Archive for April, 2009


What really works in character education? What techniques teacher should adopt to teach character education? These are couple of questions that most teachers and parents ask when they start to teach the Character Education. Most children are very non serious in the attitude, their behaviour and the treatment to others.Over the past few decades, educators have become increasingly interested in implementing character education in their districts, schools, and classrooms, and the pace of this expansion seems to be accelerating. There is a rapidly growing, but still quite inadequate, level of funding available for both practice and research in character education. There are also a bewildering variety of programs, vendors, consultants, and concepts for educators to choose from in their search to improve their schools and positively impact the development and learning of their students.

Following are some ideas which can be given to the students for building their character. First, Appreciation is the most powerful weapon. Many times middle school students do not realize how great efforts from their parents, teachers, friends and family have affected them. As an activity, students needed to first decide on one person who they see as a positive role model. Second, Special thank you notes. Let some very special people know how much you appreciate them! This is a writing activity that can fit in at any time of year. Character education is all about teaching young people how to make responsible choices and helping them to develop the internal controls necessary to make those choices. As such, character education must do more than impart information, it must also inspire and strengthen students to act nobly—even when every inducement conspires to encourage them to act otherwise. This is the point at which character is manifest, for in these circumstances, if the will to act nobly does not exist within, it does Continue Reading

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Parenting college students is a never ending responsibility. While there are many areas in which parents can assist these emerging adults, it is in the arena of finances that parents can often make a huge difference in the lives of their children.

As you parent your college student consider what responsibility your child has in the pursuit of their college education. This responsibility should be discussed. After college graduation, who pays this debt? During the college years, will the student have any financial obligation? Parenting a college student is a golden opportunity to teach financial responsibility.

Financial lessons should begin before the child leaves for college. Middle School and High School is when the lessons should begin. Parents tend to worry about a student’s expenditures and this is an appropriate worry. If parents don’t teach financial lessons to their children while they are still living at home, disaster is waiting in the wings during the college years.

Lessons Taught in the Launching Years

Before leaving for college, parents need to discuss financial expectations with their college student, including the plan for how many years they expect to be in college. This affects the number of credits they will need to carry each semester/term. The usual is 15 credits. Students taking 9 credits are taking up to 6 years to get an undergraduate degree. So it is important to talk about this so there are no surprises.

Prior to that first semester in college, parents and children need to discuss money management and the budgeting of funds. What are the expectations? Will they have a parents credit card? Do they have their own credit card? I personally suggest that only debit cards be used. No credit cards.

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