Organized Students Earn More Scholarship Money

One of the sixteen traits of students who earn full ride scholarships to college is being highly organized. As high school seniors, it’s obvious in everything they do. You might wonder how they picked up these skills. It started when they were little. They learned them from their parents.

Parents who display organizational skills in their daily lives are modeling this essential behavior for their children. Students develop the trait themselves while they progress through school. A little organization goes a long way to keep on top of things and avoid stress. This is especially true when setting up appointments.

Have you ever wondered why you bump into teachers at the optometrist or dentist during the month of August? Teachers know the school year is a busy time, so they make annual medical and dental check-up appointments the month before school begins. This is what I did each year until I retired. Then, since I no longer had the start of school as a reminder, I made all such appointments during the month of my birth. I’m not likely to forget my birthday.

Any time I have a recurring appointment, like when my daughter wore braces and needed them adjusted regularly, or when I have my hair cut, I make the follow up appointment before I pay. I take out my planner and make the appointment even before I remove my credit card. This way I don’t have to worry about remembering to call, and I get a time that fits into my schedule.

Habits like being organized are picked up by children simply by watching their parents. If you want your child to do well in school, model skills you know they will need. Being organized is an important one.

You are reading from the blog, RoadtoFreeCollege.com, where we empower families with knowledge to navigate the path to higher education without the burden of excessive loans.

 

For more information, you’ll want my book, Free College, CLICK HERE . It teaches families how to help their kids become more successful in school, college, and life.

 

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Gifts That Help Students Earn Scholarships

I’m sure parents would like their children to earn lots of scholarship money for college. Even people with good paychecks would rather save their money for retirement than put it towards college tuition. Yet, most parents are not aware they can help their children earn more scholarship money while giving them presents for Christmas, Hanukkah, or birthdays. This is, however, 100% the case.

Anything that improves the odds of earning scholarships and grants is a benefit to the family. Why not dedicate money that would be spent on gifts anyway to help reach this goal? For children 13 and over, buy, wrap up and give them a copy of Sean Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, CLICK HERE (ad). If you can find it, also give them the workbook that accompanies the book. I kept 20 copies in my French classroom for students to read. Many borrowed the book. After doing so, 100% went out and bought a copy to keep at home and suggested their friends do the same. Pretty good results.

For students in the 11th or 12th grade, give them a copy of Free Cash for College for Dummies, CLICK HERE (ad). You know the Dummies series. This one is well done like the others. It contains step by step instructions students need to follow to find, qualify, and apply for scholarships and grants. It’s a valuable resource.

For children in middle or high school, find a large, laminated wall calendar for their room. It will help them become and stay organized. This is a necessary tool for success in secondary school and will make it easier to fulfill requirements and meet deadlines. These calendars are everywhere this time of year. You can find them online, in malls, as well as in big box and office supply stores. Buy packages of multi-colored erasable markers and a couple of erasers at the same time.

The last resource you need is my book, Free College, CLICK HERE. The book contains 16 strategies used by families of successful Full Ride scholarship applicants. These students were awarded such large scholarships, that their college education was essentially free. These tips worked for them, and could work for your children too.  

You are reading from the blog, RoadtoFreeCollege.com, where we empower families with knowledge to navigate the path to higher education without the burden of excessive loans.

 

For more information, you’ll want my book, Free College, CLICK HERE. It teaches families how to help their kids become more successful in school, college, and life.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no cost to you.

Photo Credit: Google Images

Most of My Students Did More Homework than Assigned

I know this seems unlikely, but it was true for my entire teaching career. I can’t take credit, however. My master teacher taught me this simple, genius plan. I taught a few years in middle school, but most of the time, I taught in a public high school. I used this plan when teaching French, German or English.

I assigned homework Mondays through Thursdays. I never gave students homework on Fridays, weekends or over holidays. They had a semester project to complete. They completed them during these non-homework days.

Homework for the week was posted on my website each Thursday. I uploaded the assignments during my conference period, after designing the lesson plans for the next week (which I also did during my conference period each Thursday). The assignments for each day were also posted on the whiteboard in front of the room. Students were used to seeing their assignments in this location.

Students could complete as much or as little of each assignment as they wished. They were rewarded for doing more than assigned. The grading went this way: 

Zero=Did not attempt the assignment, Check Minus=Completed part of the assignment, or it was late, Check=Completed the assignment as assigned, Check Plus=Completed extra work, in addition to what was assigned, Plus=Completed double what was assigned.

Homework recorded this way was not graded for quality or accuracy. It was practice on vocabulary or grammar. The work was checked to see how much was completed, this was recorded, and the work remained in the students' notebooks. There, it was often used as a resource. We went over it while students had their notebooks open to their completed homework. Then they put their notebooks away. We often had quizzes on these assignments. It was pointed out to students that those who did extra always did well on quizzes.

This was part of the incentive to do more than assigned, but there was more motivation. At the end of each grading period, I balanced the check marks, pluses and zeroes. If the student balanced into the positive, I raised his grade to the next level (usually just a plus mark). If, however, the student’s work ended up a minus, then I lowered the letter grade one notch (usually a minus sign).

Keeping track was easy. I used pieces of graph paper, CLICK HERE (ad), one for each row. I put the students’ names on the left, and an abbreviation of the assignment at the top of each vertical column. Where they intersected, I placed the symbol earned. It was very visual. Students and I could see clearly when someone had a positive or negative pattern going.

At times, when going through the papers, I showed a student his pattern. It was hard to deny when zeroes or minus signs appeared. At other times, students encouraged each other. This was especially true of other students seated in the same row. They acted as a team and cheered each other on to improve. Competition can sometimes be a good thing.

Once students are used to this routine, they catch on to the “tricks”. Since they know their homework in advance, busy and clever students work ahead. They’re prepared with their completed work on the day it’s due. Often they do so with double the assignment finished. This makes up for a day when they’re swamped in another class and perhaps can’t finish everything in my class.

I can truthfully say most of my students did more homework than I assigned most of the time. It made all the difference in the scores on their routine quizzes, their chapter tests and their final grades. I’m sure those grades made a significant difference when they applied to college and for scholarships. All this from doing as much or as little homework as they liked.

You are reading from the blog, RoadtoFreeCollege.com, where we empower families with knowledge to navigate the path to higher education without the burden of excessive loans.

 

For more information, you’ll want my book, Free College, CLICK HERE . It teaches families how to help their kids become more successful in school, college, and life.

 

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you.

Image Credit: Google Images