5 Back To School Tips But first a short note from Larry Shiller...
Dear Pamela, Want good discussion fodder for the home or classroom? Google the popular Today's Math Behind the News, a light-hearted and unique perspective on today's top stories. Sincerely, Larry Shiller 258 Thunder Lake Road Wilton, CT 06897 203-210-5208 [EMAIL PROTECTED] ...and a word from our sponsor The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, who makes this Tidbit possible! Brighten your homeschooling days the whole year long with a subscription to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, a cornucopia of information, encouragement, resources, free unit studies, and so much more! But wait, that's not all. For the first time ever you'll also get 25 free gifts. A 1-year subscription to TOS plus 25 free gifts for only $25 (first 3,000 new subscribers only)! Don't miss out. Subscribe today! Click here to view the free gifts (www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com) or call today 1.888.718.HOME. OK, back to this month's Tidbit... 5 Back To School Tips It's time for back to school. I often wondered about that phrase - aren't we as humans always learning and in a way always "in school"? Having never left we don't need to "go back"! That said, these five tips (whose first letters spell RAVES) will help students - and parents - make the most of the "official" start of school this year: 1. Review. Review homework every day when it's done and give your children the opportunity to ask questions. If you don't know an answer, be a good role model by admitting it and immediately researching it with someone more knowledgeable or on the Internet. 2. Attitude. According to a recent study, parents have more influence over their children than teachers, coaches, spiritual leaders, and even celebrities. Present a positive and anxiety-free attitude about school and communicate regularly with teachers to uncover any issues before they fester. 3. Visit. Visit the school web site and then physically visit the school with your child before the first day of school. A good checklist is to locate the classroom or homeroom first, and then the bathrooms, gym, cafeteria, and nurse's office. Make or print a map and go over it with your child before you visit. This works even if you're home schooling (who doesn't love maps?)! 4. Environment. Elementary school children typically do not concern themselves with clothes or accessories but they do want to know if they're in the right room, where to sit, what the teacher is like, and what the classroom rules are. Call or visit the school to find out and your child will have a stress-free first day. 5. Special place. Teens need special attention because they have a lot of distractions (can you spell "puberty"?). Provide a special place in the house for homework that is well-lit and quiet, and give your teen a sign to put on the door that says something like "Do Not Disturb - Genius at Work." Parents and students following these tips often give rave reviews of their back-to-school experience. And students are better prepared to focus on learning and all the joys that can bring! In our next Tidbit we'll look at the law of commutativity. The poetry(?) of math A mathematician named Joe Said, Really it just can't be so. My wife, for her sins, is about to have twins, And 2 into 1 doesn't go! Geometry keeps you in shape Decimals make a point Einstein was ahead of his time But Lobachevski was out of line. September 2007 Puzzler [Grades 3-12] A fair coin is flipped three times and lands heads each time. What's the probability it will land heads the fourth time? Visit http://www.shillermath.com/puzzler by September 25, 2007 with the correct answer and most interesting solution to be eligible to win this month's puzzler prize. Answer to August 2007 Puzzler [Grades 7-12] Q: What is the formula for the sum of the first n positive integers? A: It's n(n+1)/2. The series 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, ... is built from this formula starting with n=1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, ... and comprises the set of triangular numbers. Congratulations to Lindsay Branton from Adlai E. Stevenson High School for getting the right answer! I hope you enjoyed this short math break! Sincerely, Larry Shiller Publisher NEW VERSION! FREE Diagnostic Testing: Find and fill holes in a student's math foundation FAST! And FREE. Try it now! http://www.shillermath.com Did you enjoy this Tidbit? You may share with your fellow parents and educators. Just click the forward at the very top. Join Larry Shiller on Paltalk.com every Tuesday at 6 p.m. Eastern. Each show features the math behind the week's top news stories, a brand new puzzler, Math Q&A, and a featured guest. Our September guest line-up includes PR star Maria Sliwa (T9/11); Former Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Dr. Francis Barnes (T9/18); and Internet video star Kim CubeNews (T9/25). It's every Tuesday at 6 p.m. only on Paltalk.com. Don't miss it! What is ShillerMath? ShillerMath publishes Montessori-based math curriculum, songs, workbooks, and flashcards for ages 4-12. No Montessori or math knowledge is required and there's zero lesson preparation - just read what's in quotes and you're good to go! Students using this approach consistently outperform their peers. Larry Shiller, ShillerMath founder and President, has a math degree from MIT. ShillerMath includes authoritative materials and lessons used by thousands of Montessori schools and is the math curriculum of choice for schools and homes throughout the world. Visit the ShillerMath site for all the details on this proven and amazingly effective product. About Larry Shiller America's Math Expert Larry Shiller has a mission: to make the US #1 in math. President of ShillerMath, publishers of Montessori-based curriculum for classrooms and the home, Founder of the Rising Stars Foundation, a 501(c)(3) that builds positive role models for children in math, Host of the Shiller Math Behind the News, a weekly one hour Internet/TV show on Paltalk.com, and author of Today's Math Behind the News, a daily 2-minute podcast feature that shows how math is an integral part of every major news story, Shiller is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Harvard Business School. ShillerMath never sells or rents emails: http://www.shillermath.com/sm/privacy.php This email was sent to [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can instantly unsubscribe from these emails by clicking the link below: http://shillermath.cmail2.com/u/238224/8jrklri/ _______________________________________________ freebsd-chat@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-chat To unsubscribe, send any mail to "[EMAIL PROTECTED]"