Financing Homeschooling

When people talk about teaching their children from home in the absence of any definite or structured curriculum, it is perhaps natural to think that homeschooling is cheap. But this is far from the truth. Although homeschooling does not stick to any particular text, this is perhaps more of a bane than a boon, when it comes to finance.

When you need to make sure that your children receives state-of-the-art education so that they can compete with regular school goers, expenses will naturally mount. The actual cost of educating a child at home is surprisingly high. Up-to-date textbooks, course materials, a library, computing equipment, lighting, specially designed furniture all cost money. In this case, the cost may be slightly lesser when it comes to homeschooling the second child. Add to this any additional tuition cost for tutors who come to teach subjects that cannot be handled by parents, like higher-level math or science. The total cost can be a bit mind boggling.

If you take another important factor into consideration, homeschooling costs may effective triple. The need for having one of the parents tied to the house and fully dedicated to providing education deprives the family of a second earning member. The average homeschooling teacher is usually a lady with a college degree. This means that she can easily bring home a pay of $35,000 or more. It is also interesting to note that most families that have more than 2 children do not opt for homeschooling at all.

But, there are those who have been successful in carrying out homeschooling at low rates. This is dependent on the size of the family, the support group, the type of materials used and the availability of the material. When successive children can reuse the materials, cost goes down. Much of the course material can be got from vendors of homeschooling materials.

A membership in a public library, theatre, concerts, ballets and other cultural events also help in cutting costs. Sometimes, it is even possible to barter expertise. For instance, the mother of an 8-year old gives dancing classes, and her daughter receives drawing classes for free. Support groups allow you to divide the cost of field trips, science projects and fairs.

Whatever the cost, advocates of homeschooling say that the benefits far outweigh these considerations. When you are able to decide what knowledge your child receives and when he or she should be taught and to what extent, it gives you a lot of freedom and a lot of power. Both the children as well as the parents benefit from this mutually enriching experience.

Record Keeping In Homeschooling

A topic that frequently comes up in meetings and forums that deal with homeschooling is record keeping. The importance of record keeping cannot be ignored. It is not only legally required in various States, but also provides important milestones in your child's learning experience. An interest-initiated homeschooling approach means that the topic of studies is far ranging and multifarious. Thus, it can be something of a challenge to write quarterly reports for the school district, when it is difficult to classify learning into neatly pigeonholed areas.

Record keeping is important not only for the sake of regulations. It is also an exciting way to record and document the learning process of the child. When most of the learning is done through play and there is no clear cut index of topics that have to be covered, it is necessary for the parent to keep some sort of a log which records the child's progress.

The records you keep can be as simple as a daily journal, or as elaborate as a software program. If you participate in a support group, you probably have set forms and requirements. But even so, keeping track of daily work makes reporting easy and efficient.


There are various record keeping methods used by various homeschools. Some of the more popular ones are:

Journal:

This can be maintained by the teacher or the student. This basically aims to keep a log of what was learned and what was done. Recording memorable events that happened in the course of the year is a great way to reminisce later on.


Daily planner:

Lay out the plans and the assignments for the week in a teacher's planning notebook. Check each item as it is covered. Maintain a separate area where any additional things can be recorded. This includes educational trips, visits and videos etc. Any extra topics that were covered are also recorded in this area. Make a summary every quarter.

Portfolios:

This consists of a collection of varied materials that show what the child has achieved and done during the course of study. Portfolio assessment is a very effective way to chart the child's progress. It gives structure to the otherwise loose and flexible form of schooling called homeschooling. A drawing portfolio will consist of some paintings or sketches that are considered the best in that quarter. A language portfolio may consist of essays, stories, reading-logs, spelling samples or letters. Progress in mathematics, fine arts, history, science and social studies can all be recorded this way. The biggest advantage is that portfolio assessment places control in the hands of the children. Having a tangible record of what they have established eggs them on to greater heights.

Other than the above-mentioned systems, there are also purchased record-keeping systems that lay out a good checklist. Some of these allow one to personalize the organizer. Irrespective of the methods used, record keeping in one form or the other is essential. Your child's future may well depend on the well-maintained record that you have meticulously kept over the years.

10 Ways Your Child's School Can Monitor & Prevent Bullying

Bullying in schools is not just a problem for its victims, it makes all students feel unsafe. Schools must make it clear that student safety is an essential part of their mission by sending a strong message that bullying will not be tolerated and enlisting the support of the students. To accomplish this schools can do the following:

1. Promote a climate of cooperation and caring. Schools can help deter bullying by encouraging acts of kindness and communicating values of cooperation and tolerance. Of course, the most effective way to foster a caring attitude in school is for school staff to model this behavior.

2. Survey the school about bullying. A survey of students, teachers, and parents may reveal how pervasive bullying is in the school. It may also indicate when and where students are being harassed.

3. Establish a clear anti-bullying policy. Make sure this policy is clearly communicated to staff, students, and parents.

4. Empower the silent majority to take action. Because the staff is not always present when bullying takes place, schools need to encourage students to report any incidents. This might be done at a school assembly. Tell students that reporting bullying is not the same as tattling on a student. Help them understand what it feels like to be teased and taunted, and make it clear that they are not to join in when they observe a child being bullied.

5. Make it safe for students to report bullying. School personnel must keep the names of students who report bullying anonymous. Until students feel confident that this will happen, bullying will go unreported and bullies will continue to thrive. The school might set up a box in classrooms or the main office where children can leave notes about incidents of bullying.

6. Be alert for signs that a student is being bullied. Possible indicators of bullying include a student's reluctance to come to school, his avoidance of school areas such as the playground, withdrawal from peers, unusual tearfulness or anxiety, difficulty focusing in class, and a decline in grades.

7. Take reports about bullying seriously and act quickly. Schools should follow up on all reports of bullying. Putting an immediate end to one child's hurting another is vital not only to protect the student but also to send a message to other students that bullying will not be tolerated.

8. Coach students being teased on how to respond. Teachers and guidance counselors may want to help a student being teased learn how to be assertive without being aggressive. A student being victimized by a bully needs to learn how to deflect the bully's taunting without provoking him or appearing upset.

9. Discipline students who bully. The purpose should be to deter the bully's aggressive behavior rather than to humiliate or embarrass him. In addition to insisting that the bully return any items taken from the victim, the principal might exclude him from places or activities where he has harassed other students.

10. Contact the parents of the bully. The school should consider meeting with the bully's parents to inform them of his actions and gain their support for changing his behavior. The student should be apprised of the school's course of action and be informed that his parents support the plan.

To GPS Or Not To GPS

Since the launch of the first Global Position System (GPS) device for automobiles some years back, more and more car manufacturers have been integrating the system into the vehicles they build. The system is still quite pricey given that its production hasn't quite reached mass market numbers. This is why the GPS systems have only been built in to higher end car models. However, if your car doesn't come equipped with a GPS device, you can opt to buy and have one installed.

However, you may ask whether having a GPS device in your car really makes a difference and if its benefits really make it worth having. Well, if you take your car for long drives and you are often away to some new destination either for your work or jusy for fun then having a GPS device installed in your car can be quite helpful.

The GPS device acts like an interactive map and most models are now voice activated so that you won't have to stop and type instructions in. Just say your command and you can interact with your GPS device. It's like having a personal navigation guide with you and this can prove handy when you are lost or just about to be. It will even inform you if you make a wrong turn or missed your destination and will guide you back to where you should be.

Having a GPS device for your car eliminates the hassle of having to pull over and consult a map. Especially when it's just not possible to stop, pullover and consult a map, a GPS device comes in handy to help you navigate your way to your destination. You can also subscribe your device to special features that alert you of important destinations like gas stations, ATM machines and the like so that you can be truly equipped to navigate your way around.

Even if you don't travel to new and faraway places, a GPS device in your car can still be very handy. With a GPS device you can subscribe to special features that allow for real time feeds to warn you of unexpected traffic and which alternate route to take in case of such events. So even if you're not traveling to a new destination you have good use for a GPS device in your car.

How Good Is GPS In Mobile Phones

By : George Wood

GPS technology has been used to keep track of mobile phones. The use of GPS technology in cell phones is not new however the latest mobile phones have GPS devices loaded in them which has made it extremely easy to keep track of someones location all the time and that too with great accuracy.

The use of GPS in mobile phones has so many advantages. Any person who is caught in an emergency situation can use their mobile phones to find their way out. It can be used to provide information about your ETA to your family members. It is also of great help in finding elderly or children when they are lost.

The movement of vehicles can be accurately tracked by the fleet managers and business owners using GPS, thus helping in their business. GPS technology has also been used by hospitals and police when they need to reach a place in an emergency situation.

The use of GPS technology in mobile phones was not common earlier. The technology was not perfect as the broadcasting of the radio signal would continue even when they were not in use, and hence it was not used. Triangulation method was used by mobile companies to keep a track of users location. But it was of no use to the companies and it was also a very tedious process.

But with the development of an excellent technology, GPS in mobile phones became common. Along with the many advantages, its use in mobile phones has several drawbacks.

Its biggest disadvantage is that it interferes with ones privacy. Anyone who carries a GPS mobile phone is always tracked even without his knowledge. No one likes to be tracked down like this all the time. The government and the courts have taken certain measures to make sure that everyones privacy is safeguarded. The courts have ordered law enforcement agencies not to obtain any GPS tracking information. Such information can only be obtained when the cell phone company claims the information to be extremely important or in the benefit of the country. The government has allowed GPS tracking information for e911 emergency calls only. For all other things, the consent of the cell owner is a must.

The benefits of GPS technology in mobile phones can be utilized in a proper way only if the rules and regulations made by the courts and the government are followed. The technology can then be used for all the right reasons without interfering with ones privacy.