Important Data on Home Schooling

Nowadays, home schooling is no longer a big issue and in fact, it is already generally accepted even by traditional schools or colleges. Before you plunge into home schooling, you have to consider the various factors involved.

Most of the home schooling students don’t do well in traditional classrooms and that’s the main reason why their parents choose the home-based schooling programs. But this reason is sometimes not enough and you will need to consider other factors before you finally decide if home schooling is the best decision for your child.

You can’t find a lot of guides that can assist you with home schooling but if you take just a few moments to read this article, you will get some of the most important data about home schooling.

Firstly, are you prepared to supervise your child’s education? Since your child will be studying at home, you will need to keep a close watch especially if the child is still young; high school and college students require minimal supervision because they are already old enough to handle their responsibilities as students but still, you need to check on them regularly. The set up of home schooling is very much different from traditional schools so you and your child would have to adjust on some changes.

The decision for signing up for home schooling should be the joint decision of the parents and the child. As parents, you can’t just impose home schooling to your child. If your child is not comfortable with home schooling, it might affect his/her mindset and hamper learning progress. Another thing to consider is the type of education that you’re giving to your child. It must be suitable to your child’s interests and needs. There are various programs to choose from, including basic subjects to complex topics.

State laws on home schooling also differ and so you should already expect some variations. If you want, you can inquire at the local government office concerned. In the US and Canada, home schooling has tremendously increased recently. Parents can even participate in home schooling forums so that they can receive assistance from more experienced parents. They can get helpful pieces of advice from other parents.

Some kids do well in home schooling because they have more freedom. They can learn at their chosen pace which makes it easier for them to understand various lessons. You see, kids differ when it comes to learning. Through home schooling, you can give much attention to your child’s learning progress and you can effectively monitor it. Home schooling often provides scheduled projects and other requirements.
You have to ensure that your child meets all the requirements and pass all their projects. That is one way to supervise the education of your child.

Keep in mind that home schooling is not for everyone. Children who do well in traditional schools should not be pulled out immediately because it might have a terrible effect on them. You must evaluate your child carefully and you can even ask them. They should also decide if they like home schooling. The final decision will still rest on you and if you have certain problems with your child regarding your decision, you have to explain everything to your kid. Tell him/her why you decided to go for home schooling because if there is understanding, everything will work well.

Additional College Scholarships offered for Females in the Areas of Math and Science

The areas of math and science are very important for our society as a whole. Statistically though the majority of individuals pursuing them are males. There is a quest to get more females interested in this particular field. That is why you will find so many generous college scholarships offered to them. They are gender specific as well so that means all of the males will be eliminated from the competition.

Recent efforts in Congress started in 2007 to continue providing more funding for females in the area of math especially. That means if you are looking to earn a degree in some element of that field now is the time to find out what funding may be readily available to you. This can certainly ease the burden for you relating to paying for your education. At the same time you can be proud that you are helping to lead the path for other females to take on leading roles in the area of math.

Science is so very important for our society as a whole. Women should step into roles regarding the fields of it as well. This is a field that has for too long been dominated by males. The world of science is absolutely fascinating and more women are looking into it. Allow the funding that is offered to help you down the path of achieving such an education. The opportunities for college scholarships relating to math and science continue to increase for females to benefit from.

Such funding may seem unfair to the male population but they have to take it from a new perspective. Women can lend a great deal of new information to the areas of math and science. Their way of solving problems and looking at information may be what is needed for a huge breakthrough to occur. The fact that we strive for equality among mend and women in society is also a key reason why they are offered the chance to get college scholarships in these areas.

If you have a profound interest in pursuing a college education in the areas of either math or science, make sure you find out about college scholarships. Such opportunities can provide you with the funding you need to complete your education. You will find there is less competition for such scholarships than there are for many others. Of course you can also apply for these college scholarships that are open to both men and women.

Many of them will also give more weight to female applicants even though males can still apply for the fund available. To give yourself the very best chance of receiving college scholarships in the areas of math and science you should apply for both kinds that are offered. That way you have a higher chance of being awarded several of them to pay for your education.

The desire to seek out further education in the area of math or science is one you may have. With the volume of college scholarships offered out there you won’t be held back. Just make sure you find out about them as early as you can. You don’t want to allow your opportunity to get what you want from your education to elude you. While the areas of math and science continue to be flooded by males, this gives females yet another way to get their foot in the door.

Are Student Loans Becoming Necessary Evils?

When it comes to getting a college education most people can agree that the costs can be staggering at best. Even the least expensive colleges in the nation can add up over a four or five year period of time creating crippling debt for those who do not qualify for some of the better grant programs of substantial scholarships.

The problem lies in the fact that the parents of most traditional college students make too much money to qualify for the free financial aid that is needs based and very few qualify for the limited number of scholarships that are available to students based on merit. Even among those that qualify competition and fierce and there are no guarantees. Enter the student loan. There are all kinds of student loans and unfortunately with rising costs associated with college attendance and the growing necessity of a college degree for success in this country it is becoming more and more difficult to pay the price that is associated with higher education.

There are three types of loans that are commonly found for college students. They include federal student loans, federal plus loans, and private student loans. Each type of loan has advantages and disadvantages that are unique to that particular loan. Below I will give a little information about each of the loan types and whom they may benefit.

Student loans. There are three different types of student loans: subsidized, unsubsidized, and Perkins loans.

Perkins loans are only available to students who display exceptional financial need. These loans are available at a 5% interest rate and are available to both graduate and undergraduate students. Perkins loans are extended through the university you attend and will be repaid to the university unlike the other types of student loans, which are repaid to the lending agency.

Subsidized student loans are loans in which the interest is deferred until graduation or you cease to be a qualifying student.  What this means is that while you are responsible for repaying the loan upon graduation the interest on these loans does not begin to accrue until your begin repayment 6 months after graduation or your cease to be at least a half time student of the university. You must qualify based on your income in order to receive a subsidized student loan. While the needs requirements for these loans isn't as grave as those required in order to receive a Perkins loan you must still qualify.

Unsubsidized student loans do not require qualification on a needs basis. You must be a student and enrolled at least half time in order to receive an unsubsidized student loan. The good news however for those who do not qualify based on needs for other student loan options is that this type of loan is available to all qualifying students regardless of need. The interest on these loans however begins to accrue immediately, which means they can really add up over time.

PLUS loans are loans that are taken out by the parents of students who need the funds in order to cover educational expenses. The maximum amount that can be borrowed is the cost of attendance minus any financial aid awards the student has already received. The repayment on these loans begins 60 days after the loan is dispersed and the repayment period can be up to 10 years.

In order to cover the costs involved in education that go above and beyond what the government recognizes as acceptable college related expenses you can opt to go the route of private student loans rather then relying solely upon federal financial aid for your student loan source. These loans require that you qualify in order to receive them based on your credit rather than your need and must be used for educational purposes only. With these particular loans you really need to make sure you read all the fine print as different companies offer different conditions and different perks. You should really take the time and compare prices and options before taking out a private student loan and this should be done only as a last resort.

Student loans for many can be the difference in attending college and getting the education you are hoping for and not being able to pay the high costs that go along with higher education. For this reason you should treat them with respect and not take them lightly.

Home Schooling and Computer Learning

You can find computers in almost every household. It is very important to have one at home because of its many benefits, most especially if you have an internet connection. With computers, you can have a unique and interesting educational experience. Children today should already learn about this very important gadget even at an early stage and one way to achieve that is through home schooling computer programs.

At present, even pre-school children are already taught how to use the computer and other support resources. If you opt for home schooling, you and your child will also spend most of your time making use of the computer and the internet. Educating your children will be much better when done online because of the diverse resources. Your child will be provided with exceptional education which he/she will greatly benefit from in the near future since the job market trends today involve the Internet.

Most African Americans prefer home schooling because of some society issues and they too can keep themselves abreast through home schooling. Parents of these minority children can help their kids learn more effectively by having an internet connection at home. The education of the kids is better supported by the parents and they can also help in improving the mindset of their kids as well. The parents can pass on to their kids their great heritage through the various online resources.

Remember that home schooling will only work best if the parents are willing to support their kids all the way. They must also be committed and prepared for the challenges that they are about to encounter. The parents should look for a good computer program that can help their children learn all about computer usage. Oftentimes, the lessons are divided into several parts or series so that the children can cope easily. Kids have various learning capacities and since they are not given much chance in traditional schools, this is their chance to bring out their best through the use of computers.

Home schooling is not new today and if you think that your child is not performing well in school, talk to the teachers and ask some feedbacks regarding your child. The guidance counselor can also help you in determining the best education for you kid. Home schooling is already accepted and perhaps it can help your kid learn better in the comforts of your home. 

You can even ask your kid about his performance in school and then bring in the subject of home schooling. See how your kid reacts to the idea and tell him/her about its advantages. Somehow, if you can convince your kid, computer learning will be a lot easier. It’s better if you and your kid both agree to home schooling. Persuading your kid to commit to home schooling will not be very good and so you have to seriously talk now. Spend time with your kid and know his/her interests. Explain that computer programs in home schooling can greatly help. Besides, tell your kids that they can indulge more in their interests if they know how to use the computer. 

So why not look for the best-suited computer program now? There are lots of home schooling programs to choose from and it will take some time before you can find the appropriate one.

Home Schooling and the Study of History

Do you think that spending time in traditional classrooms is not worth it? To some people, that is true. For example, a test is coming up and the students are asked to memorize a lot of dates and names. However, after taking the exam, they will definitely forget about those dates and names. That’s what most students do every time they have exams. Are you one of them? If you find traditional history lessons boring, home schooling which focuses more on the history of the world will surely catch your fancy.

Memorization is not enough to know the significance of famous people and important events. Through history home schooling, you can learn about the different cultures of the past in a unique but interesting way. Through the study of history, you will also understand the current situation of the world today.

If you think that home schooling is the best option for your child’s effective learning, you should also be prepared to take some responsibilities. Since there will be no teacher physically, you have to supervise your child’s learning progress.

Suppose your kid is interested in sports. Through history home schooling, you can simply start by putting a wall map on your child’s room. Mark the location of his favorite sports team and make sure that you track all the team’s activities and schedules. One way to go back to history is to read biographies of the various athletes who became popular in the particular sport your child loves. Aside from that, you can also look into the history of the specific sport and discover where it originated, its inventor, and the other things happening in that particular time.

For example, your child loves baseball. You can teach your kid about the history of Negro Leagues, government hearings on the use of steroids, and other favorite pastimes during that time. Always remember that you can apply this concept on any file of interest such as dance and inventions. You can also have conversations with your child concerning the current events or read interesting historical fiction and other books. Aside from that, you can also watch documentaries together with the whole family. There are various resources that your child can use in home schooling like maps, a globe, an atlas, and encyclopedias. Through the exciting adventures that you and your child went through, he/she will find it easier to remember the names and dates in history. So you see, learning is best when done in a fun and educational way.

These things are recommended if the child is still young but once your child is much older, you must choose the appropriate home schooling program that is suitable for his/her age. The programs are available on the elementary level, high school, and even college. You simply have to search online for these various programs. A good thing about these programs is that you can tailor it to fit the interests of your child. But you must see to it that all the lessons are learned and followed by your child.

Once you and your child decide to go for home schooling, you must be prepared for some changes to take place. The learning environment will now be at home and through the various resources that you can use like the computer and internet.

Home Schooling and the Young Children

In recent years, home schooling has become extremely popular especially among the middle and upper class families. There have been many arguments before about home schooling. Experts claim that there are advantages as well as disadvantages in home schooling but it seems the former outweighs the latter and so, a lot of families are now choosing home schooling over the traditional schools.

Cultures vary and somehow the relations of the family are affected. In some cultures, the family ties are quite strong but there are also those who don’t have very good relationships with family members. Through home schooling, family ties and relationship can be enhanced. Parents will spend enough time for their kids because of the home schooling program and the children will have to listen to their parents well.
Communication is improved and both parties will learn about the importance of speaking and listening.

Many families prefer home schooling because of its diversity. Since the cost of home education is a bit higher than traditional schools, the financial standing of the family is very important. However, the financial factor has not yet been established and most parents will still go for the home schooling option because it can ensure their kid’s safety. Public schools often have dangerous situations that can terribly affect kids but if they are in a home schooling program, they can stay away from these situations and their parents will be there to guide them.

Instead of enrolling the kids at a public school, most parents will prefer home schooling because the learning environment in the public is not that conducive. Very young pupils may experience difficulties that can affect them socially, mentally, and academically. Experts who conducted studies claim that the children will learn better in a good environment surrounded by loved ones. Another advantage of home schooling is that the children can learn based on their capacities. You can’t just push a new lesson if the previous one isn’t learned yet; it may take time but the results are better.

As mentioned earlier, home schooling is a bit costly. If you think that you can cut down the education expenses of your child, you’re wrong. The home schooling expenses are almost the same as that of traditional schools. However, if you participate in the forums of the parents of home-schoolers, you will discover that there are ways to cut down the costs. Of course, you will need to spend on the resource materials, computer, and internet; but you can also use outside resources like cultural events, public libraries, and many others. You will also get more cost-cutting ideas if you get in touch with other parents. The internet offers endless possibilities and with a bit of research and doing your homework, you can surely come up with a way to reduce the costs. If you don’t want to hire tutors, then you should learn the lessons as well. Besides, you’ve already taken up the various subjects of your kids and you only need to review them. You can get the other learning materials online and later on, teach your kids.

So you see, home schooling is by far the best option if your child is still very young. It will all depend on you and your kid if they continue this kind of education until they graduate in college.

How do I know if I should Apply for a College Scholarship or not?

Deciding if you should apply for a college scholarship or not can be difficult. Some will tell you to apply for anything and everything you could be eligible for. Yet there realistically isn’t’ enough time for anyone to do this. Even if you spent your entire day just finding such scholarships and applying for them you would run out of time to get to all of them before the deadlines occurred.

To keep yourself from going crazy or wasting time you need to develop a good system to follow. Then you can get to those college scholarship applications that you can really benefit the most from. There are some areas that you need to evaluate in order to make the best decisions. Try to be very objective with them too so that you can use the same level of observation with each of them.

You will find plenty of loose guidelines for college scholarship applications out there. This means anyone under the sun is really eligible to apply for them. While it is true that someone has to be the best and they may be offering more than one scholarship, you should rank these fairly low on your list. The sheer volume of competition with them can prevent you from having a good shot.

Instead you want to focus your attention on those college scholarships that have stricter guidelines with them. As a result fewer people will apply for them. While you may find that there is more money with national college scholarships, there are also more people that can apply for them. When you go with regional areas though you will significantly reduce the amount of competition you have to contend with.

Find out what the dollar amount is going to be should you win a college scholarship. The money may not be enough for you to justify the process. However, don’t just rush to complete applications for high dollar college scholarships. Many people will do just that, increasing the number of applications. Even if you only get $1,000 or less with an award it can add up quickly if you win several of them.

Find out all of the awards that may be offered too when you apply for a college scholarship. There may be one or two top winners that get more than the rest. Yet they may also offer numerous smaller financial awards to others as well. The date that the winners will be announced is another aspect to consider. You do want to make sure you would be able to get the funds before your classes start.

Try to take a close look at the deadlines that are offered. If they are far enough away you can relax about them. If you will have to drop everything else you have on your plate to get the application done on time though you may want to reconsider doing so. It may not be worth it for all that you will abandon in the mean time.

The level of complexity involved with any college scholarship application also needs to be evaluated. It can work for you or it can work against you. If there is a great deal of writing and personal elements to cover, not everyone will do a good job with it. If you have plenty of strength in this area then you can definitely benefit from such an application process.

By paying close attention to all of these elements, you will have a very good idea of what you should apply for and what you should pass up. With the guess work taken out of it all, the process won’t seem so difficult to you any more. You will also feel motivated to complete the applications for college scholarships because you know what you have the potential to gain in return.

If you do end up with time left over before deadlines occur, then go for it. Apply for other college scholarships even if they are lower on your list of priorities than others. Don’t so is going to further help you to have a chance to get all the funding you need to complete your college education.

Balancing extracurricular activities with school work

As parents it's important to help our children and give them the best tools to succeed in life. One of these tools is knowing how to balance things that need to be done. This especially important as our children get older and want to participate in school activities. We want them to be able to do these activities but at the same time school work is important to their future and we don't want them to neglect it. It's possible for them to learn to balance both and be able to handle being active.

One thing that helps is to make sure that your child is only signing up for things that they can handle. Nothing is accomplished by taking on activities that they have no way to complete. This can have a serious negative affect on their self esteem when they aren't able to complete things. It's better to avoid problems by planning ahead and helping them to only sign up for the things that they can handle. It may seem harsh and counter productive but it's not a bad thing to teach our children to be realistic about their abilities as they reach for the stars.

The next thing we can do is teach them how to manage their time effectively. The time to complete activities and homework has to come from somewhere and there still has to be time for things like eating and sleeping. We can facilitate time management by posting a calendar that has spots for time during the day and letting our children schedule in their activities so they know exactly where they have to be and when. We should help them but as they get older it's important to let them do most of the scheduling themselves so that they learn responsibility that will help them later in life. Sometimes they'll make mistakes and that's okay also because we learn through making mistakes. It's how we handle those mistakes and move on from them that helps us grow as people and move on in our lives.

One of the most important things that we can do to help them is to teach them how important the schoolwork is to them. It's easy to get caught up in our activities and want to focus just on them so sometimes it's necessary for the parent to step in and redirect focus just a little bit. As much as we would like to believe that our child is the next big sports star or chess champion it's so rare that it actually happens that we need them to have the education as a back up. A good education is important because it give them something to use when they get older. It's not that we should neglect activities outside of school as not being important but we have to teach them the importance of balancing both aspects of their time in school.

All of these things work together to help our children find time for both school work and activities. We're our children biggest supporters and their first role models so it's up to us to set these examples. This means that sometimes we have to take the initiative to talk to them about things and to step in when we see problems developing that are too big for them to handle on
their own.

The Benefits of Home Schooling Your Children

Home schooling is considered to be very beneficial for kids. A wise man even puts it that if we teach our children to have courage, faith and endurance and show them how to learn, they will in turn teach us to laugh, sing and to love.

To put it simply, each of the members of the family will have some valuable lessons to teach the whole family.This means that home schooling is not just about teaching children academic lessons but there is more that meets the eye to home schooling.

Basically, the main benefit of home schooling is that it builds solid relationship in the family. Because the parent will teach the children, the children will see their parents as their mentors and not just people who feeds them.

It basically increases the bond between the members of the family.A household that home schools is a household that spends their time learning, laughing, playing and living with each other all day everyday.Another great thing about home schooling is
that the curriculum is flexible.

Because the parameters are determined by the best teachers, which are the parents, they know how to teach their children in order for them to learn better.

Besides, who of all people knows the children more than the parents?

Because parents know the learning capacity of their children, they will be able to home school them more effectively.

Because the teachers here are the parents, you have to consider the fact that they will not only act as observers or lecturers, but they are active participants in the development of their child.

They will be able to expand, explain and encourage their children more effectively than any teachers.Another benefit that home schooling can provide is that the parents are the ones who can model and reinforce valuable traits or behaviors of their children as well as deemphasize undesirable ones in a very natural manner.

As you can see, home schooling does have its benefits although your children will not be able to interact with other children as much as they can if they go to a regular or traditional school, you can still let them do so in community centers.

Try joining home schooling household organizations if the community has one. Here, home schooled kids will be able to mingle with other home schooled kids and you, as a parent, will also be able to talk to other parents who home schools their children and pick up a few tips as well as give your own tips to other parents.Home schooling does have a lot of great benefits.

So, if you are the type of parent who really wants to see his or her children develop like the way you want them to develop, you have to remember that development always starts at home.

By home schooling your children, you will be able to follow them and guide them more effectively in order to shape them to be the person you want them to be. 

With home schooling, you can be sure that your kids will be able to learn from the best teachers of all, which are the parents. With home schooling, learning will be a lot more fun and a lot more exciting. 

Also, it will be able to strengthen your relationship with your children and get them to be closer to you.

Fashion Design Schools: Choosing the BEST among the Rest

Do you know how to sew? 

Do you enjoy creating designs? 

Do you love following or changing patterns to come up with a piece of clothing? 

If fashion is simply just your passion, then you might just be right for a fashion design school. 

Here are some reasons why you should attend a fashion design school:

•    You will learn about the most up-to-date styles that many people would consider buying.
•    If you are unsure whether you will be able to make a living out of your interest in fashion, your level of confidence will greatly increase once you obtained a degree.
•    Studying about and later working on, a field that you love is very rewarding.
•    You will learn about the various principles behind the patterns you have worked on in the past, as well as the ones you will be working on in the future.
•    You will also be knowledgeable on mixing and matching colors to magnify the shape and cut of your creations. 
•    You will know more about keeping your clothes together - other than just stitching! Talk about endless possibilities.
•    Fashion design school will expose you to different kinds of people – working with them, incorporating their ideas with your own, and developing relationships with those who share the same feeling toward fashion.
•    These relationships will set the foundation for meeting potential employees, employers, or business partners – all whom you will need when you start your foray into the fashion world.

There are numerous fashion design schools globally. Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, found in London, is considered by some as the most famous of them all. Other world-renowned schools are The Royal College of Arts in London, the London College of Fashion, Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, AIU in Los Angeles, and Parsons The New School for Design in New York City. 

Most courses in the schools mentioned above last for about three years.

The next question, however, will be, how do you choose the best school for you?

Here are 10 helpful tips to help you in your decision making:

Tip#1 – Determine what you would like to major in. From there, search for a school that offers the program that you like.

Tip#2 – Have a list of criteria that you would like to take a look into in your search for the perfect fashion design school. These criteria may include program offering, major and minor subjects, costs, location, placement record, and many more.

Tip#3 – You may now construct a list of candidate fashion design schools.

Tip#4 – Gather all necessary resources and information about each of your candidate school. Find their websites and research.

Tip#5 – Narrow down your list further by using the criteria you have set in Tip#2.

Tip#6 – Inspect the schools left on your list. It would be good if you can visit these schools personally. But if not, try to obtain a video or look for a virtual tour in their websites.

Tip#7 – File your application to the schools that met your criteria.

Tip#8 – While waiting to hear from the schools you sent your application to, search for scholarship grants in the Internet.

Tip#9 – Make your final decision based on the responses you got from the schools that you applied to, as well as the scholarship grantors' response. Carefully review your notes, consider funding, and finally, decide.

Tip#10 – Get ready to embark on a journey that you have never quite experienced before! Off you go to the one of the best fashion design schools in the world!