Greg's SHOES for Back-to-School
the Biggest and the Best Selection
Expertly Fit!

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favor by teaching him to
study efficiently.
Instead of just plowing
through chapters, for exam-
ple, many experts say that a
child should read the review
questions at the end of the
chapter, then skim the
chapter for key ideas and
words before actually reading
it.
Older students need to be
good critical thinkers as well
as good note takers. Help
your student evaluate and
analyze what he has read by
asking stimulating questions
and encourage him to focus
on key ideas and concepts by
repeating them aloud.
A consistent system of re-
wards and consequences can
prove helpful when pushing
good study habits. Work with
your child to develop a plan
he feels is fair, such as a point
system that offers extra
privileges when adequate
time is spent on study.
Not all learning takes place
at a desk.
Thus, parents should look
for ways to provide out-of-
classroom learning
experiences.
Some examples? Plan a
field trip to your child's
favorite museum or visit a
new one. Schedule an evening
at the ballet, opera, concert or
theater. Take a trip to a near-
by music or Shakespearean
festival. -
Even a visit to the library
can be a learning experience.
Schedule a tour of the facili-
ty, spend time helping your
child research his favorite
animal or hobby, or simply go
with him to check out a new
book.
Your child needs some extra
help in math, but you were
never good with numbers. Or,
Junior is having trouble suc-
ceeding on tests, and you're
not sure what to do.
Extra help is on the way —
in the form of private tutors,
schools and clinics. There are
learning centers that help
children prepare for test-
taking, schools that offer sup-
plemental instruction in sub-
jects such as reading and
math, and even workshops
that teach parents how to
help with homework.
If your child's teacher feels
he needs some private assist-
ance, or if you'd like to see
him do better in a certain
subject, you might consider
hiring a private tutor.
Check with your child's
teacher and school district for
names of qualified tutors who
can help your child while
keeping with his course study
at school.
Both parents and children
also may benefit from self-
help books such as Ron Fry's

How to Study (Career Press,
1991), Where Do I Put the
Decimal Point by Elisabeth

Ruedy and Sue Nirenberg
(Avon, 1990) and 1001 Ways to

Improve Your Child's
Schoolwork by Lawrence J.

Greene (Dell, 1991).
Sometimes, you probably
wish you could just do it for
them.
But, many learning experts
say that since children learn
so many essential emotional
and behavioral skills from
homework, parents should
strive to take an interested,
but back-seat approach.
In other words, don't just do
the homework yourself when
the going gets tough and
avoid getting in over your
head when you offer help,
says John Rosemond in his
book Ending the Homework

Hassle: Understanding, Pre-
venting and Solving School
Performance Problems (An-

drews & McMeel). Never get
in an emotional exchange
with your child over
homework.
What can you do? Clarify-
ing or reinterpreting direc-
tions, demonstrating or giv-
ing examples of a particular
procedure and reviewing or
checking work for accuracy,
clarity and adequacy are
some good ways parents can
do their part.
Since studies say the role of
parents in education is direct-
ly proportional to classroom
performance, you need to
become involved in the school
side of your child's life .
even if he's doing well.
Volunteering time in the
classroom to help with pro-
jects or to offer tutoring is one
of the best ways to be a part
of your child's at-school life.
Another vital area is
developing a good relation-
ship with your child's teacher.
Get off to a good start by
sending a note with your
child early in the year in-
troducing yourself and asking
what you can do to help.
Then, follow through by at-
tending parent-teacher con-
ferences, open house evenings
and policy-making meetings.
Everyone knows healthy
children make the best
students.
If your child is having trou-
ble in school, watch for symp-
toms of health problems or
learning disabilities that
could prove to be the problem.
Since their play is really
work, young students need
toys that promote learning.
Aim for a good mix of in-
teractive toys that teach prob-
lem solving, logical thinking
and inductive reasoning, and
toys that promote creativity,
social skills and pretend-
ing. ❑

Dreg

ORCHARD MALL

Orchard Lake Rd.,
N. of Maple

West Bloomfield

851-5566

SHOES

"Serving the community for 35 years"

EVERGREEN PLAZA

12 Mile Road
at Evergreen

Southfield

559-3580

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Teams and Auditions
for Scholarships
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in September
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681.4101

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Aug 28-Sept. 7

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exp es 9/ 7 i92)

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AND 1 0%
IF YOU PRE-PAY YOUR
YEARLY TUITION

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