L.T.L. Tutoring Central

Welcome

2012-12-19T13:28:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Blog for L.T.L. Tutoring Central.
I hope to write a few pieces about education - but the subject matters may be broader than what is considered strictly academic.
Also, I hope that a few of you will contribute and have some ideas and/or comments.
Of course, questions are always welcome, too.

Computer Invasion

2012-01-07T05:45:00.000-08:00

Just had an uninvited guest on the computer called "XP Security 2012."
This is NOT an actual security program - but rather a rogue that invades and hijacks your computer - telling you that you have all kinds of viruses, etc. when, in fact - it IS the virus!
If you see this program popping up on your computer - Do NOT buy it - do NOT delete what it wants you to - and take action right away to get it off your computer.
Apparently it goes by different names as well:
XP Antispyware 2012
Vista Antispyware 2012
Win 7 Antispyware 2012
XP Antivirus 2012
Vista Antivirus 2012
Win 7 Antivirus 2012
XP Security 2012
Vista Security 2012
Win 7 Security 2012
XP Home Security 2012
Vista Home Security 2012
Win 7 Home Security 2012
XP Internet Security 2012
Vista Internet Security 2012
Win 7 Internet Security 2012

I tried several things to try and eliminate it but finally used Trojan Killer:
http://trojan-killer.net/

I had to run the computer in Safe Mode (hold F8 key while restarting before welcome screen) - and run the trojan killer for both the Admin and under my name. Of course, it may be different for others.

Also, I had to open the task manager (control-alt-delete) and keep pushing "end task" on avp.exe (again may be different on other computers) this stopped the rogue from having all the control - but it kept popping up.

So far, things seem to be working. My regular anti-virus software, internet, firewall, etc. all seem to be back (they had all been hijacked by this nasty software).

I should note that I was typing reports and, apart from a brief look at my e-mail and facebook (i.e., I didn't open anything or download anything!) I was not doing anything that should have brought on this little creature.
Of course, it may have been lurking from a previous e-mail or other program - who knows.

If anyone runs into it - maybe this will help.

Happy New Year !!

2011-12-30T10:22:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year !!

(whenever and however you celebrate it)
Click below for a video from History.com to learn a little more about New Year celebrations.

http://www.history.com/topics/new-years/videos#history-of-the-holidays-new-years-eve

History of Christmas Trees

2011-12-14T07:22:00.000-08:00

Gay and I have our tree up and decorated.

This year we got a Fraser Fir tree - looks very nice (but then I might be a little biased).

I thought it might be a little interesting to look at the history of Christmas trees. The section below is from the History Channel.

Our Tree for 2011

Hope you enjoy!!

How It All Got Started

from the History Channel: http://www.history.com/topics/christmas

Long before the advent of Christianity, plants and trees that remained green all year had a special meaning for people in the winter. Just as people today decorate their homes during the festive season with pine, spruce, and fir trees, ancient peoples hung evergreen boughs over their doors and windows. In many countries it was believed that evergreens would keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits, and illness.
In the Northern hemisphere, the shortest day and longest night of the year falls on December 21 or December 22 and is called the winter solstice. Many ancient people believed that the sun was a god and that winter came every year because the sun god had become sick and weak. They celebrated the solstice because it meant that at last the sun god would begin to get well. Evergreen boughs reminded them of all the green plants that would grow again when the sun god was strong and summer would return.
The ancient Egyptians worshipped a god called Ra, who had the head of a hawk and wore the sun as a blazing disk in his crown. At the solstice, when Ra began to recover from the illness, the Egyptians filled their homes with green palm rushes which symbolized for them the triumph of life over death.
Early Romans marked the solstice with a feast called the Saturnalia in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture. The Romans knew that the solstice meant that soon farms and orchards would be green and fruitful. To mark the occasion, they decorated their homes and temples with evergreen boughs. In Northern Europe the mysterious Druids, the priests of the ancient Celts, also decorated their temples with evergreen boughs as a symbol of everlasting life. The fierce Vikings in Scandinavia thought that evergreens were the special plant of the sun god, Balder.
Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition as we now know it in the 16th century when devout Christians brought decorated trees into their homes. Some built Christmas pyramids of wood and decorated them with evergreens and candles if wood was scarce. It is a widely held belief that Martin Luther, the 16th-century Protestant reformer, first added lighted candles to a tree. Walking toward his home one winter evening, composing a sermon, he was awed by the brilliance of stars twinkling amidst evergreens. To recapture the scene for his family, he erected a tree in the main room and wired its branches with lighted candles.
Most 19th-century Americans found Christmas trees an oddity. The first record of one being on display was in the 1830s by the German settlers of Pennsylvania, although trees had been a tradition in many German homes much earlier. The Pennsylvania German settlements had community trees as early as 1747. But, as late as the 1840s Christmas trees were seen as pagan symbols and not accepted by most Americans.
It is not surprising that, like many other festive Christmas customs, the tree was adopted so late in America. To the New England Puritans, Christmas was sacred. The pilgrims's second governor, William Bradford, wrote that he tried hard to stamp out "pagan mockery" of the observance, penalizing any frivolity. The influential Oliver Cromwell preached against "the heathen traditions" of Christmas carols, decorated trees, and any joyful expression that desecrated "that sacred event." In 1659, the General Court of Massachusetts enacted a law making any observance of December 25 (other than a church service) a penal offense; people were fined for hanging decorations. That stern solemnity continued until the 19th century, when the influx of German and Irish immigrants undermined the Puritan legacy.
In 1846, the popular royals, Queen Victoria and her German Prince, Albert, were sketched in the Illustrated London News standing with their children around a Christmas tree. Unlike the previous royal family, Victoria was very popular with her subjects, and what was done at court immediately became fashionable—not only in Britain, but with fashion-conscious East Coast American Society. The Christmas tree had arrived.
By the 1890s Christmas ornaments were arriving from Germany and Christmas tree popularity was on the rise around the U.S. It was noted that Europeans used small trees about four feet in height, while Americans liked their Christmas trees to reach from floor to ceiling.
The early 20th century saw Americans decorating their trees mainly with homemade ornaments, while the German-American sect continued to use apples, nuts, and marzipan cookies. Popcorn joined in after being dyed bright colors and interlaced with berries and nuts. Electricity brought about Christmas lights, making it possible for Christmas trees to glow for days on end. With this, Christmas trees began to appear in town squares across the country and having a Christmas tree in the home became an American tradition.

Why Can't My Child Read ?

2011-11-30T12:14:00.000-08:00

Why Can't My Child Read ?

Well, a simple enough question - at a glance.
The response, however, could be complex enough to make that child's head spin again in The Exorcist.

Reading is a far more challenging task than most of us realize. If you were fortunate enough to have all the components (or at least most of them) glide into place as you matured, reading was likely not a huge burden on your conscious mind.

Reading entails getting to know the sounds (phonemes) and there are many - some with subtle differences that some people simply don't discern.

Then, there are the beginnings of meaning (morphemes) such as "itis," "tion," and "ing."
This leads into word meaning (semantics) where we learn the difference (hopefully) between bird and bride.
But wait!
We aren't really ready to read yet!
We need some understanding of syntax - words put into sentences. Here grammar becomes important. To be able to fully and rapidly comprehend we need some concept of word order and the meanings that conveys.
For example, knowing the difference between the following:
Mark should take the pencil to the teacher.
Mark was told to find the black pencil behind the bookshelf and take it to the teacher.
Beyond this, we benefit from being able to read/think in "chunks" and to process continuously as we read - recalling previous events as we read currently and predicting what may happen!
And these are only a few aspects involved in the ability or inability to read well.
Often when someone is sure that reading is such a simple act that everyone ought to be able to do it rapidly, I ask them to explain - precisely - how to tie his/her shoes - and don't leave anything out.
There are a lot of steps; however, most people do master this task as well.

The point is that the surface of a task can conceal the depth and complexity required to attain that 'simplicity.'
Reading challenges can begin with the initial "sounds" or they can start when morphemes or syntax is involved. Often, there is a combination of causes or reasons.
The goal, of course, is to help students help themselves. I have found even very young students are willing to work harder and have fun with each step as long as they believe (and know you believe) that they will make progress.

In fact, once they realize that what they are learning to do is an amazing feat filled with twists and turns - they rise to the challenge! (It's a lot better than thinking "I can't do even this 'simple' thing.")

www.tutoringcentral.com

Friday Homework Club

2011-11-08T06:39:00.000-08:00

We're trying something new with the Friday Homework Club.

Website: www.tutoringcentral.com

This allows you the opportunity to try out some tutoring sessions without a longer term commitment.

Sessions can be 1/2 hour or 1 hour in length, and you can arrange one session or multiple sessions as you require them.

Something else that's new are a couple of little videos ! (Don't worry, I don't sing at all - maybe in the future I'll croak out a song or two, who knows!!)
At the moment they are just welcome videos for the website.

To arrange an appointment call:     519 824 0982
                                                     or
                                            e-mail: tutoringcentral@inbox.com

Our Holiday

2011-10-23T05:56:00.000-07:00

Gay and I have returned from our trip to the Carriage Hills Resort (near Barrie, Ontario). The location was beautiful; and, although some of the leaves had already fallen - there were some incredible views and colours, especially from the tops of the many many hills.

Our suite had everything you could want - including size. (I think it was bigger than our house!)

The Carriage House had a mini-gym, games room, and an indoor / outdoor swimming pool. With plastic sheeting between the inside and outside, you could swim through and be swimming in the cool and rain of the outdoors. On the colder days, there was a nice fog over the water outside!
There was a hot tub indoors and another one outside - just a little chilly on the toes walking from the outdoor pool to the hot tub, but very very nice.

The weather forecast was easy: Rain.
To be honest, there were occasional breaks in the rain - just threatening rain. There were some gale force winds as well, just to make things interesting.
As always, though, Gay and I made the best of it and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.

Birds in the backyard

2011-09-23T12:35:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would post a few pictures of recent birds in our backyard. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to capture the hummingbird on camera, yet.
If you click on the picture - you get a better view.


Woodpecker on driftwood


Cluster of Sparrows


Mourning Dove


Robin - king of the castle


Woodpecker on tree

Kiwi !! (Not native to Canada)

Back to School !!

2011-09-09T07:49:00.000-07:00

Well, everyone is back to school now !

The grade school and secondary school students got started on Tuesday, and the University students were back to regular classes on Thursday.

All (or almost all) the students here seem excited about the new year. Of course, it's always nice to see friends you haven't seen over the summer - or to meet new people who may become new friends.

Still, I am impressed by the number of students who truly seem motivated to do well this year.

Maintaining that desire and stamina may be the challenge - but I'm sure they can do it !

Most of my summertime students are staying on to keep improving. One has already mentioned how happy he was to know what to do with fractions while his classmates found this information all new to them.

Everyone stay strong - and keep learning!

A few more flowers

2011-08-01T10:58:00.000-07:00


Rose of Sharon

Rose of Sharon


Potentilla


Sea Lavender

Impatiens

Rose of Sharon

2011-07-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

Our Rose of Sharon has made a dramatic appearance in the last couple of days.
It's called 'Blue Satin' - but the flowers look more purple to me than blue. Still, very nice!

Hibiscus syriacus 'Marina'

Elora Festival

2011-07-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

Gay and I had an amazing time at the Elora Festival's "Local Legends" concert.
Held in a barn - some of the sound left a bit to be desired; however, the classical guitar player, Tony McManus, was amazing, and his solo parts were not hampered by the location. (I've put a Youtube link to one of his performances below.)

Kevin Breit was quite entertaining as well - very animated !!

My wife, Gay, was quite taken with Gwen Swick's voice.

Tony McManus playing The Emigrants Farewell

Pests - but funny!

2011-07-03T13:48:00.000-07:00

The raccoons seem very prevalent this year. I've seen up to four at a time out in our little backyard!

The other day, I caught these two. At first one was playing with our solar light - like a kitten with a toy.
Then both were playfully wrestling each other.

Ah, that's not really a play toy, kiddo !!

Toronto Symphony Orchestra

2011-06-17T11:38:00.000-07:00

My wife (Gay) and I had a wonderful trip to Toronto to see the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Roy Thomson Hall was incredible and the music couldn't have been better. The entire orchestra was excellent, but Yuja Wang was astounding on the piano.

We toured the city a bit while there. As usual, we found everyone very friendly (okay, there is always one who seems a bit bitter to be working) and accommodating.

Interior of the hotel lobby

Rachmaninoff & Debussy
Roy Thomson Hall
Peter Oundjian, conductor
Yuja Wang, piano

Rachmaninoff: The Sea and the Seagulls
Debussy: La Mer
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor

Spelling

2011-05-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

I've talked about the importance of spelling before. I think it is still an important component that leads to better reading comprehension and far better writing skills that go beyond the mere technical component of spelling.

Using a spell checker on your word processor will help - but only if you have a reasonable knowledge of spelling in the first place. Even then, as you could tell from one of my previous posts, the spell checking misses a lot of errors.
Also, just as using a calculator for math doesn't help teach you very much about math, using spell check doesn't teach you very much about how to spell!

Here is an interesting article about spelling:

Reading Rockets - Spellinghttp://www.readingrockets.org/article/8845

Wild violets

2011-05-08T06:24:00.000-07:00

Well, our yard is green and there are loads of wild violets coming up. I know that essentially they are weeds, but they look nice and are easy enough to pluck up later!
Soon the forget-me-nots will be in flower and I see lots of lily of the valley starting to peek through!

Voting Time !!

2011-05-01T13:13:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone !

Don't forget to get out and vote tomorrow - May 2nd. In Guelph, we have 8 possible choices including the Liberal, Conservatives, NDP, Green, Libertarian, Marijuana Party, Animal Alliance, and Communist Party.

Although this election started off as a bit of a snore-fest, it has livened up a bit in the last week. With all the new - and sometimes strange moves in the final week, it should motivate people to get out there!

Try this !

2011-04-05T07:46:00.000-07:00

Copy the poem below into your word processor and see how many errors your spellchecker will find!

Owed to a Spell Checker

Eye halve a spelling checker

It came with my pea sea

It plainly marks four my revue

Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word

And weight for it two say

Weather eye is wrong oar write

It shows me strait a weigh.

As soon as mists ache is maid

It nose bee fore two long

And eye can put the error rite

It’s rare lea ever wrong.

Eye has run this poem threw it

I am shore your pleased two no

Its letter perfect awl the weigh

My checker tolled me sew.

Skype name

2011-03-10T14:46:00.000-08:00

My Skype name is tutoringcentral

If you are new to Skype, you can simply go to the add contact area and type in my Skype name to add me.

The Brain !

2011-02-21T11:48:00.000-08:00

Reading "A Father to His Freshman Son" by Edward S. Martin reminded me of some of my experiences with students.
I've quoted part of the article below:
                          Your mind, like your body, is a thing whereof the
                           powers are developed by effort. That is a principal
                          use, as I see it, of hard work in studies. Unless you
                          train your body you can't be an athlete, and unless
                          you train your mind you can't be much of a scholar.
                         The four miles an oarsman covers at top speed is in
                         itself nothing to the good, but the physical capacity to
                         hold out over the course is thought to be of some
                         worth. So a good part of what you learn by hard
                         study may not be permanently retained, and may not
                         seem to be of much final value, but your mind is a
                         better and more powerful instrument because you
                         have learned it.
                         Knowledge is power,' but still more the
                         faculty of acquiring and using knowledge is power.
                         If you have a trained and powerful mind, you are
                         bound to have stored it with something, but its value
                         is more in what it can do, what it can grasp and use,
                         than in what it contains; and if it were possible, as it
                         is not, to come out of college with a trained and
                        disciplined
                         mind and nothing useful in it, you would still
                         be ahead, and still, in a manner, educated. Think of
                         your mind as a muscle to be developed; think of it as
                         a searchlight that is to reveal the truth to you, and
                         don't cheat it or neglect it.

The underlining is mine.
These are important points to all those students who cannot see the "value" in studying history, or geography, or the parts of a cell in science, or algebra, etc.
How often I have heard this refrain: "I'll never use this in my real life."
Sometimes it is enunciated as a challenge: "When will I ever need to know this?"
           It is not so important that you become a massive "container" of information. (Ever less important with today's technology.) Rather the brain's stimulation strengthens it and your ability to work with material - sometimes new and challenging - sometimes review.
You become a better person.
Of course, this is not only for young people. New discoveries seem to indicate that exercising the brain helps stave off Alzheimer's.
So keep learning and exercising your brain power!

2011-02-16T11:43:00.000-08:00

Some limited classes are now offered using Skype™.
Ahhh, new technology! Sometimes it is a benefit, sometimes a curse. I am working to
making this technology work for us.
As with all L.T.L.'s programs, each program will be different and based on agreed terms of course.
Check website for further details.

Multiplication Tables

2011-02-08T07:44:00.000-08:00

Many students have weak automatic multiplication skills.
Practising is the only way to improve. The game below adjusts to your skill level as you proceed.
It takes a little while to get started, but then I've found students like playing the game. (Don't worry - the ogres aren't too scary!!)
Best of all there is a FREE version - and it's the only one I've used so far. It works well.
Give it a try!

www.BigBrainz.com

Happy New Year !

2010-12-31T09:51:00.000-08:00

Well another year has come and gone.
Welcome to 2011!

Of course, the New Year is often a time when people decide to make resolutions - generally to make some improvements such as to quit smoking, lose weight, eat more healthy food, exercise more, etc.

While these are all fine goals, let me propose another possibility.

One of the best ways to broaden our horizons is by reading. Reading is not just educational, however, for it can reduce stress, make one feel less lonely, and improve one's general sense of well-being.
Looking outward can be so beneficial, even if the text is fiction. There are often kernels of truth in most works. And, of course, there is the added benefit of learning something new!

Just think, the average novel is 300 to 400 pages. If you read just ten pages per day, you will be able to read the equivalent of ten novels in 2011!

Try reading a wide variety of material though - not just novels. Read a play or two, some poetry, a comic, a magazine, and local newspaper. When reading short stories or poetry - you can be reading a novel in between, letting you absorb more from each short piece.

The famous Canadian author Mavis Gallant once wrote the following:

"Stories are not chapters of novels.
They should not be read one after another, as if they were meant to follow along.
Read one. Shut the book. Read something else.
Come back later. Stories can wait."
Gallant, Mavis. Preface. The Selected Stories of Mavis Gallant. Toronto, Ontario: McClelland & Stewart, 1997. XIX. Print.

At any rate, just a thought for the New Year.

Happy 2011 !

Happy Reading !

Merry Christmas !!

2010-12-20T11:32:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year !!

Don't forget that books are great gifts and easy last minute purchases for those loved ones on your list.

Enjoy the holidays!

Communication

2010-11-25T08:26:00.000-08:00

While reading a section of Dona J. Young's book "Business English" I came across the article concerning communication.
I wanted to add a few notes about communicating.

Communication involves both speaking and listening.
Sometimes, people tend to forget the balance. When one person speaks constantly without breaking to allow others to input ideas, there is no true communication.
He or she is delivering a speech instead of practising effective communication.
(There are times when this is appropriate, of course - but it isn't effective communication. Even the best professors or teachers know that after the lecture there should be time for questions, discussion, and true communication.)

Of course, if one is silent - there is no real communication either.

There are components of communication that don't involve speaking; however, they tend to add or detract from the actual spoken communication rather than "be" the communication.
Gestures, for example, can mean many things - and can be easily misinterpreted.
They can, however, add emphasis to a verbal point or help one become less (or more) intimidated.

I agree with the point that communicating is an art rather than a science. Simply learning rules and trying to apply them "blindly" will create an automaton like delivery. Also, we might spend so much time trying to generate our next speaking point that we forget to listen well enough to comprehend others.

Also, we communicate differently depending on the group and situation, and we have to be ready to adjust our approach. As Young points out, communication is a live process - meaning we must monitor and adjust our approach as we proceed in any given situation.

Just a few thoughts.

Fourteen years !!

2010-10-01T09:17:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that it has been fourteen years!

I began L.T.L. Tutoring back in the fall of 1996. At that time, we were living in the south end of Guelph on Wilsonview Avenue - not far from College Avenue Public School and College Heights and Centennial Secondary Schools.

Of course, just as now, students came from all over Guelph and a few from outside of Guelph, too.

I feel very lucky to have been able to tutor students from 4 years old to older adults and every age in between.

Most of the students have been grade school or secondary school students aiming to improve their skills and grades; however, there have been others.

One summer, a brother and sister from Saudi Arabia came to improve their English skills.

Other adults have come to Canada from China, Libya, Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone - to name a few, and have arrived at L.T.L. to improve English skills as well.

Several adults have come to change jobs or improve their writing skills (and sometimes math skills) for their current job.

The students from Canada are most prevalent of course - and they have all been entertaining, enjoyable, and educational for me.

That's not to say that a few of them haven't been challenging, difficult, and stressful! Of course, education brings all those bits and pieces with it.

Still, to be able to watch students as they begin to weave their way into understanding - while trying to become more understanding myself - has been rewarding to date.

I look forward to the next fourteen years!

Back from Holiday

2010-09-22T07:26:00.000-07:00

Well, Gay and I are back from our holiday on Manitoulin Island.

We had an amazing time - despite the rather cool weather and a couple of very very windy days!!

On our way back, we stopped in South Baymouth to visit the Little Schoolhouse & Museum.

They have lots of interesting old machines, methods for fishing, boating, farming, etc. in the larger building.

The little schoolhouse brought back memories of attending a one room school. I went to a one room school for the first couple of years of my schooling, and there were lots of similarities. The one I went to also had grades 1 to 8 and a big stove in the middle of the room. (The stove has been removed from the museum example.) We had a pump outside for water and a little shed for wood and wood chips for the stove to keep warm in winter.

Inside the museum schoolhouse there are examples of the children's work, old student desks, and lists of rules for school teachers.

For example, at one time - male teachers were not to be shaved in a barber shop and female teachers at one time had to ask permission to leave the town!!

Of course the rules for students have changed considerably over the years as well.

The school opened in 1898 with 11 students. It closed in 1962.

If you are ever on the island - it is a very interesting and educational visit.

Back to School !

2010-08-30T11:35:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that the Summer Break is coming to an end.

With the school new year about to begin, there will be lots of excitement; but, also, lots of nervousness, stress, and tension.
It is important for parents to maintain as calm an atmosphere as possible. Students look to their parents as examples, and a calm methodical approach will go a long way in keeping the mood positive.
Messaging is another important component. Always try to speak in positive terms about going back to school, learning new things, catching up with friends, and discovering a whole new world! (Of course, complaining about our own "work" can quickly negate all this positivity - so try to model an optimistic pro-active approach. )

The next week may be a good opportunity to begin getting everyone back on schedule as well. Bedtimes, consistent meals, morning procedures, etc. should follow as closely as possible the new school routine.

A little planning and practice can really help calm those frayed nerves - for students and parents alike!
Here's wishing everyone a smooth entry into September.

Epictetus

2010-07-28T12:42:00.000-07:00

I wanted to say a little more about the quotation on the website for July:

Only the educated are free

Epictetus (Greek Philosopher)

Epictetus was born around the year 55 (slightly before I was!) and was originally a slave.
He was eventually freed. (He may have considered himself free long before he was physically freed.)

He lived and studied in Rome (first as a slave) then became a teacher with his own school in Nicopolis in Greece.
He was a stoic and seems to have followed the older stoics.

In addition to the quotation above, his philosophy is very interesting in its ability to help guide people to a happier life.
We see many of the stoic ideas in more modern form - including Albert Ellis and his Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy.

Epictetus believed that we are able to choose - even though he believed many things belonged to fate - the way we respond to them is up to us.

"No one is master of another's prohairesis [moral character], and in this alone lies good and evil. No one, therefore, can secure the good for me, or involve me in evil, but I alone have authority over myself in these matters." (Discourses 4.12.7–8, trans. Dobbin)

Our thoughts and our responses are within our control - and we can choose to be calm and take an active role to improve the events that happen to us, or not.

Now I am not suggesting that I agree with everything the Stoics, or Epictetus, said; however, I do think there is a lot to be learned from them.
Nor am I suggesting that I, myself, can always choose the right thoughts or responses to disturbing events.
What I do suggest is that we are all learning ( or should be!) and can find our better paths in time - and perhaps with a little guidance.
Those who choose not to learn or change will forever stay wallowing in their own self-pity and despair.

Education - learning - can be freeing on so many levels.

Keep learning, keep growing and exploring the world!

Math skills

2010-04-30T14:09:00.000-07:00

Many skills are learned best by "doing."

In academic studies, math may be the prime example.
The best way to learn mathematics is by doing.

Each night you should set aside some time to go over past
material and practise a few questions from each section.

Reviewing the rules and procedures is important; however, you
don't know the math unless you can start at the beginning of a
question and successfully work through the steps to a correct final answer.

One final thought: Don't be afraid of math !

Journal Writing

2010-04-18T13:31:00.000-07:00

I often recommend that my students keep a journal, but keeping a journal is good advice for anyone.
Sitting down to write something everyday helps focus your thoughts.
It is a pleasant way to revisit the day's events and to make sense of them for ourselves.

Start off small and easy.
You don't need anything fancy to keep a journal.
A small notebook and a comfortable pen - along with your thoughts.
Don't be hard on yourself. Let the thoughts flow, and don't worry about grammar & spelling at first.

Of course, you can write a journal on a word processor. This method gives you the advantage of grammar check and spell check; however, it might not be the best method for correcting your spelling and grammar long term. (Even good writers tend to admit they get lazy using the technology - and sometimes the technology is incorrect!)
Using it as an aid, however, may be ideal to correct your own written version.

Just a few benefits of journal writing:

develops logical thinking skills
aids in basic writing skills by accessing the writing world each day
over time, most people tend to try writing more clearly - playing with words, being more inventive
refines your thoughts, hopes, and beliefs which helps develop better speaking skills as well
can be therapeutic, a cathartic release of everyday tedium or occasionally more traumatic events
of course, recording joyous events lets you relive them for a moment or two - nothing wrong with feeling grateful for the good things in life!
over time, you might look back at past journals and enjoy seeing what your thoughts were and how they have changed

Most of all, have fun with your journal!

Just as with reading, the more fun you have doing it - the more you will want to do it!