If your child has just been diagnosed with a learning disability, he or she may be feeling a little bit iffy about their self-esteem. This may be due to the overwhelming (but untrue) notion in our society that scholastic difficulties severely limit a person's possibility of success in the work world. Of course, this is quite simply not true. There are plenty of well-known individuals with learning problems who have gone on to accomplish great things in their careers. Here are a few such examples who just might provide the encouragement and inspiration that your child needs to look to the future with optimism:
1. Whoopi Goldberg
Until she explained her difficulties with reading to a perceptive teacher as an adult, Goldberg had no idea she was dyslexic. She was then able to learn the strategies necessary that would allow her to make sense of written language. Goldberg went on to become an incredibly successful actress and comedienne. She is one of the few people in the world to have been awarded an Oscar, an Emmy, a Tony, and a Grammy. Goldberg is also the only woman to have ever hosted the Academy Awards. Her radio show, Wake Up With Whoopi, premiered on Clear Channel Radio at the end of July 1006. She has several upcoming movies slated for release, including It's Under My Skin and The Last Guy on Earth.
2. Tommy Hilfiger
Growing up in New York during the '50s and '60s, Hilfiger struggled with school because of his dyslexia. While reading proved difficult for him, he developed a keen eye for what lines and shapes suited the body. Hilfiger's sharp fashion sense and entrepreneurial drive helped him to launch his own label in 1982. Since then, his business has branched out to design not just men and women's wear, but children's clothing, shoes, home furnishings, and personal fragrances. Hilfiger has experienced continued success with an ever-increasing celebrity clientele, new store openings around the globe and company revenues in the hundreds of millions.
3. Jamie Oliver
This young, hip chef has made cooking cool for a new generation of Food Network viewers. While dyslexia problematized reading for Oliver as a student, he made it a point to finish every cookbook from the well-known Bay Area French restaurant, Chez Panisse. Oliver's learning disability has not stood in the way of his achievements; he has been the host of several popular cooking television programs, such as The Naked Chef and Oliver's Twist, and has written seven cookbooks, including the bestselling Jamie's Dinners. His latest television series-Jamie's School Lunch Project-documents his quest to revamp the menu of a British elementary school through the introduction of healthier cooking methods and the incorporation of organic foods.
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Senin, 08 Februari 2010
Celebrities with Learning Disabilities
Kamis, 07 Januari 2010
Is your Child under STRESS?
Childhood is believed to be stress free. We think that children do not experience stress. The bad news is that we are wrong. Children worry a lot although the causes of their tension might be trivial for us. Competition is stiff these days. Children have to compete with their classmates to get good marks, to become the football/basketball captain, or even to impress the most beautiful girl/guy in the class! Therefore, your child must have the skills to deal with such situations.
Children, especially young ones, have the habit of keeping things to themselves unless probed. Moreover, they expect their parents to ‘understand’ their problems on their own. Sometimes, kids are too scared to express their issues to their parents. How to deal with all this? Doctors say that if children develop this habit of not expressing their problems, they grow up as individuals having low self-confidence.
There are numerous ways to help your child in this context. Reflect on the questions given below:
Do you listen to your Child?
Many times, parents ignore what their children are saying. This can make kids feel ignored. Kids do not speak like adults- concise and to the point. Instead, they speak in long sentences. It takes a little patience to understand their problems. Do not interrupt while your child is speaking something. Let him complete his point and then speak. A word of advice- Do not be judgmental.
Do you Show Interest?
Children would not like talking to someone who does not show interest in their stories and conversations. Hence, parents should express their interest while talking to their kids.
Do you motivate your Child?
When was the last time you pat the back of your child? Even animals love being loved and motivated, let alone humans. The next time your child scores in a football match, make sure you pat his back and buy him a piece of chocolate.
Is your Child your Friend?
Children hesitate expressing their problems in front of someone whom they do not know properly. Many parents unintentionally create a distance from their kids due to lack of time or ignorance. Ensure that you spend some time daily with your child. Take him to a baseball game or a movie. Read him a bedtime story. Talk to him over dinner. The idea is to make your child feel comfortable with you.
Do you interact with teachers?
Often, parents do not talk to their kid’s teachers. Next to home, children spend the most time at school. It can be a possibility that teachers can tell you about some trait of your child that you haven’t noticed. Never miss attending parents-teachers meet or annual days. Occasions like these allow parents and teachers to interact with each other in order to find out better ways of teaching kids.
Do you have pets?
Studies have shown that children who have pet animals like dogs and cats at their homes are more affectionate to others. Keeping a dog, for example, can help develop compassion, kindness and love ion your child.
Stress Management is not an overnight affair. It takes years to develop this. Why to delay?
shashanks
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The Author brings over 6 years of e-learning and online tutoring experience. Having a deep understanding of pedagogy and child psychology, the writer has developed numerous strategies to improve e-learning and online tutoring for Grades K-12 and higher through various techniques that question the conventional ways of instructing.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Is your Child under STRESS?
Paying Attention For Success
TB Wright The One Penny Millionaire!(tm)
There is a success we can attain that goes far beyond simple material success. This deep of success is attained only through the giving up our attachment to being "right" about all the illusions we have surrounding what it means to be successful. In the online seminar I do with participants, we work a lot on processes that assist us in giving up the energy wasting practice of attachment. Attachment to illusions usually! Once we claim this energy that we already have, and are already using, back again, we can then designate its use toward the achievement of goals other than ones that are impossible to accomplish, such as trying to make an illusion real. Let's instead, make our dreams real!
Ask anyone, and they will certainly tell you their answer as to what it means to lead a successful life, and if anyone asks you, you might even come up with a few choice details yourself. If there are six billion or more people on the planet, and each one of them has very specific formulas for what constitutes success, then who is right? The obvious answer is that they all are. How can this be so? Pay attention, be here now, and focus here: they are all right because for each and every one of them, it isn't in achieving the details that they believe will make them successful, that make them a success, it's in the feel of it that any one of them attains success. What does this mean?
What this means is that we are hard wired to believe that success is somehow outside of ourselves, (another illusion) and since so many billions of details exist outside of ourselves, every single person on the planet can make up a new game for which the achievement of a certain combination of details adds up to their feeling successful. I know I do this, and there isn't anyone who I know who doesn't. But just because we all do something, doesn't mean that there isn't a place to aim for that evolves beyond where we are now at. Why desire to evolve? We desire to evolve because anyone with any sort of compassionate heart can easily look around them, and observe that the human race has an enormous potential that it just isn't using right now. Maybe even, that it's ever used. War, crime, hatred, racism, makewrong, judgments, complaints, lack of integrity, lying, deceit, and billions of people living disconnected from their own body-mind-heart triad that is so important to the living of a whole, complete, life, a life that is quite within reach of any one of us, because it's a life that exists within each one of us. We live this life when we drop away any attachment to our many illusions as we shift our energy over from what doesn't work, to what does work, for the achievement of our greatest and highest good.
We live this life when we walk, work, and wend our way around the paths we have chosen for our lives, how they turn out and burn out, in every moment that we live. To so live isn't to live anything different from what we're living right now, but to live with all of what we're living right now. All of what we desire, and do not desire. To live all of life, as messy as it gets, which means to work to close the gap between life as it is, and life as we would like it to be. We close the gap through telling the truth about how it is, and then committing to how we would then like it to be. Why do this? Because to live that authentic a life, to live life more and more of our time on Earth in the moment, is to live truth. Truth is, all of us are born with one life, not knowing where we came from and not really knowing where we are going, with endless speculation on each of these areas, speculation designed to make us feel better about what is inevitable. Feel better about what is inevitable? Hold on there! What craziness have we so bought into, that we have worked ourselves up into a froth over resisting through so many colorful distractions, what's inevitable anyway! Distractions of entertainment, war, anger, upset, makewrong, finger pointing, complaints, and any and all preoccupations that get between us, and really paying attention to our lives; what they are, what they feel like, where we are, and where we are heading. Fear, the ever present companion of modern man, may have taken over our hard wiring, for whatever reasons we have allowed it to dominate and control us, but that doesn't mean that we have to leave it in charge, not once we discover this truth.
Truth is, given our enormous potential for living evolved lives based on love, not fear, we all have this potential for being hugely successful, and right now. Truth is, there really is only one success we desire and only one: to feel better and better than we now feel in this present moment, regardless of how we feel. Including ecstatic! Just think about it. What happens when something extremely joyful occurs out of the blue for us? We immediately want more of how that feels. Given this is our hard wired relationship to success, we might as well live life as it is, and accept all the truths related to that, and all other inevitable facts, and then seek to be, do, and have, that which will allow us to live the richest lives possible emotionally. Because after all, that emotional richness, the feeling better in each now moment, is the real thing we desire as successful human beings, and so is what we are truly after. Not the relationships, not the cash, and not the accolades. Whew! Did that upset you? I know finding out about this initially upset me!
But we don't have to stay upset over the truth. Because the good news relating to this authentic of success, is that right now, in this moment, if we pay close enough attention to our thoughts, our desires, and our actions, the realization that feeling better and better can occur, and that it's an inside job, will dawn on us. The wholly immutable fact that we can evolve right now is so in front of our faces, that most people, if not all, miss this fact, and all the time. Think of it like the Earth. It's so present under our feet, such an accepted fact of life, so taken for granted, that it's taken many generations for us to simply become aware that yes, we live on it, and that, yes, our actions do affect the quality of our lives upon it. Whew, again!
So what does all this have to do with our success? The thing is this. If we are conscious of the real reasons we seek relationship, money, family, love, fame and fortune, which is to in any one now moment, to feel better than we are now feeling, regardless of how we feel, then the option of pursuing these things with a joyful heart opens up for us. And in pursuing the accomplishment of the details of our lives with a joyful heart, all that we do becomes that which we can then call successful, because we will be already feeling good about ourselves as we go along simply living our lives, rather than pointing to some chimera out there and labeling it as that which will make us feel better some day. Because the second truth is, it won't. Anything out there won't, because the second we attain anything, oh, yes, maybe a little longer than a second at times, we will want something else. And that's what it means to be a human being. Yet if we consider success being to fulfill our immutable desire to feel good inside about ourselves, first, then our journey becomes not a seeking after that which fulfills, but a living out of that which in and of itself, is fulfilling. In every second, right here and right now, of every moment that we live. And then there you go, authentic real success, and best of all, right now! Here's to yours!
TB Wright
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TB Wright is the coursework creator of The One Penny Millionaire!™ a thirty week online seminar designed for your success. www.onepennymillionaire.com
A short video on useful affirmation work can be seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhFZ1C6uC-4
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Paying Attention For Success
Selasa, 05 Januari 2010
How To Find Work At Home Job Options
Do you wish to work at home? Well, this is a question which will undoubtedly be answered positively by most of the people who are currently stuck with their regular office jobs. It is so because while working at home, there is no boss to supervise your work. Again, these jobs enable you to work according to your convenience. That’s why more and more people are adopting them as their major income source worldwide. However, there are some people who claim that these jobs are scams. If you really wish to avoid such circumstances, given below are some guidelines which you must keep in mind.
Overcome The Misconceptions
Usually, online jobs are considered as an immense source of income
for everyone, but the fact is that they are not the same. However, those who are completely dedicated towards their work are still making the most out of these jobs. Therefore, forget the rumor that these jobs offer you higher payouts and that too without putting lots of efforts from your side.
Check Whether Your Talent Is Viable
When it comes to evaluate the fact what you can do easily, most of the people find themselves ready with a huge list. But, are they all correct at their end? Absolutely not! It may be possible that you are an out of the box person and that’s why you can do many of the work more precisely such as cooking food, writing, painting etc. But, do all of them hold importance in online market? Surely not! Therefore, try to find out your talent which is feasible with these online jobs.
Get Known To The Market Conditions
During the past few years, recession ruined the economy all across the world. Due to this phase of economy, many people lost their jobs. But, still there were some people who were successful in saving their jobs as they were quite familiar with the market situations. The same stands for these online jobs. Make sure the job opportunity that you are interested in depends how much on the market conditions. It will provide you a rough estimate of the scope of your job and how limited it is.
Have Faith In Yourself
Now, this is a point which requires you to have some patience. In current tough economical conditions, it is possible that you may not acquire proper work at home opportunities initially. But it doesn’t mean there is no ray of hope. The internet is full of money for you to grab. The only thing you need to do is to do proper research before jumping into the online jobs.
Alan Lim
Do you wish to known the benefits of Work At Home jobs? If yes, then visit the website at http://www.goodinternetmoney.com and get known to all of them.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - How To Find Work At Home Job Options
What Is Homeschooling
The term 'homeschooling' basically refers to the process in which one or more children of not more than 2 families are instructed by parents or legal guardians, or a member of either household. The laws that define homeschooling vary from State to State. The legal requirements for establishing a homeschool also vary with the State.
For most children, the actual process of learning begins much before school. Many children already know their alphabets, the names of animals, colors and other more complicated stuff before they reach school. This is mostly due to the hard work of a member of the family who has taken the time to teach the child. Homeschooling is just a natural progression from here. Instead of sending their children to a public school, parents make their own curriculum and teach their children in ways that best suit the child. This is homeschooling, in its most simplistic form.
Before you decide to go in for homeschooling, there are certain important matters for consideration. First off, meet with parents of other homeschoolers. Find out the pros and cons of homeschooling. Then ask yourself why you would want to adopt this method. This is a very important aspect, as the success of the program depends on the clarity and sincerity of your purpose.
Next, it is time to consider the expenses of homeschooling. It may cost anywhere between a few hundred dollars to a few thousand every year. More importantly, you are also effectively shutting out any job opportunity for one of the parents. It is only obvious that one parent will have to stay at home full time to manage the homeschool. A home-based business however is a great alternative.
Are you qualified to take on homeschooling for your children? Teaching is a continuation of your own learning process. With the advent of the internet, information is aplenty. There are various books and resources for those interested in homeschooling. Go through the various methods of homeschooling and choose one that is most suited to you. It helps if you know what kind of learning style your child has. Also, find out what your child feels about homeschooling before you start.
Every state has its own laws regarding homeschooling. For instance, in North Carolina, you must first file a 'Notice of Intent' to start a home school. In this you have to mention if the school is a 'Private church' school or a 'qualified non-public school'. The persons providing the education are required to have at least a high school diploma. You have to maintain an annual record of the child's attendance and disease immunization. Every year, the child is required to undergo a standardized test. Each student attending the eleventh grade has to take a nationally standardized test. These are the requirements in North Carolina, but it is enough to give you a good idea of what homeschooling entails.
Homeschooling may seem like a lot of fun and freedom from the outside. However, things are seldom as simple as they seem. Homeschooling is a lot of added responsibility and hard work. But, if successful, it will forge a strong bond of love and respect between parent and child, while providing your child with the best form of education he needs.
This free article is provided by the FreeArticles.com Free Articles Directory for educational purposes ONLY! It cannot be reprinted or redistributed under any circumstances.
Article Copyright By Author. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
Selasa, 17 November 2009
The Need For After School Activities
When children are literally up to their gills with the learning and sport activities in school, it may seem superfluous to enroll them for after school activities. In spite of this, after school programs are sprouting up in large numbers and most of these are booked full. This shows that there is a real need for after school activities.
The unavailability of parental supervision is the leading cause for the surge in after school programs. It is seen that many children spend about 20-25 hours a week unsupervised and alone at home. And as the saying goes, "An idle mind is a devil's workshop". Children who are left alone to contend with too much free time invariably fall into the wrong company. Drug abuse, alcohol, tobacco and crime come knocking at their doors sooner rather than later. Parents enroll children to various after school programs to keep them occupied in a productive manner. This way, the kids are free to enjoy themselves in a supervised activity.
Crime is considered to be at its peak during the after school hours, between 3- 4 p.m. During such a time, children need protection. Getting the children together under one roof and encouraging them to participate in a group activity is protection enough. It diverts the children from ennui too.
Obesity is a matter of growing concern in this country. It is noticed that more and more children are becoming couch potatoes. After school, many of them relax on the sofa with packets of chips, cool drinks or chocolates while they watch T.V. 30 % of the kids below the age of 19 are considered overweight, and about 15% of these are obese. An after school program ensures that the child shakes off his lethargy and keeps himself busy. This also helps to reduce the child's fascination for T.V and computer games.
After school activities that promote social awareness develop the individual's sense of social responsibility. It is seen that these sorts of programs not only keep kids out of trouble, but also help to produce responsible citizens. To that extent, they are valuable building blocks in a child's personality.
Times are changing and parents want their children to excel in academics as well as in other activities. This may be a reflection of the parent's unfulfilled desire to excel - a remnant from his own childhood. Whatever the reason, parents today encourage their children to enroll themselves in various programs and develop the various facets of their individuality. Children too seem to be comfortable learning many things at the same time, and gain satisfaction from this.
This free article is provided by the FreeArticles.com Free Articles Directory for educational purposes ONLY! It cannot be reprinted or redistributed under any circumstances.
Rabu, 07 Oktober 2009
10 Secrets Of A Successful Homeschool
1. Have fun. Attitude is everything with home learning. Enjoy learning and your kids will enjoy it. Make it drudgery and they will respond as well. Try to make even boring tasks, pleasant at least. This is not to say that everything must be a 3-ring circus, but if you have a fresh, upbeat attitude even with times tables and spelling tests, this will reflect well on your children's enjoyment and learning potential.
2. Limit interruptions. My biggest interruption is the phone. Get a good answering machine and use it during regularly scheduled learning time. Or use voice mail. Record a message that states from this time to that time we are home educating and will get back to you after we are finished. Tell friends and relatives that this is the case, and eventually they will learn to respect this. This also means well meaning drop in visits and babysitting for friends, etc. Keep your children's learning time sacred and your family will benefit from this.
3. Dedicate your time to their learning. If you are doing 101 things while your children are trying to do bookwork, how can you expect them to concentrate and finish tasks at hand? Keep your focus on them, it is a priority that rewards!
4. Keep it simple. Be careful not to fall into the "Curriculum of the Month" club. Trying and swapping and changing your education plans with every new program that breezes by will kill your children's spirit. This is not to say that you should stay with something that is not working, just be careful not to flit about like a butterfly in a field of flowers. Your children will quickly learn that all it takes in a bit of whining and they'll have a new book, workbook or system in no time. Also, simplify your life. Too many commitments and outside activities and responsibilities can really wreck havoc with your schedule. Try to keep your life simple and you will be rewarded.
5. Have FAITH! In yourself, your kids and in God. If you are doing the best you can, you will be rewarded. How can you do any worse than an overworked, underpaid public school teacher with only 6 hours and 24 - 30 children to teach? Overcome your own shortcomings with help, tutoring assistance and your own re-education. Don't count yourself short. Children learn in any environment even the slums of Calcutta! Provide them with your time and enthusiasm, good basic materials and faith and you will do as well if not better than that poor teacher can. You have the best interest of your children in your heart. Let it work for them.
6. When in doubt READ! If the washing machine is flooding, the baby is sick, your toddler is fussy and lunch is burning don't just give up, get reading. Reading is the best way for your kids to learn and retain. Gather up the brood and snuggle on the couch with a good classic. Reading aloud is a wonderful activity for your family. Even experienced readers will love to hear a story aloud, especially when they don't have to sound out each word and get through those they may not know. There is a rhyme and rhythm to books read aloud that delights even little ones. Make it a drama performance, use voices change the sound levels of your voice, and discuss the plot. You can even tape record your story time so that pre-readers can listen again and again and enjoy the story while you worry about that washing machine!
7. Surround yourself with home school mentors. Whether it's an online group, or a support group, or just a great mom you met at church or at the library, keep in touch with these people! Ask questions; ask for helpful advice, most likely, they will be happy to help, because someone in their life helped them. Don't do this alone. Even a good home education magazine will help you in your quest. Read home education books when you are in need of a little boost.
8. Use the Library! What a wonderful resource most public libraries are. Not only books of any and every subject but reference books, video tapes, audio tapes, learning materials, computer accesses, computer software and so much more. With just a notebook and some pencils, I truly believe you could educate your children with just a library at hand! Don't spend a fortune on all these reference books for home. Use the libraries! And the librarians love homeschoolers
9. Take frequent break days. If you are sick, or some family obligations make a day difficult, take a day off. Instead of great big weeks off or even the whole summer, take frequent days off through the year to refresh and empower you. The children will be pleased and you will get a chance to regroup. Just make sure they aren't every other day!
10. Watch for outside time stealers! Field trips and social outings and classes for this and that are important, just make sure you are not overdoing it. Too many errands and outings can kill a day's learning and overwhelm your schedule. Remember that you are home schooling not car schooling! Try and schedule a day that is busy and three or four days that are not. Your family will appreciate this!
copyright © 2006 by Sherri L. Chekal
Sherri Chekal is the art director at Westvon Publishing. She is the editor of the popular www.TheParentTeacher.com and the www.TheHomeschoolShop.com websites, as well as offering her graphic talents to several bands through websites, promotion and writing skills. She plays with the Fulton County Bluegrass band in Ohio. She homeschools her two daughters and is quite the Renaissance woman of talents and skills. She is the art director for the bluegrass newspaper, www.TheBluegrassJournal.com
Homeschooling And The Family
According to the National Center For Education Statistics, almost 1.1 million children underwent homeschooling in 2005 alone. That's a lot of children. Once upon a time, homeschooling used to be a radical statement - something like a declaration of independence. It was the conservative Christians who advocated homeschooling in the '80s and legalized it in every State. But the typical homeschooler of the day is not religiously motivated.
Recent surveys indicate that parents are actually quite fed up of the public school systems where much of the learning is superficial and compulsory. They are also concerned about negative school environment ranging from drugs and abuse to negative peer pressure. As a result, we have a surprising mix of people who form the homeschooling world of today. They cut across all religious and regional borders. Their main aim is providing meaningful and productive learning through a method that strengthens the bond between the various members of the family.
All these families have one thing in common - a long enduring commitment to the sanctity of childhood. The children in these families are accorded a primary position. Many believe, and rightly so, that homeschooling allows parents to bring up children in a more natural and nurturing environment. Public schools can make one nervous, diffident and downright mean. Children who get schooled at home are protected from these damaging negative influences till they reach an age where they can handle it.
Homeschooling draws the whole family into the almost religious task of schooling. Everyone is put to work. The parents together form a bond with the children. Any experience can be turned into an educational experience. Both the parents are aware of exactly what is going into their child's head. Parents also have greater control on the kind of religious and moral values that the child imbibes. Even watching a movie together can become a learning experience. Trips to the libraries and other places become educational as well as recreational.
A homeschooling family is primarily dependent on the income of one earning member. That means that often spending has to be curtailed and proper planning of expenditure is a must. This helps to bring the family members together and everybody gets involved in the process of saving money.
Having a parent at home to supervise, to nurture and care for the children brings with it a lot of love and caring. Even your husband chips in and there just is no room for boredom. Yes, problems do crop up, and there are a lot of misgivings in your mind. But when you know that your kids can always count on you, and your kids know it too, then homeschooling becomes a richly rewarding experience.
This free article is provided by the FreeArticles.com Free Articles Directory for educational purposes ONLY! It cannot be reprinted or redistributed under any circumstances.
Family Values: Are you sacrificing your family for your career?
Do you want to know what the worst feeling in the world is to a man or women who is working hard to create a better life for themselves? It is when we take a step back from our work and realize that what we consider to be the most important element in life, our family, is getting pushed down the list of important things and being ignored altogether. When this situation has been going on for a long time, virtually undetected, some family relationships get ripped at the seams.
I will never forget the night that this very same realization happened to me some years ago. I was spending days, even weeks, on the road working hard to close bigger and bigger accounts for my sales position. One night on the road I was in my motel and received a call from my wife. She was reminding me to be home early the next day to attend my daughter's big play at her local junior high school.
There was just one problem. The next day was my chance to close a huge deal that I was working on for months. I was sideswiped when my prospect called me back that very night, before I talked with my wife. The client wanted to meet and I was in his area by chance working on another deal.
I couldn't pass it up. It meant earning an extra thousand dollars per month if I got this sale and I felt that my family was just too important to pass it up. I'm getting to the worst part now, and that is that I lied to my wife and daughter on the phone when I said that I would be there. I already knew that my work was going to come first by signing up this big account, but I didn't have it in me to tell them over the phone. I knew that I was going to sign the deal, make a lot of money, miss my daughter's big day, and then make up an excuse why I was not there.
Now considering that I was already doing very well and considered pretty successful at the time, that night was a very low point in all areas of my life. I realized then and there that I was putting aside what matters to me the most, my family. And they were loosing faith in me, not expecting me anymore, not caring, breaking away...
The next morning I woke up and realized that I wouldn't have been able to live with myself had I gone through with the appointment and missed my daughter's special event. Money cannot replace love and family. I phoned my appointment and totally expected this man to hang up on me and find another company to do business with. However, I told him the truth. I explained that my family needed me and that I understand if he wants to do his business elsewhere with someone that is more reliable.
That was the day that I made the right decision to put my work aside and be there for my family, and risk loosing the “big account” that I was after. Needless to say the business man that I had to cancel on respected what I had to say, and he even rescheduled the meeting. One week later I successfully signed the deal. Moral of the story? Put your family first, work hard in between, and success in all areas of your life will follow.
This free article is provided by the FreeArticles.com Free Articles Directory for educational purposes ONLY! It cannot be reprinted or redistributed under any circumstances.
Rabu, 09 September 2009
Boring After School Activities
Why does Lisa grumble when it is time for her to go for her piano lessons? How come Johnny abhors the sight of his skates now? After all, these children were very enthusiastic about the programs when they started off. What happened? Parents are often confused by the disturbing and often incongruous signals they receive from their children. One day the kids are excited about the new theatre class and in just a few short weeks they wail and moan when it's time to go.
The first thing a family should do when a child begins resisting a previously loved activity is to listen and investigate. Do not jump into conclusions. A little bit of intelligent sleuthing is required. Ask your child what he or she does in the class. Find out what exactly is the cause of the problem. Then ask the teachers the same questions. Compare notes. You may stumble on some important clues. Usually, children start out on an activity thinking it's all fun. But when they realize that they cannot just hang out and that they need to follow rules etc, they begin to resist. Your child may feel stifled if the program is too structured. If the discipline is too rigorous or the activity too painful (like a karate class) some children balk. Use your own instincts. Does the program feel like fun? Would you want to attend it yourself? Are they offering enough motivation to keep the child interested?
The teacher-to-child ratio is also an important factor. Children need attention. If the number of teachers is just enough to handle a class, it is possible that your child is not receiving enough attention. State recommendations usually specify that there must be 1 teacher for 15 children.
Children try to avoid problems they cannot solve. If there are no perceivable problems with the class and the teachers, perhaps you need to have a chat with your child. If your judgment says that the place is good and the activity engaging enough, then it's time to work with your child. More often than not, social pressures may be at work here. Does your child have friends there? If she is lonely or miserable because of the lack of friends, help her find a friend. If she finds a friend, she will get more involved in the activities
If your best efforts do not pay off, and your child still resists that fantastic guitar classes, then it's time to let go. Shift your child to some other program. If he or she still retains interest in guitars, you can take it up after a few months. Never force the child, especially when it comes to extra-curricular activities. Since they are 'extra', they must bring in extra happiness and extra enthusiasm too.
http://www.freearticles.com/article/Boring-After-School-Activities/840
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