Fomi

Under certain circumstances, home schooling can be an excellent option and can contribute greatly to a child’s development. Of course, it is important for the circumstances to be right. One or both parents have to be able to put in time and effort into schooling the child. There has to be discipline and organization in the undertaking. There have to be systems in place that have to be followed by both the child and the parents.
The parents of the child have to be well educated themselves to undertake such a responsibility. Also, care has to be taken that the child gets a lot of interaction and play with other children.

They say, behind every successful student is an involved parent – to give a new twist to an old saying. But this has been seen to be true. When students see that their parents are concerned about their academic progress and become personally involved, it motivates the student to strive harder. It allows them to take pride in their accomplishments.
Parent’s who monitor and encourage their children in their studies, tend to spur them on to succeed. And if they work in tandem with their child’s teacher, the student receives help from all quarters. This enables them to access knowledge and evolve strategies that help them to grow academically.

Every high school student waits for the annual musical to happen every year. Tempers run high, anxiety attacks multiply and mood swings become a way of life. Students wait with bated breath to see who gets the lead roles. Auditions are tense moments for those with theatrical aspirations. The possibility of rejection looms large on the horizon.
For those with more modest ambitions, back stage functions are a matter of primary concern. Who will be in charge of costumes? Who will design and build the sets? Every one wants to be associated with the production. This becomes a matter of pride.

How many of you have not had at least one disaster in the chemistry lab while in high school? In fact, there are those who have had repeated disasters and lived to tell the tale. Every high school student dreads the thought of mixing the wrong chemicals and having it blow up in their faces at least once during their high school careers.
The stories of disasters in the chemistry lab are legion. And there have been incidents where students have got hurt. So it may be a good idea to be cautious when conducting experiments. Apart from the fact that these disasters may well be reflected in your grades!

Every class in every school has one of these. There will always be one student who seems to have all the answers to all the questions the teacher asks. It will be the one student who never gets reprimanded, always completes the homework set, gets good grades and carries the teacher’s books to class – the proverbial apple polisher!
The teacher’s pet is also asked to mind the class in the teacher’s absence, to collect the answer sheets and is usually the one to discreetly report what the problem students are up to. Needless to add, those who curry favor with the teacher are usually unpopular with their classmates.

One of the most respected of extracurricular activities in high school is debating. To be selected for the school debating team is a validation of one’s intelligence and power of expression. Students are known to prepare frantically for school and inter-school debates. Students on the debating team spend sleepless nights practicing, developing their oratory skills.
High school debates not only involve acquiring a vast body of knowledge, but also call for developing memory and verbal speed. It is a matter of pride to be considered good enough for the school debating team. There are schools and colleges that even offer debating scholarships.

Every educated American cherishes one object in life – the school yearbook. Every year, all year, efforts are made to turn out a yearbook that will be better than the previous years. Each graduating class takes pride in their last yearbook. Committees are formed, articles are written, photographs are clicked and frantic editing takes place.
When the yearbook is finally published, each student passes it around to get signatures and quotations from classmates. The yearbook then becomes a receptacle of memories to linger over during their adult years. It becomes an object of nostalgia and then discussion, at high school reunions.

Everyone wants to be in high school! Most students can’t wait to get there. It epitomizes being grownup. So what’s the big deal about being in high school? For one thing, more freedom…the freedom to date, to have later curfews, and the ultimate – the Prom!
The Prom is an institution in American school life. Youngsters wait all year with bated breath. Who will be their date on that one eventful evening? What will they wear to the Prom? What will the corsage be like? This is an event that remains etched in the memory of every American student all their lives.

The reduction in the level of comprehension of students today has spurred on neuroscientists to initiate research in to the use of color and visuals to stimulate the learning process. It has been found that reading in black and white sometimes leads to the shut down of various parts of the brain. This has resulted in students getting bored by reading, and hence lowers their comprehension levels.
It is believed that color and images stimulate and activate the brain, and so students tend to find it more exciting. As a result, they are more interested and respond in a more positive manner. As they absorb what they see, their power of comprehension also improves.

In spite of the major advances made in the fields of science and technology, it is a matter of concern that the level of literacy in America seems to be declining. It has been reported that over eight million students in USA are unable to read, or even comprehend what they are reading, at a basic level. Statistics claim that over seven thousand students are dropping out of school every day.
This inability to read at grade level, compounded by the high drop out figures, is a reflection of the inadequacies of the education system. How is the next generation supposed to succeed in life if it isn’t literate?