Friday, 20 November 2015

How To Prepare Your Child For College

These days, many Deerfield Beach parents are interested in ensuring that their children are prepared for college. If this is one of your primary concerns as a parent, you should know that it's never too soon to start providing your child with the guidance, love, and information necessary to transition into a college that will prepare her or him to attain professional success and personal fulfillment. With that idea in mind, consider implementing one or all three of these strategies to ensure that your child is well-prepared to attend college:

1. Emphasize Independence And Self-Discovery.

Emphasizing independence and self-discovery is an important part of preparing your child for college. Firstly, doing so helps your child attain the sense of identity and confidence necessary to avoid "going with the flow" or becoming a conformist during the college years. Additionally, helping your child attain a sense of independence and self-discovery will enable her or him to learn more about what type of college they would like to attend and why. With this being said, note that there are numerous ways to help your child become a more assertive, conscience-driven individual (and it's never too soon to start this important process!). One great way to make it happen is to let your teenager handle responsibilities like grocery shopping and preparing family dinners. Also note that allowing your child to determine which extracurricular activities to participate in is a wonderful way to encourage self-discovery.

2. Consider Charter High Schools.

Another great way that parents can prepare their children for college is to consider sending her or him to a charter high school. There are many advantages that result from this practice, including more one-on-one attention from the instructor and interactive learning modalities. When you start looking for the type of charter high school Deerfield Beach FL institution that will make your child the most marketable college candidate out there, be sure to consider iGeneration Charter School. This learning institution offers all of the aforementioned academic benefits and many more!

3. Be Well-Informed About The College Application Process.

One of the best ways to prepare your child for college is to know the college application process like the back of your hand. More specifically, you should make sure that your child knows the process like the back of her or his hand. (This will help with the process of making the child more independent and the transition from high school to college.) Each college will have its own unique application requirements (SAT scores, transcripts, etc.), and knowing the specific rules and regulations will help you optimize and expedite the application process.

4. Make Holistic Health A Priority.

One final strategy you should implement to prepare your child for college is to emphasize holistic health. It is well known that colleges can be a hotbed for unhealthy behaviors such as excessive drinking, unprotected sex, and unprecedented consumption of junk food such as pizza. Each of these behaviors can detract from your child's mental, physical, and spiritual health. Yet you can help prevent this from happening by emphasizing wellness while your child is still in the home. There are innumerable ways to promote health in your household, such as allowing your child to practice yoga as a form of exercise. Other health-enhancing strategies include journaling, meditation, and exploration of vegetarian and vegan lifestyles.

Conclusion

Deerfield Park residents who want to prepare their child for college should know that the process of doing so does not have to be difficult. To keep it simple and effective, be sure to implement the college preparation techniques and tips discussed here. In so doing, you'll likely find that your child is well prepared to make the transition from the secondary to post-secondary world!

Thursday, 19 November 2015

What is The Entire Buzz about Charter Schools?

Is it a private school? Is it a public school? A charter school is more of a blend of private and public school. They are funded by public money but run autonomously from the public school system.

Why Charter Schools?

Usually charter schools are started and administered by parents and educators who may desire more flexibility than they are getting in their public schools. For instance, a group of people interested in an emphasis on science could come together and request a charter. When granted the charter, they still need to educate students in all subjects, but they are allowed to delve deeper into scientific subjects and schedule more science based field trips. Charter schools have three goals:

•    To improve student learning and increase parental choice
•    To improve public education through competition and innovative practices
•    Create schools with unique philosophies


Charter Schools in Florida

In 1996 the FL legislature authorized charter schools. Today Florida holds third place in the country for the number of students in charter schools with over 100,000 enrolled. Charter schools in FL fall into the following classes:

•    Start-up schools
•    Schools managed by educational management organizations
•    Conversion public schools
•    Community partnerships
•    University charter schools


An Example of a Charter School

Charter schools vary greatly, but one example of a charter school in Florida is iGeneration Charter School. This is a charter high school Pompano Beach that specializes in academics. Their students are in Middle School and High School and are preparing for college. This school gives these students all of the below advantages over a traditional 6-12 grade school:

•    All students who qualify can be dually enrolled in high school and college at no cost.
•    Individualized program for gifted students
•    More one-on-one time with the teachers
•    Technology-rich environment - all students are provided an iPad or laptop
•    Totally wireless campus
•    Personalized schedules

Charter schools are not just for the academically inclined. There are charter schools that use the Montessori teaching method, schools that specialize in the performing arts, schools for deaf students, or for children with Autism Disorder. Some charter schools are mainly virtual, giving students the ability to travel with their parents. If you are interested in a school with an emphasis in a particular area, you may not need to pay for a private school; check out the charter schools in your area.