Reasons for seeing the best in children during tough stages in life

 I have written a lot about children in my blogs. This write-up is also focused on children but contains valuable information on seeing the best in children during tough stages in life.

Every single day in life is not the same. There are ups and downs in each individual’s life. We have to deal with these variations very carefully as we as group-ups are the mentors for our children. Children often look at their elders to see how they react under different situations and then copy their behavior. Hence; it is very important for elders to make a sort of decorum in their life even if they are going through a tough phase in their life. In this blog; I have enumerated various examples, which will help you understand the need for empathy and positive outlook in life.

But first of all let me start off with a famous quote of getting through tough times in your life.

According to Mary Manin Morrissey,

”Even though you may want to move forward in your life, you may have one foot on the brakes. In order to be free, we must learn how to let go. Release the hurt. Release the fear. Refuse to entertain your old pain. The energy it takes to hang onto the past is holding you back from a new life. What is it you would let go of today?"

This is a great quote which highlights the theme of this blog. In order to move ahead we need to let go certain things and look at the positive side of every situation. Always believe that there is a silver lining around the corner that will keep you motivated and you will encourage your children to feel the same. They can also derive the confidence from you to deal with tough times with best possible attitude. This is a very huge thing which not only requires patience and guts but also enough confidence in you to remind yourself that:

Tough times don’t last long; but tough people do.

Now let me get back to our topic of discussion and enumerate different ways to see the best in children during tough stages in life:

• Try to show empathy towards others: During tough times it is very difficult to think about others; leave alone the thought of helping others. But even a smallest of gesture can enlighten the day of another person. For example; you are under debts for the business you have done earlier and are lamenting over the need for doing business with that particular party. If a small child comes over and smiles at you; you should always smile back as that will make their day. It will also make you feel happy thereby doing something good for other without any pressure or commitment.

• Read a good literature: When you are going through a difficult phase books are your best friends. The best thing is to escape from the realities of this world by reading a picture story book to your 4 year old toddler. This way you will forget about your worries.

• Build self-reliance and confidence in children: When your child is in a spot of bother the very first thing that comes in our mind is how to help them resolve their concern. In future always remember that they will be on their own. Hence; always try to make them self-reliant and independent by dealing the problems their way but always tell them that you are there for them.
• Learn something from the loss: When life becomes tough due to some of the careless decisions that we have taken the most probable thing is to understand the mechanics behind the loss. Even for small children who do not have logical thinkers, they also understand clearly about the things that led to the loss. It might even lead to an inexplicable discovery of facts.

• Listen attentively: This is a challenging task when you are dealing with a crisis. I can understand this thing because I have had a personal experience where it becomes very difficult to listen attentively when you are thinking about something else while dealing with your day-to-day activities. In case of children, you need to overly patient because they will be playful and will speak a lot. So do not speak until and unless you have heard them attentively.

In the end I would like to conclude this blog by saying that children are the future of our next generation. They need to be tough enough to deal out with stressful situations in life. If you wish to elaborate further on this point; follow us at: http://www.facebook.com/PracTutor, http://hardik.practutor.com

PracTutor
12806 Townepark Way

Louisville, KY 40243-2311

United States

http://www.practutor.com

Inculcating positive personality development traits in children since early childhood - The ultimate objective of a tutor

Children are very delicate as they can be molded very easily in early childhood. There is also a threat that they can become rebellious and take on negative personality habits which can prove to be quite fatal for their future. In this blog, I have concentrated on some basic points which help in inculcating positive personality development habits in children since early children from the perspective of a tutor.

I have always stressed about innovative teaching techniques in my blogs. But in this write-up, I will look at different aspects which lead to personality development in young children. Remember in my first blog I mentioned that my primary focus would be on children between the age group of 3 to 15 years. Hence, I will continue with the same target audience but with a different frame of mind. I will try to find out different aspects which sum up to define behavior of children in particular order. In this blog, I will start off with the definition of personality and then the different facets which help in developing personality in children.

So how would you define personality? Now you will say that it is the sum of culture, behavior, ideas, thoughts and emotions which makes up a human personality. But my question is do these young children have any idea of culture? Let me take you take you to the journey of my early childhood and show you how culture can never be a part of personality of a young child. Since childhood my parents always used to encourage me to play, interact with people, enjoy games and make friends but I was not able to make friends. In fact I was not even good at interacting with people. Children of my same age group used to come at my house and play with my toys. Some of them used to take the toys with them but I never used to tell anything to my parents. Now I hope you can understand while my parents always gave me the freedom to interact with people and move out it became even more difficult for me to do that because I was of a reserved nature. Hence, culture does not play a part in the personality. It is the way we behave according to our pre-conceived notions that build up our personality. Now when I look back at those days, I really cannot understand why I used to fear from interacting with people. Even mingling with unknown people was a big thing for me. But now things have changed.

So does that mean that my personality changed over night? Or when I was in my early childhood I constrained myself with the fear of hurting others due to my sensitive nature? Whatever it was; it did not last for a long time. Soon after I graduated and moved out I found out that life is all about expressing yourself; and trying to find a place for you in this big bad world! Hence, from there; the journey for my self-discovery started. Okay now let me cut the topic, and concentrate on the subject at hand. So, what I am trying to explain is that every child is unique as enumerated millions of times in my previous blogs. Try to show them the way through gentle means. Always be patient with them and encourage them to speak their heart out. In addition to these; I have mentioned some useful guidelines which can inculcate positive personality traits in children since early childhood. Let us look at them in detail:

• It is often said that “Curiosity is the virtue of the child” and this saying is absolutely true. Children have this uncanny knack of asking questions; which sometimes seem to be irrelevant. But according to them these questions are very important. Hence, answer the questions with as much patience as possible. Never lose your temper; or use bad language in front of children. Remember children learn from their parents and tutors. Create a healthy atmosphere while teaching children. Encourage them to come up with innovative ideas.

• Remember “Knowledge is bliss”. Always watch informative serials on television with your child. Ask them to read interesting articles from newspaper which can build up their knowledge. This can make them learn about practical things creatively.

• Recommend the use of dictionaries and encyclopedia to children. This will help them to gain useful insights about new words and various things happening around the globe.

• Do not instill fear in the minds of children. Remember fear leads to lie and you do not want the child to lie to you. Encourage open and honest communication for better results.

• Instill trust and faith in the children. Never forgot to show your love to them and always try to inculcate positive things to thing. Remember a positive mind helps in developing a positive personality.

• Since early childhood explain the importance of time management to the child so that they can use the time frame in productive use as much as possible.

In the end it is all about giving lots of love and affection to the child so that they see the world as a warm and beautiful place to live in. This is the secret of building a positive personality in children since early childhood. If you wish to comment or post your feedback to us; feel free to follow us at: 

http://www.facebook.com/PracTutor, http://hardik.practutor.com

PracTutor
12806 Townepark Way

Louisville, KY 40243-2311

United States

http://www.practutor.com

  

ONLINE TUTORING TO BE OR NOT TO BE

Tutoring – to be or not to be

It is always fun to have a healthy discussion on a hot topic because it brings about the best information on the subject matter. So, I read lots of articles on the subject “What is the relevance of tutoring in the 21st Century Education? Does it really serve the purpose of providing quality assistance to students?” The research showed that day-by-day the number of class sizes in schools are increasing which makes it tougher for the students to get personalized attendance from the teachers. Although technology has made things easier for us, students have become the ultimate sufferers because of the trend. I have seen students hooked on to computers for a long period of time to do their homework, to access chat rooms, instant messengers, games and more. With that the admissions in schools and colleges have become competitive. Students now have to get specialized knowledge in addition to regular studies to stay competitive and keep maintaining their grades. Moreover, parents have also become busier. We are already seeing both parents of children working to maintain the house. This adds up to the pressure and shows how the current generations of students are facing problems to cope up with the students.

Even if a student is struggling to get the right grades in schools and colleges, it is not their fault. Tutoring is not meant to replace classrooms but it is an augmented facility which helps the students to get proper guidance which is now missing in classroom education. A classroom is the basic foundation on which the house i.e., student’s career stands. But if you do not have a good structure i.e., proper guidance, come winter it would show up cracks. Hence; it is very important to have a good structure so that all the cracks in the foundation are filled. I found some interesting facts which provide enough evidence to showcase the real need for tutoring in the 21st century education:

• Provides personalized, one-on-one attention
• Gives a chance to students to clarify doubts and ask relevant questions
• Builds confidence and develops study skills in students
• Provides growth opportunities to students

I also researched a lot to understand the key characteristics that define a good tutor. Let us look at these characteristics:

• Enjoys working with children and build good rapport with the child
• Should be kind, understanding, patient and fair
• Should be able to teach alternative methods for better learning of the children
• Should be able to initiate customized plan for each child so that there is personal growth in each child
• Should have a workman kind of spirit i.e., They should be punctual, dependable and steady

The next step was to understand the role of tutors in the lives of students. An interesting quote from Helen Keller came across while I was researching on the topic. It read “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.”  This quote is absolutely true. Without proper guidance and instruction, children will lose focus and concentration. The most astonishing detail that I found while researching on the importance of tutors in the lives of students was that even in the most comprehensive schools in USA (even government schools) the teaching quality was poor. The teachers would spend the entire first term on complex numbers, the next two terms on the next four topics leaving the last three topics to be rushed in the last few weeks of the exams. One of the prime reasons for this is low expectation from teachers for the students. The most depressing thing is that teachers were going through the motion and completing the course for the sake of it without imparting proper guidance to the students.

You can get relevant details on the topic by copying and pasting this URL on a separate browser:

http://www.duxcollege.com.au/importance-of-tutoring-i-64.html

Let us shift our focus to tutors and understand how they can play a significant role in the lives of students:

• Understanding the expectations of the student from the course deliverable
• Determining the type of content relevant for good preparation for exams and using it in the best possible manner for the student
• Providing proper feedback to the students after assessing their results
• The need for closely following the curriculum followed at schools including examination patterns
• Providing alternate methods to students in case they do not understand the orthodox method of teaching
• Discussing the progress of the student with the teachers and parents

So, we can say that a tutor is someone who has a central part in the education of the students. They are the ones who stand as a pillar between teachers and parents and intervene with either of them to get the best results for the students.  But tutors also have their own share of problems. They need to deal with a predicament of providing assistance to students or doing the work for them. Normally we find that tutors have also been teachers hence; it becomes very difficult for them to change their attitude. When you are working as a tutor you have to develop the perception that students are not reading on their own. They find it difficult to grasp the subjects in classroom atmosphere. The accountability factor also is higher in comparison to teachers. While teachers do not directly share the burden of each and every student, tutors have to not only help the students in their day-to-day assignments but also solve the concerns of the students personally through a step-by-step process. This way student can get the desired attendance from the tutors and are able to excel in their studies.

I suppose now you have a clear idea of the importance of tutors in the lives of students in 21st century education. You can also go through the following URLs to get more information on this subject:

http://www.anokaramsey.edu/en/resources/Success/TutoringSrvcs/becometutor/TutorTraining/M1-Role.aspx
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3292071/
https://expattutor.wordpress.com/2012/03/03/each-tutors-most-crucial-dilemma/

The next topic of discussion was the role of parents in enhancing the education of the students. Parents are role-models for the students. Students adopt the characteristics of parents sub-consciously. Hence; it is the moral responsibility of the parents to take care of the tutoring business of their children. In an interesting article on “Better tutors vs. better parents: recent PISA study”, OECD conducted several exams as a part of their Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) testing the knowledge of 15 years old students on the basis of science and math problem-solving techniques. The results found that parents who are more focused on their child’s education play a key role in the student’s achievement. There were two findings of the studies which included:

• 15-year-old students whose parents often read books with them during their first year of primary school show markedly higher scores in PISA tests than students whose parents read with them infrequently or none at all.
• The performance advantage among students whose parents read to them in their early school years is evident regardless of the family’s socio-economic background; and parents’ engagement with their 15-year-old kids is strongly associated with better performance in PISA tests.

This goes to show that good parental actions towards child’s learning at home can boost their confidence. It also helps them in taking tutoring lessons seriously. To learn more about the role of parents in their child’s academic achievements copy and paste the URL on a separate browser:

http://www.zimbio.com/NY+Caregivers+Net/articles/zPR-Pkn_rZW/Better+tutors+vs+better+parents+recent+PISA
http://www.independent.co.uk/student/magazines/home-help-parents-play-a-vital-role-in-learning-395323.html
http://grupsderecerca.uab.cat/grai/en/content/parents-tutoring

So, in short we can say that both parents and tutors have an equal importance in helping the students excel in their studies with flying colors.

In the next blog, I will discuss about private tutoring and how it is affecting the performance of students.
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PracTutor
12806 Townepark Way
Louisville, KY 40243-2311
United States
http://www.practutor.com

3 Activities That Boosts the Working Memory in Children

Children are the future of human mankind. Hence; it is very important to boost the working memory, which is an integral part of brain development process for children. In this article; we look at different activities which can boost the working memory in children.

A well known scholar once said “A good memory is like a bagful of gold.” Therefore it is very important to build the + memory of children in their formative years. Working memory stores crucial information, while other material which is taught in schools forms the foundation for complex skills and knowledge. Children are very innocent in their early days. Hence, they can retain lot of information in their brains. A child who has poor working memory will find it extremely difficult to take on activities and face problems in learning. A recent research claims that memory deficits, if not found in early childhood can lead to extreme conditions; that can affect the academic performance of the child.

Let us now see different activities that can boost the working memory in children:

• Kim’s game: This is a very popular game played by young kids that provides memory building exercises for them. It contains various selections of objects and number of words. These things are displayed to the child and then the objects are covered up. Kids then have to determine which item has been removed. This game can be played with different sets of objects.
• Repetition: This activity ensures that children retain information for both short term and long term memories. It consists of reciting times tables, test questions and regularly viewing vocabulary cards. Study shows that with regular retrieval practice the child’s memory can be increased substantially.
• Number and letter sequences: If you want to teach your child a foreign language then number and letter sequences is a very probable answer. It comprises of short number sequence and then gradually builds up digit by digit. The child then gets a minute to revise it after which the number sequence is removed completely. The child then has to recall as much of the sequence as they can. This process is repeated for letters.

To learn more about PracTutor follow us at: http://www.facebook.com/PracTutor, http://hardik.practutor.com

PracTutor
12806 Townepark Way
Louisville, KY 40243-2311
United States
http://www.practutor.com