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ParentEdge Daily Jan 17, 2014: Study those who study!

Daily Tip for Parents: Parents, check to see if your kids are actually studying for tests and quizzes.  Obviously it isn’t easy to know when a test or quiz is for a child but that is why ParentEdge exists.  When you get that automated daily homework text message you will know if there is a test or quiz your child needs to study for.  Once you know this, talk to them!  Check to see if they are actually studying and check how they are studying.  Just because a kid says they are “studying” it doesn’t actually mean they are studying.  Be sure!


ParentEdge News: We are working on updating the site a bit and will be moving towards a slightly newer and more modern layout in the near future.  Please excuse any minor oddities you might see in the meantime.  Any feedback or comments would be appreciated!

ParentEdge Daily: Pay Attention!

Daily Education Tip for Students: Make sure that you actually listen to what your teacher is saying in class.  Seems obvious but man, very few kids actually do it.  It would make such a huge difference for you as a student.  Why?  Because you might actually know what is going on.  Now, I realize that if you are reading this you are more than likely a kid that pays attention in class since you are reading a blog about paying attention in class.  However, I would suggest telling your friends, “hey pay attention”.  Not that hard to do and it can make a huge difference for them.


ParentEdge News: ParentEdge is going to be updating all of the schools that are currently moving to their second semester soon.  Teachers will be seeing their classes entered into the system over the next few weekends depending on when your semester actually starts.  Students and parents will see no difference except the daily homework texts will now contain their up to date schedule with correct class information for the second semester.  Depending on your building the homework texts will stop for a day or (or not) as we do the updates.  Email us at info@schooledgemobile.com if you have any questions.  

ParentEdge Daily: Jan, 14, 2014

Daily Education Tip for Students: Your phone is an amazing tool that can do far more than just text your friends and take pictures for Instagram.  You can download a huge variety of apps that will help you immensely in certain subjects and classes.  Obviously though this depends on what your school’s policy is on technology in the classroom and cell phones in school.  Some are more forward thinking than others.  If your school (high school I am assuming for this advice) currently has a policy against cell phone use during the day then perhaps a change is in order.  Consider starting a student group, very respectfully of course, that would perhaps bring this matter up at a board meeting or with the school administration.


ParentEdge News: We will be sending out surveys to parents and teachers soon to begin gathering feedback and comments from on ParentEdge.  We want to hear what you think about our system!  Do you like the formatting of the automated homework texts, etc.?  

ParentEdge Daily, Jan 13, 2014

Daily Education Tip for Parents: Pay more attention to your kids phone usage on a daily basis.  They are constantly sending texts, snap chatting, tweeting, etc. and it can make a big difference if you are aware of this.  I say that because these actions can be very distracting and take away from homework time or studying.  Obviously they do have their place as well.  Especially for students working in what could be considered virtual study groups through texting and twitter.  Just be aware though and maybe once in a while consider asking your kid to put the phone down for a few minutes and focus.  


ParentEdge News: Ramsey Junior High School will begin sending out homework text messages today at 5:00 pm EST.  This will allow parents to be updated regularly on what their child needs to do.  Homework texting is proving to be an incredibly reliable means of keeping parents and students up to date on work that needs to be done.  ParentEdge is the easiest and best way to send out those homework texts!  

ParentEdge Daily: Be Realistic

Daily Education Tip: Parents, try to talk with your students every day about school without pressuring them.  Is this an obvious one?  Yes.  Is it easy to do? Yes and no.  It all depends.  Just make sure your kids know you care about school and how they are doing in it.  Again though, don’t pressure them too much.  In the long run this can have a very negative impact on their overall success in school and life.  A little bit of encouragement and pushing can go a long way.  However an overbearing amount of intense pressure to get a perfect score on everything is not good.  If your child can achieve that they will whether you go overboard demanding it.  If they can’t do that well on everything no amount of pressure will make it possible.  Be realistic, love your children, and support them.

ParentEdge News: We will be updating all of the schools that will start their new semester in the next few weeks.  Student schedule data will be re-imported to insure that ParentEdge sends out homework text messages with the correct homework information for each class.  This will only be done for the schools whose students switch schedules for the new semester.

6 tips to create a study spot in your house!

 

To Parents and Kids:

Studying can be hard.  Lets not pretend otherwise. Parents think back to when you were a kid and try to imagine how annoying it was to sit and study for even a little while.  Imagine now when there are way more distractions available than ever before.  It is a challenge to sit there and remain focused for several hours at a time without really doing much of anything except reading or working out some concept that you probably don’t like.  I’ve almost never heard a student, even the best students, say that studying is their favorite thing to do.  Quite the opposite in fact: Most people don’t like studying.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way lets also be realistic about the fact: Studying is necessary to succeed in school today.  Whether it is enjoyable or not, if you want to do well in school you need to study.  It is as simple as that.  Work needs to be done and time needs to be spent to learn. 

Homework also fits into the “It’s never a good time” category.  The teachers know this, parents know this, and students know this.  Yet homework is assigned a lot, collected, checked, and sometimes a big part of your grade in school.  Why is that the case if no one likes it? 

The answer is simple, it is a necessary evil.  Something that helps kids learn what is being taught.  It allows kids to practice and hone their skills, whatever they are.  Without it, kids would struggle more.  They would learn less.  It is as simple as that. 

So, we’ve established that studying stinks and homework is no fun but both happen to be necessary evils if you are going to get good grades in school.  So, what is there to do about this?  The best advice we can give here is to create a space in your house where kids can study without distraction.  This spot should be comfortable yet conducive to focusing.  We’ve put together several suggestions for such a study space that will hopefully lead to better grades, higher scores, and less stress. 

Make studying comfortable – Make sure you are comfortable when you are studying.  There is nothing worse than sitting somewhere doing something you don’t like while also feeling terribly uncomfortable for hours.  Being uncomfortable generally leads to less time spent studying and doing homework.  This leads to lower grades.  Get a comfortable chair and a comfortable desk.  

Don’t get too comfortable though – Comfort can get carried away when studying.  When it happens, its bad.  You lose focus, you drift off, and you end up doing something completely unrelated to your homework.  That is not what we’re going for.  Places to avoid studying: On a bed, a couch, or some sort of recliner like thing.  Keep it confined to a nice comfortable upright chair and desk.  There’s a reason those seem to be the standard now and have been for kind of a while.  

Keep away from the hustle and bustle – Most houses today with school age kids can get kinda busy: they can be noisy, they can be loud, they can be distracting.  Your homework spot should be well off the beaten path in the house.  Basically, if people are going to be around to distract you, talk to you, or do their own things while you’re working it isn’t the place you want to be.  Find a nice quiet corner and make it your own!

Stock your spot! – This might sound kind of weird but have the necessary items that you will need at your study spot.  The worst thing you can run into is being on a roll, studying like mad, doing your homework like a champ, and then you realize “man I need a stapler, where is it?”  Things like that can kill your focus and momentum and lead to a 10 minute search around the house for a stapler or pen or whatever.  Don’t let that happen.  Stock your spot with all the essentials: Stapler, calculator, pencils, pens, paper, erasers, tape, paper clips, post its, index cards, 3 hole punch, Kleenex, and whatever else you can think of.  Keep it there and keep it ready so that when you need it you don’t waste time or get distracted.

No distractions – Keep the distractions away from your spot.  No TV around it anywhere, trust us, watching TV while doing homework or studying doesn’t help.  It just doesn’t.  A computer can be an interesting challenge to have in the homework spot.  Obviously computers can be really helpful when it comes to getting homework done or studying for a test.  They also pose a serious distraction though; especially when kids are only a click away from Facebook or whatever else is out there.  If you are going to have one in your spot, resist the distraction temptation!  The other biggie would be the kid’s phone.  Today the phone is way more than just a phone, it does it all!  The phone can be a huge study tool that provides immediate contact with friends who are doing the same homework the child is.  It can be used to look up answers and solutions too.  The problem though is that it can also be used to do one of 8 million different things that are distracting and have nothing to do with school.  It is another one of those tough calls that parents and kids will have to make about what works best for the individual kid. 

Make it the place to be! – Make your study spot the place to be by incorporating some sort of personal design touch into it.  Put some posters up or some inspirational sayings; just do something to make whoever is studying there feel good and not hate having to be there.  Make it a place people like going to work. 

Conclusion

Having a spot in your own house where homework can be done without distractions is a huge help to most students.  In truth, most people haven’t even thought about this.  Kids just sit down somewhere and start working.  Parents, if you want your kids to study and do their homework more:  Make one of these spots in your house!  Make it look nice and fun, like a place a kid wouldn’t mind sitting for an hour or two.  Put up some cheesy inspirational quotes.  They might sound cliché to someone over the age of 20 but for a middle schooler or high schooler they actually have some meaning.  Get a nice looking desk and a comfortable chair for your kids so they think its not basically a spot to be punished by having to do work.  Keep the distractions away and you are good to go! 

 Hopefully this helps you out, if so please feel free to share it with anyone else you think it might help out.               

 

Quick Tips: Making school a priority at home

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One easy way for parents to begin making an impact in their child's education is simple: make school a priority at home.  That might sound like a big deal but in reality it is quite an easy task.  Simply make it a point to speak with your kids everyday about what is going on in their classes. 

Ask them if they have homework, ask them if they have a test, ask them how things are going academically, etc.  Don't take no for an answer.  It might be awkward at first but eventually it will become an important and valued part of everyday.  It doesn't need to be a grand dinner table conversation.  A simple 30 second talk everyday can go a very long way towards making it obvious that you as a parent care about school. 

Kids pick up on that.  If you care, they will care.  If you think it is important, they will think it is important.  Even the most rebellious teenager who is trying everything to stay away from their parents will change their view on school if they know their parents think it is important.  Its a very subtle thing but it makes a very large difference.

Quick Tips: How to help your kids in high school with their homework

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First, let me be clear.  No one expects you as a parent to be able to help your kid with their chemistry homework.  You probably took chemistry a long, long time ago or not at all.  Do you honestly remember any of it?  I would assume not.  Its not your job to actually sit there and tutor your child in how to do some complex chemistry problem.  It's part of their education to figure that out. 

Your job as the parent is simply to remind them that they need to do it.  Offer support to them and offer guidance by perhaps pointing out certain resources but don't try to do their homework for them.  When teachers say, "get involved!", they simply want you ensure that studying and doing homework is emphasized in your home.  That's all.  No teacher expects a parent to sit down with their kids and work through some complex math problem for advanced algebra.  They simply want you to make sure your child tries to do it. 

If they struggle with it, that is ok.  Sometimes things are hard.  Sometimes the answers don't come easy.  Don't stress out about the fact that you need to be able to figure out the answers.  You don't.  The teacher will help them.  Your job as a parent is to simply make school a priority.