Where Inspiration Happens
Students are at the center of all that Gilmour Academy does to nurture the heart, to educate the mind and to promote personal leadership toward making our world more humane and just,” says Gilmour headmaster Brother Robert Lavelle.
“We instill the desire for excellence in academic mastery and moral character that prepares our students to succeed in college and in life, while laying a foundation of justice and compassion toward others.”
OMG! OGT May Be AWOL PDG
That is, if the Ohio Department of Education has its way in changing Ohio's standardized testing
Just five years into its quest to align Ohio’s Academic Content Standards in five core disciplines, the weeklong Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) may be eliminated in favor of a new assessment system.
In March 2009, Gov. Ted Strickland directed the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) to develop a new, more relevant, statewide exam along the lines of the American College Testing (ACT) assessment. The Ohio Revised Code requires students receiving an Ohio diploma to take and to pass all required components of the OGT.
Tutors, Too, Learn By Making a Difference
A tutor is defined as a person employed to instruct another in some branch of learning. Sounds simple enough, but is it?
Moms tutor their children every day in homework and in general life lessons, although they don’t get paid.
A parent can hire a tutor to come to their home or take their child to a tutoring facility. Whatever the setting, tutors seem to work quietly in the background. They are unsung heroes who love to work one on one with students and see them succeed.
Don't Let Those Bed Bugs Fright
Night terrors
There are three categories of night-time crying. The first is the “I don’t want to be here in bed” type. This is normal as your child learns that sleep is a pleasant experience and that you will not be gone when they wake up.
The second category of crying comes from nightmares – those unpleasant and scary dreams that happen during the REM portion of sleep. Awakening your child, holding and reassuring them, coupled with their awareness that their nightmare has disappeared, lead to the end of crying and a relatively easy return to sleep.
Thinking of Private Schools?
Here's a handful of reasons you should go for it
1. The right school
With dozens of private schools to choose from, selecting the right one is probably the most crucial item on this list. Which is the right school? You'll know it when you visit it and talk to the admissions staff.
It’s the school that best meets your requirements as a parent and the requirements of that precious cargo you are about to entrust to the school. You can review the statistics and data about the school. You can determine that its philosophy and educational mission align with your goals and objectives.
Beauty of Diversity
From Avon to Akron, Northeast Ohio parents are teaching their kids about their ethnicity. Whether they were born in Hillcrest or Honduras, kids are learning about heritage.
“We’re proud of our Chinese-American family,” says Rachel Kumher of Troy Township in Geauga County. Rachel and husband Boyd adopted daughter Sarah Qiu, 5, from China at 10 months, joining their biological daughter Anna, now 6.
The Miracle Worker
When I get sick, the kids upon whom I depend for their undying devotion and tax-deduction status leave me completely alone.
That’s not entirely true, because I never get sick. They just have other excuses for ignoring me. Fully independent, they need nothing from me except money.
When my wife gets sick, however (which always seems to happen immediately after the last of the kids do), her offspring suddenly become unable to fend for themselves.
Kick Start Creativity
Set the paint brushes aside and get your creative juices flowing with these new outlets
When thinking of the arts, usually music, dance and theater come to mind. Northeast Ohio families, however, will find there is much more.
Martial arts may not sound like a typical “arts” activity, but some of its benefits are similar to those of dance or playing an instrument.
“It is good for developing hand-eye coordination, balance, motor skills and connecting the mind,” says Jeff Burlingame, chief instructor and owner of Asian Martial Arts, adding benefits include feeling better about one’s self, and feeling refreshed.
Apples, Leaves & Pumpkins (Oh My!)
Fall is the perfect time to introduce children to the bounty of nature. From crisp apples ready to be plucked off the tree and fresh-squeezed apple cider to enormous orange pumpkins awaiting a hot oven or a carving knife, fall is certainly an adventure for the senses.
As the weather cools, leaves begin to show off rich tones of amber, chartreuse and russet before gliding to the ground to be crunched underfoot or piled high and leaped into with the greatest of ease. Leaf leaping is a process that involves raking, strategic piling and plenty of jumping, tossing and giggling. Behold, there is more to do with leaves.
Promises To My Child
I started this column a few weeks ago when I was really angry at my 15- and 16-year-old daughters. It seems to happen a lot lately. They think they know everything. I think I know everything, yada, yada. I chose to share this with our readers because I know that there are many moms out there who have difficult mother/daughter relationships. Whether old or young, adopted or biological, mothers and daughters just seem to butt heads. I did with my mom, even sometimes into adulthood. It may take some time, but take heart, we all come around, find common ground and always, always continue to love each other.