Category — Homework Help

KnowledgePoints Gives American Idol Hopeful Temptress Brown And Other Deserving Youngsters A Hopeful Future — Offers free tutoring to kids with special circumstances

(Clinton, NJ) May 19, 2008 – By now – everyone knows the story of Temptress Brown, the 16-year-old student from Philadelphia who auditioned for American Idol.  While she did not advance to the next round, she did win the hearts of the judges and America when she revealed her reason for entering the competition was to help her sick mother.

With the worry and responsibility of her mother’s illness on her young shoulders, Brown has fallen behind in school.  When KnowledgePoints Learning Center became aware of young Temptress’ situation, the Center felt compelled to offer to help and extended free tutoring sessions to Temptress for the rest of the school year, through the summer and through her 12th grade year. 

There’s a Temptress Brown in every city, which is why Jim Helriegel, owner of KnowledgePoints Learning Center in Clinton is offering free tutoring to an area student who faces similar circumstances. “The sacrifice some students have to make to help a sick parent is admirable and we feel they deserve a chance for a good education,” said Mr. Helriegel, who also serves as regional president for KnowledgePoints in New Jersey.

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“Study skills are boring!”  That is what most students tell me when I first meet them. 

Boring!?  These are skills that can help them get better grades and spend less time on homework…how can they be boring?

Honestly, there is a good explanation for the bad rap that study skills have developed over the years because a lot of boring things are labeled as “study skills.”  Learning how to use guide words in a dictionary…a necessary skill, but boring!  SQ3R…a reading strategy with many merits, but leaves me asking, “Who wants to take the time to do all five steps?”  Boring!  Identifying the main idea and supporting details on endless worksheets? Another
important skill, but still boring.

There is a broader and more important role study skills should be playing in the lives of our middle and high school students, especially in our current Information Age, when we must prepare students for many careers and jobs that do not even exist yet. [Read more →]

I recently had an experience (in fact, I’m still floundering my way through it) that made me feel exactly the way I did when I was in fourth grade, learning long division.

Many students are now learning “new math” and are hopefully finding long division a bit more logical than I did as a 9 year-old.  Back then, however, we just learned a series of “random” steps that seemed meaningless to me.  I was horribly confused and totally overwhelmed.  I felt stupid and felt like the end of my world was directly in front of me because I was NEVER going to “get it!” Gallons of tears were shed over my math book that year!

Fast forward a few decades and here I am…tackling a new project that is, for me, almost as overwhelming.  Actually, it is just as overwhelming.  The only difference is that I am now putting myself through the torture instead of having the torture “forced” upon me. [Read more →]

I recently received an email from a parent who is desperately frustrated over the struggles her middle-school son is facing.  He has been diagnosed with ADHD and bi-polar disorder.  School and everyday life, she says, is a real struggle; he looses everything and forgets everything.  Like every other student I have met with these same characteristics, he also happens to be brilliant.

But, his mother says, “All I hear is, “I’m stupid! Over and over again…” 

Maybe he is.

There are several formal definitions of the word, “stupid,” according to Dictionary.com.    In my world, however, “stupid” is the word I use to describe someone who has talents, gifts, and skills, but is choosing not to use them.  Let me tell you, I know a lot of stupid people!

But, you don’t have to be one of them.  This struggling young man doesn’t have to be, either.  [Read more →]

As a classroom teacher, I used to hear excuses from a few students every morning about why they did not have their homework.  Most of them had to do with extra-curricular commitments: “I couldn’t do my homework last night because I had a baseball game.”  Or, “I had to go to my brother’s basketball game.”  Some of the excuses were due to family obligations: “We had to take my grandma out for her birthday last night.”  The best excuse I ever heard… “I couldn’t  do my homework because I had to go with my mom to get her nails done.” 

Many teachers would agree that the number one reason students fail classes is due to missing homework.  Creating excuses for homework lowers your grades and encourages a very bad habit for your future. [Read more →]

It is 6:00 AM…you have already hit the snooze button twice and  are dreading the morning marathon that lies in front of you.  Making sure everyone is dressed and ready for school is enough of a process, especially when everyone is bleary-eyed (and oh-so cheery) at the very beginning of the day.  Soon the chaos begins… “Mom, where are my shoes?”  “I can’t find my homework!” “Did you sign my field trip form?”  Everyone is scurrying around trying to get ready while you are sweating over being late…again.

Halfway to school, one of your children realizes that they have P.E. today, but they wore sandals instead of gym shoes.  So, after racing back home for the right shoes, you barely manage to drop everyone off on time and dash into work.  Fifteen minutes later, you get a call… “Mom, I forgot my lunch money.”

Morning Mayhem creates problems that last all day long…making students distracted with worry, teachers frustrated, and parents incredibly frustrated and exhausted.  This commotion sets a tone for the rest of the day that is very hard to shake! [Read more →]

Check out these great homework-help websites.

www.bjpinchbeck.com
www.libraryspot.com
www.school.discovery.com
www.kidsclick.com

We’ll post more as we find them, or if you have a good one post a comment and let us know!