Organic Chemistry Aptitude: Using A PSAT Organic Chemistry Tutor To Strengthen Your Subjects

Organic Chemistry Aptitude: Using A PSAT Organic Chemistry Tutor To Strengthen Your SubjectsA PSAT Organic Chemistry Tutor can make your school learning experience a much more interesting one. There are so many opportunities to learn, and each classroom could benefit from the assistance of a good teacher. A PSAT tutor could assist you in understanding different terms and steps. They will also help you with your problems could even be cleared out.Some students want to learn because they want to know more about their subject. A PSAT tutor would help you understand your topic better and be more motivated in school to excel in a particular course. You would find it very exciting to come to school to do your work.A strong sense of achievement and an excellent sense of discipline is essential if you want to excel in any form of learning. There are some students who have very bad experiences with teachers, but there are other students who have achieved great heights in life and have also ha d teachers that have wronged them.A good organic chemistry tutor will be able to assist you with an excellent teaching skills. With time and practice, you can enhance your learning abilities and knowledge. With a strong analytical mind, you can improve your analytical skills and turn them into a powerful weapon in your arsenal of strategies.Different students may find different things challenging, but what excites a lot of them are challenges. When you find a strong and experienced organic chemistry tutor, you would feel all the excitement as your classmates go through their studies. Learning something new is one of the most important things in life.Most schools offer independent study and if they don't then you can get the knowledge by going online and checking for courses available. Once you are well versed with your course material, you can then take these courses and explore different opportunities with your friends.After studying organic chemistry for a while, it is best that y ou start to write down your thoughts on science study materials and your mentors. This way, when you need help from someone, you will be able to look for assistance from a good school teacher.

How to Buy a Guitar All Your Questions Answered

How to Buy a Guitar All Your Questions Answered Megan L. Getting your first guitar is a super exciting milestone in your musical life! If youve never made such a big purchase before, you might have a lot of questions about how to buy a guitar. In this guide, well go over the basics so you know where to go, what to look for, and the extras youll need to start jamming out. What Kind of Guitar Should I Get? There are two main types of guitars, acoustic and electric. So, whats the difference between the two and what kind of guitar should you buy? Most beginners are perfectly happy learning how to play guitar on an acoustic guitar. The acoustic guitar is made of wood and has a hollow body, with a hole cut out underneath the strings. The hollow body of the acoustic guitar is what amplifies its sound. Youll commonly see folk singers, country musicians, and classical guitarists playing acoustic guitars. Electric guitars are the cornerstone of rock and roll. Youll need to buy an amplifier as well if you decide you want to play electric guitar, as these babies dont make much noise when theyre not plugged in. It is generally a little bit harder to play an acoustic guitar than an electric as youll need to press a little harder on the strings. Many teachers actually recommend starting on acoustic for all guitarists to build finger strength and master technique. The idea being that once youre able to play an acoustic guitar with ease, picking up an electric will be a breeze. How Much Does a Guitar Cost? Depending on what kind of guitar you want and where you go, you can find a guitar at any price point. However, as with all things, the cheapest options are not always the best. Just because you can buy a $5 guitar at a garage sale doesnt mean that you should. If youre just getting started on the guitar, you probably dont want to buy the most expensive instrument. Luckily, there are many affordable options out there for reliable beginner guitars. Yamaha makes some pretty good acoustic guitars starting around $150, and Fenders Squire model is a great inexpensive option if youre looking for your first electric guitar. Where Should I Buy a Guitar? Although you can easily buy guitars online, for your first guitar we recommend visiting a local music shop. Take some time to play or hold several different guitars and get a sense of which instrument is the right fit for you. Guitars can have wider or narrower frets, different sized bodies, and many other variables that might make one guitar more comfortable for you to play than another guitar. Try several guitars both sitting and standing until you find one that feels like it fits your body. If you have a trusted friend or family member who plays guitar, you might ask them to come with you to help you pick out the right guitar for you. Ask them if there is a brand or local store that they would recommend for you. Your  guitar teacher, they can also be a great resource to help you find the right instrument. Guitar teachers are very familiar with the special needs beginning guitarists have and can give you a good idea of what to look for in a guitar. Should I Buy a Used Guitar? For many students, a used guitar can be a great, inexpensive option, as long as the guitar is in good condition. Get familiar with the different parts of the guitar so you can quickly learn how to spot a good used instrument. If you choose to buy a used guitar, here are some things to look for: Is the neck straight? Hold the guitar out along the length of your arm and look down the neck. If the neck bows or curves, do not buy the guitar! Youll want a guitar with a nice straight neck so it stays well-tuned. Are the frets worn? If the frets are worn down so that some are higher and some are lower, youll have a much harder time getting the right notes and sound out of your instrument. Do not buy a guitar with worn frets. Is the body warped? Look at the guitars body and notice any bulges, dents or dings. Its okay if there are some scratches in the pick guard or a chip in the finish here and there. Small marks wont affect the sound quality of your instrument. However, if you see a bulge near or under the bridge, do not buy that guitar. What Kinds of Guitar Accessories Do I Need? Once youve found your perfect guitar, youll still need to get a few extras so you can get the most out of your instrument. Heres a quick list of things youll need to get started: Guitar Picks. Picks come in different shapes, thicknesses, and weights. Beginners usually like lighter, softer picks. If youre playing for speed, try a heavier pick. Guitar Strap. Your local guitar store should have lots of strap options for you to choose from. You can express yourself with a fuzzy leopard strap or go basic with plain leather. The important thing is that your strap allows you to play guitar in a standing position, which is important to practice if you plan to perform standing up. Guitar Tuner. Your guitar wont sound too hot unless youre able to keep it in tune. There are several different kinds of tuners, so you can pick the tuner thats best for what you need. Most beginners playing an acoustic guitar are very happy with a chromatic tuner. This type of tuner has a microphone built in and will show you what note you are playing. Guitar Case. Depending on what type of guitar you get and where you shop, a case might be included with your purchase. Hard plastic cases and soft fabric cases are both quite common. If you have the option, we recommend a hard case. Hard cases protect your guitar when you are traveling with it and also allow you to store your guitar in a safe place when youre not playing it. Amplifier and Cables. If youre buying an electric guitar, youll need something to plug it into! You can get a small practice amp for around $100 to $200, or spend more on a big monster stack. Just keep your goals and budget in mind and ask questions at the guitar store. Dont forget to get cables to plug your guitar in to the amp! Once youve got a guitar to call your own, starting private lessons with a great guitar teacher is the next step to success in your musical journey! TakeLessons teachers are available to teach one-on-one lessons in your home, in music studios, and online, so its easy for you to find the right teacher for you. Visit TakeLessons today and find your perfect teacher! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher You might also like Roadmap of the Notes on a Guitar How to Read Guitar Chords Play Thousands of Songs Using these Guitar Chord Progressions

How to Help a Poor Speller

How to Help a Poor Speller How to Help a Poor Speller For some children, learning to spell is incredibly frustratingand something that never seems to get easier or less confusing. The bad news is that spelling troubles are unlikely to go away on their own. The good news is that there are many things parents can do to help their children become better spellers, and as a result, better students. Here are several tips to help your child improve his or her spelling ability: Encourage mastery of the sight words. You probably recall the words sent home by your childs kindergarten and first grade teachers that you were instructed to have your child memorize by sight. Sight wordsalso known as Dolch wordsare the most frequently used words in the English language. Many sight words have irregular spellings and it is critical that students memorize them and know how to spell them. Make sure your student understands the different sounds that letter combinations make. Reading fluency is achieved through a series of building block skills, including understanding that words are composed of letters and word units and that letters (and letter combinations) make individual sounds. Your child should be able to sound out: Individual letters (consonants and vowels) Blends (such as pl or sm) Digraphs (two letters that make one sound, such as sh or ng) Diphthongs (two vowels that form as one syllable, such as au or ai) Help your child recognize word families. Once your child masters train, give him or her a list of other words that share the same ain ending, such as chain and brain. Guide your child as he or she plays with letter combinations to understand word patterns. Help your child memorize common spelling rules. Scholastic offers a helpful printable chart that summarizes spelling rules for ei vs. ie words, compound words, plurals, possessives, prefixes and suffixes. Once your child memorizes these basics, he or she will be able to apply them consistently and catch his or her spelling mistakes more easily. Practice, practice, practice. Provided a student has a basic understanding of word structure, letter sounds, common spelling rules and relationships between words, repetition is critical to master spelling. As your child studies his or her new weekly spelling words, try the look, visualize, write, check approach. If your child gets tripped up with the same words over and over, practice them in the same way you would if they were brand new spelling words. Spelling takes continued practiceand even adults can struggle with it throughout their lives. Frequent reading and repeated exposure to the spoken and written word are the best ways for students to acquire strong spelling skills. And when problems arise, early intervention is critical (as with all literacy skills). The sooner you can spot and correct spelling difficulties, the easier it will be for your child to become a good speller.

Four Things Students and Tutors Should do AFTER an Initial Tutoring Session

Four Things Students and Tutors Should do AFTER an Initial Tutoring Session Improving Academic Performance As we’ve mentioned, there are many things you can do before the initial tutoring session to get the most out of tutoring. After you have attended your initial tutoring session, there are a few things you should do to ensure that you retain all the information you reviewed. In this blog article, we will discuss four things you should do after the initial tutoring session. Write Summary Notes It can be hard to absorb the lesson content or test-taking strategies your tutor is reviewing while also taking copious notes on the session material during a tutoring session. Because multi-tasking during a tutoring session may take away from you absorbing important material or test-taking strategies, I would recommend focusing on the lesson content during the tutoring session. After you’ve completed your initial tutoring session, be sure to take time to write down notes about test-taking strategies, content knowledge, and tips that your tutor reviewed during the session when everything is still fresh in your head. In fact, as Dr. Barbara Oakley teaches in her popular MOOC “Learning How to Learn: Powerful Mental Tools to Help You Master Tough Subjects,” summarizing in your own words is a powerful strategy for learning new things in general. You are more likely to retain information by summarizing lesson content or test-taking strategies in your own words, than if you copy thin gs down word for word. Practice, Practice, Practice! The age-old adage that there is no better way to absorb, retain, and excel at something than to practice at it as much as possible still holds true today. It may be the case that you quickly understood new content that your tutor reviewed with you. Or perhaps, you were able to quickly absorb and apply a new concept or strategy in your session. Even so, you should still take time to continue practicing using the new strategies or content that you just gained in order to commit it to your memory. Some ways that you can practice using a new test-taking strategy is to complete practice problems on a practice exam. To commit new content knowledge to your memory, try writing out or summarizing the content knowledge, drawing diagrams, or teaching it to someone else. Make sure that you are engaging in “deliberate practice” when completing practice problems. Taking time to focus deeply on what you are doing, why each step matters, and when and how you are making mistakes, is far more powe rful than rote repetition, as noted by the American Psychological Association. Practice new strategies/content knowledge regularly, preferably on a weekly basis until you are completely comfortable with it. Review In order to retain new and old test-taking strategies and content, it is important to review them regularly. Set aside a few minutes a day, or 30 minutes each week to review test-taking strategies and content. Additionally, prior to each tutoring session, take time to review strategies and content so that it’s fresh in your mind during each tutoring session. This will make tutoring sessions flow smoothly, as you can dedicate more time to building on concepts and strategies, rather than spending a chunk of time reviewing strategies and content that you covered in previous tutoring sessions. Complete Homework for the Week It is important to come prepared to each tutoring session, ready to learn new content and strategies. In order to do so, make time to complete any homework assignments or practice problems that your tutor assigned you. If you are having difficulty with the assignment, make sure to jot down your questions and ask your tutor about them during your next tutoring session. Taking the time to complete these four simple tasks after each tutoring session will help to improve your retention of new strategies and content, as well as improve your test scores and academic performance.

Career Advice to Know Before You Graduate

Career Advice to Know Before You Graduate Image via Pexels 1. Nurture Your Resume: One of the most important elements of the job process is your resumè. In order to stand out the best you possibly can to potential employers, be sure to constantly and consistently construct your resume. Advisors at your campus career center can definitely help you refine, polish and boost your resume to make it attractive to employers. Don’t worry about the formatting being awful, not having a good amount of experience on paper, or the whole thing just being certified ‘trashable’, it is OK if your resume is a work in progress. 2. Dig Deep to Find Your Strengths: Many college students have a hard time figuring out their strengths. According to Raymond Tang of Careermetis.com, “Plenty of graduates, job entrants, and job changers only know what they are functionally good at i.e. being good at coding, filling out balance sheets, writing content, etc. but lack the identification of soft skills that are often overlooked.” Before you graduate, dig deep to find your softer strengths, identify the skills that you naturally possess- skills that will be attractive to potential employers. Advisors can help you identify these skills, and help you convey them to employers. Unfortunately, it is not enough just to know you have these strengths, you have to show them. 3. Learn How to Network Effectively: As technology has advanced, so has the increased presence of job opportunities on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Before you graduate, clean up your accounts by looking at pictures, posts, and comments that may not be appropriate and make you look better in the eyes of an employer. Second, search for your ideal job by using keywords on search engines, job sites, and social media. You can even look for people with similar interests as you in regards to finding a job! Doing these two things can definitely help you get on track to networking, but it also doesn’t hurt to reach out to your professors, join club organizations, and talk to classmates! Image via Pexels 4. Schedule a Meeting with Professors or Administrators:  For some students, it’s easy to build connections with professors and faculty in college, while for others it’s a difficult process. Regardless of it being ‘easy’ or ‘hard’ for you, one of the best things to do before you graduate is to meet up with your professors, whether they be from your freshman year or this current semester. Connecting with university faculty is important for because they can help guide your career search and they can also be apart of your growing network of people! Robert Hellman of Forbes  writes, “Even if you already have a job lined up, set up these meetings. You want their advice, and you want them in your network for subsequent career transitions.  Start building these relationships  now. You will be so glad you did in a year or two when you want to make your next move (or when your company starts letting people go in the next recession).” 5. Meet at Your Career Center:  Many students are under the false impression that going to a career center is an automatic guarantee of a job. While reaching out to a career center  can  help you find a job, it is not a lottery of job offerings with you having the lucky scratch-off ticket. With that being said, during your appointment with an advisor, expect them to help you narrow down career choices, pull out inner strengths, discover your passions and compliment those with your skills. This personal evaluation will help you figure out what kind of job you want and in a specific field! Post-graduation life is sometimes scary and overwhelming, especially when it comes to the working world. Sometimes things don’t always line up like they’re supposed to, however, if you do the work to create a steady path while you’re in college, navigating your career path after college will be a breeze. Don’t shy away from resources that can be utilized on campus and go outside your comfort zone. As always, good luck!

?? 6 Must-Have Qualities of a Great Tutor

?? 6 Must-Have Qualities of a Great Tutor 6 Must-Have Qualities of a Great Tutor Behind many successful students is a nurturing tutor. Mentorship is a huge responsibility and noteveryone can do it well. It takes a large amount of compassion, generosity, and commitment to begenuinely invested in someone else’s growth and help them make progress in the right direction.After all, when you are just finding your feet in school, university or kickstarting your career, it helps to havea guiding light â€" someone who challenges you, advises you and helps you chalk out your path to success.Apart from knowledge, there are several other personalitytraits that are crucial for being a great tutor.If you're on the lookout for a great tutor, here are 6 traits you should definitely look for:Willingness to ShareIn a nutshell, tutoring is all about sharing knowledge, insights and experiences, isn’t it? An excellenttutor is one who proactively shares his wealth of knowledge and skills with you. They are able toidentify gaps in your skill set and don’t shy away from sharing th eir wisdom and learnings in order topush you to do better.You wouldn’t want a tutor who is uptight and arrogant. They might be extremely well-read andexperienced but none of that matters if they aren’t willing to share it with you for your own good.Exhibits a Positive AttitudeThere is a lot of power and responsibility that lies on the shoulders of a tutor. A cynical mentor willgive rise to an under-confident and anxious tutee. Similarly, encouraging tutors will leave a positiveimpact on their tutee. Hence, your success is largely dependent on the attitude and approach of yourmentor.Having a positive attitude does not comprise of mollycoddling and ignoring pitfalls. In fact, a positivetutor will ensure you don’t lose hope and will support you through the ups and downs you face inyour journey. Sometimes when it’s difficult to look at the bright side, having a positive mentor by yourside, who can help you bounce back does wonders to your motivation.Good ListenerAnyone who has a one-sided approach to mentoring is doing it wrong. Tutoring is a mutualrelationship, with listening being a very important aspect.Listening comes from a place of sincere interest and commitment. When someone is actively listening,they are engaged and invested in the conversation. It reflects in their body language and the way theyrespond to you. So, ensure you choose a mentor who actively listens to what you have to say ratherthan one who merely hears you out.ApproachableThere can never be love and respect where there is fear and intimidation. You need to be able to share agood rapport with your tutor and not be afraid to ask questions in order to make the most of thismentoring relationship. Approachability stems from the fact that your tutor takes tutoringseriously.If you constantly find yourself running behind your tutor asking for their time or are made to feel likea burden â€" it’s time to look for a new tutor.Provides Constructive FeedbackConstructive feedback is one that he lps the person grow and do better next time. While sugar coatedfeedback never helps, it’s also important to not be discouraging and vague while imparting feedback.Giving feedback is a skill â€" your tutor needs to point out areas of improvement, substantiate withexamples and also help you find a solution. At the same time, you should never take feedback personally because a tutor with good intentions is always on your side. Without constructive feedback, there cannever be progress.TrustworthyAn effective tutor-student relationship is one wherein both the parties are honest and transparentwith each other. Find someone who you can wholly trust and count on. When there is a sense of trustand confidentiality, you will be able to have more honest conversations which helplay the foundation of asuccessful tutoring relationship.* * * * *Author BioAdela Belin is the Head of Digital Marketing for a New York-based company, with a passion for education and the benefits of tuition.

Kalamazoo Public Schools

Kalamazoo Public Schools Kalamazoo Public Schools Kalamazoo Public Schools is a district of about 12,000 students, the largest school district in southwest Michigan and the second largest on the west side of the state. Since the Kalamazoo Promise was announced in 2005, giving free college tuition for KPS high school graduates, KPS has improved its schools in a whole host of ways. We have gained more than 2,100 students since the announcement of the Promise, more than 1,100 additionally in the last four years after the 1,000-student increase of the Promises first year. We increased the number of kindergarten students in full-day kindergarten from 176 in 2007-2008 to 883 students in 2008-2009, to 944 students in 2009-2010. Full-day kindergarten provides an additional 370,000 instructional hours for kindergarten students in KPS. We have added a dual-language school, El Sol Elementary, and a middle school alternative learning program. Prairie Ridge Elementary School, which opened in the fall of 2008, was the first new school built in Ka lamazoo in 36 years. Prairie Ridge was awarded LEED Gold Certification, the first K-12 school in Michigan to receive this prestigious certification. Linden Grove Middle School, the second brand-new building to open in the past several years, welcomed approximately 700 students on the opening day of the 2009-2010 school year.