Finding Quality Atlanta Tutoring Services

Finding Quality Atlanta Tutoring ServicesIf you are looking for affordable tutoring services in Atlanta then you will want to look no further than online. A lot of tutoring companies can now offer their services online, and they are available to offer you the best programs for your child at any time. The programs offered through online tutoring are often much cheaper than the tutoring services that they have to offer, as there is no travel required, or special equipment. For most families, it is much easier to get their child's education through online tutoring.Tutoring is still a highly valued aspect of education in many communities, but not everyone is qualified to tutor. Some teachers are good at teaching students and some are not, and even students who are highly qualified to find themselves overwhelmed by the time it takes to find a tutor. Some parents who are willing to pay extra money for tutoring services in Atlanta, though, will gladly pay for a professional to be a part of their child's education. It may be in their best interest to pay for a tutor that is capable of helping their child, even if they cannot afford to pay the tutors themselves.When searching for tutoring services in Atlanta, make sure that you check the qualifications of the tutors you are considering. The services of a qualified teacher in Atlanta is extremely important, so you will want to pay attention to the requirements that are included in their qualification requirements. Check to see if the teachers that are offering tutoring services are all certified, and if they have received any training from an institution that is recognized in the community.Online tutoring is especially important if you live far away from your local school. The fact that you are unable to come to Atlanta, and still participate in the school system, might be a concern. In this case, you will want to look into online tutoring as an alternative.Online tutoring is probably the easiest way to get a quality edu cation at any time. If you are able to log onto your computer and access your email, you can check on the tutor that you are working with and can keep in touch with them as much as you like. This is why it is important to do your research and find the best tutors for your child, no matter what your budget. To find the best tutors, you should ask for a list of the tutors in your area, so that you know exactly who you are dealing with.If you are worried about paying for the high cost of tutoring services in Atlanta, don't be. There are many tutoring companies that are willing to offer the services for free, and they will take advantage of that.Atlanta offers a great education system for children, and the tutoring services that are available to offer students a variety of options, which they need to feel comfortable in order to learn. Once you find the tutoring services that are best for your child, you will need to contact the tutoring company to sign up, and make sure that they are t rained and licensed.

Teaching Students to Write Well

Teaching Students to Write Well Teaching Students to Write Well To build a foundation for college and career readiness, students need to learn to use writing as a way of offering and supporting opinions, demonstrating understanding of the subjects they are studying, and conveying real and imagined experiences and events. They learn to appreciate that a key purpose of writing is to communicate clearly to an external, sometimes unfamiliar audience, and they begin to adapt the form and content of their writing to accomplish a particular task and purpose. They develop the capacity to build knowledge on a subject through research projects and to respond analytically to literary and informational sources. To meet these goals, students must devote significant time and effort to writing, producing numerous pieces over short and extended time frames throughout the year. Common Core State Standards One of the biggest changes put forth by the Common Core State Standards is an elevated focus on writing and overall literacy. More than ever before, students are now expected to: Write logical arguments based on substantive claims, sound reasoning and relevant evidence. Write arguments and opinion pieces from the earliest grades. Conduct focused and in-depth research for written analyses and presentations. Specifically, the standards state that students must build their writing abilities in three areas: argument/opinion writing, informative/explanatory writing, and narrative writing. Student Achievement Partners, a nonprofit organization founded by three lead writers of the Common Core State Standards, offers a variety of resources for teachers to get familiar with the Common Core State Standards and understand how to put them into action. As you have your students work on more rigorous and in-depth writing assignments, here are a few key points to keep in mind about different types of writing, as derived from writing samples provided on Student Achievement Partners website, www.achievethecore.org: Argument/opinion writing Students are provided (and read) texts and a writing prompt that asks them to form an opinion or claim about a focusing question. For students in the early elementary grades, opinion writing should offer a brief introduction, state the opinion, provide one or a few reasons for the opinion expressed, and provide a simple concluding statement. As students progress through elementary school, their opinion essays should become more robust and should have an introduction, clear statement of an opinion, evidence from the text to support that opinion and explain the students thinking, several paragraphs and a conclusion. Middle school students opinion writing should introduce a claim, acknowledge competing claims and rebut them with credible evidence and reasoning, organize reasoning and evidence logically, support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence, and provide a concluding section that supports the initial argument presented. In early high school, students argument/opinion writing must introduce a precise claim with context and distinguish that claim from alternate claims, establish a formal style and objective tone, develop the claim with supporting evidence and reasoning, develop counterclaims fairly, and provide a concluding statement. Informative/explanatory writing Students are given a set of texts (or a video and a text, if younger) and a writing prompt that requests them to convey complex ideas and information. For students early in elementary school, informative/explanatory writing should introduce a topic, supply facts about it and end with a reflective concluding sentence. As students approach the later elementary school years, informative/explanatory writing should introduce a topic, provide a general observation and focus, use precise language to explain the topic, develop the topic with details, facts and examples, link ideas using words and phrases, and structure the essay to make it easy to follow. In middle school, informative/explanatory writing must introduce the topic, name the work about which the student is writing (and the synopsis of the story), offer relevant facts and details, give examples from the text, clarify the relationship among the ideas presented, give examples, establish a formal style and use precise language. In high school, students must give context to set the stage for an essay, use precise language to delve into the complexity of the topic, transition smoothly to clarify relationships among ideas and concepts, organize complex ideas and information to make connections, develop the topic with facts and details, establish a formal style and objective tone, and analyze ideas and information to make connections. Narrative writing Students write from a writing prompt and stimulating idea to develop narrative about experiences or events. In early elementary school, students must use temporal words or phrases (once, every week) to signal event order, recount sequenced events and include some details. Later in elementary school, students write narratives by first orienting the reader and introducing a narrator, using a variety of transitional words to maintain sequence, use narrative techniques to develop events and show characters response, use concrete details to convey experiences and provide a conclusion. In middle school, students engage and orient the reader by establishing context for narrative and introducing main characters, use dialogue to develop characters and events, use transitional clauses, use dialogue to develop character, use precise words and phrases and descriptive details, use description and reflection to build toward an outcome, and provide a conclusion.

7 Surprising Benefits of Learning a Foreign Language

7 Surprising Benefits of Learning a Foreign Language 7 Surprising Benefits of Learning a Foreign Language Learning a language is hard work.No matter how many time-saving tricks and how much language-learning experience you have, learning a language is a commitment.So you wouldnt be doing it if you didnt have a darn good reason.You probably already know that in the long run, all that time spent poring over books and watching videos is an investment youll be glad you made. After all, besides being addictively fun, learning a foreign language opens up new cultures, sharpens your mind and generally just makes you an all-around badass.But you might not know that over the last couple decades, as researchers have spent more and more time trying to understand language learnings far-reaching effects on the brain, they have come across several surprising, unexpected benefits associated with being multilingual.It turns out that learning a language is changing you in ways you probably didnt imagine. No worries, thoughâ€"according to the science, these changes are for the better! 7 Surprising Benef its of Learning a Foreign Language1. Bilingual People Are Less Stressed and NicerHave you noticed a little spring in your step ever since language learning became a part of your life? No, thats not just your new shoes. Does your smile shine a little brighter ever since youve started hitting the foreign language books? Nope, thats not just the new toothpaste youre using.It turns out that being bilingual may make you more relaxed and easier to get along with. A 2010 study found that bilingual children experience less anxiety, low self-esteem, loneliness and sadness. They also tend to get in fewer fights and get angry less frequently. In other words, theyre less stressed out and less of a pain to be around than their monolingual counterparts!Its still not totally clear why speaking a second language makes such a dramatic difference, but the researchers who did the study suggest that having the ability to understand and engage with multiple cultures may give bilingual children a broader emotional perspective that helps them stay happier and more balanced.If its true that the increased cultural openness that comes with knowing another language is the key to bilingualisms emotional benefits, we can expect that adults also stand to become chiller, nicer, happier people from picking up another language. Of course, we wont know for sure until more research is done on the subject.But in the meantime, if you want your kids to argue with you less, just sign them up for some language classes!2. Learning a Language Changes the Way You See Other PeopleIf a duck is adopted by a family of dogs, will the duck quack or bark?Researchers posed this and several similar questions (e.g. will an English child adopted into an Italian family speak English or Italian?) to a group of 5- and 6-year-olds in hopes of gaining insight into how the children viewed human nature. Children who view human nature as more innate and immutable, for example, are more likely to say that the duck will qu ack while those who believe peoples characteristics change in response to environment tend to answer that the duck will bark.Interestingly, the researchers found that whether children are monolingual or bilingual influences whether they see human nature as more fixed or changeable. Monolingual children see people as more unchanging and lean towards answering that the duck will quack, while multilingual children see people as more plastic and are more likely to say that the duck will bark.The truth, of course, is somewhere in the middle. Ducks probably will never bark (and the dogs might just decide to have the duck for lunch), but adopted English children do become fluent in Italian. And if you think about it, the fact that just being bilingual can change the way children view human nature so dramatically is actually itself a point for team “people are fluid.”Since this study focused on bilingual children, its not clear how these ideas might apply to adults. So as with the study on bilinguals getting in fewer fights, file this one under “probably has some implications for adults although we arent sure what yet.” But at the very least, one takeaway might be that the sheer process of learning a new language teaches us about human nature and therefore changes the way we view ourselves and others.3. Speaking a Second Language Adds a New Dimension to Who You AreAccording to a 2008 study, speaking multiple languages is actually a little like having a split personalityâ€"but in a good way. It turns out that bilinguals become subtly (or sometimes not-so-subtly) different people depending on which language they happen to be speaking.For instance, the study found that women who spoke both Spanish and English tended to see themselves as more assertive and appear more extroverted when speaking Spanish as opposed to English.One possible explanation for why peoples personalities and self-images change across languages has to do with the different cultural associatio ns tied up with languages. Every culture has its own set of expectations of how people will act and express themselves, so it may be that speaking a particular language subconsciously prompts us to view ourselves in terms of the cultural customs we associate that language with.For example, it may be that the women in the study became more assertive and extroverted when speaking Spanish because its the norm for women to be more assertive and extroverted in Spanish-speaking cultures than in English-speaking cultures.For language learners, this is more than just an interesting piece of knowledge. It tells us that to get the most out of our language learning, we should shoot for as much cultural immersion as possible, and that learning a language may expand our understanding of who we are by giving us access to cultures that let us see ourselves in different terms.4. Knowing Two Languages Makes You Better at Nonverbal CommunicationClearly speaking multiple languages allows you to commun icate with more people. But it may be that learning multiple languages just makes you a better communicator in general, including in the realm of nonverbal communication.In one study published in May 2015, researchers tested childrens ability to communicate effectively by taking other peoples perspectives and found that bilingual childrenâ€"as well as monolingual children who still had significant exposure to other languagesâ€"were better communicators and found it easier to understand other peoples intended meaning.The finding that bilingual children are more effective communicators fits with what researchers already know about bilinguals communication skillsâ€"namely, that bilinguals rely more heavily on nonverbal communication in their second language and therefore develop better nonverbal communication skills overall. But another study hot off the press (published in February 2015) made the surprising discovery that these same patterns play out in bilinguals online communication .Specifically, bilinguals tend to use more emoticons when communicating online in their second language than monolinguals communicating in the same language do. After all, emoticons are the cyber equivalent of nonverbal communication!Most likely bilinguals go heavy on the emoticons for the same reason they rely more on nonverbal communication in real lifeâ€"nonverbal communication helps fill the gap in a language they are less comfortable expressing themselves in. As language learners, we can take solace in the fact that even though it sometimes feels like an uphill battle trying to get our thoughts across in languages were not fluent in, this struggle to express ourselves is actually part of whats healthy about learning a language since it ultimately makes us better verbal and nonverbal communicators.5. Being Bilingual Changes the Way You See the WorldWhat color is the sky?If were speaking English and its a nice summer day, the answer of course is “blue.” But things get a littl e more complicated if we switch to a different language.In Japanese, for example, “light blue” and “dark blue” are separate colors with distinct names rather than variations of the same basic color. Although it seems easy to take the basic colors for granted, which colors are considered “basic” actually changes from language to language.And its not just a question of semantics. Words arent just labels for thingsâ€"they actually affect the way we see the world. A 2011 study found that Japanese speakers perceived light blue and dark blue as more separate colors than English speakers. In particular, Japanese monolinguals made the greatest distinction between the two shades of blue, English monolinguals made the least, and English-Japanese bilinguals fell somewhere in the middle depending on how frequently they used each language.Even more dramatically, people from cultures that dont have words for blue literally have a difficult time seeing the difference between blue and g reen. On the other hand, they can easily distinguish between subtly different shades of green that most English speakers have a hard time telling apart.When you learn a language, you are quite literally learning a new way of seeing the world. While much of the research so far on the mind-bending subject of how language influences perception has focused on colors, which are concrete and relatively easy to study, its likely the languages you speak influence your thoughts and perceptions in many other ways as well. So you can add “learning to think and experience reality in new ways” to your list of weird but true reasons to learn another language.6. Thinking in a Non-native Language Makes You More RationalLearning a language isnt cool, you know whats cool? A billion dollars.But you know what the best way is to get a billion dollars? Learning a language.Well, sort of.It turns out that people think more rationally and make better financial decisions when using a non-native language. In comparison with people using their native language, people working in a second language see things less emotionally, have less biased thinking and make more strategic long-term decisions.No ones quite sure why using a language youre less comfortable with would make you think more rationally, but one possibility is that learning a language as an adult is less automatic and engages more of the rational, planning parts of your brain, so these “thinking” parts of your brain get fired up whenever you use a language you acquired later in life (“later” meaning essentially any time after 12 years old).Two things we do know for sure though: (1) those foreign language books are worth their weight in gold, and (2) you can add “becoming the next Mark Zuckerberg” to your list of language-learning motivations.7. Learning New Words Gives You a Natural HighSex. Drugs. Chocolate.These are three things that your brain really, really likes.And scientists, who know how to take the fun o ut of everything, can hook you up to a brain scanner while youre engaged with one of these things, and theyll see that a specific part of your brain known as the “ventral striatum” (often colloquially called the “pleasure center” of the brain) is lit up like nothing else.There are other activities that make the feel-good part of your brain light up. Your brain loves gambling, for instance, which is why so many people get hooked on it against all better judgment.More importantly for our purposes, your brain loves learning new words too. Thats rightâ€"as far as your brain is concerned, learning new words is like indulging  in a piece of moist chocolate cake.And if learning new words is fun, learning an entire new language is like having  Mr. Wonkas entire  chocolate factory at your disposal. In other words, maybe the best reason to learn a new language is one you mightve known all alongâ€"learning a language is really, really satisfying.Of course, the author of this article do es not endorse the use of illicit substances. Nor does he encourage excessive gambling. But if you really want to let out your inner hedonist, study up some new vocab! Go wild!

How to Deal When Youre Intimidated by Your Boss

How to Deal When You're Intimidated by Your Boss Image via Pixabay.com 1.  Focus on your job duties Why are you at your job? Is fighting on a daily basis with your employer the reason you wanted to be hired by this company? No way! Whatever made you apply for this job, focus on those reasons and go about your job duties. If you wanted this job to build up your resume, keep that in mind when your boss comes breathing down your neck to see how your webpage is coming along. If you wanted the job because of money, great! Think of how much money you’re adding to your bank account instead of thinking about how annoying your boss may seem. No matter how intimidated by your boss you might feel, you should always remain focused on the tasks at hand. 2.  Do your best Remind your boss (and yourself) what you are capable of bringing to this company. Tackle every task with enthusiasm and use that brilliant mind of yours to solve any problem that may arise during your workday. Not only is it important to do your best at your workplace, but it’s important to give your all in any situation in your life. 3.  Don’t slack Whatever you do, don’t slack off. You may think that slacking off will be the perfect retaliation towards your less-than-perfect employer, but this will only succeed in hurting you in the long run. You are not doing yourself justice by slacking off and giving a task less attention than it deserves. If anything, your slacking off will serve as more “intimidation fuel” for your employer to use against you. You want to make yourself invaluable to this company and, when the time comes for you to leave, you want to leave with glowing recommendations and a sense of accomplishment, knowing that you did your very best in your position. 4.  Go above and beyond expectations Not only should you do your best, you should go above and beyond your employer’s expectations. If you get done with all of your regular duties for the day, go ahead and start working on some other things that need to be done. If your job is customer service, help your customers with a smile. Become more knowledgeable about the things that you are selling. Read up on the company’s history and take notes. Become the best employee that you can be. 5.  Remember your value No matter how your boss feels, remember your value. Just because you feel intimidated by your boss, it doesn’t mean that you are worth less as an employee. You were hired because you were the best candidate for the job. Have confidence in yourself and in the job that you’re doing. Show your boss that you are irreplaceable, no matter how much they might seem to dislike you. Image via Pixabay.com 6.  Ask questions Never let yourself feel dumb for asking questions during the job. If you need better clarification on a particular topic, don’t be afraid to ask. Asking questions is sometimes that only way to get the best answer. Remember: asking questions shows that you are involved in your job and care about doing something right. 7.  Stay positive Negative thoughts can affect your work performance. Don’t worry too much if your employer seems to hate your guts; remain positive. 8.  Remember that bosses make mistakes too Your boss is only human. They may not realize that their behavior is intimidating you. If their behavior is truly making the workplace unbearable, you could try talking to them about how it’s making you feel. If you don’t feel comfortable doing that, you could even file a complaint with HR. 9.  Be kind A smile and a little kindness can go a long way in softening someone’s heart. 10. Don’t be fearful Never be fearful of losing your job. Worrying like this will only negatively impact your work performance. Instead, take every day a day at a time and don’t fret over things that are not set in stone. I hope that these tips will help you to stand tall in the workplace, remain confident, and really show your boss how great of a job you can do!

4 Ways to Improve Parent-Teacher Communication

4 Ways to Improve Parent-Teacher Communication Parent-teacher conferences have a reputation for being lengthy and onerous yet it doesn't have to be this way. Parents and teachers have a special relationship built on a simple, often forgotten fact: they have the same goal. Parents and teachers both want to see a child excel in school. When differences in discipline and academic preparation arise, both parties would do well to remember this important fact. In addition, here are four ways to improve parent-teacher communication: 1. Respect the teacher's space Parents, if a problem arises involving your child and his or her schoolwork, don't rush to call the teacher and complain or ask questions. Keep a cool head, and consider all sides of the issue, not just those your child presents. If possible, reach out to parents of children in your child's class regarding the problem. Chances are, they've dealt with a similar situation and will be more than willing to help you work through it. If you still need to get in touch with the teacher, contact his or her secretary or the school office to set up a one-on-one meeting. Whatever you do, don't go barreling into the classroom demanding why your child got detention last week. 2. Make the most of face-to-face time Teachers often plan their parent conferences weeks or even months in advance. This is so parents can adequately plan to be at their child's school on that specific date. Parents, it's rare that you get to be in the same room with the person shaping your child's educational experience, so take it seriously. Arrive on time, turn off your mobile phone, listen, and ask relevant questions about your student's progress and his or her teacher's expectations. 3. Use your resources If meeting face-to-face is a scheduling problem for parents and teachers, try using Skype instead. It's a convenient, professional way to hold a meeting, and one that many people are now entirely comfortable with. Set up an exact date and time, and treat it like an in-person meeting. Don't sit on a couch in your sweats during the chat. And if possible, keep the noise level at a minimum. 4. Get down to the nitty gritty Parents and teachers are both guilty of circling around an issue when it comes to a child's performance in the classroom. Perhaps neither group wants to offend the other with downright honesty, but transparency is often in the child's best interest. Ideally, parents should always ask teachers how they can help their child succeed, and teachers should have advice at the ready for them. Like so many situations in life, honesty is the best policy here. When it comes to communication, parents and teachers need not be apples and oranges. Their educational goal is the same, though the ways they approach achieving it may be different. Keeping the lines of communication open is the best thing both parties can do to ensure the child involved receives the best education possible.

This week on Quizlet International Day of Peace!

This week on Quizlet International Day of Peace! International Day of Peace is held each year Sept. 21 (Image: YouTube screenshot/HeartMath) The International Day of Peace is celebrated around the world on September 21. This day was established by the  United Nations  in 1981 to promote world  peace, encourage people worldwide to come together in support of this goal, and recognize the efforts of those  who have worked to end conflict. In 2001, it was also established as a day of non-violence and global ceasefire. This years theme is Together  for Peace: Respect, Safety and Dignity for All, focused on showing support and solidarity with  refugees and migrants, and reminding all people of their common humanity. ????? Quizlet  is the most popular online study service in the US and is used by one in three US college students each month. Its great for college students because it makes it easy to practice and master any subject, from intro foreign languages to organic chemistry.  Quizlet  is available on desktop, iOS and Android.

A Chemistry Tutor UT Austin is A Great Learning Opportunity

A Chemistry Tutor UT Austin is A Great Learning OpportunityA Chemistry Tutor UT Austin has a multitude of courses offered for students of all ages. In fact, many of these programs offer advanced classes that will take your child to the next level in a short amount of time. Many of these online programs have been developed with special attention to the various special needs of students who take courses at the University of Texas.These are also accredited by the University of Texas. If you are planning on attending an accredited college or university, you might want to consider attending an online program first as it is often cheaper than attending one of these universities in person.There are now more students than ever before that choose to attend their entire university online. One of the reasons for this change is that many of the standard state universities charge thousands of dollars in tuition to go to school. The combination of these costs along with the large cost of room and board can make going to college very expensive.With the cost of college in such high prices, many students are now turning to online universities to help them afford to attend their state schools. Some of these universities are accredited as well and offer a number of courses that will help you to attend your state school. There are many other institutions in the country that have also been developed for this very purpose.If you are a graduate student from another university, you may wish to consider working toward your degree through the University of Texas. This is because there are many tutors that are able to offer accelerated classes. If you have some level of training, you may be able to attend your classes immediately.The main advantage of attending an online University of Texas program is that you will be able to work on your degree while you are living in your own home. There are no commuting costs for you to think about. Instead, you will be able to study at any time you w ould like to.When you consider enrolling in a University of Texas, always consult with your adviser. Not all online colleges offer the same classes and options. With some research, you can find a program that best fits your personality and needs.