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The Private School Concern: Cost

Finance — you have discovered — is a fickle thing. Dollars come and go with alarming ease, never willing to settle into your bank accounts and collect the happy interest. Money is instead impermanent; and you’re not blessed with an excess of funds. You can’t always go to PaydayOne.com for help too. You’re shaped instead to the middle class concerns, and all expenses must therefore be understood (and countered). You save as much as you can. You spend only what you must. And the intention of each day is to still have pennies in your pocket.

You don’t always succeed with this but you never stop trying — and you wonder if those attempts will be enough to afford a better education for your child.

The notion of private schools is one that many parents consider. They wish to offer opportunities to their sons and daughters, allowing them to experience stronger lessons and art-enriched environments. Institutions that are not governed by the state are proven to provide an education of value.

They are also, however, proven to demand money for it.

The terrible truth of private schools is that they are not free — unlike their public counterparts. They instead require tuition payments and enrollment fees; and these numbers can be staggering. As of 2010 the average expense of such an organization is $6,600 dollars a year. This price reflects less distinguished districts, however. Along the eastern and western coastlines costs can rise dramatically: with some schools requiring over $20,000 dollars for one term.

For many families these prices are simply too high. Even with financial aid and scholarship programs (which are not always available), the requirements can still be thousands of dollars a year — and many cannot spare such amounts.

It’s essential therefore that all parents understand the specific district costs of schools and what assistance is provided. Recognize the limitations of a budget and do not exceed these. An education can easily form debt and recovering from that would be difficult.

Filed Under: Education, Private School, Students Tagged With: , ,

Choose The Best School For Your Child

Queen Elizabeth High School (Halifax, Nova Sco...

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It’s essential that your child goes to the right school – a school that will motivate them to succeed, and give them ambitions and experience. Choosing a school does require plenty of research, to ensure you have the full story, especially if you are not familiar with the area your child will be going to school.

Look at school guides. Many states do this, such as the Washington State Post, and have page for each school giving some information. Some review schools on different areas, such as extra curricular activities, and you might find comments from previous students here too.

Look at the schools website. This should list important information such as what courses and activities are on offer, term times and any special points. You should also be able to see the latest score that the school was given under the ‘No Child Left Behind’ law.

Visit the school. Make sure your child is ready to ask any questions they have, and take a notebook to make notes. Talk to the principle, and find out about the schools aims, strengths and weaknesses. Consider whether you would have the principal as a friend, or if you would hire him as a colleague. If you can’t see the principle, or don’t get along with him, this should be a warning sign. This man will have a lot of control over the school.

Talk to other parents if you can, and the Parent Teacher Association. Find out what they think – would they send their child there again? Where else did they consider? Why did they choose this school? Their answers might help you to make up your mind.

Talk to your child and find out what they thought. Make a shortlist of schools, and talk about your gut feeling for each one. Allow your child to have their say, too. Then make the choice together, and get ready to go to school!

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Staying Away from School Violence

School Day of Non-violence and Peace (DENIP) l...

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Bullying and school violence are on the rampage nowadays. It seems you can’t turn on the news or read a newspaper without hearing a story about a child, or even an adult, involved in violence at school. But it doesn’t have to be this way! There are ways to avoid violence at school. Take a look at these tips to keep yourself or your child out of trouble.

  1. It’s all about respect. Remember that the first step to avoiding violence is to respect other people. Try to understand the other’s perspective and that will go a long way in keeping you out of trouble.
  2. Try online school. Sometimes, a school really is too violent to attend. One way to stay away from the violence is to attend online school. Many college students choose this route. You can even get a master degree this way! Search for a master degree at earnmydegree.com to see the available options.
  3. Talk it out. If you are the victim of violence at school, talk to someone. Find a guidance counselor or someone else you trust to talk to about the problem. Avoiding the situation will not make it go away. You need to talk to someone and get some help.
  4. Report the situation. You absolutely need to report the bullying and the violence to an authority. Violence cannot be tolerated in any kind of circumstance. Report it to help stop the problem.

If you are a victim of school violence or if it is someone you love that is the victim, remember, there is help available.

 

Filed Under: Education, School Violence, Students Tagged With: , ,

Going Home for the Summer: Subletting or Subleasing?

Midtown Atlanta viewed from the Northwest. 

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Many students put time and effort into finding the perfect apartment near their college campus and don’t like giving them up when they go home for the summer, but what else can they do?

One option is subletting to another tenant. Here are a few things to consider when looking at subletting:

  1. Get permission from the landlords. Not all landlords allow subleasing, so make certain that you are meeting the legal requirements.
  2. Advertise online. Ideally when a potential tenant types in something like ”Atlanta apartments for rent” your listing should come up.
  3. Run a credit or background check on your potential tenant. Ask questions about the person’s previous rentals and past employment. Make sure you get permission from the person before you initiate background screening.
  4. Prepare a sublease contract. You can use a lawyer to help draw up the contract or find a subletting contract on the Internet. The contract should make the tenant responsible for payments and damages, as well as stipulating a deposit.

In order to assess the condition of the apartment, it is a good idea to walk through the apartment with the tenant. Make an inventory list that you both sign. Each of you should keep a copy of this list.

A sublease agreement may save some cash, however, it will not asolve you of responsibility. The original contract will remain in effect, and you are the person who will carry the responsibility should anything go wrong during the sublease.

Finally, make sure you have enough time for the tenant to move out before you’ll need to settle back in for the next semester.

Filed Under: School Property, Students Tagged With: , ,

How to Protect Children from School Violence

School violence is becoming very common in many schools. Recent years, there has been dramatic increase in school violence and it is a must for everyone to protect their children from such incidents. The cause for such violence can be anything and most common reasons are frustration, personal problems, depression, physiological problems, and family troubles. Here are few tips to protect children from school violence.

Group of children in a primary school in Paris

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Parents should create awareness among their children about the school violence and should encourage their children to watch television programs that discusses about such violence. Parents should let their children know that the violence in the schools are rare and do not happen all the time. Parents should check the security programs offered by the schools. Parents can obtain about the security information from the teachers, principal, or from the counsellors of the schools.

Most schools provide handbook of the school security programs and parents can read it carefully to check the measures implemented by the school to protect the children. Parents should attend board meetings and parent-teacher meetings in the schools so that they can interact with the teachers and know more about the security programs.

While attending meetings, parents can even suggest some new measures to improve the campus security. Parents should provide their children with some important phone numbers and this include fire department, police department, medical department, and other relevant department as this will be very helpful during emergencies. Parents can even train their children with some escape or survival methods. Finally, parents can provide their children with survival kits.

 

 

Filed Under: School Violence, Students Tagged With: , ,

Cell Phones–An Educational Tool?

For the last several years, as cell phones became an appendage to teenagers, teachers and educational administrators have struggled to keep cell phone use out of the classroom. The reasons were sound.  Ringing or vibrating cell phones cause constant interruptions to the learning process.  Students that are texting one another are not paying attention to the educational tasks at hand.  Students, already hooked on gaming, are given even more opportunities to stay unconnected to real world activities.

In 2011 these are still valid reasons to limit or qualify cell phone use in the classroom. However sound the reasoning, educators have found that by invoking a zero-tolerance policy for cell phones in the classroom, they have inadvertently installed a barrier between teachers and students.  Rather than enriching the educational environment by reducing distractions, students are restless and disengaged.

Today more and more teachers are finding ways to incorporate cell phone usage as part of their lesson plans and the results have been mostly positive.   Some of the ways teachers are using student cell phones in the class room are:

  • Photographing white boards for future use
  • Using the cell phone as a stop watch to time experiments and free writing
  • Transferring files between home and school
  • Creating short movies for school projects.

Teachers who allow some uses of cell phones in the classroom report that students are more engaged in the educational process.  In addition, students are more tolerant and respectful toward some cell phone restrictions in the classroom when it is not all or nothing.

The pocket computing capabilities of cell phones is the wave of the future.  As the technology improves, educators can find even more classroom applications.

Filed Under: Education, Requirements, Students Tagged With: , ,

Is School Violence Ordinary?

Is school violence so ordinary that every day in every school instances of physical and psychological violence go unreported and unheeded?  Unfortunately, the answer for most schools and most students is yes.  It is not until some extraordinary act of violence occurs that society and educators begin the back tracking that reveals patterns of violence, abuse, social isolation and shaming that ultimately lead to an extraordinary act.

Not every student victim or perpetrator of small acts of physical and psychological violence goes on to commit an extraordinary act.  Yet every victim and perpetrator is changed by the violence, some irrevocably.

Our role has parents and educators is to create a learning atmosphere where every student feels accepted by their teachers and by each other.  Our goal for education should be more than the acquisition of a prescribed volume of knowledge or the passing of standardized tests.  Our goal should be to prepare students to learn fir  understanding, to learn to find meaning, and to learn tolerance and how to live together.

Addressing small violences as they occur is everyone’s responsibility.  It must be addressed at home, at school, in the community, and in the media.  It begins with information.  What is a small act of violence? Is it pushing? Shunning?  Is it cruel speech?  It begins with modeling the behavior we want to see, not just in the classroom, but everywhere we interact with each other.

Violence of any kind should never be ordinary.  A great society only flourishes when every member is treated with dignity, compassion, and respect.  Can we change the wave of violence if everyone steps up to the responsibility?  Parents and educators can change themselves and influence changes in children. Isn’t it worth a try?  We have so much to lose.

Filed Under: School Violence, Students Tagged With: , ,

Student Requirements

There are rules placed in schools that are intended to help students focus on schooling as well as developing healthy citizenship. This means that dress codes, codes of conduct, and rules of school property are all intended to help students become better adults in the community they live in, when they complete their schooling. For many schools, there are stiff consequences if students are not able to adhere to the prescribed rules, and they find that they are serving detention, being suspended, or worse, expelled from the school that they attend. It is the schools job to ensure absolute safety for all the student body, and if a student is not willing to acknowledge the rules set into place by the district, they are potential creating a situation that can cause harm to other students.

This might sound odd, but it is truly the students full-time job to be at school and participate in learning. The rules and requirements that are set in place are no different than what a student would see in a work place or with a higher education institution. Students are not just being educated while at school, they are being trained in what it takes to be a member of society once school is completed. A willingness to follow the guidelines and rules shows that a students understand the concept of respecting others, respecting themselves, and respecting the rule that were put in place regardless of the reasons. This will carry on in their lives, in their workplace, and with their own families later on in life. For those that struggle with their requirements, they may find that they have a tough transition into the real world, and that they are not treated like what they had expected.

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Preparation for Student Loan Payment

Student loans can be a great tool for those attending college, since it can be very expensive when factoring in housing, books, tuition, and other living expenses. Since the interest rates are lower than those on standard loans, and payments usually don’t have to be made until after graduation, these loans can sometimes feel almost like free money. However, students must remember that these loans will have to be paid back in full, plus interest, as soon as schooling is completed. Graduation can be an exciting time, as the possibilities for new jobs in the desired field loom on the horizon, but suddenly owing thousands of dollars can put a damper on this excitement, especially if a job isn’t obtained right away.

There are several ways to avoid this sudden surge of debt while still in school. First, when applying for a loan, calculate how much is really needed. Extravagant expenses like vacations, excessive amounts of clothing or dining out, and other costs are not necessary and should not be included in the budget. Only list what is truly needed, such as groceries, rent, utilities, books, and tuition.

Living on a budget is a great way to limit the amount of debt that will be incurred. Another way to save is to work while in school; even a part-time job during evenings or on weekends can help to pay off the loan sooner and avoid some of the extra interest that can accrue. Learning about an available debt consolidation service in the area can be a useful tool, as it helps to combine all outstanding loans that can be paid with one payment at a lower interest rate. Being prepared for the expenses that come with graduation can help students to be more aware of what is coming and help them begin to save money in order to make the loan payments in a timely fashion.

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It Is Everyone’s Responsibility

It should come as no surprise that our students are faced with discrimination.  While many schools, teachers and administrators actively seek to end any practices that are discriminatory and to address any students who behave in discriminatory ways, some students are still faced with discrimination.  Because of this, many teachers, schools, districts and state school boards are adopting strict discrimination policies aimed at protecting students, teachers and staff alike.

These policies, sometimes called codes of conduct or ethics, often start with explaining the ethical principles that teachers and schools should follow. This generally means that teachers, administrators and other staff should always recognize the inherent dignity and value of each student, teacher, peer and parent. It is only with this recognition that we can hope to pursue truth, devote ourselves to excellence and to continue to acquire knowledge.

In order for our society to continue to grow, our students must have access to equal educational opportunities. No student should be discriminated against due to their age, gender, sexual preference, religion or infirmity. Maintaining the highest of ethical and moral is necessary in order to provide this type of education to everyone.

Students have responsibilities in the arena of discrimination as well.  They must also take steps to ensure that discrimination is not occurring in their environment. Students should take steps to ensure that fellow students have access to the same facilities, are offered the same degree of education and are not discriminated against.

The problem is discrimination, in spite of all the changes that have been made to negate it, is still often considered a ‘dirty little secret’ or too difficult to prove.  Many people still avoid drawing attention to possible incidents of discrimination.  It long past time we stop has to enforce these laws. It’s too bad we still have to.

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