Deciding on the BEST College for YOU

College Decisions

How am I supposed to know what I want to do for the rest of my life at 18 years old?  I have no idea where I want to go to school.  How am I going to afford it?  As a high school teacher, I get these questions almost daily.  The problem is most schools do not equip students with the answers to any of these questions.  

There really isn't a right answer to any of these questions, but here is what I tell my seniors...

You don't have to know what you want to do for the rest of your life at 18.  It is important to figure out what you are interested in or the subject matter you enjoy.  I changed my major 9 times when I was in college and only lost a total of 3 credits...Not Bad!  I did however know I enjoyed science and biology and my major changed all within that realm (pre-med, pharmacy, bioengineering to name a few).  I also advise my seniors to research the colleges they are applying to.  If it is a large school with several branch campuses, be SMART!  Pick a major that is only offered at MAIN CAMPUS.  After all, who wants to attend a branch campus?  Once you get in, you can always change your major.  It is not a big deal to change it, and counselors deal with these changes often!  

College loans are the cheapest money you will ever get!  With interest rates lower than 5% (mine are
actually 1.6%), you won't ever find money any cheaper.  This is essentially free money.  Mortgage companies actually consider student loans "good debt."  Money you spent to further your education and essentially make you more money down the road.  You can defer all of your loans until after you graduate and find your dream job.  Defer means you will not make any payments until after you have completed your degree and start making money.  

Are scholarships always good?  One of my current students, received a full ride for academics to a school in the city (bad location, high crime rate).  But it is free!  He has also got accepted at some of the top universities in the country.  He asked me my opinion this week.  I told him my advice...go to one of those top universities and skip the free ride.  Why you may ask?  I said to him, "if you got offered a house for free in the worst part of the city (high crime, bad location), would you move in to that house just because it was free?  Wouldn't you rather a have a nice house in a good location where you know you will be safe and have good living conditions?"  Free isn't necessarily better!  When you are competing against the best in the world, you need to be the best and go to the best schools.  Applying to graduate schools, medical schools, law schools and even jobs are extremely competitive.  These applications ask where you graduated from for a reason.  The name matters!  Consider this when picking your school! 

 

Lastly, know yourself well enough to put yourself in the best position possible.  Were you the kid who couldn't spend the night at a friends house and had your parents pick you up at midnight so you could sleep in your own bed?  If this was you, going to school halfway across the country probably isn't a good choice.  The last thing you want is to get that weird feeling and drop out!  

I wish you the best of luck as you decide which college or university is best for you!  These will be the best years of your life!  Enjoy the moment!  It goes by so fast! Before you know, you will be tossing your cap in the air and entering the real world.  Good Luck!    

Get Your Child Kindergarten READY!

Preparation Is key

Reading, writing, arithmetic…

How do you help your child become a good student?  When is the right time to begin their 
learning? How do you prepare your child for school? Preschools all over the country begin
teaching our children letters, numbers, social interaction, rules etc.  Is this enough to prepare 
our children for school? As parents, it is our responsibility to help reinforce these skills at 
home with our children.  Your child should know all of their letters, numbers, colors, how 
to write their name, and begin reading simple words prior to entering kindergarten.  If you 
want your child to be prepared and gain confidence in school, these skills need to be 
practiced at home.

There are numerous apps and games to help your child practice these skills OR you can go 
the old-fashioned pencil and paper route, which works just as well. Children as early as 3 
years of age can begin this practice.  3 year olds love to trace! The tracing will teach them 
proper letter formation and reinforce the skills of letter writing.  

The 3 year old:

• 

  Create a notebook for your child where they can practice writing their letters (capital 
  
  and lower case).  Devote a page to each letter. As their 4th birthday approaches, begin 
  focusing on the sounds of these letters.  This will help you transition your child to early 
  reading during year 4.
• Should be able to recognize their name and the letters in it.  Try writing the letters of their 
  name in the driveway with chalk.  Have them hop on the letters as you call them out. This 
  will teach them to recognize the individual letters of their name.  We also use this same game 
  with numbers (start with numbers 0-5)
• Have them trace the letters/numbers of their name as well.  You can do this on paper OR for 

  

  
  
  more fun try spraying some shaving cream on a table and have them write their letters in the 
  shaving cream!
• Colors - there are many ways to practice this...my kids loved the game Gumball Grab!  This 
  game is a color-based game that also focuses on the fine-motor skills of holding a pencil properly 
  as well.  Coloring helps to foster this skill at an early age and children usually have a favorite color 
  by age 3 (or even earlier).  

The 4 year old

• Should have letter recognition mastered and be able to write most of the letters.  Continue the 
  practice of this so they are pros by the time they enter kindergarten at age 5.  
• Child should also be practicing writing their name and fine-tuning the writing of their name on 
  a line.  Kindergarten teachers expect your child to be able to write their name on their papers 
  on the line. If you have not been practicing this skill, start!  A child that is prepared, is a 
  confident child. Fostering a healthy attitude toward learning and school will not only help 
  your child, but make your life much easier!
• Start practicing early sight words (colors, numbers, simple 3 letter words).  Consider 
  purchasing flashcards to help drill those sight words or create your own flashcards 
  with pre-k site words.  There are many free sites on the internet that will provide you 
  with free printable sight word flash cards. Your child should begin early reading.  Purchase 
  “See Spot Run” or early reader books to help foster these skills. Practice for about 15 minutes 
  a day. Start with sounds, then transition to blending those sounds into 3 letter words.     

Following this simple advice will help you ensure your child is ready for kindergarten.  By providing 
your child with some attention toward education early on will help your child feel confident in the 
classroom. Having a positive self-esteem in school will help your child gain the confidence they need 
to be successful in life. Research shows if your child is not reading well by 2nd grade, they struggle 
in school.  Reading is essential to being successful in the classroom and in life. Help give your child 
the tools to be successful!

Active Studying Technique That WORKS!

The Whiteboard Method

 How to teach your students to actively study

 

 

A teacher's job is to help their students grow.  For years, I would receive emails from parents and questions from students asking how they can improve their test scores.  I would hear things like, "I studied all of your notes, used the review sheet and read the textbook."  My response was always, show me what you did.  The response was usually the same, they would flip through their notes, read through the review sheet questions and sometimes they read the textbook.  

Now, I start my year giving the same speech to my students.  I ask them from Day 1 that if your preparation for tests is flipping through your notes and reading through review questions, does that really mean you are learning it?  I can take your notes home to my 8 year old son and get him to memorize your notes just like he memorizes lines to a movie or lyrics to a song.  Does that mean he understands your notes?  No, and you are no different than my 8 year old son if that is your preparation for a test!  You see there is a HUGE difference between memorizing and understanding.  My job is to get you to understand!  

This is where the Whiteboard Method comes into play!  Those that buy in to this method, succeed and often thank me!  They even Instagram post about it long after they graduate high school!  In order to move from memorizing to understanding, you must convert your study habits to active engagement.  The white board method pushes you to do this.  Here's how it works: 

1. Pick a topic you are going to be tested on (ie: Cell Transport) 
2. Use a small whiteboard and start by writing down everything you know about Cell Transport (before you even look at your notes).  If they don't own a small whiteboard, pencil and paper work just as well!
3. After writing down everything you know about the topic, then look at your notes and compare what you wrote down to what your notes actually say.  Science says you are less likely to make the same mistake twice, and better to make it during "practice" and not on the actual test. 
4.  After reviewing your notes, put them away and add/adjust your whiteboard to be more accurate on the topic of cell transport.  Many of my students do these additions/corrections in a different color. 
5. Continue this process for each topic that is going to be covered on your next exam, and I have no doubt that you will do much better on your next exam!  

 The Whiteboard Method forces you to become actively engaged in your studying rather than passive.  This active teaching style as a means for studying forces you to explain the processes and not just memorize.  When you teach these concepts to the stuffed animals on your bed or just aloud to yourself, you demonstrate a level of understanding that moves beyond basic memorization!  Hopefully, you can urge your students to actively prepare for tests using the Whiteboard Method in the future.  Soon, your students will be thanking you, just as my students do me! 

An email from a former student regarding the Whiteboard Method: 
Hi Mrs. _____!
I hope that all is well and this school year is shaping up to be a good one! I just wanted to check in because I took my first bio exam yesterday and made a 94!  Studying the way you urged us to (whiteboard method) & making my own study guides was so essential. Seriously, if there’s one piece of advice I’d give to my senior self, it would be to actually put forth lots of effort into doing the assignments you gave us. I find it funny that now those exact ‘assignments’ are exactly what i need to do to study and make a good grade. But thanks so much for all of your help and advice, it is proving to be so valuable.

<......@crimson.ua.edu>

Wed, Sep 26, 2018, 1:32 AM

         

BiologyMama

February 15, 2019

Welcome to State of the Art Science Blog!!!

I am a mom of 2 beautiful children and a wife to a fantastic husband.  A graduate of Penn State University in 2005 with an M.S. in Biology and an M.Ed in Curriculum & Instruction. Currently, a high school biology teacher for the past 13 years.

I am so excited to share with you my teaching style, lessons, advice and a little about me on this blog space!  I look forward to sharing with you my life as a teacher, mom and give you a snapshot of all the fun things I do and hopefully help a few people along the way!  

If you love any of the lessons I share, feel free to visit my Teachers Pay Teachers site to snag a few lessons and make your life a little easier!!!   I believe students learn best through doing.  It is my goal to teach my students to love learning and gain an understanding of the material not memorize.  I will share with you the study techniques I teach my high schoolers in order to prepare them for life after high school and the challenges that college presents.  Also, you can follow me on Instagram at teachermomblogger!

Additionally, I am a mom to two incredible kids.  They are my world!  We play, we travel, we craft, we dance and we love life.  I will share with you some of the cool things we do and the places we go.  Football is a huge part of our life as my brother is an offensive lineman in the NFL.  We go to many games and visit many places because of football.  Stay tuned to football season to see our travels!  

A mom, a sister to an NFL football player, a daughter, a wife, a teacher…

We all wear many hats in our life.  How do you balance it all? How is it 
possible to wear all of these hats and do them all well? Do you often find 
yourself feeling guilty because you can’t?  You are not alone. This blog 
will focus on all these “hats” and how to improve your role in each. We 
all have good days and bad days, but at the end of the day we must survive!

“She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.”
— Proverbs 31:25