Shopping Around for Colleges
Making a major purchase requires careful consideration, especially when what you buy will affect the rest of your life! In order to select the best school, college-bound students should put a fair amount of time and effort into their research. For families who have already been bombarded with college catalogs, the amount of information may seem overwhelming, but there are certain important factors to consider when choosing a college.
Size:
Does the thought of sitting in a lecture hall with 300 other students, listening to a professor speak into a microphone seem intimidating to you? Or does it sound like an exciting opportunity to meet lots of new people? In addition to the student-teacher ratio, there are
many other differences between large and small schools to consider when shopping around.
Location:
Rural colleges offer a pastoral, picturesque campus, while urban schools boast “bright lights, big city!” Which do you prefer? Also consider the distance from your home – if you’re eight hours away at college, it’s hard to jump in the car and drive to visit when you’re feeling homesick.
Academics:
The academic background of the faculty, the percentage of freshmen who remain to graduate, and how class placement and scheduling are handled are all important factors. When you decide on a major, find out as much as you can about the department, the faculty, and the courses offered. Your guidance counselor will be a great help in this area.
Social Life:
You can learn the vital statistics in college brochures – average age of the student body, male-female ratio, percentage of students living on campus, variety of student activities and organizations, fraternities and sororities, and athletic programs. However, the best way to learn about a school’s social life is to visit and talk to the students. Current students who act as “campus reps” often conduct tours of the building and grounds and can answer questions about college life. Students can usually get a better feel for the college experience from someone their own age.
Cost and Financial Aid Available:
Tuition, room and board, and other fees can add up to a hefty sum. Ask the financial aid office about the percentage of students who receive need-based financial aid, the percentage of students who receive scholarships based on academic ability, and typical financial aid packages awarded to freshmen. Also consider that state schools are much less expensive than private colleges and universities, especially for in-state students.
Admissions Requirements:
Many schools require a minimum G.P.A. or class rank, certain high-school courses, and SAT or ACT exam scores for admission. School counselors recommend that students take the SAT or ACT in the spring of their junior year. This allows time to retake the exams, if necessary, to try for a higher score. When narrowing down your college choices, consider the likelihood of acceptance and pick one or two “safe schools” where you feel confident of being accepted.
Additional Services Available:
These include tutoring, cooperative education and internship programs, career counseling, and job placement.
Use this shopping list to help you pick a school with the right mix of academics and social life for you! For more questions about finding the right college for your child, visit Huntington Learning Center.
Why Your Child’s Self Esteem May Affect Their Grades
If your child is a good student with a “can-do” attitude about life, he or she probably has the confidence to take on new academic challenges. But if he or she is insecure, the belief that “I’m just not smart” could lead to a cycle of failure and frustration. Here are some tips for building the kind of confidence your child needs to succeed academically – and for appropriately acknowledging progress along the way:
The early years. From your baby’s first steps to the learning of the alphabet, the years before kindergarten are full of challenges. Children who are generously praised for these accomplishments internalize the message that “I’m smart” and develop a sense of capability and a desire to learn and do more. So it’s important to catch your son or daughter “being good” and praise that behavior. Building self-esteem in the home will instill self-confidence as he or she heads off to school.
Elementary school. As your child moves through elementary school, being well-organized, cooperating with others and doing neat and careful work will all have a direct impact on academic success. For this reason, you should nurture – and praise – your child’s willingness to keep his bedroom tidy and his ability to overcome conflicts with siblings and neighborhood rivals. Carefully reviewing homework will send the message that accuracy and neatness are valued, and will help your child build the confidence that comes with well-presented work.
Middle school. In middle school, your child will face complicated academic challenges while grappling with peer pressure and a desire for independence. Middle school is also a critical academic juncture for students who are struggling – a time when many basically give up on their dreams of graduation and higher education.
For these reasons, it’s important to pay special attention to self-esteem issues and academic performance during this period. Be alert to any signs that your child is being bullied or is having trouble making friends (visit www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov) to learn what to look for and how to respond). Help your child discover special talents that can boost self-esteem by taking advantage of extra-curricular opportunities through the school or your community. And pay special attention to test scores and report cards for any signs that your child is falling behind.
Secondary school. From the first romantic break-up, to not making the soccer team, the teen years can wreak havoc on your child’s self-image. You can help your child get past these disappointments by continuously reinforcing the understanding that “there really is life after high school.” Talk with your child about how you overcame your own setbacks, and look for frequent occasions to call attention to your child’s real talents.
Once your child has a restored faith in the future, it will be easier to get back to the books and concentrate on being a good student – which will build the kind of well-deserved self-esteem that will carry over to success in college and in life.
Article provided by Huntington Learning Center, which has been helping children succeed in school for more than 30 years. For more information about Huntington, call 1-800 CAN LEARN.
Happy Birthday Holly!
January 13, 2010 by admin
Filed under From the Editors
Happy Birthday to my sweet friend, Holly!
I met Holly about 2 years ago and my life has never been the same. No really, I can say that in full honesty. Holly – you do so much for Burb Mom and this site wouldn’t be the same exist without you! Enjoy your day (you better since 1/2 of it will be spent with me)!
Please come by or go by her personal blog and wish Holly a happy day!
From Holly: If you missed the Burb Mom header and background change on my birthday, this is what it looked like:
I nearly died of laughter when I opened up Burb Mom on the 13th. Thanks Shauna for the good birthday laugh!
Relax with Burb Mom
December 28, 2009 by admin
Filed under cheap, free & easy, feature
A few months ago I met an amazing Massage Therapist, Tina Kounalis, here in Flower Mound. She is from Boulder, CO and has been practicing 
alternative medicine over ten years. Tina is wonderfully thorough with her clients & I don’t think I could have left her office more relaxed.
Here is a little bit of Tina’s background: she studied at Healings Spirits Massage School and her background includes Aromatherapy, Nutrition and Exercise Science. Her modalities are deep tissue, shiatsu, Swedish, Reflexology, prenatal and hot stones. Treatments are specifically designed for each individuals needs.
Why get a Massage?
~To increase circulation, remove lactic acid and allow new energy and nutrients
to flow through the body and relieve unwanted tension.
~To relax so much you let go of stress and become energized and uplifted!
~Boost your immune system by getting rid of toxins in the tissues.
~Prevent injuries by having freely movable muscles, tendons, and joints.
~For an even deeper relaxation of the whole body core add hot stones it’s a
wonderful experience and very nurturing.
~Plants pure essential oils balance the mind and charkas to relieve tension,
stress and pain for a pure healing treatment.
SPECIAL OFFERS:
First-time visit one-hour treatment only $45.00
Or
Buy a massage gift for your loved one and get yours half off!
(Regular rate $65.00 an hour)
We are excited to offer one of our readers a FREE massage from Tina! All you have to do is leave a comment telling us why you need a massage! **One entry per person per day** Sorry, this drawing has closed. Our winner was Candace from Mama Mia – we can’t wait to hear how your massage was! Contact Tina (972-345-9181) & she will know who you are!
Give Tina a call and let her know the ladies at Burb Mom sent you!
Tina Marie Kounalis, LCMT
2628 Long Prairie Rd.
Flower Mound, TX, 75022
972-345-9181
Helping your Child Pay Attention
December 23, 2009 by admin
Filed under Inspiration, feature
Teachers and parents often tell children to “pay attention” because they realize that students will not remember information unless they stay focused on the task at hand.
The ability to
focus your attention may seem simple to you, but paying attention is a skill and, like all skills,
it may be learned. Many students have never learned how to block out distractions and direct
their thoughts and energies. Parents can help children improve their ability to concentrate by
teaching them a few simple techniques:
1. Use Positive Images and “Self-Talk”
Many people can improve their attention span by controlling the images they have in their
mind’s eye. For example, when runners are halfway through a race, they may picture the
victory of crossing the finish line; or dieters may imagine a slim new appearance when
tempted by ice cream cone. These images help keep attention focused on a difficult task.
“Self-talk” is similar to this – you give yourself a mental “pep talk.” A child might tell
himself, “I know I am getting distracted, but I can fight it. I will study for another half-hour
and then take a break.” Children can use both “self-talk” and images to direct their attention
away from distractions and toward the task at hand, whether it is homework, classwork or a
test.
2. Ask Questions
Another way to direct attention is to ask questions while studying. Some general questions
you can suggest your children ask themselves are…” What is this paragraph about? Who did
what and why? What is the evidence that supports the main idea? Is this true or false, and
why?” Asking themselves questions serves two purposes. First, it helps students bring their
wandering attention back to the task at hand. Second, it helps them keep their attention on
the task.
3. Set Specific Goals
One activity that often improves attention is to give your children specific goals to work
toward as they study or read an assignment. The goal you set will depend, of course, on
the lesson and on your children’s ages. You might want them to study until they can tell
you the main idea of a paragraph, until they can solve a specific problem or until they learn
the specific names, dates and places mentioned in the text. When setting studying goals,
remember that many small goals, presented one after another, are better than a single large
one. As your children become more used to using specific goals to guide their studying,
you can ask them to construct some of these goals themselves. Encourage them to divide
their study tasks into small segments, with a goal for each. (“I will read this section until I
understand its main point. Then I will go on to the next section.”)
These three strategies – positive images and “self-talk”, questions related to the task, and
specific study goals – will help your children develop better skills for paying attention to their
school work and will get you directly involved in helping them to succeed!
Article provided by Huntington Learning Center, which has been helping children succeed in school for more than 30 years. For more information about Huntington, call 1-800 CAN LEARN.
Shauna: I made dinner for my family – Shocking.
December 21, 2009 by admin
Filed under From the Editors
Yesterday, I made fajitas from scratch. I literally cut the meat into strips – marinaded it all day – cooked it – then threw it all in the trash. That is not good. I took a few pictures of the whole event but decided to scrap them when the meal ended up in the trash.
But tonight. Yes – tonight was a different story.
I started with this. It is pork in a frying pan.
Macy did a little of this: stirring and smiling.
Which progressed to this: Pork on top of stirred potato concoction
I was determined to get a finished product picture since the fajitas were a disaster. I promise you that I couldn’t grab my camera fast enough…
Pork on top of creamy potatoes. Delish. I bet you want a recipe. I grabbed it from this weekly menu website – check it out!
Parent Teacher Conference Suprise
I semi-dread parent teacher conferences and let me explain why:
1. My communication profile is different than that of a teacher for the most part. I just talk different, if that sentence was confusing to you. I got a large dose of sarcastic from the Communication Fairy and that just doesn’t blend well with most kindergarten teachers (or a lot of other people for that matter).
2. I adore my kids & even though I can laugh off most of their mishaps on my blog – it makes me sad to think that someone else would notice their mishaps/struggles,etc. I feel a little mother-bearish when I walk into their school.
3. Like many moms – I take on my kids academic struggles as something of a failure on my part. NOTE: I am so much better at this than I have been in the past…but it still creeps in sometimes.
Anyhow – all of that being said – my kids’ teachers are wonderful! Their progress is amazing. They are both well behaved at school. Nothing but goodness from the PT Conference.
And here is the best part…an excerpt from Mackenzie’s journal….
Supercalifragilistic expialidocious – Overcoming Word Confusion
There’s nothing that distracts a grammar fanatic, or a child’s teacher, more from the content of a paper than grammatical errors. Like spelling errors, these are slips that almost anyone can make. However, in a school environment, they should not survive the careful proofreading that teachers expect before students turn in their papers. Here are some of the most common mistakes that irritate instructors everywhere, bookmark this post or print it out, for handy reference in the future!
Affect & Effect: Use affect (a verb) when expressing the action that means “to influence” or “have an impact upon.” Don’t confuse it with either the noun form of effect, which means “result,” or with the verb form of effect, which means “produce a result.” The speech had a strong effect (impact) on all of us. Her tearful reply affected (had an influence on) us even more.
Already & All Ready: Use already as an adverb to show that something has happened previously. Use all ready to give emphasis to “being set.” We were all ready (all set) to give up hope when we learned that he had already (it has happened) arrived.
Capitol & Capital: Use capitol in two situations only: one, when you are referring to the Capitol building in Washington, DC; two whenever you mention any of the buildings in which state legislatures conduct their business. In all other situations, use capital.
It’s & Its: Use it’s as a contraction for “it is” (and be careful where you stick the apostrophe). Use its without an apostrophe-as the possessive form of it. Just as there are no apostrophes in the possessive pronouns my, his, hers, ours, yours or theirs, you don’t need one for its. It’s (it is) too early to tell how the plan will turn out and what its (possessive) impact will be on the future.
Lie & Lay: Use lie to express the act of reclining, resting or simply sitting somewhere. Use lay to express the act of setting something down. Be careful about how you express the past tense of each word-lay becomes laid and lie becomes lay! Lay (set) that toy down, go into the bedroom and lie (recline) down on the bed.
Lose & Loose: Use lose to indicate that you can’t find something or that you’ve failed. Use loose when something is slack or not fitted properly. Did you lose (misplace) your loose (baggy) pants on the camping trip?
Marital & Martial: Marital relates to marriage. Martial relates to military matters. Spellcheck will never catch this mistake! She has been able to put up with the marital (marriage) problems by becoming a martial (military) arts expert.
Principal & Principle: Use principle when referring to things you should believe in or follow-rules or standards of behavior. Use principal when referring to either people (the principal of a school or the principals in a company) or money (the principal on a loan). As an adjective, use principal to indicate prominence or importance.
Than & Then: Use than to connect the two parts of a comparison. Use then to denote a point in time. He was more ambitious four years ago than (comparison) he is today. Back then (when), however, he wasn’t interested in Lisa.
Their, There & They’re: Use their as the possessive form of they, there as an adverb that means the opposite of here, and they’re as a contraction of they are. Based on our conversations, there is every reason to believe that they’re going to give us their full cooperation.
Article provided by Huntington Learning Center, which has been helping children succeed in school for more than 30 years. For more information about Huntington, call 1-800 CAN LEARN.
Picking a Preschool: Brilliance Academy in Addison
Picking the right preschool for your child can be a stressful and complicated process. I have gone through the process about 6 times in my parenting history and every time was a pain. So many questions: Are they going to love my kids like I love them? Will my kids learn anything?
Brilliance Academy in Addison is focused on the five C’s of your child’s development: Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking, Character and Confidence.
Brilliance goes above and beyond with your child’s education by using curriculum based on a blend of three well known educators: Jean Piaget, Howard Gardner and Maria Montessori. They offer a unique approach with teachers from various backgrounds, nationalities and ideas. All teachers have degrees and are accredited (which is pretty unusual in a preschool). Two teachers have been at Brilliance Academy since the school opened in 1996, Ms. Maha and Ms. Ana. Teachers come here and stay so you get to know your teachers throughout your child’s career at the academy.
At Brilliance your children are taught how to handle real world situations as well as other languages such as Spanish and Sign Language. Extended care is also offered as a bonus to students, if needed.
If you are currently looking for a preschool – we highly recommend considering Brilliance Academy. You can visit their website at BrillianceAcademy.com or
Highland Village Local Author Day
November 12, 2009 by admin
Filed under To Do in DFW
Come on out to the Barnes & Noble in Highland Village for their second Local Author Day, where they host authors from the local area. There are over 20 authors scheduled to attend with books from many different genres including children’s, fiction, Christian, history and more!
One of our very own BurbMom contributors will be there – Tammy Kling, author of The Compass. The Compass is a life transformation book to catalyze positive change and guide people to access their dreams. Tammy’s books have been featured on Dateline NBC, The Wall Street Journal and The NY Times just to name a few.
When? Saturday November 14, 2009 2:00 PM
