Education for All

Have you ever wished you could finish a book quickly and start another one? Would you like to read more but are you frustrated with how long it takes you to get through one? You’ll find that this sort of complaint is common, but very few people do anything about it. This is unfortunate, because these wishes are easily granted once you are start speed reading. Speed reading is a series of techniques that allow you read faster will still keeping your level of comprehension high. You’ll find that simply by keeping a few things in mind, you’ll soon be easily zipping through pages.When you start out learning to speed read, make sure that you have a quiet place to work. You’ll find that with a little bit of practice, it won’t matter how much noise there is. Interestingly enough, you also might find that your reading speed goes up quite steadily when you realize that there are no distractions to come between you and the words. Turn off the TV or the iPod and see if your reading goes a great deal faster.

When you get ready to speed read a text, think about what the text itself is. Is it an instructional manual of some sort, or is it a play or a work of speculative fiction? What is it trying to convey to you? How necessary is it that you read every word? Some texts, like technical manuals, simply need to be read more slowly so you can be sure that everything sinks in, but when it comes to works of fiction, understand that there will be slow points and filler. Essentially, there will be parts that you can skim with a great deal of ease without losing the context of the work. (more…)

So you want to have an elementary school play, but how do you choose who gets each part. Since elementary students are quite a bit different from middle and high school students here are some ideas that you might find helpful in choosing parts.

First the students need to want to do it enough to give up some of their time. So schedule tryouts during recess or lunch time. If the student is willing to give up their recess or lunch then they really want to do it.

I rarely give students a long wait to try out. I tell them on Monday that we will be having tryouts that week so be sure to listen and watch the bulletins. If a student really wants to participate then they will remember and keep watching for the tryouts. This gives you an idea of which students really want this experience because they will stop you in the hall and ask.

Second, the students must be willing to speak loud enough to be heard. The first try out I have them line up, then I stand at the back of the room. The student is then requested to say any nursery rhyme that they would like to repeat. This way you can see if you can hear them and if they speak clearly. Then I have them say the nursery rhyme again, but I see if they can act a little so I ask them to say the nursery rhyme as if they were “a little old lady” or “like a cheerleader” etc. If they are too shy to do a little acting then I put them on the list for short speaking parts. Those students that speak loudly, clearly and do a little acting I put on a short list to have read parts. (more…)

You have heard of all the promises that your guidance counselors and teachers have made speaking about what will happen once you get a college education. The way they make it seem, cash will be falling at your feet and you will achieve all of your fantastic dreams.

Is that an exaggeration? Sure, of course it is. However, you will find more happiness and achieve more of your life and financial goals if you go for continuing education than if you simply start in the job market after you graduate from high school. For starters, your overall life earnings increase dramatically after you graduate with a college degree. High school diplomas barely mean anything anymore and your chances of rising the ranks within good companies are severely curtailed if that is all you have.

Bachelor’s degrees are the least amount of continuing education you will need to really compete in the working world. You will make a ton more money and have more job opportunities than with only a high school diploma. But the issue now is that more and more people have Bachelor’s degrees and they are becoming increasingly like High School Diplomas. To really get ahead and find the jobs with the best responsibilities and pay, you must have continuing education that goes beyond the four year degree. Instead, you must earn a Master’s degree. (more…)