PE or in the school setting Physical Education has sometimes got a bad deal in the elementary setting. Many people including parents feel that students go to PE just to play games. Many feel that it is just a time out or another recess for the students. Maybe that is true in some schools, but the schools that I have been associated with are not among them.
Many schools teach a variety of very useful skills to their students. It is important for students to exercise and use those muscles. They need to learn coordination skills and exercise large and small muscles. They need to learn skills that will help them stay physically fit when they become adults. They need to learn about the different sports and activities that are available to them to participate in and enjoy.
The question then becomes why do we not do a culminating program at the end of the year and display those skills to the parents? If parents saw how much work the students really do in PE then they might not want them to sit out. Even if a child has a handicap or is limited in what he can do, he needs to get some kind of exercise. Excusing them because they are uncomfortable or they just don’t want to do it is not in their best interest.
PE teachers could do a program at the end of the year using the gym floor as their stage. Parents could sit outside the black ring in chairs while the students display the skills that they have been practicing all year long.
Programs should probably go just like PE class. Start with stretching exercises to show how coordinated the students are then add some other coordination skills such as balance beams to demonstrate coordination. A simple fun line or circle dance could be added such as the Bunny Hop or Bingo. Maybe throw in an audience participation dance such as the Macarena or Hooky Poky. Sports skill such a dribbling a basketball could be put in a relay.
You could put a variety of skills such a jump rope, spin jammers, hula hoops, catching and throwing into the program to make it more interesting. Music could be incorporated with each display to give the students rhythm or a beat to exercise to. I would shorten the normal song as it may be too long for them to keep up the skill.
I have written many music type programs and programs related to Red Ribbon Week or patrioitic programs. Recently I was asked by a PE teacher to write a program using the skills that she had taught. This has become a very interesting project and is still on going, but I can see where it would be of value. The first PE programs that I have written are to be performed in the next few weeks and I am anxious to see how they are accepted by the parents.
So the question becomes: If schools do music programs all the time why not do PE programs?

Inviting parents into your classroom allows you to build a relationship with them that is very important. Parents are a valuable resource to you as a classroom teacher, and once you develop that partnership, you'll have a much easier year with the child and the parent. This can, and should, be a school-wide event, but if not, plan one for your class early in the year. Make sure to invite your Principal, and or Assistant Principal to participate in some way.

As part of planning your Parent Night, wait long enough that your students are set in their independent reading procedures, such as filling out their reading logs and the follow up materials when finished with a book. This way, they can then teach their parents.

You will need to set out reading logs and books for the parents to read. Some reading curriculums come with leveled books which are short and can be read in one sitting. If not, work with your school, and or local libraries to gather picture books for the event. The level of the book is really not the important factor here. Getting the parents involved in the child's reading is the key factor in having this event.

Having a Parent Reading Night allows parents to come to the classroom and experience the procedures and routines that their child is learning from you. When the parents come, the student has the opportunity to be the expert and teacher.

The parents will need to come to the classroom and follow the procedure that the student follows. They will need to select a book, use their log, read, and then complete the follow up assessment activity. When the parent and child do this together, they too form or strengthen a relationship and partnership that is critical for their success in school. Parents are informed on what's going on in the academic life of their child, and the child gets valuable time with their parents.

Parent Reading Night will hopefully lead to increased reading at home, as well as parent volunteers in your classroom. When the parents participate in a school program, they see the importance of what the children are doing and learning. Many parents may begin reinforcing this at home, especially if there are younger children in the house. Ay home reading night is established where the whole family takes an evening to read together or a nightly routine is established for reading. If nothing else, the parent at least realizes the importance of that class time and will support and encourage it, whenever possible.

Parent volunteers may start coming to your class to help out with those low level readers. Parents who do not necessarily want to work with your students, but still want to contribute, can help label new books for your class library, rotate Critics Corner papers, etc.

While I don't necessarily agree with all her techniques, the Super Nanny does employ some good strategies in dealing with some common problems of this age group.

Importantly, it helps parenting become a happy experience again for many people, as it is the little challenges that we face that can make the job so difficult.

"So what about the teenage years?"

I hear you ask! Parents of teenagers are relying heavily on the way they were parented to deal with their children. However, this often leaves them ill equipped to deal with the changing face of family and community life in a contemporary world.

Enter the Super Parent Coach!

We need to have the Super Parent Coach drop in to shadow coach the families with teenagers for a few days and offer the parents some strategies to bring more peace and harmony to the home.

What will the Super Parent Coach do?

She will teach the parents the "Seven Ways to Coach your Teenager" and at the same time will coach the parents around their new behavioural practices to assist their teens in building lives of confidence courage and compassion. At the same time bringing a feeling of mutual love and respect back into the home.

But don't wait for the Super Parent Coach to arrive on your doorstep, call her first and join a workshop or have some one-on-one coaching, so you can become the Parent Coach of your own household and learn new skills and strategies to coach your teens to build lives of confidence, courage and compassion.

Call or email Tracy to see how you can learn this fantastic technique for developing a great connection and relationship with your teenager.

Communication between parents and teachers is essential to the success of the students. Often, the only time communication takes place is at parent-teacher conferences. For that reason, it is essential that teachers learn to effectively manage parent-teacher conferences in order to obtain the most benefit from the communication that occurs.

The following tips allow teachers to take a proactive approach to parent-teacher conferences, helping to create effective communication during the conference:

Prepare - Preparing for a parent-teacher conference means knowing exactly what goals have been established for the class, and each individual student, and being ready to show parents how their student is performing toward those goals. For each student, be prepared to show work samples and test scores. In addition, be ready to share behavioral anecdotes for that child. A story can help convey behavioral issues without stating them explicitly, helping to keep parents from becoming defensive. While showing the grade book is an option, it must be done in a way that prevents parents from viewing the grades of other students.

Environment - Create an environment that is comfortable for the parents. Placing parents in smaller chairs than the teacher, or facing the teacher across the teacher's desk, places the teacher in a controlling position that can cause parents to feel intimidated or defensive. Instead, place them in equal seating, perhaps across a table, to establish a sense of equality. Ensure privacy for the conference so parents do not feel as though others can hear what is being said about their child. Organize paperwork so it is easily accessible but out of the way during the conference.

Professionalism - Preparation and proper environment are two aspects of professionalism. Dress and manner of speech fall into this category also. Parents judge a teacher's competence by the amount of professionalism, or lack thereof, that they see displayed. Teachers who want to be viewed as competent professionals should project that image throughout the parent-teacher conference.

Rapport - Teachers should begin the parent-teacher conference by attempting to establish a connection with the parents. Greeting parents warmly, welcoming them to the classroom, and engaging in brief small talk all help to establish rapport. Teachers should also encourage parents to discuss their views and/or concerns about their children. Doing so demonstrates genuine concern for the child, which helps get parents more involved in their child's education.

Communication - Not only should communication at the parent-teacher conference be positive, it should also be clear and specific. When discussing behavior issues, teachers should focus on specific actions, including duration and frequency, rather than offering general comments. Teachers should communicate clearly about all positives and negatives of the student's behavior and performance. Clear, specific statements leave less room for interpretation, which leaves less room for argument by the parents. Communication should also include positive statements, making it clear that the student is a person of value, rather than including only the negatives about the child's behavior and performance in class. Even the negatives can be phrased in such a way that the statement is positive and does not create the need to place blame.

There are other techniques for managing parent-teacher conferences, but this list is an excellent starting point. By creating a professional, positive atmosphere, teachers can effectively manage the parent-teacher conference and make the most of the communication that takes place.

For a tutor, communication with parents is a must. Tutors that communicate with the parent frequently tend to run a more successful business, land clients that are willing to pay slightly higher fees, and have clients that are more likely to offer referrals. In addition, sessions are more productive and tutors find it easier to build a relationship with clients. As tutor, you will most likely have an initial consultation with the parent and then communicate periodically to inform the parent of the progress you and their child are making during your sessions. Here are some things to keep in mind.

Be sure to have a lengthy initial conversation with the parent. This is your opportunity to sell yourself and convince parents that you are going to be the key to their child s academic success. One of the goals of this initial consultation is to share with the parent your philosophy regarding tutoring and what your approach with their child will be.

Many parents don t quite understand how online tutoring works and need to have it explained to them step-by-step. For instance, many parents are amazed to learn that the tutor and child will communicate by voice in real time through their computer s microphone and speakers. Many are under the assumption that the major form of communication will be through typing back and forth, chat room style, or believe that you will be working with many students at the same time. Use the initial consultation to make sure that the parents clearly understand what they are signing up for and be sure to answer any questions that they have.

Once you have established a rapport with the parents and helped them to understand what will happen during a session, you need to gain as much information about the student as you can from the parent. Be prepared for this portion of the conversation by having a list of specific questions that you will ask. Encourage the parent to elaborate and be sure to take a lot of notes that you can refer to later. Be positive, enthusiastic and reassuring during the entire talk. Keep in mind that the parents have turned to you because they are currently struggling and are probably frustrated because what they are doing is not working and they are looking for answers. Help them to believe that you will be the answer to their problem.

Be sure to maintain communication with the parents once you have started tutoring their child. Many tutors find it best to write a quick email to the parent immediately after the session finishes letting them know what was covered, how well they feel the student understands the material, and what the student should be working on before the next session. Taking a few minutes to write a couple of sentences will help the parents feel like they know what s going on and what they are paying for.

Some tutors even have a generic form that they fill out after each session to keep a record of what went on during the session. They include not only the basics such as what was covered and the level of understanding of these various topics, but they also include information to help them prepare for the next session, or what the attitude of the student was during the session. A copy of this document can be emailed to the parent as well as filed away by the tutor.

Students often need tutors because they are struggling with material in school. Their confidence may be low and their frustration level is often high. They may feel as though they aren t as smart as the rest of their classmates or that no one gets why they don t understand concepts that others kids have already mastered. A good tutor should recognize this and focus on changing the child s attitude through encouragement and positive feedback. This should also be relayed to the parent as often as possible. Every parent wants to see their child happy and confident and hearing positive comments from you will mean a lot to them.

Finally, some parents would like to know how their child is progressing over a longer period of time. Consider evaluating a student when you first start working with them and re-evaluating them again after a few months have passed and provide both the student and parent with both positive and negative feedback. Such areas that should be addressed should be: What are the student s strengths and weaknesses? How has their approach to learning improved? How have their study habits changed?

Periodic feedback is crucial to building and maintaining relationships with parents. Make it a point before you start working with new clients to develop a plan for efficient but meaningful communication and convey to the parents how important you feel keeping them informed is. This philosophy will be one of the keys to helping you build a strong and extensive tutoring business.

If you go for a job interview prepared in the manner that most people are prepared for parenthood when they start with their family, you would probably never find a job. Parenting is one of the toughest jobs anyone every may have. Observing their parents and doing reading, mostly in magazines, are the primary training that people have for this solemn task.

Some limited courses in parenting are available through high schools and colleges. To give scholars an idea of what it takes to care for a baby, they let the students carry around an egg for several days. However, caring for an infant child involves much more than just preventing the exterior from suffering any damage. Nurturing the emotional and spiritual needs of the child takes far more effort than catering for the basic needs for staying alive.

One of the primary tips for parenting is to keep your cool and not to panic. It is actually a surprisingly practical parenting tip. Children model their parents and they respond in kind to the environment that surrounds them. A calm and peaceful parent will induce calm and peacefulness with the child.

For the new parent, the advice and help of a more experienced parent is always invaluable. One can get some of the best parenting tips from your grandmother, if you are so blessed to still have your grandmother with you. New parents need to be ready to accept this help. If the grandparents are not available, other support can be found from a neighbor or perhaps an older person in ones church. There are hospitals that provide lists of people who are willing to act as volunteer "grandparents" that will help new parents.

Parenting Tips for the Future

One of the most important things to realize as a new parent is that your child is not going to be perfect in its behavior. The child is a human being who is going to make mistakes. The role of the parent is to guide the child to avoid dangerous mistakes, and to learn from their other benign mistakes. This commences with teaching a child the stove is hot and continues into their adulthood with career and family decisions. It is in the nature of small children, after being told that the stove is hot, to reach up and touch it. As a parent, be ready with cold water for the burn and then reinforce the teaching.

Natural responses from the child should never be met with rebuke. A parent just needs to begin to teach the child that a parent has instruction which is valid for life. Good instruction early one during a child's life, in a manner that instills respect for the parent, just might be helpful in later years when the parent warns against more dangerous things such as drugs, alcohol, and premarital sex. No one enjoys burning a hand and the child will want to prevent further pain.

Are you a better parent in public than you are in private?

"If your approach is congruent whether at home or in public children avoid becoming confused or fail to learn the message and lessons you try so hard to teach them."

Have you ever wondered why some family outings are just more stressful than others and those special children in your life who usually make your heart sing now just makes you want to cry? Or sometimes their playful antics and sense of humour when in a public place seems to have simply passed its "amuse by date" and you no longer feel like laughing – either at home or in public? Well, if you are anything like me, you would be nodding by now!

Parenting in private and parenting in public are often two very different sets of skills and from my own experience often require two very different sets of breathing techniques to survive. Just like in childbirth, sometimes it requires breathing slowly and deeply - other times fast and furiously. Funny thing really, the same technique in the workplace is often very helpful in de-stressing difficult situations!

Parenting under the public eye often provides mothers and fathers with a barometer on managing their stress levels and can even assist in diffusing situations. Pitch, tone, pace of voice, mannerisms and timing of responses generally are more controlled when we are under the public eye and ear. We have all heard those words "Wait till we get home," said under someone's breath, and wonder what awaits that child. Does the tone of voice say it all?

Many of us will agree that parenting is not always easy – either privately or publicly and certainly busy places such as restaurants, supermarkets, shopping centres or theatres can work either for or against the parent or child when it comes managing a difficult situation. The old saying ‘Street Angel, House Devil" comes immediately to mind and describes how intuitively and cleverly children know when and how to behave. Perhaps there should also be a saying like "Loving Parent – Just Exhausted"

Yet, behind closed doors the manner in which many parents may respond may not as guarded as it may be when they in the public eye. Being in your own home provides you and your children with a different set of rules and behaviours and children learn very quickly what they may be able to do in public may not work at home!

The feeling of being overwhelmed, tired, or angry are normal human emotions many parents feel and by expressing those emotions and feelings in private often provides greater license to release their frustrations. The same feeling in public may require the parent to add another layer of controlling their voice to managing the situation.

However that is not always the case. I recently overheard a young child of about 7 years of an age in a department store crying in response to a parent screaming at her for not being able to keep up with the mother who was walking too fast. When the mother said" Did you hear what I said" - the child responded with "No, you were screaming too loud" The message here: The strength of the voice does not necessarily carry the strength of the message.

In our work places, behaviour guidelines can provide us with a safety net and often protect and support us. Codes of behaviour are to a large extent defined by the values of the organisations and people we work with and communication works most effectively when we know what to expect from people and the way in which the interaction will be conducted. Some people in my training sessions have expressed that it is often easier to come to work than to parent children. They reflect from their experiences the workplace is often less physically exhausting, less messy and while some tasks are pretty routine, there is a greater more immediate sense of productivity that can be lacking in day to day care of children. Others disagree and say the opposite, but where they do agree is that they often resolve issues with their children more quickly in public than they do in private and with less stress and anger. Perhaps the fear of being embarrassed, being seen as an ineffective parent, or judged poorly may be the catalyst for managing more fruitfully.

One of the keys to successful communication with children is being consistent in the way you respond either at home or in public. If your approach is congruent whether at home or in public children avoid becoming confused or fail to learn the message and lessons you try so hard to teach them.

In conclusion parenting in public may make many people more conscious and aware of their habits and skills as parents, while parenting in private often requires greater control over the ability to manage emotions and feelings. Greater awareness, consistency and self-regulation are ways to assist you in challenging circumstances, and remember if all else fails, keep breathing!

As a single parent most of your time is taken up by working and taking care of the kids. Dating really does not fall into either of these categories, but even single parents need to make time to take a few dates and meet new people. Just because you have children does not forbid you from having some type of social life. Single parent dating is a bit different that dating as a single because there are children involved. Even kids can like someone other than a natural parent. The thing you have to watch for as a single parent dating is who you introduce to your children.

After the first date is not the time to meet the children. Usually after a few dates and you know more about the other person and some of their likes and dislikes would be a good time to introduce them. You want to know someone very well before involving your children. If you find out the person really does not care for children, it would be wise to move on. Most people who do not like children are not going to change their mind because they like you.

Without being to obvious, you want to know if the person likes kids, likes to do things as a family type thing and if they can be around kids for long periods. Not everyone who likes children can be around them for long periods. You might find someone that treats you like a queen or a king but does not want to have a family. This can be unfortunate, but it is better to find out early when dating than after months of dating. Single parent dating can be fun. You can plan things with the kids and make things fun.

Everyone knows that when you take children to the zoo or to a water park, everyone laughs and has fun. You want to plan things like this before settling in for the night of watching television and waiting for the children to go to bed. Some children are better when they are having fun than when they are at home with nothing to do. Make sure you do fun things with the children before planning a night at home. It will make things easier if the children act up. Single parents do find love and can live happy lives after parenthood.

If you are a single parent entering the dating world, you might be a little apprehensive about certain things, but if you plan the first date for dinner and maybe a club or lounge, you can get to know each other a little better and become comfortable with each other. Being comfortable on a date is important on the first date or the second date may not happen. Never hide the fact that you have children, you can mention their ages and names and then move on to yourself. The date should go rather well with a nice conversation and a dinner. Please do not underestimate yourself. I am sure that you will have a great date.

Imagine The Parent Farm sounds funny I know, yet it would be nice to know that there is a place where parents can go to learn how to nurture and teach their children, how to become great adults. It is commonly said that there is no rule book or instruction manual on how to be a good parent, yet one can use this as an excuse, does it truly benefit your kids?

The excuses are a mile long from saying it is tougher today to bring up children than what it was 50 years ago, or nowadays it takes two incomes to provide for a family. It really is a cop out, as every generation has strived to improve on their own upbringing by giving more, this is human nature. We can label the difficulties or wrap them in different paper though at the end of the day the buck stops with you as the parent.

Go back 500 years and then compare living in the world today as a tough place, even the meek and lower socio economic live better today than anytime in history. For the majority of us we are living in the here and now, so why not make the most of what we have got. As parents today we instill the virtues and values of generations to come as have those that came before us.

It is easy to blame our parents for our current situation, though stop to think, they could do the same in blaming their parents. You have created your current position in life, as we all have choices. Being born into wealth does not guarantee continued wealth; equally being born into poverty does not mean you are destined to be poor. Today many self made millionaires have hit rock bottom as either being bankrupt or homeless, yet have gone onto great things.

So today if we choose to make a difference we are more inclined to, or you can choose to have a crappy day. By fine tuning your own positive outlook you can expect your children to emulate it? Our kids are simply sponges of our behaviors, our attitudes, our language and beliefs. Therefore decide at least for your children that you are going to be the role model that will impress upon them. One day your kids may thank you for it.

A common issue in the parent of today is the lack of attention that is given to their kids. Yes I understand the pressures of life and the responsibilities, yet how many kids misbehave or get into trouble? While it is only one scenario generally these children are vying for your attention. What do we do as adults when we feel like we are not being heard? We shout and get angry. Kids play up and do naughty things to get your attention. No different.

Can you remember your childhood? Do you remember how quickly it went before you became an adult? Therefore when your kids come to you and ask a question STOP and give them that moment in time, it may be that thing they remember for the rest of their life, that critical question. Do not fog them off.

I am not suggesting you have to be the perfect parent every hour of every day of the week, as none of us are perfect. I recommend you take the time to offer the guidance and inspiration that will make them that great adult. In other words be present for them. It is no good to say wait till I get a spare minute, as that moment in time may never be repeated again.

Being caught up in your work or your chores or even your own quiet time is never as important as when your child comes to you for advice; or when you can see that they need to be taught to do something correctly. As adults we do not always learn something the first time we are taught, it takes repetition before we get the learning. So be patient with your kids development, if it takes you three times or more to tell them not to draw on the wall, so be it. Allow the possibility that it may take that long for it to sink in.

Teach your children consequence; this can be done without imparting the wrath of god upon them. Some parents literally go into hysterics in scolding their kids, if only they thought about the impact that will have on their child as an adult? Imagine explaining to them why that behavior is not acceptable. Note how I said the behavior not the child as in their intellect or personality? By calmly explaining what could happen if they followed through on this, they soon will learn right from wrong.

So in closing you can either find that Parent Farm or you can stop, listen and teach your kids the important values in life, it will make them terrific adults. Or let them grow up as potential failures because you could not be bothered to give them the time? Life is short so being the best teacher you can to create a positive life that comes with offering love and happiness. Be present, listen intently to understand, and enjoy being a parent.

We often observe parents who are impatient, angry or exasperated because life nowadays is stressful and hectic. This has made parenting and raising a child a tough and confusing issue at times. How does a parent meet all demands of life and still always be available for your child? How do you deal with issues like discipline, sibling rivalry and unhealthy eating habits? How do you make sure that what you are doing as a parent is appropriate and successful parent coach can answer all these questions.

Parent Coach

A parent coach is a trained and certified professional who empowers families to resolve conflict and find answers to their issues. Since coaching is about relationships, the main focus is on parent – child relationship; yet the parent might choose individual coaching. A parent coach understands that each family is different. They know how to respect and acknowledge these differences and make the most of them. A parent coach helps families develop stronger bonds which do not break despite how much distance is put between a parent and a child.

A parent coach undertakes a training program which can be 9 to 12 months long. Persons interested in parent coaching usually enjoy people and like being in service. You might be a writer, seasoned parent, a teacher, a student or a counselor by profession; and with a certified program you can become a parenting coach and help make a difference in people's lives. Just as a coach puts the team together and teaches it to function as one organic whole, a parent coach puts families together and helps them to function cooperatively.

Why Pick Parent Coaching as a Career?

• Parent coaching as a career is rewarding and fruitful. You not only earn money but also make a difference in someone's life. As a parent coach you help families develop deeper and stronger bonds. Under your guidance parents will learn how to raise children who are healthy and happy physically, emotionally and psychologically. You will help parents relate to their children better and vice-versa. The relationship you develop with the families you work with will be personal and lifelong.
  
• As professional parent coach you have the freedom of working from home. You do not have to give up your current employment. Parent coaching gives you the freedom of flexible work hours and you can start part-time. The time of meeting can be decided by the client and you. You can meet the parent in person or hold conversations over telephone or E-Mail. The time span of the meeting is not fixed either. It is a career which gives you the complete freedom of deciding how, when and for how long you want to work.
  
• Unlike a child or a relationship counselor, your bond with your client will be deeper than professional. Your are not solving past problems like a therapist; you are finding answers together to present issues. Your meetings with clients will not be time oriented sessions where only you are to talk. The sessions you undertake as a parent coach will be interactive participation from you as well as the client's side. Also, your unique style of working will be your strength. You will not be expected to fall into a stereotype role.
  
• Training to be parent coach is both practical and cost effective. These programs are generally undertaken through distance learning. You can train to be a parent coach while studying or working. Even after you have earned your certificate, you have the freedom to decide when you want to step into this field. How long you want to be a professional parent coach is also decided by you alone.
  
• If you are a parent, career in parent coaching will prove to be most beneficial. You will know the professional secrets of dealing with issues concerning your children. Your parenting skills will be better than ever. You can also help others gain though your experiences and knowledge. Again you have the freedom of deciding whether you want to work at a professional or personal level.
  

Parent coaching is an apt career choice for anyone who wants to help people and make a difference. To help bring up a child who turns out to be loving, successful and happy is a reward in itself.

Contact www.academyforcoachingparents.com if you want to be a part of this fast growing industry.

About the Author

Academy for Coaching Parents International (ACPI) provides a distance-learning program with course materials for five subject areas that will prepare students to operate their own Parent Education and Parent Coaching business.

Copyright

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Single parents often worry that their children will somehow be damaged from living in a single parent family. While a single parent family may not be the ideal situation for raising children, many two-parent families are also less than desirable. Kids can actually benefit from living in a single parent family.

Results of studies have indicated that a home filled with conflict is the least desirable home environment for children. When the child's prior two-parent household included frequent fighting and discord between the adults, the child can benefit from living in a one-parent home provided that the conflict is stopped. A parent who is no longer devoting time to warring with a partner may have more energy to give to the kids. Children observe adult relationships and usually apply what they have learned to their own relationships as adults. By residing with only one parent, the child may actually have a chance to observe healthier adult relationships.

Children learn valuable lessons from dealing with hard times and having different lifestyle from many of their peers Your family may not represent the stereotypical American family, but there can still be lots of love and fun in your home.

A single parent may actually have more time for the kids that a married parent would have. Since there is no longer a spouse around at mealtime, meals don't have to be as substantial and can be structured around kid-friendly ingredients. If your former partner was not very involved with housework, you may have more time since you now have one less person to care for. Financial worries may actually be fewer. Yes, you have less income, but you also have total control over the expenditures that you may not have had while with your partner.

The opportunity to spend time in two separate homes can be a good experience for your children. They will see different approaches to life and hopefully, take the best of both homes to use in establishing their own households as adults.

Often, a child with parents who live apart will gain a stepparent or two. Your child's extended family will then be even larger, giving her more chances to develop meaningful relationships with caring adults. Your kids may even get exposure to new ideas or experiences that could ultimately lead to a career or hobby for your child.

Kids who live with only one parent tend to develop independence faster than their peers. Since the parent will probably have a job and other many other duties on their plate, the kids may have to learn to do things for themselves such as preparing a simple meal or participating in household chores. Kids with stay-at-home parents or two parents in the home may not have as many opportunities to take part in the day-to-day responsibilities of running a household. The kids also learn that they need to be ready to take care of themselves, since they, too, could end up on their own or in a single parenting situation someday.

A favorite benefit of many kids from single parent families is that they often get two or more celebrations for each holiday. They may get two sets of gifts at Christmas, often getting more stuff than they would have if the parents were together. Two Easter baskets, valentine's gifts, etc., are also enjoyed by many of these children.

Two-parent homes can often provide many advantages. However, single parent homes can offer many opportunities for self-growth for children along with other benefits. You can commiserate with your kids about their ?different? lifestyle from their peers, but be sure to stress the advantages of their situation, too, along with offering lots of love. Your family can be a successful as a single parent family!

As mentioned earlier, dependent students can first only apply for the subsidized loan. One reason for this is to keep the students loan debt low. A second reason is to ask the parents to assist with the student's education. The parents then also have an opportunity to apply for an educational loan, called a Plus loan.

While parents can borrow as high as the total of a student's educational budget, less any aid that has already been received, this loan is based on ones credit. Another difference between the Parent Plus loan and the Stafford loans is the repayment period. While students do not need to repay their loans until six months after becoming less than a half time student or graduating, parents will receive their first statement 60 days after taking out the loan. They do have the option of working with the lender to defer payment until the student graduates.

Similar to the unsubsidized loan, the amounts borrowed are not determined by the EFC. There is no collateral required, and, the interest rates are low. For the 2005 to 2006 school year, the interest rate was 6.1%. Compare that to a home equity loan which averaged 7.5% or higher, or the interest earned on a credit card, about 13.8%, and your parents will see the advantage of applying for this type of loan!

A parent will be asked to apply for this loan and be denied before a dependent student will become eligible for an unsubsidized loan. Remember when we were talking about the FAFSA, and how it was an important decision deciding which parent would be asked to provide financial information? Well, this is the time to return to that conversation. The parent you chose, assuming that only one parent was chosen, is the only one that can apply for this parent loan.

With both the Stafford loans and parent loans, the student and or parents have the option of choosing which bank they wish to have as their lender. There are some advantages to choosing one bank over another, including an existing relationship with the bank. Such advantages include rebated bank fees, and a policy of never selling the loan to another financing organization.

If your school is not already working with your bank or credit union of choice, you can speak to that lender and request the necessary forms to start your loan. A good rule of thumb is to stay with the same bank for the life of your educational career. The advantage with this is that when you do begin repayment, you are only receiving one statement rather than multiple ones.

Of course, in addition to the federal loans, you are always welcome to apply for outside loans. In doing so, remember that these will definitely take into consideration your credit score, and you may be required to have a cosigner. The advantages to taking out an outside loan include your choice of who the lender is, and there is no limit to the amount borrowed. However, you may or may not have a choice in when repayment will be required.

Some lenders may consider the fact that you are a current student and unable to repay until your graduation. Others may only give you a certain number of days before you will need to make payments. Also, the interest rates will most likely not be as low as those on your student loans.

Stafford loans, as well as being guaranteed, have been in almost every case, offered with the lowest interest rate of any other loan. When applying for an outside loan, you also have the option of having the bank pay your school directly, and allowing the school to take on the work of issuing you a check of the overage; or you can ask the lender to pay you directly, and it will be your responsibility to pay the school, or set up some type of payment plan.

Often new tutors find themselves nervous and intimidated when it comes to following up on leads and building their clientele from scratch. Some may feel like a salesperson and feel awkward promoting their services and trying to land customers. This awkwardness may result in a less than professional initial consultation with a potential customer and a lack of business down the road.

I find that I give the same advice to the tutors that I coach with regards to their initial consultation. The first and most important thing I tell them is that you are not cold-calling. The parents are contacting you. They have taken the first step. It is now your turn to answer their questions and help them to understand what you can do for them. They WANT to hear an honest, sincere explanation about you, your experience, and your plan to help their child so don t feel awkward talking about yourself and your business. Just make sure that you don t come across as if you give the same scripted speech to every parent you speak with. Make sure that you gain information about their child early on in the talk and then structure your explanation of your business around the information you just gained.

For instance, something as simple as using the child s first name makes the initial phone conversation more personable. Try to avoid using he s and she s and instead refer to their child as if you know them already.

After the initial introductions, let the parent do most of the talking. Focus on learning as much information about their child as possible. Take organized notes that you can refer back to later in the conversation. Some parents will jump at the opportunity to talk about their child and give you more information than you need while others may feel awkward or embarrassed by the difficulties they are having with their child. Be prepared with a list of questions that you can use to prompt parents and encourage elaboration.

Rehashing problems, whether they are learning issues, behavior problems, emotional issues, etc. might be frustrating for the parent. Try your best to keep the parent calm, comfortable and positive. Make them believe that they finally found the answer to their problems when they initiated contact with you.

Be sure to find out about previous strategies that they have already tried and the result of these attempts. Ask about feedback that the family receives from school. Is there anything that the classroom teacher sees as a major hindrance to the child s success? Some tutors find it very helpful to actually talk to the child for a little while and get their perspective on why they are struggling.

Once you have learned as much as possible about the child use the next portion of the consultation to explain to the parent what online tutoring is all about. You will find that many parents truly don t understand the technology and how it works. You will have to do your best to describe the process to the parent and make them believe that it does work for other children and it will work for their child also. The best way to accomplish this is to simply have the parent get online and click on the following link - http://www.tutorfi.com/highspeeddemo.asf Here they will see a tutor interacting with a student as they work through a math problem. Be sure to inform the parent how scheduling works and that they are not locked into a specific time and day each week. Many are thrilled to hear that they are free to work around their child s or family s commitments.

Run through what will happen during a typical session. Explain to the parent that you will be structuring sessions around the specific needs of their child. Some sessions may focus on homework help while others may focus on test preparation, previewing future chapters, reviewing study skills, or any other area that the tutor, child, or parent deems necessary. Also, stress to the parent that you will be focusing on building their child s confidence and interest in learning as well as covering academic concepts. Remind them that you work for them and will do whatever you can to help their child improve their grades and enjoy school more.

Once you finish sharing information about each other, it becomes time to discuss the specifics. Decide on what days and times would be best to meet online then set a time and date for the initial session. Once your first session has been scheduled, bring up your fees along with when and how you will be paid. Inform the parent of your policy regarding scheduling or canceling sessions at the last minute. Exchange email addresses and telephone numbers. This will be especially important in case either of you need to cancel or schedule a session at the last minute.

Always leave time at the end of the conversation for questions that the parents or child might have. Be positive and confident throughout the entire conversation and always try to convey the emotion that you can't wait to work with their child.

Be realistic. You will not land every client that you speak with. Don t get discouraged if you run into a streak of No Thank-you s . Reflect on the conversation and the reasons that people give for not signing up with you and decide if there is something about your presentation that you may want to tweak. View the no s as practice, chalk them up as a learning experience and believe that if you are diligent you will soon have more clients than you can schedule!

Tutors not only help students understand material, but they also provide advice to frustrated or parents struggling to help their children. The more informed tutors are, the more likely they are to offer sound advice.
One of the most common topics that tutors advise parents on is how to communicate with the classroom teacher. Everyone, including the tutor, will benefit from effective communication between the parent and the teachers. However, open and consistent dialogue between parents and teachers is hard to come by.

I typically offer the following advice to parents to help them open the communication channels and get a better handle on how their child is performing in the classroom. Feel free to pass these tips on.

1. Use an email to introduce yourself to your child s teachers at the beginning of each year. Provide them with your telephone number and email address.

2. Write a quick email to the teacher after the first few weeks of school. By this point the teacher should have had a chance to get to know your child and can provide you with some feedback. Find out if your child is missing any assignments, is prepared for class, and behaves appropriately.

3. Make teachers aware of any changes in the family routine that may impact your child. Stressful situations at home will impact your child s ability to focus, behave, and perform on assignments. Even positive changes, such as a parent getting a new job or starting a new extra-curricular activity might be the cause of sudden changes.

4. If your child struggles to stay organized and complete homework on a daily basis, create an agreement with the teacher that you will both sign your child s assignment pad nightly. Have your child write the night s homework in an assignment pad. They then must get the teachers initials. This should take about 10 seconds at the end of class to look it over and make sure that all of the homework is listed there. Once the child has completed all homework and the parents have checked to see that it is done, they sign the assignment pad and write a quick note to the teacher if necessary. The child should be responsible for bringing the pad to his or her teacher for the signature and for bringing the pad home each night.

5. Ask if the teacher has a webpage that you can visit to find out what is going on in class.

6. It is very easy to become defensive when you hear a negative report regarding your child. Remember that teachers went into the profession because they love working with children. They aren t out to get your child; they simply want to let you know about a situation so you can address it at home and make the situation more pleasant for everyone. Keep an open mind during the discussion and remember that you are both on the same side.

7. Always discuss how we will work together to help your child. Both the teacher and the parent play a major role in the development of the child. Work together during the good times and during the troublesome ones.

8. Create an email template that you can email to the teacher once a week. Include categories that you want feedback in. For instance, 1. Completed all homework. 2. Completed all classwork. 3. Participated in class. Etc. Have the teacher put a quick letter next to each category. (Ex. O=outstanding, G=good, S=satisfactory, U=unsatisfactory). The teacher can also include a quick comment such as any missing assignments or a test grade and email it back to you. Help the teacher out by emailing it to them at the end of each week so the teacher doesn t have to remember it on his or her own. Make it so it won t take a lot of time to complete and the teacher will be more willing to send it back to you each week.

9. Make sure you contact the teacher personally and discuss any issues in depth before you talk to the principal or anyone in a position above the classroom teacher.

10. Make yourself visible. Attend open-houses, back-to-school nights, conferences, etc. Always remember to personally introduce yourself to the teacher so that he or she can put a name with a face.

I believe that communication is a must between teacher and parent, but it is important to find a happy medium. As a tutor, you can play a major role in helping the parent reach this point. The better the communication between the parent and the classroom teacher, the easier your job will be.

Learning how to landscape like my parents is very important to me. Their approach is not the normal gardeners way of gardening, but that is what makes their garden so amazing.

My parent s house is my most favorite place in the world. This is what is funny about that. My parents frustrate me very badly and I don t really get along with them very well. However, their yard is very relaxing to me and I think of it as an oasis from my busy life. My parents do not have a professional landscaper and do the work themselves, which is amazing to me since their yard looks like it came straight out of one of those landscape magazines.

My parents live in the middle of a big city on a quiet little street. For most people, beautiful gardens are more imagined in a rural area, rather than in a big city, but my parents have combined the best of both worlds. In landscaping magazines, they don t usually feature homes that are in the city, they prefer using more rural, country settings. If you look in a magazine, you will see that the yards that they feature include large open spaces and huge blooming gardens that don t look like they have ever seen air pollution. When I look in those magazines now, I try to imagine that garden in the city, rather than in a rural setting.

My parent s personalities do not lend toward the idea of them planting beautiful gardens. They are not earthy people, which makes the beauty of their gardens hard to understand. Although they are not the typical gardener, they are hard workers who see their landscaping adventure as a canvas on which to paint. They look at the garden as a big adventure that they are taking the journey on. They realize that their garden is a commitment that will take a lot of time and effort that will give them a great deal of pride and enjoyment. A beautiful garden gives them a great sense of peace and relaxation and they are willing to work to get that result.

In most cases, landscaping magazines do not write articles that feature gardens like the one that my parents have created. In fact, from reading the landscaping magazines you may think that the only people who can create a beautiful landscape are either a retiree or someone who really enjoys nature. It would be surprising to readers, however, to find out that my parents do not know much about nature. They look at it as more of a scientific journey, where they learn how to balance light and moisture to make their plants flourish. They think of it as putting a puzzle together to make a beautiful landscape.

Online dating can be an intimidating world, In order to keep the process of meeting new people light and fun, here are some basic tips to protecting yourself.

1. Single Parent personals are the starting place for people looking for dating, and it's also a great way to screen out potentially dangerous admirers. Make it clear in your personal that you are a confident and independent person! Those with bad intentions will be interested in only the most insecure disabled singles. If you seem too eager to give your heart to someone, then you are sending out the message that you can be taken advantage of easily.

2. Always meet in public and bring your own transport. This is a given, but it is absolutely important. Not only does it make a first date less awkward and strange, but it ensures that your safety is protected. Maybe you're about to meet the love of your life. But right now, you don't know how trustworthy your date is.

3. Tell friends and/or family where you will be and for how long. Let those around you know about your date so that if something goes amiss, action can be easily taken.

4. Don't drink too much! A glass or two of wine might be suitable for the date, but you don't want to lose your ability to reason, judge, and take care of yourself in the case that your date will be looking for an opportunity to take advantage of you. Dating sites are no different than bars or grocery stores really - any and every kind of man and woman will go there, and there's no way of telling if they have your best interest in mind based on a chat room conversation, etc.

5. Limit the amount of personal information you give out. Don't tell your date exactly where you work or live right away - they must earn your trust, not assume it!

6. Is the single parent dating service you're using reliable? Do they screen members? Do you pay for the services? If you answered "yes" to these last two questions, then you are probably in good shape.

7. Most of all - trust your instincts! If you feel suspicious about someone and you don't know why, go with your gut and make up an excuse to leave. Chances are there is something fishy about the situation and you don't want to put yourself at risk for the sake of giving him or her a try. Body language might be more important than words spoken, so it's these little details that can reveal to you whether your emotional or physical security is at risk.

You should follow practically all of these safety tips whenever you meet someone for a first date. Don't let this list of DO's and DONT's make you scared to get to know new people, but don't be naive either.

At any point in time someone one the net is either searching for or registering a domain name or web hosting package. In the time of the .com boom companies such as Hostgator, Godaddy etc. made a fortune simply because they were there at the right time to take advantage of the demand, and relatively low levels of competition. Now days the demand for domains and web hosting packages are still very high however the competition in this field is extremely saturated.

Even with this saturated market the Web Hosting Providers that were established earlier continue to prosper, due to their large customer base. To continue their growth they have invented Reseller Programs. These programs allow individuals to sell, most of the times, the same services as their Web Hosting Providers. Well now this brings up an interesting question Why should register a domain or web hosting package with a reseller? , or in other words Is there any advantage in signing up with a reseller?

Well the answer is Yes, but it depends solely on the reseller, with respect to prices, the company they resell for and services provided. I’m a Reseller for Godaddy I sell the exact services that they do at the same prices, and in the beginning when I now started out as a reseller most of customers signed with me because I was with Godaddy. That is why I said earlier that it’s unfortunate that resellers don’t say that they resell for a particular company. Ok now back to stating the advantages.

Now forgive me if this sounds like self promotion ( well actually it is a little) but I’m really trying to drive a point. I resell Godaddy services at the same price that are stated on the Godaddy website, all my customers domains ,websites, email accounts etc. are all hosted and maintained by Staff and Equipment belonging to Godaddy. Hence all my customers get the same standard of reliability, professionalism, and security just as if they bought their services directly off the godaddy website.

Let analyze what we have, services at the same cost, same equipment, same 99.99% reliability, same security, so what’s the advantage , well it simply boils down to SUPPORT not just any support but 1&1 SUPPORT.

I know all my customers personally, and they know me personally as well even though I’ve never met them, and I can assist them on a 1&1 basis simply because my customer base is not nearly as large as Godaddy’s. Yes I know what you’re thinking Web Hosting Providers give support, which is true but it’s not 1&1, it’s like comparing teaching a classroom of student in public schools with 40 plus student per class to teaching in private school in which you can get individual attention. At my website and I’m sure at other resellers as well I have two levels of support my customer can get support direct from Godaddy as well as from me. Just as a note the other day I helped one of my customer design a website, I even helped in searching for a good domain name, Can’t get that with the bigger companies.

Another advantage is really psychological, customers to these big Web Hosting Providers are a dime a dozen but to resellers like myself you’re not, every customer is treated as precious as the next, and it makes sense if you think about it.

Several resellers also offer specials that their parent company don't , but that’s just a few of them including myself( you’ll have to sign up for my news letter to see what I’m talking about.).

In closing the next time or even you’re first time in searching for domains , domain registration, web hosting packages ,etc. and you happen to come across a reseller contact him/her and see if they worth signing up with it might just be worth your wild.

My name is Keith, I’m the owner of the reseller website http://www.binaryjunction.com

Contact me at Contactus@binaryjunction.com