Our country is slowly sliding down the scale of how our students rank on their SAT scores. As parents and educators we need to analyze and stop this decrease in our standings. Finding the resources to do this is increasingly hard in our economy. School funding is decreasing and parents are frustrated! Teachers must deal with less money, bigger classrooms, and fewer resources. But there are free resources to help us!
Students are continuously frustrated with the rate at which they are given information. This frustration is caused in two ways.
*Not understanding the previous lessons
*Being held back when the lessons are boring
Frustration with the systems that public school has to follow can cause students to become rebellious and seek other ways to release their inner anxiety. Which leads to lower test scores. The first step in stopping this is to check the students SAT scores. Where are they below the National Average and where are they above the National Average?
When a student is ranking high on the SAT scores then you have found a subject that is interesting to them. Encourage this by finding outside resources they can research on their own. A student that is high in reading skills and interested in animals can be guided to volunteer at a Veterinarians office or join 4-H and raise their own animal. Does the local Humane Society need volunteers? How about a Wildlife Rehabilitation group where they rescue the local native animals? Do they excel at a subject where they could mentor other students? Any of these resources will encourage the student to study further and learn by doing!
When a student is having problems with a subject and can not seem to catch up it usually means they have missed some of the basics. One of the best free resources I have found to help them is at Kahn Academy on YouTube. This awesome site is filled with hundreds of lessons that span an ever increasing knowledge base. Elementary subjects through college level lessons are easily accessed and explained in simple language. Many home school parents use this resource as a way to round out their daily lessons.
When a students succeeds at a task that they have previously failed at they will rightly feel a justifiable raising in their attitudes to learning! The subject will become easier as they advance in their skill levels and catch up and sometimes advance beyond their classmates. Their choices for their future will expand as they learn more!
Not every student will turn into a Doctor or Lawyer. We need to find where it is that the student wants to be and encourage them in that quest. It is hard, as a parent, to set aside our own wishes for our students, but if they are to succeed and thrive then we must find what it is that they desire!
In the home school environment the students efforts can be individualized to a greater extent than they can be when enrolled in public school. A curriculum can be designed around the students interests and still encompass all of the learning skills that public schools demand they know. A student who is interested in carpentry will learn math, design, science and reading. A student who is involved with environment will also be learning math, science, reading, writing, and reading. One of the advantages that the home school student has is that they are being trained in independent study which means they are well adapted to that environment if they choose to go on to college. Increasingly home school students are out ranking the public school students on the SAT scores.
Not all students will do well in public school. Not all students will do well in a total home school environment.We do not need to have an all or nothing attitude with this! It is up to us to find the balance for each student that will help them excel in the future!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_L_Shaw
Students are continuously frustrated with the rate at which they are given information. This frustration is caused in two ways.
*Not understanding the previous lessons
*Being held back when the lessons are boring
Frustration with the systems that public school has to follow can cause students to become rebellious and seek other ways to release their inner anxiety. Which leads to lower test scores. The first step in stopping this is to check the students SAT scores. Where are they below the National Average and where are they above the National Average?
When a student is ranking high on the SAT scores then you have found a subject that is interesting to them. Encourage this by finding outside resources they can research on their own. A student that is high in reading skills and interested in animals can be guided to volunteer at a Veterinarians office or join 4-H and raise their own animal. Does the local Humane Society need volunteers? How about a Wildlife Rehabilitation group where they rescue the local native animals? Do they excel at a subject where they could mentor other students? Any of these resources will encourage the student to study further and learn by doing!
When a student is having problems with a subject and can not seem to catch up it usually means they have missed some of the basics. One of the best free resources I have found to help them is at Kahn Academy on YouTube. This awesome site is filled with hundreds of lessons that span an ever increasing knowledge base. Elementary subjects through college level lessons are easily accessed and explained in simple language. Many home school parents use this resource as a way to round out their daily lessons.
When a students succeeds at a task that they have previously failed at they will rightly feel a justifiable raising in their attitudes to learning! The subject will become easier as they advance in their skill levels and catch up and sometimes advance beyond their classmates. Their choices for their future will expand as they learn more!
Not every student will turn into a Doctor or Lawyer. We need to find where it is that the student wants to be and encourage them in that quest. It is hard, as a parent, to set aside our own wishes for our students, but if they are to succeed and thrive then we must find what it is that they desire!
In the home school environment the students efforts can be individualized to a greater extent than they can be when enrolled in public school. A curriculum can be designed around the students interests and still encompass all of the learning skills that public schools demand they know. A student who is interested in carpentry will learn math, design, science and reading. A student who is involved with environment will also be learning math, science, reading, writing, and reading. One of the advantages that the home school student has is that they are being trained in independent study which means they are well adapted to that environment if they choose to go on to college. Increasingly home school students are out ranking the public school students on the SAT scores.
Not all students will do well in public school. Not all students will do well in a total home school environment.We do not need to have an all or nothing attitude with this! It is up to us to find the balance for each student that will help them excel in the future!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_L_Shaw