By Nicole Anderson

If you are like me you probably lost sleep over what school to enroll your child in. This is especially the case with people who move to new school districts or moving people moving their pre-schooler to kindergarten. Choosing the right school is one of the most critical decisions in your child’s development. As hard as it is to admit, your child will spend more time at school with teachers and classmates then at home.

After making my way through the school search I would like to share my hard-earned tips to making your search easier. First you will need to decide Public or Private School.  Some districts have highly rated public schools and others do not. Private schooling does not necessarily mean religious based school. There are of course plenty of religious based schools but there are also non-sequitarian private schools to choose from.

There are many things to consider when deciding public or private:

Consider both Public and Private School Options:

Public School Option:  The state education system is always under fire. That doesn’t mean all public schools are bad. Do some simple research and see what you think about the school(s) in your area.  What is the local public school like? Tour the public school during school hours. This can be arranged with the admissions office. Look at the children who attend. Are these the friends you would like for your child? Peek in the class room(s), if allowed. Does it seem organized? Meet the teacher who would be teaching your child. Ask about schedule for school and class room size. You can find out the statistics for your local public school at http://www.publicschoolreview.com This site will give you information on the schools performance for statewide testing, student to teacher ratio compared to state average, ethnicity of students attending, etc. It will give you great information on the school.

Private School Option:   Your can find out what private schools are in your area by visiting http://www.privateschoolreview.com/ This site will give you detailed information on number of students who attend, class size, student to teach ratio, etc. When choosing a private school a couple things to consider are: - Does the schools religious or ethics and moral instruction fall in line with how you want your child to be raised. - Is it within reasonable commuting distance from your home - Can you afford it? Although this is definitely not the most important point, it must be evaluated. Private schooling is not cheap. Prices normally range from $3500-$8000 per child per year. Most schools offer payment options generally structured to include an enrollment fee and then 6-12 month payment plans. Some private schools offer scholarships based on the childs academic performance and/or the parents income. If you decide to enroll your child in a private school long term affordability is important. You do not want to have your child transferred due to lack of tuition payment.

Do Your Homework on the School(s):  Before deciding on a school you should do the following: - Call the school and ask for a brochure or packet on the school.

• Tour the school(s) you are considering
• Meet the teacher(s) that will be teaching your child
• If possible, view a class while in session
• Ask questions, any and all questions you may have
• Find out about class size
• Know about the school schedule. Does it work with your life schedule?

Once you have narrowed the search down to one or two schools have your spouse (if applicable) and child tour the school(s). Often you can schedule a tour with the school or attend an open house or parent meeting night.

• Talk to your child and spouse about the school
• Do you like the school? Do you feel comfortable there?
• Does your child like the school and feel comfortable there?
• Was the curriculum up to your standards?
• What was the education level of the students in the class?
• Was it clean?

3. Enroll:  Once you have made your decision enroll your child. This is particularly important with private school. Space is limited and will fill up. Kindergarten classes are notorious for this. You can enroll your child as early as a year ahead of time to ensure they get in to the school of our choice.

4. Waiting Lists for Private Schools:  Waiting lists exist at private schools that are full, meaning the class you are trying to enroll your child in has reach maximum enrollment. You can put your childs name on a waiting list. They will call you if a space becomes available. Make sure to ask what number you are on the waiting list. You may have a chance is you are #1-5, but even then it is only a chance. Do not rely on this waiting list. Find an alternative school and if they call in the meantime, GREAT!

5. Talk with Your Child Once school has started talk to your child. Ask him how school is going? Do you like the teachers? Have you made friends? Your childs responses will give you an indication of how the school is working out. Also, watch your childs behavior. Sometimes a child’s behavior changes mildly after being introduced into a new group of children and environment. This is nothing that a good home life and parenting cant handle quickly though. The only cause for concern is drastic negative behavior changes. If this is the case you may want to talk to your child more seriously about what has been going on at school and have a consultation with the teacher. Normally children are good with change and adapt easily. I am not a doctor, psychiatrist, or psychologist. I am a child care giver, a child counselor, a mentor, child advisor and an expert on my child, which is simply means I am a MOM! I hope this information will help you find the right school for your child. I didnt know where to start and since I write articles for work I thought it would be great to share what I have learned through this process in the hopes of helping the fellow parents in their quest for the right school for their child.

Question: My son’s preschool classmate threatens the other children with death on a daily basis. He doesn’t, however, seem to do this in the context of a game such as cops and robbers. He’s a bright four-year-old who’s also physically violent, although the threats are more common. The teachers and his mother have assured me that this is normal behavior. I find this hard to believe, considering that the other children seem to be afraid of him. I am considering removing my child from the school because of this. Am I doing the right thing?

Answer: It is absolutely not normal behavior for a preschooler to be making death threats to his peers on an daily basis. I’m surprised that preschool teachers with any training in child development would regard such behavior as “normal.” His mother is clearly in denial about his psychological well-being if she is unconcerned about his chronic, physically violent behavior and his death threats.

I would ask other concerned parents to meet with the head teacher and her staff to discuss what they plan to do about this boy. If they are steadfast in believing that there is nothing to worry about and that his behavior is perfectly normal, I would strongly consider placing your child in another preschool. A preschool staff who would not see this boy’s behavior as seriously destructive and alarming don’t possess the wisdom that I would demand of my child’s caretakers.

Carleton Kendrick has been in private practice as a family therapist and has worked as a consultant for more than 20 years. He has conducted parenting seminars on topics ranging from how to discipline toddlers to how to stay connected with teenagers. Kendrick has appeared as an expert on national broadcast media such as CBS, Fox Television Network, Cable News Network, CNBC, PBS, and National Public Radio. In addition, he’s been quoted in the New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, USA Today, Reader’s Digest, BusinessWeek, Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, and many other publications.

I went to a party,
And remembered what you said.
You told me not to drink, Mum
So I had a sprite instead. I felt proud of myself,
The way you said I would,
That I didn’t drink and drive,
Though some friends said I should.

I made a healthy choice,
And your advice to me was right.
The party finally ended,
And the kids drove out of sight. I got into my car,
Sure to get home in one piece,
I never knew what was coming, Mum
Something I expected least.

Now I’m lying on the pavement,
And I hear the policeman say,
The kid that caused this wreck was drunk,
Mum, his voice seems far away. My own blood’s all around me,
As I try hard not to cry.
I can hear the paramedic say,
This girl is going to die.

I’m sure the guy had no idea,
While he was flying high,
Because he chose to drink and drive,
Now I would have to die. So why do people do it, Mum
Knowing that it ruins lives?
And now the pain is cutting me,
Like a hundred stabbing knives.

Someone should have taught him,
That it’s wrong to drink and drive.
Maybe if his parents had,
I’d still be alive. My breath is getting shorter, Mum
I’m getting really scared.
These are my final moments,
And I’m so unprepared.

I wish that you could hold me Mum,
As I lie here and die.
I wish that I could say, ‘I love you, Mum!’
So I love you and good-bye. MADD  (Mothers Against Drunk Driving)

Holiday school breaks might mean hours of unmonitored time indoors for children–the perfect opportunity for kids to find trouble on the Internet.  Parents need to be technically savvy to protect their children.  Use filters or parental controls to limit access to particular sites.  Talk to your kids and monitor where they go online. 

Safety tips should be posted by the family computer and might include:

1. Never give out personal information, including name, address, phone number, school or parents’ names.
2. Ignore mean-spirited messages or those with vulgar words.
3. Never share your password with anyone–not even you best friend.

We just finished our examinations a few days ago, and it was terrible preparing for it.

There were a few good examination preparation tips which we did for ourselves and it proved that it worked really well!

1. Make sure you have all required and necessary material with you.
   You are usually not allowed to borrow items such as pens, pencils, rulers or special equipment while in an examination.
2. Relax yourself and have a good night’s rest before the Examination.
   Turn in early for the night, wake up the next morning refreshed and have a good hearty breakfast.
3. Make a brief scan of the entire paper.
4. Decide which questions you wish to answer.
5. Plan your time wisely.
6. Draft a plan for the questions you wish to answer.
7. Quickly Jot down ideas as they come to you.
   Jot down information you have memorized quickly in regards to specific questions in case you experience a mental block or you decide to attempt the question later
8. Answer all questions.
   If you are short of time, answer in note form. Answers you give will be marked
9. Never leave the examination venue early
   If you still have some time left after you have completed the paper, go over your work, add information (e.g in the margin). Better be safe then sorry.
10. Do not spend too much time on multiple choice questions.
11. Cover the given answers and work the question out on your own.
    If you are still unable to come up with an answer, come back to it later or make an intelligent guess.
12. Never leave out an entire question.
13. Make time for every question. Every question is allocated only a certain number of marks. Do not waste too much time trying to perfect your answer on one specific question. Remember; make time for other questions too. If you leave out another question just to perfect an answer for one question, you will lose out a lot. If you wrote at least something on the question you left out, you may still be awarded at least some points.

Written by:  Jing Sheng at:  http://www.studentblogproject.com:80/exam-tips/exam-preparation-tips/