sit in front of you, as the teacher, for 150 hours before you give them credit for a course. As soon as they're done with a curriculum and know the material, go ahead and give them the high school credit. There's no rule that requires them to spend 150 hours studying something in order to earn a credit.
You can also skip unnecessary activities in a curriculum. If your child doesn't need the activities in order to learn the information, it's okay to skip those, as long as they're learning. It's also okay to administer a pretest for a subject, and simply skip the information they already know, or you can work fast through a curriculum and find out what they know first, and then move ahead.
When you don't use acceleration, and you work at the usual standard pace that children are used to, it can induce boredom. When people tell me they're struggling with a lack of motivation in their teenagers, or their kids hate school or they're bored, often it's because their student is moving at too slow a pace.
Make sure to assess your child's level first, and begin a curriculum at the point where they will actually learn new information. In this way, you allow them to learn at their own level, and remove those artificial barriers to how much they're allowed to learn. The result will be a student who's more interested in what they're learning, and more motivated to pursue their studies.
Homeschooling high school--are you nervous or excited? Or a little bit of both?! High school is a rewarding time to be homeschooling, as your children mature and grow and engage you in more complicated conversations. Along with the fun, though, are some important things you should be thinking about as you enter these high school years, and now is the time to start work!
Your child's freshman year is the time to begin learning about high school testing. One of the reasons it is so important to start thinking about this during freshman year is that some tests are best administered to a child immediately after they finish a class. For instance, if they're taking chemistry and you decide you want them to take an AP test in chemistry, they should take the test when they've learned the content.
You also need to decide whether your child should take an SAT, AP, or CLEP subject test. Some colleges only accept certain tests, so it's important to find out which ones will be accepted by the colleges your child will most likely be going to.
And don't forget to register for those tests so they can actually take them, because all of the research in the world isn't going to help you if you don't actually register for the test! To register, all you have to do is call your local public or private high school and say, "I'm a homeschool parent, and would like to know if my homeschooled child can take the SAT or the AP subject test at your high school, and how do I register for that"?
The next thing you want to do during your child's freshman year, if you're feeling pretty confident in where you are, is to think about colleges for a minute. It doesn't hurt to begin looking at colleges with your teenager now. You could identify a primary list of colleges that you might consider. If you've always thought, "probably these four are the ones that we're going to apply to," or "my child has always mentioned an interest in going to Harvard" or something, then you should begin to look at those colleges.
If you do have some colleges in mind, it's a good idea to look into their application requirements now, because if the college your child wants to attend is that one college in a million that requires four years of foreign language or something, you want to know that earlier on in Freshman year. You could also consider a college visit in the spring. Most college visits are done during the spring of Junior year; but it's perfectly fine for you to take your children for college visits in Freshman year or even earlier.
Understanding the homeschooling laws and legalities in your state will prove to be a little confusing at first since no state is the same on how they treat homeschooling in terms of legitimacy.
In historical accounts, the right to teach your own children in the privacy of your home has long been debated in the United States. Several lawmakers, advocates, educators and parents; both pros and antis, have widely deliberated this issue ever since the onset of the compulsory education in Massachusetts on 1852.
Nowadays, the focal point of the homeschool discussion has already shifted from the question of its legality to the issues of less significant stature, such as the access to a state's school funds, facilities, and other resources; the control for quality; college admissions; and standardized testing among others.
As mentioned, understanding the homeschooling law and legalities in your state may seem to be complicated but with enough research and patience, you will begin to comprehend the stand of your state in regards to homeschooling.
First, it must be said that homeschool is legal in all 50 states of the United States. In connection to the ruling handed by the US Supreme Court, it stated that the Amish have the right to keep their children out of public schools because of their religious beliefs. It was also stated that the parents have the fundamental right to educate their children in a way that is acceptable to their religious faith; as long as these teachings will not contradict any laws or it will not disrespect the fundamental rights of any person.
With this ruling, it was already implied that the right to educate their children in the privacy of their homes is their fundamental right as a parent.
After this, many other court rulings in favor of the parents' wish to educate their children in home school were handed
Now every state has their own judgment in regards to this issue and each of these states have created laws and regulations to somehow manage this so ruled fundamental right. Understanding homeschool laws and legalities in your state can actually be summarized into three categories:
a. Regulations and homeschool laws in other states are based on their treatment of such as a private school. Examples of these states are California, Texas, and Indiana. In these places, homeschool laws are the same as those laws that govern the other non-accredited schools.
b. Another category, the laws are based on the unique ruling of the state in regards to the state's compulsory attendance with a specific mention to "homeschool" requirements. States that have this treatment are New Jersey and Maryland among others
c. Last category, other states like New Hampshire, Maine, and Iowa have a specific ruling for homeschooling. These states often have different terms applied for homeschool like "home instruction" in Virginia; "alternative instruction" in South Dakota; and "competent private instruction" in Iowa.
It is known that apart from these categories, all the 50 states have a different way of treating homeschool and its students. Some may require less than the others and some have very stringent qualifications in order to be considered as a passable home school attendee.
These are generalized state laws that tackle private education. Try to find your specific state law regarding homeschooling in order to maximize the benefits that you can get from the state; not to mention the requirements being asked by your state from you.
Although homeschooling children is proven to be an effective alternative for regular schooling, many parents who want to enroll their children in the said program often does not have a clue on how to go about in directing learning. While it is true that many homeschooling programs provide detailed instructions for parents in order to facilitate lesson discussions effectively, it often ties learners to the task of hitting the books and sitting for hours listening to lectures. There are a variety of teaching styles that parents can use in order to make learning for their children interactive and enjoyable. A number of homeschooling methods which can help parents in making subjects interesting are presented below.
Blended Learning
Blended learning is a homeschooling method that pertains to the use of online instruction with the combination of direct instruction. With numerous online homeschooling programs available today, it is a way in which parents can seek support in teaching certain subject areas and acquire resources. Children can take online subjects and traditional homeschooling programs that are parent-facilitated in order for them to experience a variety of activities. Blended learning also fosters independent learning and the opportunity to interact with the facilitator during traditional discussions.
Authentic Learning
One of the best learning opportunities that parents can provide their children is having them experience concepts in real-life situations. Homeschooling moms are at the best position to do this since they are the ones directly involved with household activities. Relate specific concepts being learned with everyday situations and explain the phenomenon. More than that, get children involved with these activities. An option would be to take the kids outside of the house so they can observe and see these concepts. Incorporate lessons with a trip to the park or at the zoo and you will surely have a fun learning and bonding experience with the kids.
Problem-based Learning
Spark the interest of the kids by using problem-based learning as a homeschooling method. In this method, children has to resolve a problem based on a given situation wherein they need to have a full knowledge of concepts in order to come up with a solution. Although difficult to prepare and may require more time, developing such instructional material will surely be worth it as it develops logical and higher order thinking skills. Further, some homeschooling programs may provide these types of activities along with the lessons which parents can readily use.
Instructional Materials
Prevent children from getting bored while on a lesson discussion by creating visual materials that will support teaching. These materials need not to be large and expensive since this is not a classroom instruction. Books with colorful pictures, PowerPoint presentations and videos will help in getting the kids to be more engaged in the learning process.
Further, there are a variety of teaching styles that will work effectively as a homeschooling method. One can determine these methods through extensive research. The internet has a lot of sites dedicated to making teaching and learning more meaningful. It even has sites that provides ready-made worksheets and activities. Using these resources can aid any parent in making their teaching more fun and interesting.
Chief among the most important things on your college application check list is the application essay. Students are typically asked to write a self-reflective, personal, descriptive essay, that is supposed to describe who they are. Oh--and it also has to be technically perfect, too. This is a big deal! Colleges use a student's essay to tell a great deal about them, such as how well they can write, what their thought process is like, and whether they'd fit in well with the college. Each college has unique questions--usually several different topics that they give, which they ask a student to write about. The ultimate question colleges are asking within these essay questions is, "Why should we admit you?"
When you realize that the average student applies to six different colleges, and writes approximately three essays for each college, you'll quickly see that there just isn't enough time in the day to write all those essays! When they're in 10th grade, you think your children are just as busy as they could ever possibly be, but they actually get busier and busier in 11th and 12th grade, and it gets more and more difficult for them to get through the process of college application essays. That's why it's important to learn how to reduce, reuse and recycle your essays, so that you can do as little writing as possible in order to get this job done.
The big problem, of course, is that a self-reflective, technically perfect, descriptive essay can be a completely overwhelming assignment for teenagers. It can even be overwhelming for an adult to create a technically perfect essay. I have two boys who are not known for being self-reflective, and it was most challenging for them. One of my children doesn't really enjoy writing and certainly doesn't enjoy writing about feelings. He doesn't mind so much writing about science, engineering, or chess, but writing down feelings is certainly overwhelming, and can be a difficult task. It's important that we, as parents, understand that it can be difficult for children to do this sort of assignment; so writing them one at a time is better.
Fortunately, college topic questions often overlap significantly. If you have the option, you can carefully choose which topics you write about, and reuse the same essay for multiple college applications. This will help you significantly cut back on how much you must write. An easy way to do this is to lay out all the questions from the colleges you're interested in, and find which ones are similar enough that you could write one essay to be used for both (or more) of them. This planning ahead will save you time, energy, and arguing with your teen! It's a good idea to have another person review the essay too, so that it's 'technically perfect' before you send it off to the colleges.
College preparation takes a lot of time, but if you put careful thought and energy into the process, it will pay off with college admittance, and hopefully some great scholarships too!