Time Matters
By Flora Morris Brown, Ph.D. | October 10, 2008
Leonardo Da Vinci is best known as the great Renaissance artist who painted the elusive Mona Lisa. But Leonardo’s interests were so broad that he sometimes didn’t finish projects before he was off to investigate something else.
Because of his insatiable desire to learn, he frustrated his teachers. As an adult he spent hours studying science or the human anatomy.
Even though he detested war, he created some of the most amazing weapons that are still in use today. He was an engineering marvel credited with early designs that lead to the helicopter and airplane.
Some say he was ahead of his time. The truth is that he used his time to the fullest.
Learn how to use your time to the fullest by reading the articles on time management here.
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Topics: achieving success, time management |
13 Year Old College Student Fits in–Most of the Time
By Flora Morris Brown, Ph.D. | October 8, 2008
When 13-year-old Roland Liu started his freshman year at Olin College of Engineering, he was already used to being different from his classmates. Because he always excelled at math and science he went from third grade to high school at age 8.
His mother discovered his superior math skills when at age 3 he spotted that the checkout clerk had charged his mother too much. She kept him in regular school until he got bored in 3rd grade. Then his mother home-schooled him until she could no longer teach him math. That’s when she sent him to high school at 8 years old.
Roland is fitting in well with his college classmates and shows remarkable maturity. There are those times, of course, when he doesn’t understand sexual joke and everyone’s reminded that he’s only 13 years old.
Teachers sometimes find it troubling having a very young teen in a college class. They feel uneasy discussing the adult content and controversial topics in the presence of so young a student.
Read about more about Roland in the Boston News, then share what you feel about younger-than-usual students attending college.
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Topics: achieving success, college at 13 years old, college freshmen |
Parents Accessing Children’s Grades Online–Good or Bad?
By Flora Morris Brown, Ph.D. | October 6, 2008
An article in Stars and Stripes recently reported that the Department of Defense Dependents Schools-Europe implemented a new software program , GradeSpeed. The program gives parents via Internet access to their children’s progress with attendance, assignments and grades.
Instead of hearing about grades at report periods only, GradeSpeed allows parents to keep up as teachers enter grades throughout the semester. Students having problems or neglecting to turn in assignments can be spotted and helped while there’s time for improvement.
Parents were delighted that they could keep up with where their children are with assignments.
Teachers are pleased with the ability to better communicate with parents.
As expected, however, that many students don’t share all this enthusiasm. One example from the article
“My kid hates it,” said Lt. Col. Todd Johnston, who served as rear detachment commander in Vicenza for the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team while it was deployed to Afghanistan. “My wife is on it every day.”
While the new program isn’t intended as punishment, students may feel pressure since parents no longer have to rely on feedback from their children. They can check progress online and communicate with individual teachers.
The greatest benefit is increased parent involvement. Margret Menzies, public affairs officer for the Department of Defense Dependents Schools-Europe reports that more than 13,300 accounts were created by parents in Europe in the last year.
In addition to its benefits for parents and teachers, Grade Speed also allows administrators to check up on athletes’ grades to determine eligibility. There is also an email alert for when grades drop to a D.
Students should appreciate the fact that only administrators and teachers have access to information on more than an individual student.
While this program is facilitating communication for parents who are deployed, will it be as well received and utilized in American schools? Some real concerns come to mind.
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Will software like Grade Speed put undue pressure not only on students, but also on teachers?
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Will parents who are obsessed about their children earning all A’s exerted added pressure and subsequent punishment for B’s and C’s?
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Are there other possible problems with parents’ having immediate access to students’ grades?
What do you think? Speak up.
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Topics: achieving success, grades, kids' learning, online communication, parents role in school achievement |
Back to School, Back to Studies
By Flora Morris Brown, Ph.D. | October 3, 2008
It’s been a busy summer for me. I’ve been away from this blog working on an upcoming book and a number of other blogs and websites. But I’m back.
The back to school season has changed considerably over the decades.
First, the beginning of the school semester or quarter varies among levels and districts. The day after Labor Day is still the first day for many traditional schools, but many others start later in September. The first day for colleges varies from August through October. So when you see retailers promoting Back to School merchandise in June and July it’s because they are trying to capture the sales from all these different buyers.
Second, students returning to school sport a different attire surely than I did decades ago. They still want to dress so that they look cool and fit in, but for modern students that often means distressed, worn look rather than the sparkly shiny clothes we once admired.
Third, there are more things than ever to distract students from school. The widespread use of iPods, cell phones, text messaging and shooting pictures with their cell phones are the more obvious. Students who can’t afford these devices will feel increasingly alienated. With the economic stress their parents and community feel, students will feel and exhibit some of this stress as well.
Bullying, long a favorite sport in schools, has taken on new power to damage by moving to the Internet, giving birth to the term cyberbullying.
Fourth, while all these concerns are swirling around us, back to school also means more university studies will be funded to analyze many school and societal issues. It would be great if these studies yielded information that could help solve some of the problems in school and society.
But many of these studies spend millions to come back with results that your 6 year old or your grandma could have told you.
One such finding, shared in Jonathan Field’s blog post, 10 University Studies That Never Should Have Been Funded, was Talking on your cell phone AFTER going to bed will make you tired the next day.
Duh! I bet that surprised you.
Take a look at the other university studies on Jonathan’s blog and see if you agree that they were a waste of lots of money.
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Topics: Bullying in schools, achieving success, text messaging, university studies |
You Can Become a Productive Student
By Flora Morris Brown, Ph.D. | July 25, 2008
Modern students have tremendous sources at their fingertips to help them become productive. Of course a source does you no good if you don’t know about it.
An article on Streamlined Mind gives a list of 25 Worthwhile Student Productivity Websites. Just this list alone will take you into many well-written and rich ideas not only about school activities, but about jobs and summer activities as well.
Another list, The Ultimate Student Resource List , provides not only sources and resources, but great advice as well. There you’ll find ten free applications every student needs, 11 online tools students should check out, 15 websites for students, and 30 pieces of advice and 7 online research resources.
Finally, I enjoyed an article that was written for entrepreneurs, but has tips that apply to succeeding as a student as well. Check it out, “10 Ways to Do More by Focusing on the Essentials. ”
With the suggestions and tools in these sources you’ll find many ways to be a productive and successful student.
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Topics: achieving success, succeeding in college |