July 30, 2007
Q and A with Dr. Paul Fick
Q: I read an editorial in The Orange County Register last Sunday about how local students are not learning even the basics about our culture. I thought the article was an exaggeration until I asked my daughter some of the questions in the article. She didn't have a clue what many of the answers were! Melissa is a senior in high school with almost a 4.0 grade point average. How is it possible for her to get such good grades and not know information that I just assumed even an average student would learn? A: Judging from the number of emails I received in response to Professor Richard Nehrbass' commentary (“America as it aint,” The Orange County Register, December 19) you are not alone in your shock and concern. For those who missed the commentary, Professor Nehrbass gave his students at Cal State Dominguez Hills a general knowledge quiz. Students demonstrated an alarming dearth of knowledge about American and world history, basic math, current events, and the humanities. Most of his students could not identify the United States' opponents in the “Korean” or “Vietnam” wars. Only two percent of the students knew what the Magna Charta was. Half of those quizzed thought that Gerald Ford was the inventor of the automobile. One student humbly admitted that she was “embarrassed” about her Black Hole of knowledge. Professor Nehrbass is quick to point out that he does not place blame upon the students, many of whom he considers to be “quite brilliant.” Instead, he believes it is “past time for our nation's schoolteachers to take responsibility for what goes on in their classrooms.” It is the professor's contention that the embarrassment expressed by his student is more aptly felt by a failed system that allows teachers to dole out exceptional grades for mediocre performance. Whether or not the professor is correct in his assignment of responsibility, it seems unmistakable that parents should be experiencing a similar twinge of embarrassment. Steve's question reveals that all too often, parents are lulled into contentment with our teens' good grades and solid SAT scores without inquiring about the quality and depth of their knowledge. An “A” in English does not guarantee that your son or daughter can write a coherent essay or for that matter a standard business letter. With college admission requirements increasingly stringent, it is a bit too easy to barter away our teens' knowledge for grades. Certainly, many of our teens are exceptional, dedicated students who will accomplish great things. Their fertile minds deserve nurturing and their hard work should be praised. But, other teens have obtained only superficial success. This is every bit as much parental failure as student or system failure. If you have failed to prepare your teen educationally, overcome the embarrassment and get to work. There still is time.
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Q and A with Dr. Paul Fick
Q: Our son has been anxiously waiting for acceptance letters from various colleges where he applied. Despite being an A student with pretty good SAT scores, he was rejected by UCLA, which was his first choice. He said it didn't bother him although it was apparent that he was very disappointed. Now we are becoming nervous wrecks. We check the mailbox daily hoping for acceptance letters from his other top school choices. What can we do to help him get through this? A: College application time is a golden opportunity for parents to connect with their teens. It is a time to hear their dreams and to help them clarify their own identity. It is a time to establish an intimate bond by sharing in their joy when the mailbox is jammed with the “big envelope” and their sadness when the “little envelope” blends with the bills and the junk mail. There are ample moments to teach the importance of identifying and expressing the emotions inherent to acceptance and rejection. You can possibly even squeeze in a lesson or two to reinforce your family's values that you first started teaching your child when college seemed light years away. And, you can help your teen by remembering that this is your teen's moment, not yours. South County teens, surrounded by affluence, often have been insulated from major life disappointments, and operate with a confident assumption of success. Their dreams are often big dreams, in line with the realities that they have come to know in their youth. For many, those dreams are realized as they gain acceptance to the schools of their choice. For others, many of whom are very talented students, college application time provides an initial glimpse at life's harshness. Their dreams don't need to be abandoned, just amended. Your son's denial of his disappointment need not be challenged directly. After all, he just received a blow to his ego that has him questioning his worth. Never mind that the college selection process is unbelievably competitive. To your son, this is about him not being worthy. When we feel that way, we pretend that the loss we endured is not that important. Your son may be more amendable to hearing that being disappointed would be understandable and that if that is how he feels you would be willing to talk with him about that. Perhaps you could disclose a personal experience where you had your heart set on something and it didn't pan out the way you hoped. Let him know how you handled the situation and developed an alternative course that worked out in your favor. If you do nothing else, please corral your own emotional overreaction. There is no need for you to become “nervous wrecks.” Dispense with your feelings privately as husband and wife. Your anxiety will only reinforce for your son that he has failed you. Remember, he is the one going to college, not you.
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Q and A with Dr. Paul Fick
Q: For the past two months, my sixteen-year-old daughter has been spending nearly every waking moment with her boyfriend or talking to him on her cell phone late at night. He is the first “real” boyfriend she has had. He seems like a very nice boy so I understand her excitement. She is doing well in school but her friendships have suffered. Her father who lives nearby is just as concerned as I am so I don't think I'm overreacting. What can we do to help her see that she is overdoing it? A: It is important to draw a distinction between the infatuation of a “first love” and the potential dangers inherent to teens caught in the web of a controlling, abusive relationship. Parents concerned that their teens are involved in the latter form of relationship should read Dr. Jill Murray's book, But I Love Him , for more information. You described your daughter's boyfriend as a “very nice boy” and did not run up any red flags that would indicate an abusive relationship. Therefore, I'll assume she is involved in a mutually respectful relationship, albeit one that she is overdoing. As with most parenting dilemmas, this situation is best viewed as an opportunity, not a crisis. Seize this moment to discuss with your daughter the importance of balance in her life. We all know how great it feels to be head over heels for someone. But, a sixteen-year-old girl benefits from having a complement of friends, attention to schoolwork, family time, exercise, religion, free time, and a host of other activities. Spending too much time with a boyfriend means that she is neglecting many of these other important activities. Your daughter may face a harsh consequence when she breaks up with her boyfriend only to find that her friends are unforgiving for the way she snubbed them. This is also a wonderful opportunity for you to reassert some degree of management over your household. I am struck by the way you blame your daughter for spending an inordinate amount of time with her boyfriend and for her excessive late night cell phone conversations. This is every bit as much your fault as hers. Establish a reasonable number of days per week that she can date, a sensible curfew, and a cutoff time for phone calls. If she complains, tell her that you are trying to teach her how to manage her life in a more balanced fashion. Be willing to be flexible for special occasions. This may also be an opportunity for you to discuss with your daughter the impact of the past upon her present behavior. Your daughter's dependency may be the result of unresolved feelings from your apparent divorce. Girls who have “lost” their dads often attempt to satisfy their pain by seeking love from another man. It would be wise to involve dad in these discussions with your daughter. After all, you really don't want a teenage boy filling that role, do you?
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Q and A with Dr. Paul Fick
Q: Communicating with our son has become very difficult. He isn't disrespectful and doesn't swear at us. But, he just doesn't talk with us much. When he is home, he stays in his room and rarely comes out to be with us. This has been going on for several months now. We're worried that something is bothering him but when we ask him if something is wrong he tells us to stop questioning him. How can we get him to start talking with us again? A: Some parents find a lack of communication to be more frustrating than overt conflict with their teen. It is difficult to resolve a problem when you can't find the words to discuss it. While it is not unusual for teens to enjoy considerable time in the privacy of their rooms, your son seems to have taken this to the extreme. Since you have a hunch that something may be troubling him, you are wise not to wait for the end of winter for his hibernation to end. Perhaps there are ways to lure him out of his cave and get the communication restarted. You mentioned that your son responds to your questioning by telling you to stop asking questions. Rather than allow his rebuff to stop the conversation, use it as a way to encourage discussion. For example you could say, “I don't know how to talk with you without asking a question. Help me out a bit. I want to be able to talk better with you.” This will signal to your son that you respect him and are willing to end what seems like an inquisition to him. Be prepared for the possibility that something may indeed be bothering him. If he starts to open up about something, don't panic. Often, parents want their children to have an idyllic existence, free from life's problems. Teens sense that and “protect” their parents by withholding communication about their struggles. So, if your son tells you that he's having a difficulty, do not satisfy your anxiety by lecturing him with information or rushing to provide him with solutions. Instead, talk with him about his thoughts, feelings, values, and things he's tried to solve the problem. Then, express your concern and let him know that you have some additional potential solutions to his problem if he is interested in hearing them. Recognizing that the communication has been strained for several months, don't expect your son to be entirely forthcoming initially. He might fear consequences if he tells you the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Do not accuse him of lying even if it is painfully obvious that the story is incomplete. Allow time for the rift in communication to heal.
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July 26, 2007
Great Web Sites
Here are some great websites for you and your kids to look at over the summer vacation! This is when you MIGHT have a little time to spend on something like this.... Hope you are all enjoying your summer!
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July 09, 2007
Kids Books: Fun in the Summertime
Games, vacations, memories and unanticipated events make for intriguing seasonal reading for youngsters. By NIKKI BATALIS The Orange County Register It doesn't matter if summer is spent at the beach, in the city or on vacation with the family – kids just love this season. Summer, with its freedom from school and schedules, makes the days seem full of endless possibilities. Hopefully, a small corner of those days will be taken up with reading. Here we offer a selection of books about summer in all its glory, with something for just about every age of young readers. Title: "Lazy Days of Summer" by Judy Young; illustrated by Kathy O'Malley Info: Sleeping Bear Press, 32 pages, $15.95, ages 4-8 Grade: B You might like it if: You like to play games. Remember when amusing yourself as a child in the summer was as easy as heading out to the street with a bunch of other neighborhood kids and playing kickball until the sun went down? Author Judy Young, who describes herself as an avid game player, would clearly love to bring those days back. Each page in this nicely illustrated book is devoted to a childhood game or pastime: marbles, jump rope, playing jacks, hopscotch, sharks and minnows, kick the can. Each section introduces the game in poetry form, followed by instructions on how to play, as well as facts about the history of the games. (Did you know that Roman soldiers played a form of hopscotch – carrying another soldier on their backs?) The watercolor pictures are in muted tones, evoking, perhaps, earlier and simpler times. Title: "Pictures From Our Vacation" by Lynne Rae Perkins Info: Greenwillow Books, 32 pages, $16.99, ages 5-8 Grade: A You might like it if: Your vacations don't always turn out as planned. Before Mom and Dad load the two children in the car to embark on the family vacation – visiting Grandma and Grandpa at the old family farm in the country – Mom hands each child a small camera and a notebook for chronicling the trip in words and pictures. The vacation doesn't turn out to be what everyone had expected: It rains for days on end, the badminton racquets are warped from disuse, it takes hours to find the lake for swimming, and when they do find it a storm blows in. But the family is together and they learn a lot about their past and present. Newbery Medal-winning author-illustrator Lynne Rae Perkins captures a wonderful slice of life in this book, accompanied by her insightful and highly detailed pen, ink and watercolor pictures. She captures the children's activities, adventures and disappointments beautifully, as well as the sense of family that emerges all the stronger from the journey. Title: "The Dangerous Book for Young Boys" by Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden Info: Collins Books, 270 pages, $24.95, ages 5-12 Grade: A+ You might like it if: You love adventure and gaining knowledge. If you want to snap a youngster out of his summer lethargy, look no further than this guidebook of how to, basically, have fun being a boy – without the aid of a Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, and the like. This nifty volume, compiled and written by a pair of British brothers, has step-by-step instructions on how to make a bow and arrow, play poker, build a treehouse, tie knots, make a tripwire and build a go-cart. It gives a sampling of Shakespeare, tells about famous battles in history, describes the seven ancient wonders of the world, and gives a beginners' course in astronomy. There is something to interest just about any boy. When one of my 9-year-olds got his hands on this book, he didn't put it down for hours – and it's tough to interest him in anything that doesn't involve a ball. Each section is written in a concise, easy-to-understand style, and the illustrations and visual instructions are terrific. Now, when will someone think up a similar book for girls? Title: "I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean" by Kevin Sherry Info: Dial Books for Young Readers, 32 pages, $16.99, ages 3 and older Grade: A- You might like it if: You like sea creatures. A big blue squid makes his way through the ocean, cheerfully boasting along the way about how he's bigger than everyone he encounters: I'm bigger than these shrimp, these clams, that jellyfish, and so on. But even the squid meets his match when he comes up against a blue whale in this clever and funny book. The bright and bold illustrations are multilayered in watercolor, ink and cut paper, and manage to give even a bulgy-eyed squid and his seafaring cohorts plenty of expression and humor. Title: "Firefly Mountain" by Patricia Thomas; illustrated by Peter Sylvada Info: Peachtree Publishers, 32 pages, $16.95, ages 5-10 Grade: A You might like it if: You enjoy poetry. Imagine a hot, still summer day, where the heat shimmers from sky to earth and the smell of sweet clover hay fills the air. A young girl waits impatiently for night to fall, because her parents have told her that perhaps they will see a firefly mountain that evening. "It doesn't matter which way you wish, though. It takes just as long as it takes to turn a yellow afternoon into a purple evening," author Patricia Thomas writes in her wonderfully mood-evoking text. The family does take a walk that evening, and one of the black mountains nearby is covered from top to bottom in the blinking glow of millions of fireflies – a phenomenon the author says she once saw in the Great Smokey Mountains. The artwork, done in oil on hardboard panels, is stunningly rich in color and texture. Title: "Young Cornrows Callin Out the Moon" by Ruth Forman; illustrated by Cbabi Bayoc Info: Children's Book Press, 24 pages, $16.95, ages 4-8 Grade: B+ You might like it if: You're interested in the urban experience. Ruth Forman uses great poetic expression to recall her childhood summers on the streets of South Philadelphia in this terrific book. "We don have no backyard, frontyard neither. We got black magic n brownstone steps when the sun go down," she writes of her memories of playing double Dutch jump rope and hide and seek with friends, chasing after the ice cream truck, and having Mama braid tight new cornrows after "she snaps the naps out" of the children's hair. The text is lilting and easy to read, and the artwork is bright and bold, capturing great expressiveness on the faces of the children and their endless motion. Title: "Summerhouse Time" by Eileen Spinelli; illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff Info: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 224 pages, $12.99, ages 8-13 Grade: A You might like it if: You like books about preteens. Sophie is 11 and can't wait for her family's trip to the summer house at the beach with her extended family. But this year things are different: Her teenage cousin Colleen is sulking and won't talk to anyone, her aunt and uncle are having difficulties, and no one wants to hear about Sophie's crush on the "New Boy." Even her dad doesn't seem his usual cheerful self. Veteran children's book author Eileen Spinelli has a wonderful way with details that evoke memories of summer – the fish fry dinners, the saltwater taffy and the cool breeze of the ocean. Spinelli writes in short chapters spoken in Sophie's voice, and with all the preteen angst that comes with the age. Nicely done black-and-white illustrations capture the family members and the beach-town setting.
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July 05, 2007
How to Take Multiple Choice Tests
Many of the tests you take in school will be multiple-choice tests. Here are two types of items you will often find on multiple-choice tests. 1. An incomplete statement followed by several answer choices. In this type of item, the missing part of the statement can be anywhere in the statement. You must circle the letter that represents the answer choice that correctly completes the statement. Usually there are four answer choices represented by the letters a, b, c, and d. Sometimes there are more than four answer choices. Here is an example of this type of item: The first president of the United States, ________________, was known as the “Father of his country.” a. Thomas Jefferson b. Abraham Lincoln c. George Washington d. Theodore Roosevelt You should circle “c” to show that George Washington was the first president of the United States. 2. A question followed by several answer choices. In this type of item, you must circle the letter that represents the answer choice that correctly answers the question. Here is an example of this type of item: How many states make up the United States of America? a. 48 b. 52 c. 46 d. 50 You should circle “d” to show that 50 is the correct answer choice for this question. Sometimes, one of the answer choices is “all of the above.” In the following example, “e” is the correct answer choice because all of the foods shown are dairy products. Which of the following foods are dairy products? a. milk b. ice cream c. yogurt d. cream cheese e. all of the above Other times, one of the answer choices is “none of the above.” In the following example, “b” is the correct answer choice because Argentina is the only country listed that is in South America. For “e” to be correct, none of the countries listed could be in South America. __________________is a country in South America. a. Russia b. Argentina c. Mexico d. Japan e. none of the above Guidelines When Taking Multiple-Choice TestsHere are some guidelines that will help you correctly answer multiple-choice items. Circle or underline important words in the item. This will help you focus on the information most needed to identify the correct answer choice. Read all the answer choices before selecting one. It is just as likely for the last answer choice to be correct as the first. Cross out answer choices you are certain are not correct. This will help you narrow down the correct answer choice. Look for two answer choices that are opposites. One of these two answer choices is likely to be correct. Look for hints about the correct answer choice in other items on the test. The correct answer choice may be part of another item on the test. Look for answer choices that contain language used by your teacher or found in your textbooks. An answer choice that contains such language is usually correct. Do not change your initial answer unless you are sure another answer choice is correct. More often than not, your first choice is correct. Choose “all of the above” if you are certain all other answer choices in the item are correct. Do not choose “all of the above” if even just one of the other answer choices is not correct. Choose “none of the above” if you are certain all other answer choices in the item are incorrect. Do not choose “none of the above” if even just one of the other answer choices is correct. Knowing how multiple-choice items are constructed and using these guidelines will help you improve your score on a multiple-choice test.
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Using Acronyms to Remember Information
Forming an acronym is a good strategy to use to remember information in any order that can be remembered. An acronym is a word that is formed from the first letter of each fact to be remembered. It can be a real word or a nonsense word you are able to pronounce. Here is how to form an acronym. Write the facts you need to remember. Underline the first letter of each fact. If there is more than one word in a fact, underline the first letter of only the first word in the fact. Arrange the underlined letters to form an acronym that is a real word or a nonsense word you can pronounce. “HOMES” is an example of an acronym that is a real word you can use to remember the names of the five Great Lakes: Michigan, Erie, Superior, Ontario, Huron: In HOMES, H is the first letter of Huron and helps you remember that name; O is the first letter of Ontario, and so on. “Telk” is an acronym that can be used to remember the following animals: tiger, lion, elephant, kangaroo. “Telk” is not a real word, but you can easily pronounce it. You could also have used “kelt” as an acronym. Notice that in this example, you cannot form a real word using the first letter of each fact to be remembered. Sometimes two or more of the facts you must remember each begin with the same first letter. For example, the acronym “capp” can be used to remember the following fruits: pear, apple, peach, cherry. You can use the first letter “p” in the acronym to remember either “pear” or “peach” and the second letter “p” to remember the other. Use the acronym strategy as a way to remember information.
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Reading Comprehension: The REDW Strategy for Finding Main Ideas
REDW is a good strategy to use to find the main idea in each paragraph of a reading assignment. Using this strategy will help you comprehend the information contained in your assignment. Each of the letters in REDW stands for a step in the strategy. ReadRead the entire paragraph to get an idea of what the paragraph is about. You may find it helpful to whisper the words as you read or to form a picture in your mind of what you are reading. Once you have a general idea of what the paragraph is about, go on to the next step. Examine Examine each sentence in the paragraph to identify the important words that tell what the sentence is about. Ignore the words that are not needed to tell what the sentence is about. If you are allowed to, draw a line through the words to be ignored. For each sentence, write on a sheet of paper the words that tell what the sentence is about. Decide Reread the words you wrote for each sentence in the paragraph. Decide which sentence contains the words you wrote that best describe the main idea of the paragraph. These words are the main idea of the paragraph. The sentence that contains these words is the topic sentence. The other words you wrote are the supporting details for the main idea. Write Write the main idea for each paragraph in your notebook. This will provide you with a written record of the most important ideas you learned. This written record will be helpful if you have to take a test that covers the reading assignment. Use REDW to help you understand the information in your reading assignments.
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July 04, 2007
CIF Excludes the Home-Schooled
Q. Is it true that home-schooled kids can no longer participate in CIF sports? Why and when did this happen? We were planning to home school, but we want our children to be able to compete in sports. In the past, home schoolers have been able to do both. Is this a rumor? A. No, it is not a rumor. As of 2006, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) revised the school regulations for home schooling and home study programs. Under Article 30 "Students who are enrolled in home schooling or home study programs are not eligible to participate in CIF competition. Such programs include, but are not limited to, home schooling or home study wherein parents, or other persons, are responsible for the curriculum, instruction and evaluation." Students enrolled in independent or home study programs, however, are still eligible. CIF defines independent/home study programs as "those programs approved, administered and evaluated by that school/school district's governing body." In other words, students have to have a third party overseeing their educational progress. You could imagine a parent taking her child out of school, where he might be failing, thus ineligible to play sports, and claim that he is now home schooled and miraculously getting straight A's. This is no longer possible. CIF wants to ensure that if students are being taught in the home, someone outside the home is monitoring the progress. Q. My child attends a private school in Irvine. We love the attention she gets, and we love the influences she doesn't get from public school kids. We heard our home public school has a class she would really like to take, but her school doesn't offer it. Is it true that private school kids can take classes at their local public school? We would not take her out of her school, we would just like her to take one class, French. Would that work? A. I contacted Irvine Unified School District (IUSD) to find the answer for you. Irvine said that only students who are enrolled in the IUSD may take part in IUSD classes or events. So those attending private schools or home schools outside of IUSD would not be able to take an IUSD French course or participate in clubs, dance, band or sports activities. One question for you: Why does your private high school not offer French? That is a pretty basic language class. by: Ask the Teacher, Carol Veravanich, OC Register
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