The Clever Apprentice

Sometimes kids just need a little extra help. When your child is having a hard time understanding given instruction, a expert teacher could be best prepared to assist teaching or inspire a student to learn. Tutors can help raise test scores and get a kid up to his/her proper reading level. However, good reading tutors are a challenge to come by. We’ll offer a few hints for traits to hunt for in a reading tutor, where you can find a tutor, and how to know if the tutor’s instruction is really working.

Every kid intakes information in different ways, so it is best to find a tutor that suits the student.A parent should probably begin a search speaking with your student’s teacher or counselor to discuss options. Many community centers and public libraries often offer reading help. Browsing through the services directory could give a number of private tutoring centers. Perhaps if the student shows a persistent problem reading well, you could look into a center with expert speech-language pathologist instead of a reading tutor, due to average reading tutors are primary education generalists not trained to handle cerebral reading difficulties.Finally, when you find a good candidate tutor, it is important to consider if the tutor is actually the best tutor for your child. Play an engaged role interviewing a reading tutor. Some parents figure one tutor is as good as any tutor. That’s just not true.

Examine a tutor with an pedagogy program in line with the national reading panel’s recommendations. With quality instruction, you should definitely expect and see improvement. A worthwhile instructor will make meaningful progress with a kid that can last and payoff for a lifetime. A few tutors, specifically commercially marketed tutoring clinics, offer students with an exam to set the baseline for skills development when the child starts to receive specialized instruction.

Something that is commonly found at the bottom of the pile when budgeting for a college career is medical insurance for college students. Broadly Speaking, the last thing on a student’s mind is health insurance. As a student in your teens you will usually tend to think that you will live forever and of course you will never become ill.

Regrettably, regardless of how fit an individual might seem, there is no way to predict their continuing good health. Inexpensive medical insurance is not a luxury, it’s an absolute necessity.

For those students who are covered under a parent’s insurance policy, most of them will include a college student until they reach twenty-three. For the student who doesn’t have coverage through their parent’s policy, researching insurance plans for affordable student health insurance has to be an important part of budgeting for college. What should you look out for in medical insurance aimed at college students? So what’s your deductible? It’s a yearly amount you must pay before the medical benefits starting, akin to an auto insurance policy. For instance, should your deductible be 500 dollars, you have to pay that sum before receiving any payment connected with the insurance policy. What is a co-pay? When you have paid the deductible, nearly all insurance plans ask that you contribute a share of the bill for each doctor’s visit, medicinal drug or procedure. That, succinctly, is co-pay. What is your scope of coverage? Most insurance policies are Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) or Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA). Essentially this can mean particular physicians may possibly be omitted from your “network” or not be included on the health insurance plan. Most programs will include a listing of approved professionals, consider this carefully when you select a health plan for college students.

Catastrophic coverage: Be mindful that there may be a limit on student health insurance policies in particular concerning catastrophic illness, the amount of coverage extended in most student health insurance is by and large lower than any standard insurance plan.

Restrictions: Inexpensive student medical coverage plans commonly have some limits. It is crucial to study the insurance policy carefully to find out what is and is not included.

Have all the medical insurance details on your person everywhere. Illnesses are not just not possible to plan for, but they are unfortunately likely to hit when least expected. Make sure you’re au fait with your policy, whether you are included with your parent’s policy or you have your own choice of insurance.

Algebra is one of the most crucial subsections of maths that is often introduced to students in Jr. High. Many people find the concept of algebra a tough one to understand. Algebra is one of the complex subdivisions of mathematics that takes the student through a study of structure, relation and quantity.

Standard Methods Used in Algebra

In algebra you will frequently hear the term like variables. This is often used when adding and subtracting radicals . When adding or subtracting radicals the radicals must be the same order before you add or subtract them.

As a method of finding the least common denominator by listing the multiples of each denominator and dividing by 2,3,4, and so on. After that you should look at the smallest number. An example is multiples of 5 are 10, 15, 20, 30. Multiples of 6 are 12, 18, 24, 30, and multiples of 15 are 30, 45, 60. So in this exercise, 30 (5 in to 6) is the smallest number which is common to both the number lists.
You can easily reduce a fraction by finding a common factor in the numerator and denominator. A common factor is going to be a number that will evenly divide into both numbers. As an example 3 is a common factor for 6 and 12. Three will equally divide into 6 and into 12. Two being a common factor for 4 and 14 is another example for this. You will repeat this same process until there are no common factors left. This can also be done by finding the greatest common factor of both the numerator and the denominator. You will divide the numerator and the denominator by the greatest common factor instead of the common factor.

Getting Hang of Algebra

Sometime you might find difficulties getting along with algebra and can’t seem to find the solution you need. You can use an algebra problem solver that will allow you with the needed help. With one of these computer software package you can simply input the figures related to the question and your problem will be solved immediately in an informative fashion (including the steps). Having access to an algebra problem solver software program can mean the difference in passing or failing. Most pupils cannot afford a tutor and they are rarely around when you need them anyway. With an algebra solver you will have access to the answers you need, anytime when required.

Little nine year old Tommie and his family moved to Atlanta, Georgia from the small town of Villa Rica, Georgia in 1908. Tommy was demoted a grade in school and teased by the other children. He felt alienated from his school and also the black Baptist church where his daddy was the pastor and mamma was the pianist.

He spent the afternoons and evenings watching the vaudeville performances where he saw such well known blues artists as Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith. At age eleven he dropped out of school and took a job at the theater selling soda pop.

He was determined to become famous like Ma Rainey so he learned to play the piano and teaching himself to read music.

At age seventeen Tom moved to Chicago and became quite successful as a blues piano player and singer in the backroom bars during the prohibition era. He took the professional name of Georgia Tom.

Tom struggled with his conscience over playing the “world’s music.” His mother was always admonishing him that he should devote himself to composing and playing for the Lord. His struggle became so intense that he had a nervous breakdown and had to take two years off and move back to Atlanta to recover.

Sufficiently rested and recovered, Georgia Tom returned to Chicago and began to play for Ma Rainey and her jazz band. However, it was only a matter of time before he once again had a nervous breakdown and had to stop singing in the the bars of Chicago.

He soon determined to devote his music totally to the Lord. He began composing and singing gospel music using the blues style of music.

To his disappointment, many of the main stream churches refused to allow him to return because his music sounded too much like the world’s music. So he returned to the Chicago bars to earn enough money to survive.

Tom married and was expecting his first child within a year. He continued to play both in churches and bars. It was while he was in St. Louis preparing for a concert in a church that he received a telegram informing him that his wife had died during childbirth. He returned to Chicago in time to hold his newborn son but the child died within a few hours.

It was at that moment that he took the vow to devote his music totally to the Lord seriously. It was also during his grief that he composed these words:

Precious Lord, take my hand,
Lead me on, help me stand,
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.
Thru the storm, thru the night,
Lead me on to the light,
Take my hand, precious Lord, Lead me home.

Thomas Dorsey went on to compose nearly 1000 songs, all gospel with a blues style. He died in 1993 at the age of 96. He had earned the title of “The Father of Gospel Blues.”

The instructions to play this gospel blues song on a harmonica can be found by clicking on Precious Lord

In my article “So You Are Going To College: Advice For Freshmen” I gave you 3 pieces of advice regarding your relationship with your professors. Let me give you 4 more and explain why following up on them is not only important, but also very beneficial for you.

1. Ask for help. You don’t need to make appointments all the time; once every month or two should be more than enough, but if the situation requires that you get extra attention, by all means, use their office hours for this purpose. Students forget that professors are there to help them and more often than not, professors pass the semester without any visit from their students. Do this especially if you are having difficulty. Don’t treat your professor as a tutor, though. Seek the Tutoring Center for that purpose. And don’t spend more than 15-20 minutes in the office at a time.

2. Bring related stuff to class or to the professor. For example, you found something interesting that could fit the subject you are studying. By all means, bring as much as you can. This will show that indeed you have an interest that goes beyond the classroom. Professors like that tremendously.

3. Turn off your cell phone. Never, ever, answer or look at your cell to check who is calling you, and worse, to play games while the class is going on. This shows disrespect and no professor will take it with a smile. Also, don’t eat in class. The smell of your food interferes not only with the teaching per se but also with other students’ tastes. What is delicious for one may make others puke. Be considerate.

4. Don’t have parallel conversations. Remain focused. Talking in class is a no-no, unless you are between tasks or group activities. Sending paper notes is even worse. High School is over. This is another ball game altogether.

Now, why must establish a rapport and be interested in the course? For many reasons. Here are two:

1. Professors are people too. No matter how much they strive at being quintessentially fair and just, there is bias and it will go to your benefit if you were a committed student. For instance; when you are perceived as interested and dedicated, you may get an upgrade of your final grade. For example, instead of a B+, you may get and A- or even an A. It also means the difference between flunking and passing the course.

This may not seem much, but it sure makes a huge difference when you see your transcript and/or are applying for a job. Let alone having the nightmarish position of having to repeat the course. With the same professor! Yikes!

2. Professors don’t work for money. In fact, more often than not, they struggle financially. This means that they do what they do out of sheer passion. By your being a committed student, you are showing them that you respect and appreciate them. Everyone likes that. But, as an added benefit, you may need this person to write you a letter of recommendation later in you career. Never underestimate the power of a good rec., trust me on this. You never know from whom you will need a hand in life. So, appreciate, be grateful, show interest, and treat well those who teach you, even if only as a good insurance policy.

None of this is really too difficult to pursue. And you will be a better person for it, too.

Now that you have some ammunition to start your college career; go for it. And much success to you!

© Maria Moratto 2006 Want to have more abundance, health, time, love, fun, and blessings? Visit Prescription For Bliss at http://www.rx4bliss.com, sign up for the newsletter and receive a fr*ee ebook called “Happy People Are More Abundant!” Dr. Maria Moratto is the author of “The Inspired Healing For Your Body, Mind, and Soul,” “The Inspired Healing Journal: Mending Your Broken Heart,” and “Attract Money Journal.” Visit her site to get fr*ee affirmation cards. You may reprint this article in its entirety as long as you add this resource box.

Body piercing is truly ancient with the earliest recorded piercing appearing on a frozen mummy found in an Austrian glacier in 1991. The body had several expanded ear piercings measuring between 7mm and 11mm.

Other early mentions of body piercing come from the bible itself especially Genesis 24:22 where nose jewellery (often misquoted as earrings) were given as a gift to Rebekah, wife of Isaac.

Roman soldiers are also said by many to have had their nipples pierced as some sort of right of passage but there is little or no evidence of this. In fact many articles will state that the piercing was used to somehow ‘hold their cloaks in place’. Anyone who has had a nipple piercing will tell you how uncomfortable this would probably be if worn for any length of time and let’s think about it, there would be far better ways to fasten a cloak. The story seemed to originate from pamphlets published by Doug Malloy in the 70’s to help drum up business for his piercing studio. Many of the pamphlets published by him contained inaccurate or fictional information although there is little doubt that he was one of the pioneers of modern day body piercing in the USA.

Many other cultures and civilizations have practiced piercing through the ages including the Aztecs, Mesoamericans and many Middle Eastern and African cultures. Few can have failed to see images from African tribes where lip and lobe stretching using enormous disks is common practice and often considered a sign of great beauty.

Piercing in Europe has been around since at least the 16th century with ear piercing being especially popular during Elizabethan times. More ‘exotic’ piercings grew in popularity during Victorian times. Prince Albert is said to have had his penis pierced to allow attachment so that less movement showed when dressed, although little hard evidence exists to support this. However, he still had one of the most popular male genital piercing named after him - The Prince Albert.

Apart from the ever-popular ear piercings, body piercing then lost popularity until the 1960’s when the hippy cultures and gay community began to take up piercing again. The advent of punk shortly afterwards gave it more mainstream appeal although it never became truly popular until recent years. We are now in the midst of an explosion caused in the main by the popularity of piercing with many of today’s pop icons.

With eyebrow piercing appearing on members of bands such as Take That and other popular musicians quickly following, the public were quick to jump on the bandwagon and a huge boom in facial and the ever-popular belly button piercing resulted. With the plethora of jewellery now available for all piercings to make many look truly stunning there seems to be no slowdown in its popularity in sight.

Elizabeth Brodie is the owner of Hot-Jewellery a UK site specialising in quality body jewellery for most common piercings.

The dream of completing your college education or furthering your studies is no longer elusive. The World Wide Web boom has brought education to your key board. Many established and renowned universities are offering degrees in varied disciplines through online courses. Studies done by the Distance Education and Training Council in Washington and other regulatory institutions indicate that over 2.25 million people are registered for online courses at universities in the US.

Before registering for a course you need to spend some time thinking. Do I want to do a course that will further my career or learn something that I have an abiding interest in? Will I be devoted and complete the course work in time? Take a look at your schedules and find out where you will slot in time for study.

Online courses offer great conveniences, flexibility, and a world class education brought to your computer. While choosing a college consider the following:

• What are the basic qualifications you need to be eligible for a course are there any tests you need to take.

• Is the college reliable? Does it have the required accreditations?

• How large are the classes? When the class strength is smaller then each student will receive more time from the instructors. On the other hand a large enrollment indicates success of the course. So you need to carefully weigh all the different aspects.

• Research blogs and other online messaging centers to find out about the opinion and experiences of students who have satisfactorily complete courses or are disgruntled. Read surveys and analysis about online education. Ask the college for referrals. Examine alumni success. Find out what percentage of students successfully complete the program and how many work professionally in the field of study.

• Study the online curriculum as well as suggested time-frame carefully. Find out how many students have been able to complete the course work within the given time. Determine whether the coursework meets your educational needs and career goals. Check how current the course work is and whether the textbooks and study materials are relevant.

• Ask if the university has a 24/7 customer service program and whether you will be eligible for any technical help regarding the software or programs you will need to use. Many universities assign a personal advisor to students one who will answer questions willingly and take care all nitty gritties like enrollment procedures, course work submissions and so on right until graduation.

• Check out the credentials for the faculty, their qualifications and training to conduct an online class room with ease. Otherwise it may be a question of the “blind leading the blind.”

• Read the offer document carefully and ensure that the course is 100% online. Some universities are known to use mail, videotapes, and on-campus programs as part of “online course” work. Ask how long the online program has been in place and are there any rough spots they have encountered. Read carefully the institution’s ethical standard document, most reputed schools have a policy readily available for review.

• Check thoroughly the institutions financial history and current position. Make sure you are not registering with a fly-by-night operator.

• Find out what the accreditations of the university are. In the US accreditations come from Middle States, New England, North Central, Northwest, and Southern Western. They have a membership program as well as a system wherein each others accreditations are acknowledged.

• Most important ask about fees and financial aid. Find out what the tuitions fees are and whether any other costs like lab fees, technology fees and so on are to be paid. You will also have to cost expenses towards maintaining your computer and its peripherals like scanners, printers, and fax modem, as well as Internet costs and provider fees.

Surf the World Wide web and visit directories like : http://www.collegenet.com/ ; http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankindex_brief.php ; as well as http://www.forbes.com/online_colleges.html among thousand other sites. See official sites like http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cool/ and http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/educ/edlinks.htm and http://www.ed.gov/index.jhtml . It is an important decision to be made and should be made with knowledge and concrete facts.

Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for http://www.1888Onlinecolleges.com , the premier website to find top ranking colleges online directory including topics on public colleges, private colleges, online college, college course online, information on college costs, financial aid, degrees awarded, enrollments and more. He also freelances for the premier Dating Service site http://www.1888Dating.com.

College fees are going up the every other academic year and unless you are well off to support your education, it can be hard times ahead securing enough funds to finance your education. Scholarships come as a welcome assistance in such scenarios. To an extent, it could compensate the leak expenses could cause to your wallet. And the interesting aspect is that even an average student can manage to win a scholarship. That is, not all scholarships are academic scholarships that look for straight A, honor-roll students; instead, it is available for all, only the number of scholarships available that limits its service span. This article provides some valuable tips to find scholarships online, in a systematic way. Also, finding scholarships online is reliable, fast and easy.

In this world of internet revolution, like the most aspects of information, the best place to search such scholarships is in the World Wide Web. In other words, most information regarding scholarships is readily available in the internet, and it is all about finding the right one for a candidate.

It is advisable that searching scholarships online, if to bear fruit, must begin days or weeks in advance. Remember, every scholarship applications have a deadline for submissions and those submitted after the stipulated dates won’t be considered.

Use google or any other effective search engine to search the web. Try out every possible term that is associated with scholarships for the search. For example, “left handed scholarships”, if you are left handed (doubles quotes in necessary), “duct tape prom dress scholarship” (heard about that?), or your hobbies and qualities can be useful search terms that might lead you to the scholarship you may like to apply for.

It is a better option to sign up for some scholarship database online for in no other place you could find such comprehensive listing of scholarships. Some of them are free while some others charge the user a fee. One could refer to online reviews for the most popular and efficient online databases amongst the lot. Take time to search them and shortlist few of the best scholarships available, those you think you have a chance of making it.

Scholarship message board and scholarship forums can provide a wealth of information regarding a wide array of scholarships offered by various sponsors. Visiting forums will help the candidate to build active discussions with other scholarship seekers, and the chances are high that he/she may find one no other source could have provided otherwise.

Many unusual and quirky scholarships do exist and with some planning and effort, one could unveil the hidden gems. And internet could be a great tool to unlock the treasures.

Finding the scholarships you needs is a difficult task. We’ve put together a very useful video that will help you find the scholarships you need. Go to Scholarship Money Secrets for more information.

After a few years in the working world, many graduates find that they just can’t advance any farther in their careers without having additional qualifications and credentials. Higher education is so accessible these days that a Bachelor’s degree doesn’t always bring the prestige and opportunities that it once did. This is particularly true in high technology areas, the sciences and business management.

You are probably going to have to earn a Master’s degree or a Doctorate in order to move up the corporate ladder, become a tenured teacher, or get a high-paying job in any number of other fields.

Graduate school costs a lot of money, and if you are still trying to pay off previous school loans how can you possibly get a Master’s degree without acquiring a lot of additional debt? One way is to find and apply for scholarships for graduate students.

You might not even have been aware that there are special scholarships available for graduate students. Most people think that scholarships only exist only for undergraduate students, but that’s not the case at all.

Many scholarships exist for graduate students and work in the same way that they do for undergrads, except that the awards are specifically intended to fund a Master’s degree, law degree, doctorate program, and similar advanced study endeavors. Often these are paid by large companies and corporations but rarely are strings attached relating to future work requirements.

Depending on the size of the award you win, you can either subsidize a portion of your tuition bill or be able to pay for everything and attend school on that coveted full scholarship.

Finding a scholarship as a graduate students can however pose some problems. The availability of scholarships depends on the subject to be studied and not all awards are advertised through the usual channels. It can take hours of research to come up with just a couple of leads that you could potentially qualify for. This discourages many people and a lot of awards go unclaimed as a result.

That is actually good news for you because, if you are determined, it means there sometimes isn’t much competition for a lesser-known scholarship. You will therefore have a better chance of winning an award and making grad school more affordable. But if other people can’t find out about these lucrative scholarships, how can you? Well, the easiest way is to register with a company that matches your qualifications to existing awards.

There are a number companies that perform this service for a fee, and you can find most of them online. Though the specific services and fees differ depending on which company you sign up with, you’ll generally have two separate options.

First, you can sign up with a company that will personally work with you to find potential scholarships that you can apply for. You will have to fill out an online questionnaire detailing your academic and career accomplishments, as well as your intended field of study and perhaps some personal information such as age, gender, and ethnicity.

These personal questions are important because some scholarships for graduate students are restricted to certain ethnic groups or possibly only women may be eligible for the award.

Once the company has your information, a specialist will then begin the process of matching you to award opportunities. You can then decide which awards you want to apply for.

The second option, at a much lower cost, is to sign up with a company that simply gives you access to a searchable database containing thousands of scholarships for graduate students. You can tweak your searches in various ways to yield different results This gives you greater flexibility in browsing through potential awards.

If you want to get the most out of your career, then grad school is probably the way for you to go. You can take steps now to help defray the high cost of tuition by registering with a company that will alert you to available scholarships for graduate students. You can win a significant amount of money towards your education that you will never have to repay, so check out some of these sites today.

John worked for many years in insurance and finance and recently completed a degree in Creative Writing. He now writes on a number of topics including education. For information on education research subjects go to Research Paper Topic Ideas or go to In Education for a selection of articles on education for all ages.

Feng shui (say “fung shway”), often called the art of placement, could just as accurately be called “the art of flow.” This ancient Chinese practice, literally translated as “wind” and “water,” aims to maximize the beneficial movement of chi–the universal life force present in all things–through an environment.

Just as fresh air and clean water nourish our bodies, so does fresh, clean chi nourish our homes and our lives. When the flow of chi through our space is blocked, weak, or misdirected, our relationships, cash flow, creativity, health, and career can suffer. Chi wants to meander gracefully through a space, like a gentle breeze or a winding stream. When it flows too strongly, it becomes like a hurricane or flood. We are likely to feel tossed about by winds of change, unstable, prone to crises, struggling to “keep our heads above water.” Where chi is blocked it becomes stale and stagnant, like a pond choked with algae and fallen leaves. We may feel tired, run down, depressed, unable to focus, hampered in our efforts to move forward in our lives.

In a corporate environment, poor feng shui can result in miscommunication between managers and employees, conflicts among team members, and lack of support for key initiatives. Individuals may be overlooked for promotions or deserved raises, suffer damage to their reputation in the company, or even lose their job. The company may have difficulty attracting or keeping key customers.

In a retail store, feng shui problems can block the flow of customers into and through the store, contribute to theft and staffing problems, and have a negative effect on the amount and size of sales.

Feng shui provides tools and guidelines for analyzing and correcting the flow of energy into and through our space. It uses the arrangement of rooms and the placement of furniture to create a smooth pathway for chi through a home, office, or retail location. Blockages and other forms of negative chi are removed or counteracted in order to welcome in opportunities and encourage progress. Colors and shapes associated with the five elements-wood, fire, earth, metal, and water-are used to create movement, balance, or protection, depending on the needs of the client. Imagery and objects such as paintings, photographs, statuary and other accessories are chosen and placed to enhance and reinforce the client’s intention.

Feng Shui reminds us that everything is connected, and that our physical surroundings have a significant impact on our mind, body, and spirit. It teaches us to be mindful caretakers of our environments, so that we may be mindful caretakers of our lives.

Copyright © 2002 Stephanie Roberts

About The Author

Stephanie Roberts is a feng shui consultant in Maui, Hawaii, and the author of the best-selling “Fast Feng Shui” books (rated 5-stars by Amazon.com readers). To find out how you can use contemporary Western feng shui to help you achieve greater success and happiness in your life, please visit http://www.fastfengshui.com or subscribe to the Fast Feng Shui newsletter at mailto:subscribe@fastfengshui.com and receive free feng shui tips by email.

stephanie@fastfengshui.com