An End And A Beginning

I know the title is a little cryptic but bear with me people. This particular post is going to veer off the "child" aspect and go more towards the "adolescence" aspect. In this post I want to talk to you all about my last week as a freshman at San Francisco State University because this is my last post that I am required to do for school. You heard me right I'm done! Now this isn't to say I won't be continuing to create blogs, it just means I will no longer have to follow a specific set of criteria in my posts. I will now have the absolute freedom to write about whatever I want. I will be able to be more opinionated, for those of you who don't feel my blog is very personal, and I will be able to switch my topics if I so chose too. However I don't think I will. So, let's move on to my hectic life as a 19 year old finishing her first year in college.

Finals Week

There's not much to say about the last week of school except it is probably the most stressful time in every student's life. Finals week is incredibly tiring and I'm sure I can speak for everyone when I say we all go a little crazy during this last week of school. Depending on your classes and the times when your teacher's schedule their finals it can either be the worst week of your life, or in my case, the best. Thankfully none of my classes had what I would consider real finals. In my biology class I just took a normal 100 point test, in my biology lab I took a 25 question test that was mostly multiple choice and true/false, talk about easy. Then there was my critical thinking class, all I had to do in that class was debate for about 45 minutes. In my government I did a take home essay that we got a week in advance. My last "final" for the school year is for my english class. For this final I have to finish 10 blog posts (this one is lucky number 10) and present a satire piece that I have yet to start. What can I say, procrastination is the only thing you really learn in college, but don't tell my parents that!

Stress

Since we are on the topic of finals and tests let's talk about stress. Stress can be positive, keeping us alert and ready to avoid danger. However stress can becomes negative when a person faces continuous challenges without relief or relaxation between challenges. As a result, the person becomes overworked and stress-related tension builds. This is why it is important for students during finals week to find ways to relieve stress. So although many of us think it's a good idea to have all night study sessions it's really not. Take breaks every now and again, get some sleep, watch a little Netflix (a college student's best friend and worse enemy) and most importantly, don't worry so much. You'll do fine! 

A New Chapter

This is the end of my academic blog, it has been fun and difficult but I'm ver glad that I did it. Over the summer I plan on continuing with this blog but some of you will notice it might be written in a different voice. So goodbye for now, and thank you for all of your support!

Childhood Disorders/Diseases

I know a lot of people don't like to think about their children being anything less than perfect but, we have to consider it sometimes. The best way to help our children is not by denying the  truth but embracing it and looking for answers. There are a lot of childhood disorders out there and yes they can be a scary thing but it's the jobs of parents to help make it a lithe less scary for their kids. But how can you do that when you're terrified yourself? Let's start with getting informed about some of the most common disorders.

Learning Disabilities

Dyslexia

Like other learning disabilities, dyslexia is a lifelong challenge meaning, children will have to deal with this disorder all the way into adulthood. It is a language-based processing disorder that can hinder reading, writing, spelling and sometimes even speaking. What a lot of people do not understand is that dyslexia is not a sign of poor intelligence or laziness. It does not result from impaired hearing or vision in fact, it is often genetic. Children and adults with dyslexia have a neurological disorder that causes their brains to process and interpret information differently. The result being difficulty in word recognition, decoding and spelling. However, with the proper support almost anyone with dyslexia can become good readers and writers.

Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia is a learning disability that affects writing. Writing is a process that requires a complex set of motor and information processing skills. Dysgraphia can lead to problems with spelling, poor handwriting and putting thoughts on paper. People with dysgraphia often have trouble organizing letters, numbers and words on a line or page. This can result from visual-spatial difficulties and language processing difficulties. Visual-spatial difficulties are when one has trouble processing what the eye sees. Language processing difficulties are when one has trouble processing and making sense of what the ear hears.

Autism/Autism Spectrum Disorder

What Is Autism/Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are general terms for a group of very complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors. Where at first there were different subtypes of autism, all autistic behavior has been merged under one umbrella diagnosis of ASD. 

How Common Is Autism?

Autism statistics claim that 1 in 68 American children are on the autism spectrum, a ten-fold increase in the last 40 years. Actually, autism is a lot more common than people are lead to believe. An estimated 1 out of 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls are diagnosed with autism in the United States making it four to five more common in boys than girls. ASD also affects over 2 million individuals in the U.S. and tens of millions of people worldwide. Moreover, government autism statistics suggest that prevalence rates have increased 10 to 17 percent annually in recent years.

Treatments

Because there is no one cause for autism there is no one specific treatment. However, there are programs and therapy that have been beneficial to autistic children. Some links can be found below:

Growing Minds

Autism Speaks

Autism Treatment Center of America

It's Time For School! (Part III)

We are now coming to the end of my "Which School?" rant and I can honestly say I've never been happier. Looking into all of this information is quite rigorous and stressful, especially as I'm preparing for my finals, but I do it for the sake of my readers. Hopefully I have covered all of the basics in the first two posts, but if not feel free to ask questions and give me suggestions for future topics. The final post in this school time trilogy is going to be about home schools. Most folks actually forget that homeschooling your child is an option but don't worry, that's what I'm here for. To provide you with a little more information so you can make the best possible choice for your child.

Home Schools

In today's society many parents are going against the norm and choosing to teach their kids at home rather than sending them to any sort of public or private institution. About 1.5 million children in 2007 were educated at home by parents or private tutors, or through online programs. Thankfully homeschooling is legal in every state however, each state does have different laws governing homeschooling. In every case states regulate home schools and set requirements just like other schools. Although oversight does vary widely, some states do not require notification that a child is being educated at home, while others require homeschooled students to have their progress evaluated in some way. In a few states, homeschooling parents must use curricula approved by the state, obtain teaching credentials, or undergo home visits by state officials. In most states families can create their own curriculum or buy educational materials developed for homeschoolers.

 

Why Parents Home School

There is never one reason for why parents decide to homeschool their children. Some of the top reasons parents gave for homeschooling are:

• Concern about the public/private schools' environment
• Dissatisfaction with academic instruction
• Religious or moral reasons
• Child has a physical or mental health problem
• Child has other special needs
• To develop character/morality

Three Important Questions

Before one decides they are going to home school their child they should think about three key questions to ask themselves:

• How will I teach my child? 
• You can either use set activities and specific school hours, or you can take the laid-back approach known as "unschooling." Unschooling consists of the child deciding school hours, subject, learning methods, and content material. This method is based on the notion that children learn best when they're ready to learn.
• What will I teach my child?

• Some parents create and teach their own curriculum, while others buy a commercial program. Curriculum programs specifically engineered for homeschooling include lesson plans, texts, activities and tests. Additionally, local public or charter schools that support homeschooling may offer helpful resources.
• Who will teach my child?
• It is true that many parents take on the task of teaching their children themselves, but there are others that recognize they can't do it all. These parents supplement their teaching by hiring tutors, calling on friends, or enrolling their children in select classes at museums, libraries, junior colleges, 4-H clubs and even the public schools.