Dear Teacher

By Peggy Gisler and Marge Eberts

Question: We had great plans this summer for getting our third grader up to grade level in math. She didn't work well with me, and we weren't too consistent in our approach, skipping too many days for fun activities. Now her teacher and I have decided that she needs tutoring before math gets even more difficult for her. How does one find a good tutor? Should I just enroll her in a learning center? Uncertain

Answer: To ensure any kind of success in the future in math, your daughter has to learn how to add, subtract and multiply now. It is a good idea to start getting your child some help from a tutor. You also need to have the school investigate if there is a learning problem involved in her troubles with math.

  Talk a little more to your childs teacher before beginning the task of selecting a tutor. Find out if the teacher advises an individual tutor or a commercial learning center as the best choice for your daughter. In either case, you will want the teacher to pinpoint as closely as possible the specific area or areas in math in which your child needs help. Ask if your child needs intensive help, remedial help or homework help. Be sure to ask the teacher if there is a particular tutor with whom he or she has worked successfully. This is often the best way to find a tutor. The school may also have a list of tutors.

   If you start your search for help at a commercial learning center, it is crucial that you find out if your child will be assigned permanently to one individual and how much time will be spent on working with tutoring software. Having different tutors each week or spending too much time on the computer is not likely to produce the best results.

If you are considering a home tutor, here are some things to look for:

Able to work at the time of day your child is ready to learn

Is affordable

Can motivate your child

Has tutoring experience

Is liked by your child

Of course, you will need to check the qualifications of the tutor. They do not have to be licensed teachers but should have some successful experiences to share with you. Finally, you will know that you have chosen wisely if your daughters math work improves, and she is eager to attend tutoring sessions. If things do not work out well, do not hesitate to look for another tutor.

Question: My son will be three years old next month. He is in an early intervention program and works with a speech therapist twice a month. I think he talks fine; however, my mother and others feel he is difficult to understand. He loves to watch educational television. Will listening to TV help with his speech? Uncertain

Answer: Your son is being seen by a speech therapist. This person should have solid suggestions about ways you can help him improve his speech. In fact, therapists often ask parents to do some speech activities with their children.

  Having your preschooler sit in front of the TV is not going to turn him into a good speaker or even listener. For either to occur, there needs to be interaction between speaker and listener. Here are some of our suggestions for helping all young children become good speakers. Talk to them while doing housework, driving in the car, shopping in the grocery store or whenever you are together. As soon as you get even a glimmer of response from them, respond enthusiastically so they know that you are interested in what they are saying and they will be encouraged to speak even more. Because young children learn best through direct experiences, you will want them to have a wide variety of experiences to increase their vocabularies. This remains true through the school years.

Question: Where can I go beyond talking to people in my childrens school district when I have questions about federal law, policy and initiatives? Need Answers

Answer: It can be difficult to contact the right source in the Department of Education in Washington, DC, for answers to questions on topics ranging from special education to No Child Left Behind to school choice. The easiest thing to do is to go online to the departments website at http://answers.ed.gov. This site has the answers to more than 100 commonly asked questions as well as links to additional information both from the department and other sources. Heres an idea of the type of questions the department answers:

Where can I find rankings of public school systems by state?

What impact does testing have on children?

How do I determine if a school is providing my special needs child with an appropriate education and services?

How can I find a legitimate online or distance education program?

How can I find a quality after-school program for my child?

Parents should send questions to Dear Teacher, in care of this publication P.O. Box 395, Carmel, IN 46082-0395 or DearTeacher@excite.com. 2008 Compass Syndicate Corporation - Distributed by King Features Syndicate

Dear Teacher

By Peggy Gisler and Marge Eberts

 Parents: If your childrens schools are starting soon, there are several things that need to be done to make the school year begin smoothly for them. Here are a few suggestions:

Preschool

1. Your children need to be toilet-trained.

2. Your children need to know how to sit quietly. Library story hours can help them practice this skill.

Kindergarten

1. Make sure your children have visited the school they will be attending so they will be familiar with the physical layout.

2. Read books about going to school, so your children know what to expect.

Elementary School

1. Select with your children their fall activities. Make sure there is plenty of time left for play and homework.

2. Establish with your children what the morning routine at home will be.

Middle School

1. Agree to a homework contract with your children that spells out all the details about doing homework.

2. Make sure that your children will be taking courses that will lead to the future they want.

Question: I am trying to obtain information regarding what my daughter will need to know for the kindergarten assessment this fall. When I asked her current preschool teacher, the answer was, "Don't worry, she is ready." I wasn't satisfied with that answer so I went over to the local public elementary school where all the testing is done. The person I talked to said the only thing my daughter needed to do was to meet the age criteria.

  I have also visited the schools website, but it is very hard to understand. Do you have any ideas about how I can prepare my child for the upcoming assessment? Anxious

Answer: Relax! You have the reassurance of your daughters preschool teacher that your child is ready for kindergarten. This assessment is not to decide if your daughter can or cannot enter the public kindergarten. Meeting the age criteria seems to be all that is necessary.

  The assessment test will give the educators a picture of what your daughter and the other entering students already know so the proper curriculum can be planned. More importantly, the assessment will discover if any of the students have significant weaknesses that need to be addressed right away so learning can occur.

  What's on the assessment test is not as important as having your child feel comfortable about the testing situation. This is not going to happen if you are continually trying to find out the specific test questions so you can drill your daughter on them. What would be nice to know is how the test will be administered so you can tell your child what to expect.

Question: I want to tell you how I handled a difficult situation last year. Our son was assigned to an unpopular teacher's class in fourth grade. When his friends heard about it, they said, "She's mean and yells a lot." I had heard that one parent had a bad run-in with her.

  I told my son that I didn't know much about this teacher, but if he did everything she asked, he shouldn't have any problems. I also assured him that Mom would be in his corner.

 He was apprehensive on his first day of school, but it went fine. He said that if you followed the rules, there should be no problems. He went on to have this teacher for two years. He learned quite a bit from her and was challenged. Very Pleased

Answer: A truly mean teacher is not a good teacher. However, learning how to get along with different personalities is part of life. Your son has learned a valuable lesson.

Question: My children's elementary school is not a winner. The classes are overcrowded, achievement scores are below the national average, and there are many discipline problems. I never thought that Id do this, but I am thinking of transferring them to a private school. But I have heard that tuition is outrageously expensive. Is this true? Transferring

Answer: It can be almost as expensive to go to a private elementary school as an Ivy League college. According to the National Association of Independent Schools, the median tuition for their member schools was close to $14,000 for grades 1 to 3, $15,000 for grades 6 to 8, and $16,000 for grades 9 to 12 just three years ago. And it's probably higher now as tuition usually goes up each year. Fortunately, many private schools do offer financial help available even to middle class families.

  You need to understand that not all private schools charge astronomical tuitions. Call several in your area to discover what you are likely to pay. Plus, 85 percent of all private schools are affiliated with religions. Their tuition is likely to be much lower than that of very exclusive private schools.

  And in some states, there are voucher programs that let parents apply this money toward tuition at a private school. In addition, there are free charter schools that offer alternatives to enrolling in the typical public school.

Parents should send questions to Dear Teacher, in care of this publication, P.O. Box 395, Carmel, IN 46082-0395 or DearTeacher@excite.com.2008 Compass Syndicate Corporation - Distributed by King Features Syndicate

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Growing Up Online: The Time of Their Lives

By Carolyn Jabs

This summer, millions of kids will attend Camp Interactive. You know, the one where they spend hour after hour with electronic devices: computers, video games, MP3 players, cell phones, television. To some parents, it seems theres hardly a moment when kids arent plugged in.

  That's not quite true. Not long ago, the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that the typical American kid was consuming a staggering eight hours of media per day, though as the researchers were quick to point out, it only took 6.5 hours of the day because kids were multitasking. For parents who think that sounds a little low, the data were collected in 2004 and didnt include cell phones! 

  All this digital multitasking has captured the attention of researchers whose conclusions are anything but conclusive. Some think kids are fooling themselves about being able to do more than one thing at once and that the quality of everything from friendship to homework is suffering as a result. Others admire the juggling capabilities of young people and believe they are learning skills they will need to manage in an ever more complex and wired world.

  For parents, this uncertainty makes it difficult to know how to guide kids. Setting strict limits on interactive time is one approach. The American Academy of Pediatrics says children younger than two shouldnt have any exposure to media, and older kids should be restricted to one or two hours of screen time per day. Timers are especially helpful for kids younger than 10. Although you can buy devices that will shut off the computer, TV, or video game, most kids do fine with a kitchen timer. When it goes "ding," headphones come out and the screen goes dark.

  As kids get older, arbitrary rules about time often become counter-productive. For one thing, kids are different. For one, the chitchat of instant messaging really is crucial to social development; for another, its a way to evade other responsibilities. Kids also have different thresholds for interactive involvement. Some seem to thrive on multitasking; for others, too many media make them stressed, cranky or even depressed.

  In adolescence, kids experiment to figure out how digital devices fit into their lives, so they need a little latitude from parents. On the other hand, adults know how easily other activities are displaced by interactive pursuits. To a large extent, the role of parents is to point out, lobby for and, in some instances, insist upon these other ingredients that are essential for a good life.

  Sleep. Kids who get enough sleep are more cheerful and do almost everything better. The National Sleep Foundation calls interactive devices "sleep stealers" both because they keep kids up too late and because their use creates a state of alertness that makes it harder for kids to fall asleep. To make going to sleep at a regular time easier (even in the summer!), keep cell phones, video games and computers out of the bedroom.

  Exercise. With a few exceptions such as Dance Revolution or Nintendo Wii, using interactive devices means sitting still and using your head instead of your body. Teach kids (by example if at all possible) that every day should include physical exercise. Look for shared activities that are playful, exuberant, even joyful.  

  F2F time. Make face-to-face time a priority in your home. Research suggests that many kids crave more "fun time" with parents. Establish media-free times when you can do things together without interruption. Obvious choices: dinner time (turn off the TV), game night (post a cute away message on the IM screen), shopping (let the phones take messages). Look for serendipitous opportunities to unplug so you can share each others company while, for example, cooking a favorite meal, washing the car or playing with the family pet. In the car, dont let headphones deprive you of drive time conversation. Hook MP3 players to speakers so you can enjoy music together.

  Concentration. Multitasking can be a rush, but theres also value in "flow," the experience people have when they are so focused on what they are doing that they lose track of the outside world. Artists, athletes, surgeons and even video gamers describe this as a peak experience thats possible only when distractions are minimized. You cant create this experience for your child, but you can point out its value. Also, encourage your kids to reserve some time for doing just one thing. Summertime is perfect for getting "lost" in books, art projects and other activities. 

  Goals. Interactive devices can soak up time so theres nothing left for things that really matter. From an early age, talk to kids about offline activities that make them especially happy or that they do unusually well. Help them keep track of responsibilities such as lessons, pets, chores and other projects. Discuss what they want and need to accomplish during the day, during the week, during summer break or the school semester. When kids are holding larger goals in mind, interactive devices are less likely to become black holes for their time. 

  As parents, we may know the ingredients of a good life, but we dont necessarily know what proportions will work for our kids. You probably dont set hard and fast rules about how much interactive time youll have each day. Instead, you let your interactive time ebb and flow, knowing youll be happiest when you can balance the responsibilities and interests in your life without letting one overwhelm the others. That happy sense of balance should also be your goal for your child. Camp Interactive can be a very cool place to visit, but nobody should live there!  

Carolyn Jabs is a former Contributing Editor of Family PC magazine and mother to three computer-savvy kids. Visit her at her website (www.growing-up-online.com) or e-mail her at carolynjabs@carolynjabs.com. @ Copyright, Carolyn Jabs, 2008. All rights reserved.

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Is It Tax Deductible?

By Stacy Lusk, C.P.A.

Does it ever seem like you have just recovered from the last tax deadline and it is already time for another? Many of us are starting to think about getting our taxes done. We vow every year that we will prepare earlier next time, but rarely do.

  At The Tax Spectrum, we have found that with some pre-planning and good paperwork habits, a less-stress tax experience is easier than you might think. Here are some practical tips to turn those good intentions into action.

Know what is deductible before you organize

Depending on your situation, you will have different deductible items. You should obtain a complete list of deductible items from your tax professional, but here are a few examples. Parents or caretakers need day-care receipts or college tuition receipts. Homeowners need purchase/loan paperwork and real estate tax payment information, as well as vehicle registration and charitable contribution receipts. Business owners and employees need receipts for all nonreimbursed work- or business-related expenses.

Handle it once, handle it now

The best way to get next years taxes done is not to start early next year start now. In other words, do not accumulate a full year of paperwork and then put it into order for taxes. The easiest way to do this is to simply segregate tax-related receipts as you go.

Most of us have a filing system for bills and receipts, but we only use a fraction of it for tax time. To make tallying expenses easier for taxes, simply add a separate folder or folders to your file drawer to separate any receipts containing tax-deductible expenses. For instance, if you have kids, own a home and pay for work expenses that your employer does not reimburse, you may want to add three folders to your file. When youre done with a weeks receipts, simply drop any papers containing tax-related expenses into one of your tax-deductible folders. This habit will save you considerable time because you will not have to sort through all of your paperwork to get tax records together at years end.

Set your recordkeeping plan now for next year

Often our tax liability is higher than necessary because we run out of time to add up a whole year of expenses. Our tax clients have found a variety of ways to add up expenses throughout the year so that it is no longer an overwhelming chore. Methods ranging from accounting programs to old-fashioned ledger sheets get the job done in often under an hour a week. Some clients find that a coffee treat or dessert keeps them from procrastinating.

  Schedule a regular time for recordkeeping, like any other appointment, to ensure it gets done. After tax season, you can hire your tax professional to help you start a recordkeeping program that will work best for you.

  For business owners and busy parents, every tax dollar we can keep in our pocket helps. Pre-planning methods and efficient recordkeeping will help avoid overpaying and allow for a less-stressful tax time.

Stacy Lusk, C.P.A. wrote this article for The Tax Spectrum, which can be reached at 916-773-8404.