Have you ever said something that just came out the wrong way?  Has a compliment ever bounced around in your head and when it came out your mouth it sounded more like a slight? 

Can You Taste The Difference?

While studying Elementary Education I was told by professors about how important it is to enlist the parents in the education process.  In my experience working in different school districts and in the online environment,  I have seen that active and involved parents will greatly improve student academic success, appropriate behavior, self-esteem and college enrollment.

If it is so obvious that parent involvement is a key to student success why are schools not capitalizing on this great resource?  Since the time I have been working in the online environment,  I have seen many wonderful success stories of students and without fail,  I have been speaking with and developing a strong relationship with parents.

Standing Up For Your Children

In this posting I’m going to start out by bragging a little about the strides my son, Matthew, has been making this school year. Matthew is four years old and suffers from Autism and Apraxia of Speech. Now, for the first time, we are starting to be able to know what he knows through sign language.

For the past two years my wife, MaryBeth, and I have known that Matthew was struggling and it was sometimes a fight to convince doctors and educators that something needed to be done to help him.  In January of this past year MaryBeth purchased some sign language DVD’s and Matthew took to signing.  Our other children have done some signing as babies but nothing like what we are now doing.  Since January Matthew has shown his personality, talents and intelligence in miraculous ways.

Preparing Students and Children To Solve Problems That Don't Yet Exist 

I was reading through a PowerPoint article, Did You Know, about some aspects of the world population and technology in the world, and finally some important ideas for education in the future.  The concept that really struck home with me is that, “the top 10 in-demand jobs in 2010 didn’t exist in 2004 … We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist… Using technologies that haven’t been invented… In order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.”  What a daunting task educators and parents have in such a quickly changing world.

In my mind the best way to prepare students and children to solve problems that don’t yet exist is to help them gain the knowledge that is needed, teach some problem solving strategies, foster critical thinking skills, and practice practice, practice.  This is why I love Math Word Problems.  I’m not a sadistic teacher who enjoys watching my students suffer, I just like math that applies what we’re learning to real life.  I remember one assignment we had that asked a question about the cost of food at a restaurant and some students made a calculation error and found that the orange juice was $110.  The crazy part was that they submitted that response for a grade.  There are only two reasons I can think of for this kind of a response, either they have gone to too many baseball games, or they didn’t think much before submitting their responses.

The ballroom was decorated, the mood lights set, centerpieces on each table, and the smell of food penetrated all corners of the hall.  While guests arrived dressed in flowing gowns and matching tuxedos they lined up to have pictures taken so that they would always remember this special occasion.  Pictures were taken then groups and couples gathered around tables to enjoy a fine meal and become acquainted with people they had only ‘met’ through online classrooms or school outings.

This was the setting for the Agora Cyber School Proms held in Harrisburg and Philadelphia where sixty and almost one hundred students attended respectively.  When the students first arrived they were getting to know one another, seeing some familiar faces from outings, but largely sticking to the people they knew.  Then the DJ played the Electric Slide and a magical transformation occurred.  The dance floor was filled with colorful dresses and suits twirling and dancing all night long.