4 Tips for Helping Middle School Students Increase Academic Independence

4 Tips for Helping Middle School Students Increase Academic Independence If youre the parent of a new or soon-to-be middle schooler, brace yourself for some major changes. Middle school is more intense and has a heavier workload, with most middle school curriculums including five core subjects and two electives. Children are expected to do more, question more, and think more critically. Above all, middle school demands that children function as independent students. But how can you encourage your child to engage in the activities that promote greater independence? Here are four tips that will encourage independent learning and significantly benefit your child: Establish a good routine. Middle school is a time when children must take ownership of their academic responsibilities, and theres no better way to encourage this than to promote a solid nightly homework routine. At the beginning of middle school, parents should help children establish good habits: laying out a homework plan at the start of each study session, studying in a place that fosters their productivity, and embracing an organizational system that works for them. Its fine to keep tabs on this to make sure children are staying on top of everything, but its essential that parents put their children in the drivers seat. Promote goal-setting. Setting goals is a powerful exercise that encourages children to think about school more intentionally and narrow their focus on what they want to achieve (and how they will do so). Parents and their children should spend time setting goals at the start of each new semester and writing down the obstacles and to-dos to overcome them. Its also helpful to get children thinking about what each goal really means to them personally by dividing them into short term and long term. For example, your childs goals for math class might be to stay up to date on all homework assigned (short term), develop and follow a weekly study plan (short term), and improve his or her attitude about math in middle school (long term). Encourage self-monitoring. In simple terms, self-monitoring is a strategy that helps students check their own work for mistakes or areas that need improvement. As students become more independent, they should be able to uncover clues when reading for information or recognize when somethinga series of steps in a math problem, for exampledoesnt make sense or seem right. Self-monitoring strategies can strengthen this ability. When children do homework for each of their classes, parents can encourage them to ask these types of questions along the way: Are all steps in the directions clear to me? Does this make sense so far? If not, what part is confusing me? Do I recognize this problem as a similar type of problem that Ive done before? How confident do I feel about what I just read? I got that problem wrong the first timewhat can I do to get it right next time? How would I restate what I just read in another way? Step up the planner usage. Many children start using planners in elementary school, but middle school is when this becomes essential. With seven or eight classes to keep track of, children must stay organized, and its hard to do without some sort of organizational system and a planner. Explore whether your childs school has a class or program dedicated to helping students create a binder system for all classes and use planners effectively. At a minimum, make sure your child has a weekly planner and is keeping track of: Test and quiz dates Homework assignments each day (and upcoming deadlines) Other important dates for school (such as parent-teacher conferences) Middle school is a major time of transition in large part due to the elevated expectations for students. Help your child be successful by nudging him or her toward increased independenceand follow the lead of his or her teachers, who have this goal top of mind as well. Lay the foundation now and by the time your child reaches high school, he or she will be ready to face any challenge with confidence. About Huntington Huntington is the tutoring and test prep leader. Its certified tutors provide individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. It preps for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntingtons mission is to give every student the best education possible. Learn how Huntington can help at www.huntingtonhelps.com. For franchise opportunities please visit www.huntingtonfranchise.com. 2017 Huntington Mark, LLC. Huntington Learning Center, the three-leaf logo, and 1 800 CAN LEARN are registered trademarks of Huntington Mark, LLC. Each franchised Huntington Learning Center is operated under a franchise agreement with Huntington Learning Centers, Inc.

How to Set Up Professional Voicemail Inboxes

How to Set Up Professional Voicemail Inboxes image via Blitz Just like the importance of conducting yourself professionally in person and over email, you want to make sure that if an employer is trying to contact you, that they receive a professional greeting, even if you aren’t able to answer the phone right away. Here are some tips for creating that perfectly professional greeting. Short, sweet, and simple: When someone is trying to reach you and they can’t get you on the line, they want to leave a message right away and get on with their day. If your voicemail greeting goes on for minutes on end, chances are they aren’t going to stick around until they hear the beep. You don’t need to have your whole life story in your voicemail greeting, you just basically need them to know that they reached the right person and that you will be getting back to them as soon as you can. This is the part where people like to get funny, maybe by saying, “hey, Im out and definitely avoiding you,” which is funny if your friends are calling, but not if someone you want to work for is trying to reach you. You don’t need to say why you cant answer or where you might be, you simply need to say your full name, that you are sorry you can’t come to the phone, and that you will get back to them as soon as you can. Practice: Before you officially pick a greeting, why not practice on making your voice even and understandable? I know that my voice rises when I speak on the phone, and I tend to speak faster, so I practice in the mirror to slow down my voice and make sure that I am speaking as naturally as I can. It may sound silly, but the tone in which you say something can either play the professional status up, or it can bring it down. You can’t change what your voice naturally sounds like, but you can work on controlling it to make sure you sound calm and collected when recording your message. If you aren’t sure, have a friend listen to it and give you pointers. It’s always disorienting listening to your own voice, so you might not be able to catch if you sound weird because you’re hearing your voice or because you are actually speaking in a strange manner, but someone who knows you well will be able to clear it right up. Be inviting: Your message should sound inviting and happy, so the person leaving the message doesn’t get scared off. Don’t be unnaturally over the top happy that they are leaving you a message, but definitely try and get a happy tone into your message, and show them that you value their time and the fact that they are leaving you a message. A good way to do this is to maybe add, “Have a wonderful day” at the end of the greeting. It’s short, so it won’t contradict the first point, and it makes the message more personal. Another form of contact: This is optional, but you can also leave another form of contact on your voicemail, like an email, that the employer who is calling can utilize. This will show that you want to get back to them as quickly as possible, and you are giving them multiple ways to do so. This isn’t necessary, but can be a good step if you want to squeeze a little more into the voicemail without going overboard. Okay, so what does it look like when you put all the steps together?: Example: “Hello, you have reached Megan N. Turner. I’m sorry that I can’t get to the phone at the moment. If you would please leave your name, best way to reach you, and your message after the tone, I will get back to you as soon as possible. Feel free to also shoot me an email at mturner@gmail.com. I look forward to speaking with you. Thank you and have a wonderful day!” Let’s look at another one: “Hello, you have reached Mark Hannel, content writer at Uloop News. My apologies for missing your call. I will be happy to get back to you as soon as I am able. Please leave me your name, number, and a brief message, and you’ll be hearing back from me shortly. Thanks and have a great day!” These of course are very basic templates. Feel free to make your voicemail fit you just keep it professional. Good luck!