5 Tips for Encouraging Middle Schoolers Who Hate to Read

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5 Tips for Encouraging Middle Schoolers Who Hate to Read

When I taught kindergarten back in the BK (before kids) days, I handed out a parent pamphlet every year with the title, “How to Raise a Reader.” As a young mom armed with this advice, I set out to ensure that my child would enjoy reading. I was sure it would be easy. I had visions of sharing all of my childhood favorites with her. After all, one of the most important steps, according to the pamphlet, was to make sure that we as parents read in front of our children. Another was to have books around the home. (more…)

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Miss America’s Outstanding Teen is a Homeschooler

Informative, Just For Fun, News

On August 17, 2013, Miss Florida’s Outstanding Teen, Leah Sykes, a home schooled student from Jacksonville, FL, was crowned Miss America’s Outstanding Teen 2014, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.

Miss America’s Outstanding Teen is the “little sister” organization of the Miss America Scholarship Organization.

For the talent portion of the competition, Leah performed a vocal to “Someone Like You” by Adele.

Along with the title of Miss America’s Outstanding Teen 2014, Leah won a $25,000 scholarship subsidized by the Rosen Centre Hotel to continue her education.

Now Leah will travel the country speaking to audiences about her platform, “Seeing Beyond Disabilities”, and acting as the teen ambassador for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children by raising funds for children’s hospitals. Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals is the national platform of the Miss America’s Outstanding Teen Organization.

Fore more information, visit www.MAOTeen.org.

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Exit…To Prison?

Informative, News

Taken from Practical Homeschooling #111

State after state has been adding high-school exit exams.  Now, almost half of all U.S. states require students to pass an exit exam… and if they don’t, their diploma is withheld.

But do exit exams hurt, or help?

A new study from the National Bureau of Economic Research, “The Effect of High School Exit Exams on Graduation, Employment, Wages and Incarceration,” says there is no correlation between passing (or failing) exit exams, and employment or salary.  In addition, of the 1% who don’t pass, 12.5% end up in jail.

In a Take Part article about this new study, blog author and retired teacher Anthony Cody summed it up this way:  “Exit exams represent a single set of tests that trumps years of work that students have completed.”  He thinks they should be abolished.

You can purchase the report for $5 here: www.nber.org/papers/w19182.

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