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If you are home schooling your child you have no doubt heard the question, “But what about his/her need for socialization?” By this we know they mean, “Will the child be able to interact with a variety of people in a positive way? Will he or she learn the rules and behaviors that are acceptable in his particular society?”

Is this something you really need to worry about? Well, of course it is.

But…

Understand this one thing. The public schools are a horrible place for your children learn their social skills. Ever hear of “peer pressure”?

These classrooms are filled with other children who are the same age and often the same socioeconomic backgrounds. They are not taught to get along with those who are different. They learn to bully them. And the victims are told to “just ignore it.”

In a home school situation the bullies would be required to stop their ‘wrong’ behavior. And the victims are taught to ‘forgive.’

If your school has police officers roaming the halls, it is not because the children are learning to love each other. It’s because there is crime going on in the schools. Do you want your children learning their social skills from criminals? Do you really think you cannot do a better job?

Another thing to think about is this: Ever since your child was born you have been developing a bond with him/her. Then he turns five and you send him off to school. You lose precious and valuable time for building a relationship with your child. Homeschooling parents can continue building these bonds for many years.

You may not have thought about it but public schools are a recent development. Not many generations ago, children did not go to public schools and they were socialized just fine. You say things are different now. Not really. The family is still the basic unit of any society. When families fall apart so does the society. Make sure yours remains strong.

So how do you teach your children social skills?

Relax. Your children will learn social skills no matter where they are. The question is what kind? Unlike publicly educated children, home schooled children have mostly adults to teach them their social skills. And since these adults are usually family, they are more concerned that their children learn the right behaviors.

Think about it this way. Would you teach your child table manners by putting them in a school cafeteria with dozens of other kids their own age? Can you say “food fight!”? By the same token, why would you think they’d learn proper socialization skills from their peers? The light finally came on, didn’t it?

Children in public schools are put in classrooms where they are expected to conform. No freedom to be oneself. It is a well known fact that children are influenced by peer pressure. When children are worried about what others think, they are not free to discover their own interest and talents. In the home school environment children can set and pursue their own goals, with a little guidance from the parents.

Studies have shown that home schooled children function socially at or above that of their publicly schooled peers. Why should this be surprising? They have better examples.

And there are many activities they can be involved in to give them exposure to a wide variety of people. Things like Scouting or 4-H groups, music or swimming lessons.

Art museums offer classes where they can explore their creativity. Zoos have classes for them to learn about the wildlife in other countries.

Most communities have support groups which offer field trips and park days where children can relate to others their own age. These groups are also good places for parents

to share ideas about what works in their homeschool. There are many ways to give your child positive experiences that will help them grow into responsible adults.

.About the Author:

Lisa Lee is a home schooling mom and co-owner of http://www.BestHomeEdToys.com , specializing in educational toys, games and learning products, with an emphasis on the home schooling family.

The Grace Academy is an online homeschool program that utilizes a Learning Management System (LMS). This system is a package of software allowing students to access online courses from anywhere at any time of the day.

By using a Learning Management System, students are free to learn at their own pace.

Learning Management Systems typically include a vast database of information. However, this database is not just a source of information; it’s a dynamic network of interlinking courses, assignments, readings, offsite materials, and more. Our Learning Management System, for example, offers students the opportunity to keep track of a student’s progress throughout the year. Our gradebook and testing structure are fully integrated.

A Learning Management System usually has a heavier back-end management system that organizes the roles, users, course structures, report-generation, and teacher access. There are many different roles that a Learning Management System must play. Many different parties must be able to use it. Teachers and homeschool administrators should be allowed to send mass communications to the base of students and a variety of other functions.

A primary advantage of a homeschool Learning Management System is its ability to be updated on the fly. Instead of waiting for years before new editions of homeschooling textbooks can be published, teachers are able to update the courses as soon as changes take place. For instance, we were able to demote Pluto from its former planetary status within a day of the decision by scientists to do so. It took will take years for other curricula to catch up. This is especially valuable in the social sciences as breakthroughs are common.

.About the Author:

Mimi Rothschild is a homeschooling mother, writer, children’s rights advocate, and Founder and C.E.O. of home education company Learning by Grace, Inc. She and her husband of 28 years reside with their 8 children right outside Philadelphia, PA.

Rothschild launched Learning By Grace, Inc. because she believed that our nation’s public school system has failed parents and students. Learning By Grace, Inc. offers online education through a multimedia-rich curriculum to PreK-12 children across the country and throughout the world.

An accomplished author, Rothschild has written books regarding education published by McGraw Hill and others. Her Homeschooling News Café Blog consists of the most current and relevant education news.

SCs and STs: Educational Realization

- Ramaiah Bheenaveni*

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The world of today, by and large, is comparatively a rapidly changing one and the changes have been in a variety of directions.

Not long ago society was through of as a reality sub-generis far beyond the control of individuals to change it –and education as a process of inducting new entrants into society. The idea that societies can be changed and, that too, education can be vital instrument of social transformation is increasingly felt. Geared to the preservation and perpetuation of tradition in the past, education is now being used to bring about social transformation in a large scale. This represents a kind of dilemma in respect of the social role of education in traditional societies.

Ignoring this dilemma, many social scientists today re inclined to believe that education is a powerful instrument of social transformation. The prevailing opinion in circles of social science is that education is an agency of modernization. It is argued that education promotes modernity in many ways but chiefly in two: (i) by sharpening the “critical awareness” of the people about the social structure in which they are placed, and (ii) by changing the consciousness of the people in a direction congruent with the dominant value of our age-rationality-which is also the mainspring of modernity. Following this reasoning, there has come up an impressive body of literature in recent years of documenting the impact of schooling on individual modernity in developing societies. The profound social changes that India has witnessed in the last few decades or so have affected its entire population, yet in some sections of its society their impact has been much more marked than in others.

Education is the key to development of any community. It can broaden the world view of the people, equipping them to meet the present day challenges. Education can be an input to their development. It can also build up inner strength of the people. Almost all studies have emphasized the importance of education in the development of the people. Ignorance is the biggest reason for weakness and knowledge is power. In the development effort, education has a pride of place in the priorities of the people. This is particularly so when the two systems of unequal strength come in contact. Education brings knowledge to he community and keeps in acquiring a new strength to enable it to face the new challenges which naturally come by when the process of change unfold unforeseen forces.

The role of education as an investment in human resources has been increasingly recognized all over the underdeveloped and developed countries. Education has special significance for the weaker sections of society, which are facing a new situation in the development process to adjust themselves properly to the changing circumstances. For them, education is an input not only for their economic development, but also for promoting in them self-confidence and inner strength to face the new challenges.

This position SC/ST education critically examines the contemporary reality of schooling of children belonging to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities who have been historically excluded from formal education – the former due to their oppression under caste feudal society and the latter due to their spatial isolation and cultural difference and subsequent marginalization by dominant society. There are thus sharp differences between these two categories of population in terms of socio-economic location and the nature of disabilities. However, there is also growing common ground today in terms of conditions of economic exploitation and social discrimination that arise out of the impact of iniquitous development process. Concomitantly, the categories themselves are far from homogenous in terms of class, region, religion and gender and what we face today is an intricately complex reality. Bearing this in mind this paper attempts to provide a contextualized understanding of the field situation of the education of SC/ST children and issues and problems that directly or indirectly have a bearing on their future educational prospects.

The educational effort so far as the SC and ST communities are concerned has to be somewhat different than for the general areas. In case of advanced groups and areas, demand for education is already there. Establishment of an educational institution itself is sufficient to attract the children from the advanced communities because their parents are interested in their education. This is not the case with the poorer section of the community. The message has as yet not reached the more backward rural and tribal areas where the citizen is still not very much aware about the practical utility of education. Thus, a number of socio-economic factors are coming in the way of members of SC and STs in sending their children to schools. In many cases, it is sheer economic hardship. Therefore, the universal educational programmes at the elementary stage in the case of these communities have to be much more than mere opening up of educational institutions. The students belonging to these communities may have to be provided with free textbooks, mid-day meals, and in the case of girls, even a pair of uniform. As the children grow, they become economic assets to the family. It may be necessary, therefore, that they are provided suitable scholarships and stipends in higher classes. It has to be ensured that if we cannot compensate the family, at least education should not be a burden on a poor family. In the case of tribal areas, it may be necessary that at middle school and high school levels adequate hostel facilities are also provided, as an institutional network itself will not be of much help. It is commonly observed that in some tribal areas much of the institutional capacity remains under-utilized.

Special state institutions were set up for the advancement of SC/ST and various legislations, social policies and programmes were drafted which were geared to their economic and political development and achievement of equal social status. It has been difficult however, to identify these categories in terms of criteria laid down by the state. The ‘problem’ of the scheduled tribes has been a vexed one, given the various levels of social and cultural distance and varying degrees of voluntary or forced assimilation exploitation and/or displacement. In fact, it has been pointed out by Galanter that just where the line between Scheduled Tribes and non-Scheduled Tribes is to be drawn has not been clear. There are problems of overlap with caste and controversy whether a specific group is more appropriately classified as a ST or SC. Policy however treats the SC and ST groups homogenously. Moreover it rests largely on the assumption that mainstreaming is progress, while paying lip service to preserve distinctive cultures, especially of tribals who are coerced into assimilation.

Education was perceived as crucial to processes of planned change. It was seen as the key instrument for bringing about a social order based on value of equality and social justice. Expansion and democratization of the education system was sought, the two primary egalitarian goals of which were the universalisation of elementary education and the educational “upliftment” of disadvantaged groups. The State’s special promotional efforts have undoubtedly resulted in educational progress for the SC/ST especially in regions where policy implementation combined with the dynamism of reform, and most crucially with anticaste, dalit, tribal and religious conversion movements.

The last two decades have spelt the decline of the Welfare State under the powerful impact of global economic forces and neo-liberal economic policies. The egalitarian ethic underlying planned change and development is being rapidly decimated. The ideology of the Indian State’s New Economic Policy emphasizes the pre-eminence of markets and profits. In the context of an elite directed consensus on the inevitability of liberalization and structural adjustment, the predominant problems and debates of education have undergone major shifts. Structural adjustment have provided the legitimacy and impetus for a number of educational reforms that pose a direct threat to the mission of universalizing elementary education and equalizing educational opportunity for SC/ST, especially those left behind. The state is withdrawing from social sectors of education and health and delegating its social commitments and responsibilities to private agencies and non-governmental organizations. There is already enough indication that basic educational needs of the SC and ST are getting seriously undermined under the new dispensation adversely affecting life chances of vast sections of those who have yet to make the shift to first generation learning.

Urban migration, education, occupational change and religious conversion have been pursued by the scheduled castes as key strategies of socio-economic emancipation, status change and acquisition of a new social identity. They have achieved varying degrees of success. Anti caste and dalit movements have provided the bases for political consciousness and assertions of new self-consciousness and new self-respecting collective identities grounded in both moderate-reformist and radical ideologies. Contemporarily, the rigours of pollution, social practices of untouchability and social relations of servility vary greatly in different parts of the country. The widespread upsurge of atrocity signifies continued caste based oppression. Caste and occupation were closely interlinked in the traditional socio-economic order, and the lowest manual and menial occupations were reserved for the SC. The link has gradually been broken but not completely. There have been shifts to caste free occupations. Changes took place with the arrival of new opportunities in rural employment and petty business as well as through education based occupational and social mobility in rural and urban contexts. However, economic exploitation and economic disadvantage and continued concentration in menial occupations continue to sustain and reinforce the degraded social position of the majority of the SC. Rural SC are predominantly landless and impoverished agricultural labour. Women are multiply subordinated.

By modernization is meant a process of long range social and cultural change, often regarded as leading to the progressive development of society. It is a multifaceted development specifically leading to the industrialization of economy, and increase in the geographic and social mobility and, the secularization of ideas, which give rise to secular, scientific and technical education. It also means a change from ascribed to achieved status and a higher standard of living. Thus, modernization is a question of changes in the social structure, norms and value orientations, and as such it demands certain norms and value orientations, and as such it demands certain adoptive devices. As a consequent of this modernization SC and STs are egger to adopt the new trends of modern culture which is possible only by the modern education.

State Provision for Education of SC and ST and Recent Trends in Their Educational Progress

State commitment to the education of SC/ST children is contained in Articles 15(4), 45 and 46 of the Indian Constitution. Article 15(4) underscores the state’s basic commitment to positive discrimination in favour of the socially and educationally backward classes and/or the SC and ST. Article 45 declares the state’s endeavour to provide free and compulsory education for all children until they complete the age of 14 years. Article 46 expresses the specific aim to promote with special care the educational and economic interests of SC/ST.

In its effort to offset educational and socio-historical disadvantage, the Indian state conceived a range of enabling provisions that would facilitate access to and ensure retention of SC and ST children in school. In the initial Five Year Plans, the focus was on making available basic educational facilities such as schools especially in remote areas and providing scholarships and books. Both Central and State governments took up the responsibility of special educational provision. The scope of enabling interventions expanded considerably after the Fourth Five Year Plan.

Special schemes pertaining to school education of SC/ST children currently include: i) free supply of textbooks and stationery at all stages of school education ii) free uniforms to children in govt. approved hostels and Ashrams schools, and in some states also for children in regular schools; iii) free education at all levels; iv) pre-matric stipends and scholarships to students at middle and/or high school stage; v) special scheme of pre-matric scholarships for children of castes and families engaged in unclean occupations like scavenging, tanning and flaying of animal skin; vi) girls and boys hostels for SC/ST students and lodging facilities in hostels of backward classes including SC/ST; vii) ashram schools for tribal children started with the intention of overcoming the difficulties of provision in remote regions and also rather patronizingly to provide an environment “educationally more conducive” than the tribal habitat. In addition, several states have instituted schemes such as scholarships to SC students studying in private schools, merit scholarships, attendance scholarships for girls, special school attendance prizes, remedial coaching classes, reimbursement of excursion expenses and provision of mid-day meals. The last has been recommended as an integral element in schooling by the Working group on Development and Welfare of the Scheduled Castes.

Conclusion:

Education has always been considered an instrument of social change. In present day society education has been considered a sound economic investment and that is the reason why in all the developed and developing societies greater attention is being paid to education. The role of education is to transform a static society into one vibrant with a commitment to development and change.

In out national perception, education is essential for all. This is fundamental to our all round development such as material, psychological, spiritual and so on. Obviously, it implies that education of the Scheduled Tribes is fundamental to the development of the people of this area, and hence, it is essential for them also. Education is a potent agent not only for the social and psychological changes but it may influence productivity and economic development also, and, that is the reason why, for the last few years in the literature on development there has been much talk about the relationship between education and economic development and about education as investment. Educational will also help in the socialization of a child, and the development of the human personality, social mobility, occupational change, and the rise of professions. Education is not only a means of adjustment into the society and all round development, but it is also an end in itself. Education affords protection of life. In addition to its relation with moral values, it is closely associated with socio-economic development. Education is, therefore, very significant for the development of a country and in spite of having many severe problems, the developing countries provide high priority to education. India is, undoubtedly, one among them.

References:

1. Das, A.K. and R.N. Saha, (1989): West Bengal Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes: Facts and Information, Bulletin of the Cultural Research Institute, No.32, Govt. of W.B., SC & TW Department, Calcutta

2. Nayar, P.K. , (1975) : “The Scheduled Castes and Tribes High School Students in Kerala, Dept of Sociology, Kerala University

3. Pratap, D.R. et al, (1971): Study of Ashram Schools in tribal Areas of Andhra Pradesh, Tribal Cultural Research and Training Institute, Hyderabad.

4. Mani, Gomathi, (1991) Education in the International Context, Sterling Publishers (P) Ltd., New Delhi, pp118-132.

5. Thomas, Joseph A. (2001): Dynamics of Educational Development: A Case Study of Selected `Backward’ Villages in Kerala, in Vaidyanathan, A. & Nair, Gopinathan, P.R. (eds.) Elementary Education in Rural India: A Grassroots View, New Delhi: Sage Publications, pp. 166-216.

6. Sujatha, K. (1994): “Educational Development among Tribes: A Study of Sub-Plan Areas in Andhra Pradesh, New Delhi: South Asian Publishers.

7. Muralidharan, V. (1997): “Educational Priorities and Dalit Society”, Kanishka Publishers, New Delhi.

.About the Author:
http://www.articlesbase.com/author-pennames.php?action=addnew

While you may think the most basic of toys is useless you will be surprised at what will actually help your child develop. You want to help your child learn and prepare for school.

You also will want to help your child or children learn skills while they are in school. The best way to prepare a child or children for school is to buy Preschool_Educational_Toys they will enjoy.

The child may not understand the toy is meant to educate, but you will have that security. Toys and children go hand in hand for most families. The difference is the types of toys you may have for your children. Some will have the latest toys on the market and others will be content with the items around the house. My brother is a key example of finding something around the house to play with. At first he started out with pots and pans to play drummer with and he moved on to taking a part household items that no longer worked.

Toys and children should be in some way educational, but that doesn’t mean they have to always be servicing the educational aspect. The child can just have fun with playtime and imagination. They need both time to play and you will find when given the opportunity to play with reschool_Educational_Toys, the learning will happen inevitably. Having a plan where your child has the opportunity to have fun and learn, will create more opportunities for your child’s success in school. You will also want to keep changing the Preschool Educational Toys you buy for your child, as they get older. Make sure that you find toys that are for their level. While they may still enjoy playing with some of the toys from their earlier childhood you should begin to trade out toys with more complex toys or you can even take the younger toys a step further. For example, old and easy puzzles can all be mixed together to provide a more challenging task. Most toys have age levels printed on the package so that you can be certain you are buying for the correct age.

.About the Author:

Written by Samantha Gibson. Find more information on toys and children at Inspire Bright Minds.

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. We’ll be celebrating it on February 14. Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate God’s love for us.

Christian homeschool students should reflect that perfect love in the love that they share with others. Many people practice the traditions of Valentine’s Day while giving little thought to the background and traditions of this storied holiday. Let’s take a closer look at the origins.

The holiday is named after one of several men who share the name and title St. Valentine. No one is quite sure why St. Valentine is linked to the modern holiday, but we have several theories. The Roman Catholic Church celebrated his martyrdom with the Feast of Saint Valentine. It has been hypothesized that St. Valentine defied an official decree in Ancient Rome by marrying couples during wartime. This would explain his associate with romantic love. Others believe that this is a fabrication used by greeting card manufacturers to get Americans to buy more products.

It is clear that February has been linked with love from very ancient civilizations such as the Greeks and Romans. Fertility festivals such as Lupercalia were celebrated during the month of February. This continued through the Middle Ages, when our modern idea of chivalric and romantic love thrived.

Because the links between St. Valentine and our modern American holiday are so unclear, many believe that Valentine’s Day is simply an excuse for confectioners, florists, and greeting card manufacturers to guilt people into buying gifts for their loved ones. This is partially true. A similar phenomenon occurred with the Christmas season. Many are unaware that Coca-Cola Christmas advertising did much to shape our popular perception of Santa Clause. Greeting card companies and others have done much the same with Cupid, little pink and red hearts, and more.

.About the Author:

Mimi Rothschild is a homeschooling mother, writer, children’s rights advocate, and Founder and C.E.O. of home education company Learning by Grace, Inc. She and her husband of 28 years reside with their 8 children right outside Philadelphia, PA.

Rothschild launched Learning By Grace, Inc. because she believed that our nation’s public school system has failed parents and students. Learning By Grace, Inc. offers online education through a multimedia-rich curriculum to PreK-12 children across the country and throughout the world.

An accomplished author, Rothschild has written books regarding education published by McGraw Hill and others. Her Daily Education News Feed consists of articles and essays dealing with alternative learning methods.

A Learning Management System (LMS) is a package of software that allows online schools like The MorningStar Academy to deliver online content to students around the globe.

Through a learning management system, students are free to learn at their own pace, in a time and place that fits their schedule.

A learning management system typically includes a database of information that allows teachers to keep track of each student’s progress throughout the year. This database consists of homeschooler profiles, gradebook information, virtual classrooms, online eBooks, and much more.

There are many different types of LMSs. The characteristics that define an LMS include a back-end management system that organizes users, roles, course structures, teacher access, and report-generation. Many systems feature learning modules that allow the student to easily progress through the course material in an orderly and sequential fashion. A good LMS should allow teachers and administrators to send mass communications to the student base. Many LMSs also include grading software that automatically generates grade reports within seconds of the completion of an assignment.

One of the primary advantages of a Learning Management System is its ability to be updated on the fly. Some time ago, Pluto was demoted from planetary status and was no longer considered a member of the planetary solar system. While traditional textbooks will not see this change for several years, often up to a decade, our LMS allowed us to immediately account for the change. Our homeschooling LMS is updated constantly which removes the need for printing costs and prevents students from having to purchase new textbooks.

As technology improves, we will most likely see greater innovation. Like every good LMS, ours evolves over time to offer the most relevant and current learning presentation for online homeschooling families.

.About the Author:

Mimi Rothschild is a homeschooling parent, author, children’s rights advocate, and Founder and C.E.O. of Learning by Grace, Inc. She and her husband of almost 3 decades reside with their 8 children in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Rothschild co-founded Learning By Grace, Inc. because “our current system of education has broken its promise…” Learning By Grace, Inc. delivers Internet-based multimedia education to PreK-12 children in the United States and throughout the world.

Rothschild has authored a number of books about education published by McGraw Hill and others. Her Home Education News Blog contains feature stories on alternatives in education.

Homeschooling parents can educate their children by teaching them in a real world setting. For instance, homeschooler parents might consider taking their homeschoolers on a nature trail or hiking in the woods.

When out in nature, homeschooling parents have a prime opportunity to teach homeschoolers about the various animals, trees, plants, and flowers that grow in the wild, and they can teach their homeschooler to appreciate the world-God’s masterpiece. Meanwhile, while out in the woods, homeschoolers can be taught about the significant dangers that exist in nature-homeschooling parents can teach homeschoolers about poisonous plants, dangerous animals, and they can even explore hiking safety.

Another option that homeschooling parents may want to utilize is taking homeschoolers to the waterside. A beach or a lake can be a prime educational setting. Homeschooling parents can teach homeschoolers about aquatic life, the nature of water, and how to fish or swim. Meanwhile water safety can be taught to children: homeschoolers can learn about the dangers of hypothermia and how to properly save someone from drowning.

A real world setting is the ideal place to educate homeschoolers. After exploring all of the aspects of the natural setting, homeschoolers can later explore the history of the area. After a day out in the woods or a day on the water, homeschooling parents can supplement their homeschooler’s learning with a lesson about the history of the area. The former inhabitants of the region and life in different eras can all be explored, and homeschoolers can learn about how much life has changed through hundreds of years.

Real world experiences can be fun for both parents and homeschoolers. It gives the entire family the opportunity to spend time together, and parents may be surprised to find that they learn a thing or two from their homeschoolers. In the end, spending the time to shape a homeschoolers experiences is really what homeschooling is all about. Parents must remember that they have chosen to educate their children in every way, especially in terms of what their children encounter in the real world setting.

.About the Author:

Mimi Rothschild is a homeschooling parent, children’s rights activist, author, and Founder and C.E.O. of online education company Learning by Grace, Inc. Rothschild and her husband of twenty-eight years reside in suburban Philadelphia with their eight children.

Feeling that “our current system of education has broken its promise,” Rothschild co-founded Learning By Grace, Inc. to provide families with Internet-based multimedia education to PreK-12 children all over the world.

In addition to her twenty years of experience as a homeschool mother, Rothschild has written a number of books dealing with education published by McGraw Hill and others. Her Daily Education News Articles consist of feature stories on online homeschooling and alternative education.

The idea that children learn best when given freedom in choosing their curriculum and control over how they learn is growing among progressive home educators.

Instead of forcing their children to slog through what amounts to the same five courses year in and year out, they are able to pursue alternative learning opportunities as their curiosity leads them.

Unschooling is a unique form of home education that is arguably older than home education itself. Due to technological advances like internet browsing, podcasting, and cyberschooling, this radical learning system is being embraced by progressive home educators all over the country. Unschooling is gaining popularity across demographics. It’s embraced by upper and lower classes, a variety of races, and a surprising range of religious beliefs.

Not all educators are sold on the idea. Some feel that students need more structure to motivate them to learn. Many teachers believe that sometimes parents just have to pull in the reigns and force their children to study things that they don’t necessarily want to study. Unschooling parents respond by claiming that students who are able to specialize in specific areas of interest are not only happier students, but will eventually have more to offer society. They believe that the public school system is structured so that all graduates come out looking, talking, thinking, feeling, and acting the same. Not so with unschooling home education. These parents often encourage their children to go against the grain, whatever that grain may be.

Home educators are encouraged to read more about unschooling at the Ashland City Times.

.About the Author:

Mimi Rothschild is a homeschooling parent, children’s rights activist, author, and Founder and C.E.O. of online education company Learning by Grace, Inc. Rothschild and her husband of twenty-eight years reside in suburban Philadelphia with their eight children.

Feeling that “our current system of education has broken its promise,” Rothschild co-founded Learning By Grace, Inc. to provide families with Internet-based multimedia education to PreK-12 children all over the world.

In addition to her twenty years of experience as a homeschool mother, Rothschild has written a number of books dealing with education published by McGraw Hill and others. Her Daily Education News Articles consist of feature stories on online homeschooling and alternative education.

What has made so many more parents decide to hop on the homeschooling band wagon? The vast resources offered by Internet access that make homeschooling children a much easier process than ever before.

Thanks to the advent of the Internet, parents have all of the resources they could ever want or need when it comes to homeschooling their children appropriately. As more parents are catching on to this fact, more children are being homeschooled. In fact, parents will find that the Internet is an invaluable resource when it comes to teaching their homeschooler everything they need to learn.

From free interactive games to free classic literature e-books, parents are finding that all of the educational tools they require to educate their children are easily accessible with the use of the Internet. No longer do parents have to worry about running from one library to another or from one educational supply store to the next, now that the Internet has made getting homeschooling supplies such a simple task. In fact, with the use of any search engine, parents that are homeschooling their children can find an array of services, both premium and free, for their children. Finally, the homeschooled student can learn much as they explore various interactive and educational sites on the Internet.

The basic resources like dictionaries, encyclopedia articles and mathematical tools are easily available online for the homeschooling child to use whenever they need. Moreover, with the rapid increase in online course offerings, homeschooled students can take several classes specifically designed for the homeschooler. Everything from reading to studying can be done with online tools, and homeschooling parents are thrilled with the new and latest resources at their fingertips.

Parents looking for educational games, lesson plans, worksheets, study guides and the like will find them easily enough while using the Internet. In addition, supplies can be ordered right online and delivered to the homeschooling family’s door—no need to travel to get all the homeschooling resources a family will ever need. Moreover, parents will find that Internet resources can easily supplement what is being taught to the homeschooler in the homeschool setting. Finally, for those parents looking to incorporate strong faith teaching in their homeschooling efforts, online resources can prove invaluable; from biblical stories to online scripture, the homeschooled student can supplement their learning with teachings pertaining to their faith.

.About the Author:

Mimi Rothschild is a homeschooling parent, children’s rights activist, author, and Founder and C.E.O. of online education company Learning by Grace, Inc. Rothschild and her husband of twenty-eight years reside in suburban Philadelphia with their eight children.

Feeling that “our current system of education has broken its promise,” Rothschild co-founded Learning By Grace, Inc. to provide families with Internet-based multimedia education to PreK-12 children all over the world.

In addition to her twenty years of experience as a homeschool mother, Rothschild has written a number of books dealing with education published by McGraw Hill and others. Her Daily Education News Articles consist of feature stories on online homeschooling and alternative education.

Let me give you an example of how to use schema to speed up your reading in unfamiliar material. One of the most successful books ever published is the “Power of Positive Thinking.

” The structure of this book is often used by other self-help book authors. First, there is a paragraph describing a potential problem. Next, there is a paragraph describing how to solve this problem. Finally, there is a 28 page story about someone who has the problem and successfully used the solution. Do you really need to read these 28 pages if you already understand how to solve the problem? Absolutely not! You won’t waste your valuable and limited learning time doing this either. Instead, only use this additional help if and when required. You will find new zip in your reading speed with essentially the same comprehension. Next we shall deal with the secret to maintaining an alert, focused, and positive cognitive state that is essential for successfully conducting business.

ESTABLISHING A POWERFUL LEARNING STATE

No matter how well you learn material, you will not benefit from your knowledge if you become too tired. There is a simple technique developed by Marcus Conyers, one of the graduates of my Mega Speed Reading Program, that will enable you to instantly tap into the unlimited energy necessary for successful business operations. To get optimum results from this exercise it is important that you stand up and also imagine that your energy is increasing as you perform each of the following steps:

touch you left hand to your right shoulder

touch your right hand to your left shoulder

repeat these steps 3X

touch you left hand to your right knee

touch your right hand to your left knee

repeat these steps 3X

raise your hands high over your head

scream out enthusiastically “I feel great

scream out YES while squeezing your right thumb tightly and pulling it towards your right side

repeat all of the above steps 3X

This really can turn up your energy when done properly. Why does it work? It is based upon the time honored principle of classical conditioning from Psychology. Think back to school when you learned about how the great Russian Psychologist Pavlov conditioned a dog to drool while hearing a bell ring. Pavlov consistently rang a bell each time the dog was fed. Eventually, just hearing the bell elicited a drooling response from the dog. In exactly the same way, squeezing your thumb and saying “I feel great, YES,” each time you create a high energy state will make this gesture a powerful stimulus for releasing high your own limitless energy.

This is an incredible tool for you to use when you need instant energy. Imagine having to work late at night, or attending a long demanding meeting, and suddenly needing some extra energy to accomplish your task. Squeezing your thumb and saying, “I feel great, YES”, (inside your head silently) will release a flood of much needed energy. This is one of many tools we have developed to help you create a peak state for successful business practice. Next we shall learn an important technique for remembering and recalling essential information.

.About the Author:

Howard Berg is known as the “World’s Fastest Reader” as documented in the 1990 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records. He has taught thousands of people all over the world not only speed reading but advanced learning techniques to help them succeed. Get a free lesson

directly from his website here: www.HowardBerg.com