Commutative Property

a. Addition. When two numbers are added, the sum is the same regardless of the order in which the numbers are added.

3 + 5 = 8       or       5 + 3 = 8

b. Multiplication. When two numbers are multiplied together, the product is the same regardless of the order in which the numbers are multiplied.

3 x 5 = 15       or       5 x 3 = 15

Associative Property

a. Addition. When three or more numbers are added, the sum is the same regardless of the way in which the numbers are grouped.

6 + (4 + 3) = 13   or   (6 + 4) + 3 = 13

b. Multiplication. When three or more numbers are multiplied, the product is the same regardless of the way in which the numbers are grouped.

6 x (4 x 3) = 72   or   (6 x 4) x 3 = 72

Distributive Property

The sum of two numbers times a third number is equal to the sum of each addend times the third number.

5 x (7 + 2) = 45   or   5 x 7 + 5 x 2 = 45

Identity Property

a. Addition. The sum of any number and zero is that number.

12 + 0 = 12

b. Multiplication, The product of any number and one is that number.

18 x 1 = 18

Knowing these properties of numbers will improve your understanding and mastery of math.

Today many school children not only do not read very often, some don’t know how. An unfortunate number graduate high school with a third grade reading level or less. It’s not uncommon to hear a first-year college student boast, “I’ve never read a complete book in my life.”

That’s a far cry from the previous generation, with precarious implications for the future leadership of our country. If you are concerned about getting your kids to read more, and enjoy it, here are a few tips:

1. Keep good books at home. Stock shelves, coffee tables, and bedrooms with classic tales or modern novels by authors who are worth reading. Subscribe to a book club or read publishers’ lists to find out about new books that are coming out and which ones are recommended especially for young readers.

2. Reward family readers. From verbal praise like “I’m so impressed that you finished that book so quickly” to a penny per page incentive, parental support of a reading habit goes a long way toward encouraging kids to start and stay with a book. Establish a family reading time after supper or before bedtime. Take turns reading aloud or have everyone read their own book separately, sharing highlights over dinner.

3. Reinforce good stories. Rent or borrow films for books that family members have read, like Lord of the Rings or The Scarlet Letter. Discuss the film afterward, comparing characters, scenes, and plot development to the original book. Watch television documentaries about favorite authors or literary periods, such as Melville’s writing of Moby Dick.

4. Sponsor a contest. Talk to your child’s teacher about sponsoring a reading contest for the class. Students who read five or more books per month will receive special privileges, such as 10 minutes of extra playground time or free cafeteria lunches for a week. If the school has no budget for incentives like these, ask parents to donate or contact local businesses in the community to see if they will contribute to a reading program.

5. Hold a book fair. Ask the school to arrange one day to have a children’s author visit to talk about his or her books, which will be on display. Children can also write and bind their own stories, exhibiting these for parents to view and admire. Biographies of famous writers and their work can be posted for discussion groups of parents with their children. Serving refreshments will add a special touch to the day.

6. Visit a book sale, convention, or trade show to expose your children to a wider world of stories and publishing. They will be amazed by the number and type of books on display. If some are for sale, try to get one for each child as a souvenir, which is so much more meaningful than an amusement part troll doll or stuffed animal.

Books are an important part of life. They teach us new ideas and introduce us to other people and cultures. Help your children understand their special role by following steps like these to celebrate quality literature.

Most Popular Online Programs

Business

Business degrees programs are the undisputed leader, when it comes to online programs. The reason is perhaps the vast opportunities that this field offers. Being highly competitive, there is a constant need for executives to upgrade their skills. Though there are various levels of business-related online courses such as Associates, Bachelors, Masters, etc., but the Bachelor’s and the Master’s stand above the rest.

Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice strives to be one among the top ten courses that students prefer to learn online all over the world. Growing number of people are finding huge interest in jobs related to law enforcement, forensics, security services, etc, because of which, there is a huge spur in the demand of this course.

Arts and Design

Art and Design is a natural choice for students having a creative bent of mind. Jobs involving creativity are well paid and well respected today. Hence, there is high demand for this course. Whether it is Animation, Interior Design, Graphic Design or Fine Arts, there is a lot that this field has to offer to the students.

Computer Science

When it comes to the field of computers, certain courses related to its specific divisions such as Networking, Web Development, Java, etc. are in great demand. In fact, a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology is also one of the hot favorite programs in distance learning. With the technological boom at its peak, the sector has vacancies in plenty for the computer professionals.

Healthcare

Healthcare is another popular online program that is opted for by many people, for the simple reason that there is more demand for healthcare professionals all over the world. And amongst the various specializations, nursing degree courses score over the others. The reasons are many – the continuous evolution of healthcare industry, availability of well paid jobs in nursing, short supply of professionals in nursing vis-à-vis their demand, etc.

With unemployment in the US high right now, many people are looking to go back to school and find therapist jobs so they can do something they love.

Education

The education program has suddenly got new buyers. The reason behind it is said to be the growing number of opportunities in the administration line. People are rushing to enroll themselves for the Bachelor’s and Master’s online degrees in education.

Engineering

No matter that it is the business program that has been able to gather all the hype, the engineering program is also sought after by many when it comes to distance learning. Though undergraduate engineering programs are not much in demand, but with the foray of graduate online programs in the market, people have grabbed the golden opportunity with both hands.

Psychology

The field of psychology has also made a successful attempt in invoking interest in the minds of online learners to pursue this subject. The focus area in this field is cognitive science. Offering higher levels of learning such as Ph.D and Masters, these courses help in shaping up the career.

Culinary

When it comes to the field of Culinary, the most attractive online course is Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality and Restaurant Management. Offered by various schools of reputed genre, this stream is going to be in great demand in a short time.

Accounting

Accounting is yet another field of study that has made its mark in the top ten online degree programs.

Now that you are aware of the fields of study that have caught the fancy of numerous people like you, select the course that best utilizes your skill set in a positive manner. The demand for online degree courses is on a greater side due to many reasons. The demand for online degree programs changes with a change in the economic trends.

Source: http://populartop10.com/top-10-most-popular-online-degree-courses/

The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think – rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with thoughts of other men.  ~Bill Beattie

The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.  ~Sydney J. Harris

Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.  ~Albert Einstein

The school is the last expenditure upon which America should be willing to economize.  ~Franklin D. Roosevelt

It’ll be a great day when education gets all the money it wants and the Air Force has to hold a bake sale to buy bombers.  ~Author unknown, quoted in You Said a Mouthful, Ronald D. Fuchs, ed.

An educational system isn’t worth a great deal if it teaches young people how to make a living but doesn’t teach them how to make a life.  ~Author Unknown

If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.  ~Attributed to both Andy McIntyre and Derek Bok

It is a thousand times better to have common sense without education than to have education without common sense.  ~Robert G. Ingersoll

Education… has produced a vast population able to read but unable to distinguish what is worth reading.  ~G.M. Trevelyan

To the uneducated, an A is just three sticks.  ~A.A. Milne

Nations have recently been led to borrow billions for war; no nation has ever borrowed largely for education.  Probably, no nation is rich enough to pay for both war and civilization.  We must make our choice; we cannot have both.  ~Abraham Flexner

Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army.  ~Edward Everett

Real education must ultimately be limited to men who insist on knowing, the rest is mere sheep-herding.  ~Ezra Pound

Education should be exercise; it has become massage.  ~Martin H. Fischer

The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives. ~Robert Maynard Hutchins

He who opens a school door, closes a prison. ~Victor Hugo

Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a jail.  What you gain at one end you lose at the other.  It’s like feeding a dog on his own tail.  It won’t fatten the dog.  ~Mark Twain

My idea of education is to unsettle the minds of the young and inflame their intellects.  ~Robert Maynard Hutchins

Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.  ~Will Durant

Why should society feel responsible only for the education of children, and not for the education of all adults of every age?  ~Erich Fromm

Education aims to give you a boost up the ladder of knowledge.  Too often, it just gives you a cramp on one of its rungs.  ~Martin H. Fischer

Education would be much more effective if its purpose was to ensure that by the time they leave school every boy and girl should know how much they do not know, and be imbued with a lifelong desire to know it.  ~William Haley

I read Shakespeare and the Bible, and I can shoot dice.  That’s what I call a liberal education.  ~Tallulah Bankhead

A child educated only at school is an uneducated child.  ~George Santayana

Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.  ~Malcolm S. Forbes

An educated person is one who has learned that information almost always turns out to be at best incomplete and very often false, misleading, fictitious, mendacious – just dead wrong.  ~R. Baker

What does education often do?  It makes a straight-cut ditch of a free, meandering brook.  ~Henry David Thoreau

Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing worth knowing can be taught.  ~Oscar Wilde, “The Critic as Artist,” 1890

To me education is a leading out of what is already there in the pupil’s soul.  To Miss Mackay it is a putting in of something that is not there, and that is not what I call education.  I call it intrusion.  ~Muriel Spark, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

If I had learned education I would not have had time to learn anything else.  ~Cornelius Vanderbilt

Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity.  ~Aristotle

Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another.  ~G.K. Chesterton

In the education of children there is nothing like alluring the interest and affection; otherwise you only make so many asses laden with books.  ~Michel de Montaigne

Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.  ~Robert Frost

Children have to be educated, but they have also to be left to educate themselves.  ~Abbé Dimnet, Art of Thinking, 1928

Learning, n.  The kind of ignorance distinguishing the studious.  ~Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary

The modern world belongs to the half-educated, a rather difficult class, because they do not realize how little they know.  ~William R. Inge

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.  ~Aristotle

I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.  ~Mark Twain

When a subject becomes totally obsolete we make it a required course.  ~Peter Drucker

If a man is a fool, you don’t train him out of being a fool by sending him to university.  You merely turn him into a trained fool, ten times more dangerous.  ~Desmond Bagley

Education is the movement from darkness to light.  ~Allan Bloom

Much education today is monumentally ineffective.  All too often we are giving young people cut flowers when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants.  ~John W. Gardner

There is nothing so stupid as the educated man if you get him off the thing he was educated in.  ~Will Rogers

Education is not filling a pail but the lighting of a fire.  ~William Butler Yeats

Education, n.  That which discloses to the wise and disguises from the foolish their lack of understanding.  ~Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary

A good teacher must know the rules; a good pupil, the exceptions.  ~Martin H. Fischer

With just enough learning to misquote.  ~George Gordon, Lord Byron, “English Bards and Scotch Reviewers”

There is only one Education, and it has only one goal:  the freedom of the mind.  Anything that needs an adjective, be it civics education, or socialist education, or Christian education, or whatever-you-like education, is not education, and it has some different goal.  The very existence of modified “educations” is testimony to the fact that their proponents cannot bring about what they want in a mind that is free.  An “education” that cannot do its work in a free mind, and so must “teach” by homily and precept in the service of these feelings and attitudes and beliefs rather than those, is pure and unmistakable tyranny.  ~Richard Mitchell, The Underground Grammarian, September 1982

The regular course was Reeling and Writhing, of course, to begin with; and then the different branches of Arithmetic – Ambition, Distraction, Uglification, and Derision.  ~Lewis Carroll

Too often we give children answers to remember rather than problems to solve.  ~Roger Lewin

They say that we are better educated than our parents’ generation.  What they mean is that we go to school longer.  It is not the same thing.  ~Richard Yates

I think everyone should go to college and get a degree and then spend six months as a bartender and six months as a cabdriver.  Then they would really be educated.  ~Al McGuire

The tragedy of education is played in two scenes – incompetent pupils facing competent teachers and incompetent teachers facing competent pupils.  ~Martin H. Fischer

A gentleman need not know Latin, but he should at least have forgotten it.  ~Brander Matthews

If the Romans had been obliged to learn Latin, they would never have found time to conquer the world.  ~Heinrich Heine

You send your child to the schoolmaster, but ’tis the schoolboys who educate him.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

One attraction of Latin is that you can immerse yourself in the poems of Horace and Catullus without fretting over how to say, “Have a nice day.”  ~Peter Brodie

The simplest schoolboy is now familiar with truths for which Archimedes would have given his life.  ~Ernest Renan, Souvenirs d’enfance et de jeunesse, 1883

Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.  ~John Dewey

Education: the inculcation of the incomprehensible into the indifferent by the incompetent.  ~John Maynard Keynes

Education is learning what you didn’t even know you didn’t know.  ~Daniel J. Boorstin, Democracy and Its Discontents

I prefer the company of peasants because they have not been educated sufficiently to reason incorrectly.  ~Michel Eyquem de Montaigne

Education is the process of driving a set of prejudices down your throats.  ~Martin H. Fischer

It doesn’t make much difference what you study, as long as you don’t like it.  ~Finley Peter Dunne

Do you know the difference between education and experience?  Education is when you read the fine print; experience is what you get when you don’t.  ~Pete Seeger

We are students of words: we are shut up in schools, and colleges, and recitation-rooms, for ten or fifteen years, and come out at last with a bag of wind, a memory of words, and do not know a thing.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Intelligence appears to be the thing that enables a man to get along without education.  Education enables a man to get along without the use of his intelligence.  ~Albert Edward Wiggam

The great difficulty in education is to get experience out of ideas.  ~George Santayana

The founding fathers… provided jails called schools, equipped with tortures called education.  School is where you go between when your parents can’t take you and industry can’t take you.  ~John Updike, The Centaur, 1963

You can get all A’s and still flunk life.  ~Walker Percy

The more that learn to read the less learn how to make a living.  That’s one thing about a little education.  It spoils you for actual work.  The more you know the more you think somebody owes you a living.  ~Will Rogers

My parents told me, “Finish your dinner.  People in China and India are starving.”  I tell my daughters, “Finish your homework.  People in India and China are starving for your job.”  ~Thomas L. Friedman

All the learnin’ my father paid for was a bit o’ birch at one end and an alphabet at the other.  ~George Eliot

Education is the transmission of civilization.  ~Ariel and Will Durant

The one real object of education is to have a man in the condition of continually asking questions.  ~Bishop Mandell Creighton

If you sincerely desire a truly well-rounded education, you must study the extremists, the obscure and “nutty.”  You need the balance!  Your poor brain is already being impregnated with middle-of-the-road crap, twenty-four hours a day, no matter what.  Network TV, newspapers, radio, magazines at the supermarket… even if you never watch, read, listen, or leave your house, even if you are deaf and blind, the telepathic pressure alone of the uncountable normals surrounding you will insure that you are automatically well-grounded in consensus reality.  ~Ivan Stang, High Weirdness By Mail

Preparing for School • Things to Consider Before the First Day of School • Going to a New School • Homework • Reading with Your Child • Safe Internet Use • Avoiding Conflict • Helping Your Child Prepare for High School • Helping Your Child Plan for the Future

Preparing for School

• Ease Your Child into a New Routine. Have him or her go to bed at school-night bedtime a few nights before the first day. Set an alarm clock for the correct school wake-up time.
• Try a School Bus Run. Go over your child’s school bus route with him or her if it’s going to be a first-time bus ride. Find out how long the ride is, and talk about things like bus safety.
• Get Ready the Night Before. Establish a routine that requires your child to pick an outfit for the next school day, and to pack a book bag every night before bed. This will help eliminate any last minute rushing in the morning.

Things to Consider Before the First Day of School

About the School

• Is your child registered?
• Do you know when the first day of school is and what time it starts?
• Have you completed emergency contact forms and sent them back to the school?

Getting to and from School

• Have you reviewed safety precautions with your child regarding traffic and strangers?
• If your child is riding a bike, does he or she know the school’s rules for bicycles?
• If your child is taking a bus, does your child know the bus route? Does your child know what to do if he or she gets lost?
• Does your child know whether to come home or go to a babysitter after school?
• If you’re not home after school, does your child know who will be responsible for him or her, what the rules are, and how to get help in an emergency?
• If your child is going to a babysitter, does he or she know how to get to there?

Going to a New School

• Talk About It. Encourage your child to share his or her feelings. Talk about the excitement of starting at a new school, and discuss any concerns your child might have.
• Take a School Tour. Call the school and arrange to tour the school with your child. Help your child find their way around the school and the location of their classroom and the bathroom. If possible, meet the teacher and principal.
• Make a New Friend. If possible, introduce your child to a classmate before the first day of school.

Homework

Helping Your Child Study

• Establish a Routine. Setting a regular time and sticking to it helps children complete their homework assignments.
• Set the Mood. Ensure the room your child studies in is quiet, has plenty of light, and has school supplies close at hand. Remove distractions by turning off the television and discouraging social phone calls during homework time.
• Show an Interest. Ask your child about school activities and talk about what was discussed in school that day. Take your child to the library to check out materials for homework, and make time to read with your child as often as you can.

Monitoring Homework Assignments

• Be Informed. Find out about the school’s policy on homework at the beginning of the school year. Ask your child’s teachers about the kind of assignments that will be given and what kind of time frame the children have to complete them.
• Be Involved. Ask the teacher how you can help with homework. Be available to answer your child’s questions, look over completed assignments, and encourage your child to share returned assignments so you can read the teacher’s comments.

Providing Guidance to Homework Assignments

• Learn How Your Child Learns. Understand your child’s learning style and develop routines that best support how he or she learns best.
• Encourage Good Study Habits. Help your child get organized. Ensure your child has scheduled enough time to complete assignments.
• Talk. Discuss homework with your child. Talking about an assignment can help your child think it through and break it down into small, workable parts.
• Provide Encouragement. Find ways to support your child’s efforts in completing assignments.

Reading with Your Child

• Make Reading a Priority. Let your child know how important it is to read regularly. Establish a regular time and place for reading.
• Read to Your Child. Make time to read to your child on a regular basis. It is a great way to help develop a love of learning.
• Ask Your Child to Read to You. Have your child read aloud to you.
• Keep Reading Material Close By. Make sure children’s books and magazines are easily accessible. Keep a basket of books in the family room, kitchen, or your child’s bedroom to encourage him or her to read more often.
• Visit the Library. Make visits to the library a regular activity and let your children select their own books.
• Be a Reading Role Model. Read a lot. Let your child see you read and hear you talk about your books.

Safe Internet Use

• Do Your Research. Find safe and relevant sites and child-friendly search engines for your child to use. Bookmark them for easy access.
• Make an Agreement. Create an agreement with your child that outlines which site he or she is allowed to visit, and which areas and activities are off-limits. Involve your child in this activity.
• Stay Aware. Keep lines of communication open so you know what Web sites your child is visiting. Pay attention to his or her surfing habits. Let your child know that he or she can come to you in case of trouble.
• Report Suspicious Activity. If you or your child encounter suspicious or dangerous situations online, report them to your Internet Service Provider and local police.

More Tips for Safe Internet Use

Be Web Aware – a national public education program on Internet safety for young Canadians

Avoiding Conflict

• Listen. Encourage your child to talk about school, social events, other kids in class, the walk or ride to and from school so you can identify any issues he or she may be having.
• Look. Watch for symptoms that your child may be a bullying victim. Be aware of signs such as withdrawal, a drop in grades, physical signs, or needing extra money or supplies.
• Work with Others. Tell the school immediately if you think your child is being bullied. Work with other parents to ensure that the children in your neighborhood are supervised closely on their way to and from school. Talk to the teacher or school’s guidance counsellor for some professional advice.

Helping Your Child Prepare for High School

• Educate Yourself. Find out the requirements, choices, and processes involved in planning your teen’s senior high school program with your child’s teacher. Your teen will need your assistance and advice.
• Plan Carefully. Some Grade 10 courses are prerequisites for more advanced high school courses. As well, certain programs enable students to meet entry requirements for post-secondary programs or acquire the knowledge and skills to enter directly into a career. Keep future goals in mind when planning grade 10 programs.
• Prepare for Post-Secondary. If your teen intends to enter a post-secondary institution after high school, check the calendars of these institutions for admission requirements to plan his or her senior high school program accordingly.

Helping Your Child Plan for the Future

• Even as an adult, career decisions can be overwhelming. Encourage your child and give them the time and space to make their own decisions.
• Ask your teen about the kinds of careers they are considering and do not worry if it is accounting one day and nursing the next. They’re thinking things over and imagining themselves in different roles. Encourage them to take this exploration a bit further. Help them learn more about these choices. Find out why these careers are attractive to them and look at other careers they may not have considered that could offer similar rewards.
• Encourage your teen to think about the educational path they will need to follow to pursue the careers they’re considering. Will they need to take certain subjects in high school to keep these options open? What kind of post-secondary education will they need? Where is the program offered and how long does it take to complete?
• Know where you and your teen can go to explore options or get more information. A great place to start is Alberta Learning Information Service (ALIS) This Web site offers up-to-date career profiles, links to post-secondary institutions, complete information on students finance and links to a variety of interactive career planning tools.

How to Round a Number

To the nearest ten

If the ones digit is 5 or more, round to the next highest ten (68 rounds to 70).
If the ones digit is less than 5, round to the next lowest ten (33 rounds to 30).

To the nearest hundred

If the tens digit is 5 or more, round to the next highest hundred (384 rounds to 400).
If the tens digit is less than 5, round to the next lowest hundred (427 rounds to 400).

To the nearest thousand

If the hundreds digit is 5 or more, round to the next highest thousand (7,602 rounds to 8,000).
If the hundreds digit is less than 5, round to the next lowest thousand (7,268 rounds to 7,000).

How to Find an Average

To find the average of several numbers, add the numbers together and then divide the sum by the number of numbers.

The average of 17, 30, 6, and 7 = 60 ÷ 4 = 15

How to Tell if Two Fractions are Equivalent

Cross multiply the fractions.  If both products are the same, the fractions are equivalent.

3 and 9 3 x 24 = 72               3 and  9< p>

When preparing to write a definition paper, keep in mind the following guidelines:

1. A definition paper stays on track in developing a single idea. Stay focused on the main meaning outlined in the introduction of your paper. For example, if you’re writing a speech on the meaning of patriotism, don’t get sidetracked by related concepts like loyalty or nationalism. Be sure that each sub-point refers to or helps to define the main idea. It may help to restate the key term periodically throughout the document.

2. Link each topic idea to the main concept. You can do this through repetition or exploring offshoot ideas that help to define the key point in a significant way. One paragraph may explain the literal meaning of “patriotism,” for example, while another paragraph discusses the cultural meaning, along with differences for the many groups of people that live in that culture. A third paragraph can outline some unusual or competing meanings of the concept.

3. Begin on common ground that your audience can appreciate. Use a dictionary meaning that the audience will readily grasp. From there you can move into more abstract or complex territory by considering related definitions, like those found in a numbered list in a typical dictionary. But be sure to define each new term or variation on the original definition in a basic way that your audience can follow and appreciate. Pause for questions or clarifications as you move from one point to another.

4. Keeping your audience in mind, explore related meanings of the word. Some of these may already be held by members of your audience, or the entire group may be aware of, but not familiar with, other terms or meanings. For example, militant terrorists may consider themselves highly patriotic to their country or their culture when performing violent acts, but people from other cultures hold a negative view of such behavior. Contrasts like these offer great opportunities for discussion and reflection.

5. Invite the audience to ask questions or share their understanding of the term. It may be some of the people who read your paper or listen to your speech will have another view of the idea outlined in your presentation. Be willing to accommodate alternative views by mentioning these in passing or in explaining the differences between these and the view expounded in your paper. Show respect even when you disagree with other interpretations.

A definition paper offers both a denotation, or literal meaning, and a connotation, or cultural (or associative) meaning of an idea. Be prepared to share both in your document to give the audience a well-rounded view. Use examples to explain a word’s unusual meaning or application.

What should you do? Drop everything and run to her aid? Calmly tell her to do the work herself? Call a tutor?

A parent can play a healthy role in helping kids to successfully complete their homework assignments. But parents must draw clear boundaries that protect them from offering too much help and their kids from expecting it.

Encourage your child to do as much as possible alone:

“Try the first set of verbs. See what you can do.”

“Read the directions again.”

But if your son or daughter persists in claiming they are unable to understand or complete the assignment, you may need to step in:

“What specific problem are you having?”

“Read it aloud to me, slowly.”

Kids may not appreciate this type of response, preferring, instead, a hands-on approach from Mom or Dad. But it is more helpful when parents gently insist that kids apply critical thinking skills to solve problems themselves.

However, if it becomes apparent that the child truly is lost and doesn’t understand the homework concept, the parent may be able to help. Suggest that your child re-read the section that was assigned for homework practice. After he or she has done that, ask if there are any questions. Answer them to the best of your ability. Those you cannot answer, suggest your child write them on paper for the teacher.

Then ask your child to read the first problem aloud, breaking it into parts if necessary. When you get a quizzical look afterward, calmly nudge the problem back to your child:

“What do you think that means?”

“How does the problem relate to what you just read?”

Little by little, help your child deconstruct the overwhelming assignment by looking at each part individually before responding to the whole unit.

Sometimes, though, a homework question is poorly worded or the parent doesn’t know the answer. Suggest that your child skip to the next question or even the next subject. It’s important that he or she continue on a productive path in completing as much homework as possible rather than giving up on one topic and neglecting the rest.

Parents should avoid taking a hands-on approach. A bit of advice or a probing questions can be helpful instead. Obviously, a parent should never do the work for the child. That would be cheating, as would recommending plagiarism or unethical shortcuts of any kind.

Parents have a great opportunity to model problem-solving skills when their kids struggle with homework uncertainties. But when it becomes clear that a child is feeling overwhelmed by an assignment, the parent should make an appointment to talk with the teacher and clarify the situation. No child can master a skill that he or she cannot comprehend, so be sure that learning takes place first, followed by practice later.

What kind of job you are really looking for and will it suit you perfectly? The job you may opt to do should be such that you will love to do it and derive utmost satisfaction out of it. It is also to be based on your strengths and weaknesses. For this constantly look for some good openings. It should provide enough opportunities to show of your strengths and ample scope for your progress.

Sources of Information:

Gather information regarding job openings from news papers, magazines web sites etc. Even your friends and relatives may be a source of information. Register your name in Employment Exchange. You may contact private consultants and recruiting agencies also. Get counseling from those people who have already achieved the goals which you too have set for yourself. Once you have some ideas about a possible career, identify the sort of role and type of organization to go for. It is worth spending some time to plan your strategy. Find out what is required for these jobs. If needed, try to get some extra work experience or qualifications. Investing in acquiring them will definitely bring fruits in the long run.

Your Bio-data / Resume

Due attention must be given in either filling the standard application form received from the respective organization or the format in which you may try to present your bio-data. Your bio-data is a very important document and keep in mind that its sole purpose is to get you an invitation for an interview. Hence attach utmost importance in the preparation and presentation of the same. It is not just what you say, but how you say it too. Try to understand clearly from the advertisement that what the employer is looking for and present them in the best way to show that you have all these qualities. While furnishing your personal details be clear, concise and relevant to the job. Stress the positive aspects which drew your attention for applying to this position. With regards to your education and work experience (if any), mention about the most recent things first. Always type the letter, unless otherwise it is specified as handwritten.. Prepare a rough draft first. Read it thoroughly to make sure that you have presented everything precisely, correctly and in the way it is expected. Type or write on one side of the unlined A4 sized white paper. Use black color ink only. Mention the full date, your full address contact, telephone number and e-mail address. Write/ type your full name underneath your signature. Invitation for attending an interview is not a passport for an employment.

Preparation for attending an interview:

For attending an interview you need to prepare, so that you can convince the concerned people that you’re the right person for the job. Try  to collect as much information as possible about the company like the  company’s ethos and culture, services or products of the company, number of employees working there, the reputation of the company, company’s financial position, turn over , profitability , their future expansion projects,  about their competitors and their performance etc., Make sure that you know the correct location of the interview avenue and how to reach there well in time. Even you can have a glimpse of the premises of the company to get some idea of the scale of the company. Also keep ready all the relevant things which you are supposed to take for the interview. You should try to anticipate the general questions which they will ask and also prepare some questions to ask them.  The interview gives you the opportunity to prove yourself. It is for you to impress and convince the interviewer that you are suitable in all respects for the particular post.

Gestures & Postures:

Your manners and your dress sense certainly say a lot about you, but your gestures and postures may let you down. Your overall impression and personality is bound to appear more impressive, if you are able to control and make the desired modification in your body language. Your body

language clearly depicts your mental attitude. An experienced interviewer would be able to read your mind very clearly through your gestures and postures and the decision is likely to be influenced by it. Hence,  Be open and honest, in mind and body while you are interviewed At the time of entering the interview venue , walk with a straight head, erect shoulders, fast steps and straight posture. That will give an impression that you are a confident and warm person.  Remember that hand shake too conveys a lot about the personality of your attitude towards the other person. A well gripped strong and vertical handshake creates a positive impression and tells upon your ardour, friendliness and enthusiasm. The way you sit itself conveys a lot of subtle information to the people who are going to interview you. Hence, sit erect on the chair offered to you with hands resting in lap or on the arms of the chair. Relax and make yourself comfortable.. But, relaxing does not mean that you will sit in a way in which you sit on the sofa in the home. Let your knees point at the interviewer. It shows you are focused right in on them. If you are unable to sit still then channel it into hand gestures that back up what you are saying. It shows a certain confidence in the matter you’re saying. Folding your arms across your chest will convey that you are nervous and negative. Slapping of the head indicates forgetfulness. Touching the nose brushing the cheek, looking somewhere else may invite suspicion on the part of your interviewer. Avoid covering too much of space on the interviewer’s table with your arms, papers, folder etc. Eyes speak more than the words. Maintain your eyes contact true and steady, but remember to blink. Make sure that your gaze doesn’t drop below eye level. Shutting eyes for a brief period or blinking it more than the normal pace, rapid glancing to and fro, and making short eye contacts may indicate your shortcomings and weakness. In general avoid all unpleasant activities during the interview. At the interview be bold and positive. But ,do not bluff.

Probable questions that may be asked during an interview:

Give a brief sketch of your family background. What do you know about this company and its products/services? How long have you been looking for a job? What qualities do you think will be required for this job? Anything special which you would like to mention about you and your achievement? Are you a member of any professional institutions or social organizations? Are you self-motivated or need any outside stimulation? How many hours are you prepared to work? What are your career goals? Are you willing to travel? What interests do you have apart from studies/work? What will your referees say about you?

Questions which you may ask when you are given a chance:

Where will I be based? Where will I fit into the overall organizational structure? To whom will I report to? What will be my responsibilities? Whether any frequent traveling is involved in the job? Is there any chance of relocation now or at a later date? What will be the salary and other perks? What training will be I undergoing? What opportunities are there within the company? When will I hear the results of the interview?

Lastly thank the company or organization for having given you an opportunity.

A Happy Child

Not all the motivation in the universe will help a student who is otherwise not happy in their daily surroundings. This is not a directive to give your child anything and everything they ask for…actually, quite the opposite. Children treated with respect and love, usually give respect and love in return. Children raised with values and given guidance on a daily basis, again, learn to use their values wisely. A spoiled child, one who is given ‘things’ without any reason other than they asked for it, or more likely, demanded it, do not gain any common sense of how life works; people work for rewards. Making clear here, rewards do not necessarily mean ‘things’! Ask your child what they consider a good outcome of different situations, so you, as the parent, can define in your mind, what your child considers motivational to completing tasks, including homework assignments, special projects, etc. You may be surprised to learn that your child has no clear definition of why they should put effort into their studies.

Example

For instance, many parents’ associate ‘motivation’ with money, if their child passes a test, they will hand over cash as motivation for the next test. What the child learns in reality, is that if they ‘pass’ they are instantly given gratification. Sounds like a workable motivational tool, right. What is wrong with this scenario is simple. That is not how life works. There will not always be someone there throughout your child’s life to hand over cash every time ‘they’ get it right.

Defining Rewards

Children need to understand that when grownups talk about rewards, they are not necessarily talking about the newest video game or a trip to an amusement park. Reward can simply be the satisfaction of completing a task. If a child has been motivated through physical rewards all through his school life and even before, they need to learn that this is not how life works. You can change how you give motivation, and how your child receives it, it just takes some ‘motivation’ and sensibility on your part! Teaching a child that gratification comes from the result of the task done ‘is’ the best motivational tool you can use.

Discussion

As stated earlier, talking to your children to understand how they view rewards as motivation will give you a clear picture of where to start your discussion with them on how you can help them become more motivated in their studies. Talk with them on how an ‘A’ that is achievable through study, is motivational by itself over a ‘C’ that can simply be achieved from what the student has learned in class. Discuss what they are hoping to become when they reach adulthood. This may sound like common sense, but you may be surprised at how many parents never ask their children this most basic of questions. Once you have asked them this, ask them it again in a few months time. There answer may or may not have changed, but you will be showing your child that you not only are interested, but by asking them this simple question, you are stimulating their thoughts, to keep their goals in mind.

The Reward Breaker

Physical rewards ‘can’ be used as motivation, but use them sparingly. If a child has struggled, but has clearly shown effort, a physical ‘unsuspected’ reward can be given with positive results. A surprise dinner out to show your child that you appreciate all the hard work they put into passing a class they truly struggled in will show them that you noticed. This works in two ways; a physical reward is given, but it also demonstrates the best motivation any child can receive, their parent’s approval.