the Most Vital Aspect of Your Education

Some great writers had access to little or no formal education. Herman Melville educated himself by reading, and Samuel Clemens left school at age thirteen. Louis L'Amour, famed writer of westerns, dropped out of high school and read great books as he traveled the planet. Hans Christian Anderson was self-taught by following the example of his self-educated father. Poet, Carl Sandburg, dropped out of school at age thirteen and Elizabeth Barrett Browning educated herself by reading literary classics and Shakespeare. Scientist and children's author, Beatrix Potter, never attended school.Some national leaders had access to very little formal schooling. George Washington, Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and U.S. President for two terms had little, if any, formal education. Abraham Lincoln enjoyed less than a year of schooling. And Abigail Adams, wife of second president, Samuel Adams, (and one of the more literate Americans of her time), was tutored by her grandmother and encouraged to read.Florence Nightingale, pioneer in nursing and hospital care, read widely and was tutored by her father. Colonel Sanders, of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame, dropped out of school in the sixth grade. Thomas Edison was considered by some teachers as too stupid for school and was taught by his mother at home. 

And both Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were college drop-outs.So, I ask you, why is reading so important? 1) All the knowledge necessary for life and for success is available. It's availability becomes mind-blowing when you realize that with the click of a button the billions of pages of the internet can identify exactly what knowledge you are searching for. 2) Step-by-step how-to manuals and instructors are easy to access, making almost any job possible. 3) If you want to learn to write well, there are now hundreds of books available that coach you in the finer points of writing in any genre imaginable. 4) If you need motivation and inspiration, there are books that can help you keep going when every atom of your being cries out that you cannot succeed in your goals. 5) If you're tired of mind-numbing TV shows that always seem to end up the same way, turn to the millions of books available for enjoyment and entertainment.Of course, this article encourages formal schooling for every child; it's available and vital for all nowadays! 

But if your children or students seem to be indifferent to reading or even hate it, there are ways to change that. Expose the children to a book that matches one of their interests, and you will see dull eyes light up. They will go after books of that sort. If you have to whet their appetites with read-alouds, you will know you've struck a winner when they ask you to read just one more chapter. We must assist children today in spending their multitudes of free hours doing things besides TV and video games. Find the books that will turn your kids on to a lifetime of reading!Steve Fortosis has a Ph.D. and is professional writer and free lance editor. He helps writers get their stuff edited and published. One of Steve's most important causes is child literacy. His website is dedicated to helping children learn and love to read.

Mistakes Parents Make In Early Childhood Education

Not reading to your children

If you don't read to your child, you miss out on several benefits. The first one being that you don't get the quality time that reading to your children will afford you. Irrespective of how many educational books you purchase for your child if you're not involved in reading with them, they will generally not benefit that much. Educators who have worked with children on a daily basis say that parents should be reading to their children at least twenty minutes a day. It doesn't matter what you read to your children as long as you're reading to them. The benefits of this will show later on in your child's life.
Not regulating their television use
The second mistake concerns the watching of television. Many parents let their children watch as much TV as they would like. You need to make sure that your child watches a maximum of one hour to two hours of television a day. Any more and this can negatively impact on your child in the long run. Also make sure that you make a point of watching these television programs with your child. Often programs showed on children's satellite channels or even on standard television can be completely inappropriate for children. Be sure to know what your children are watching at all times.
Not allowing your children enough unstructured play
While the benefits of early childhood education are important and deserve various structured forms of educational activities when your child is young, don't go too crazy. Making time for unstructured play in your child's life is critical to their development. There has been proof that parents who try to structure every second of their child's life can actually have a negative impact on them. Allow them to have freedom to play, discover and find out things on their own instead of just reading it up in a book or game.
Purchasing Books Beyond their age
While you might be tempted to purchase all sorts of books that can help promote early childhood education don't go too extreme. Try purchasing books with lots of pictures and bright vivid colors. These are the perfect books that can engage your child mentally.
By avoiding these mistakes you can make your early childhood education experience satisfying and fulfilling.
Melanie Thomas (CEO Melrose Kids Ltd) is a mother of two boys and lives in London, England. Melrose Kids Ltd are the official distributor of Brainy Baby® products in the UK and Ireland.
For 15 years, The Brainy Baby Company has been a pioneer and leader in flashcards, DVDs, Books, flashcards, Games and Toys for babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers. The award-winning line of videos, CDs, books, games, and toys introaduce educational subjects such as letters, languages, shapes, animals, art and music.

Ideas For Teaching Autistic Children

Throw in an autistic child with learning disabilities, and the task can seem overwhelming. However, the task is not impossible. By following some simple guidelines, you may be able to see a marked improvement. Whether you're a parent home schooling your child or a teacher with an autistic student in your class, these tips should prove helpful.The first thing you may want to keep in mind is that autistic children are generally very dependent upon routine. Rather than fighting this, it is a good idea to incorporate it into the learning process. In a classroom setting, routine is already well established, but it can be more difficult in a home setting. The key, though, is to stick to a schedule, and to not deviate based on convenience or other factors whenever possible.It can also be beneficial for an autistic child to learn in an environment that is as simple and uncomplicated as possible. Autistic children are easily over-stimulated, too many decorations or visual aides can serve to be a major distraction from the lesson being taught. An area free from distractions, loud noises and bright lights is what you should be aiming for.Another interesting idea is to incorporate multiple methods of delivery into your teaching lessons. While many children respond differently to different mediums, this difference is much more distinctive in autistic children.
They may respond best to visual images, so incorporating simple illustrations or symbols that represent learning concepts can be a valuable teaching tactic. Experiment to find the method of delivery that is easiest for them to learn fromOffering an autistic child a choice is another great way to get them involved in the learning process. Rather than presenting a child with an answer and asking him or her to figure out if it is correct or incorrect, present a series of options and let the child choose the option that seems best to him or her. This is a great way to create an interactive teaching environment, and to stimulate thought and cognitive response from a child. It is also a good way for them to feel more in control, lessening the chance of a frustration outburst or negative associations with a particular lesson or idea.A key point to remember is autistic children are extremely resistant to changes in their environment.
 Because of this, you should meet their expectations whenever you can. Introduce new ideas gradually. Introduce new learning methods when the child is having a good day or is in a positive mood. Adhere to routine as much as possible, as this is what your child expects and desires, and what will facilitate the most effective learning environment.It's true that teaching an autistic child can be difficult. But it is not impossible. It takes a little hard work, a little patience, and significant understanding of the needs of the child and the teaching methods and strategies that will be most beneficial to them. If you follow these simple guidelines, you'll have a great start on teaching autistic children effectively.By Rachel Evans. Sign up for a free newsletter for more information on autism. In the newsletter you'll find more information on teaching autistic chidlren.

Tips for Early Childhood Teachers

I've spent the majority of my teaching career in the lower grades, so I know how exhausting it can be to answer zillions of questions every day from the little ones who are so inquisitive!A few hints and tips for this special area of the school:Be prepared to be tired in your first few weeks, especially if you are teaching year one! The first few weeks of 'routine making' can be really tough on both you and the kids. I would highly recommend scaling down any out side of work commitments for the first month of the school year, for your own sanity - and so you can give your very best to the studentsIf there are any problems with the students in your class, you are probably going to be the first person to break this to the parents - so expect some resistance and try not to take it too personally.
When I was a brand new teacher I remember I had to deal with a little boy who wasn't learning at the rate of the others, and the parents became really defensive about it, and I got really upset. Learn from my mistake - it is not personal, they are just worried!Keep a good supply of tissues, wet wipes, spare uniforms and a mini first aid kit in your room in case of toileting accidents. I know this might sound crazy, but for children coming to school for the first time, they may not understand that they may need to use the bathroom at school (especially for a bowel motion) and accidents happen. If you have spare uniforms on hand, you can greatly reduce the child's embarrassment, and the parents will love you for being so sensitive to the needs of the littlies. Set up your routine as early as possible. Little kids feel safe and comfortable within a predictable environment, which means less behaviour hassles for you. Keeping things routine, organised and predictable is a great idea.

Importance Of Developing Movement Skills For Children

Failure to develop and refine fundamental and specialized movement skills such as hopping, leaping, running, striking, and throwing during the crucial preschool and elementary school years often leads children to frustration and failure during adolescence and adulthood. Failure to develop mature patterns of throwing, catching, and jumping, for instance, makes it difficult for children to succeed in and enjoy even a recreational game of basketball. Children fail to participate, with success, in an activity if they have not been taught and given the opportunity to practice and master the essential movement skills contained within that activity.Saying all this, it does not mean that if you don't learn all the fundamental movement skills during childhood you cannot develop them later in life.

 But it is often easiest to develop these skills during childhood. It is highly possible that if a person does not develop the skills early, they too often remain unlearned.There are several factors which contribute to this situation. One is an accumulation of poor habits from improper learning. It is much more difficult to "unlearn" faulty movements than to learn to do them correctly in the first place. Self-consciousness and embarrassment are a second factor. "I have no sense of direction". "I can't do it", and "my hands and legs are not coordinating" are some of the common self-derogatory sentences that children may use to comment on their poor performance which lead to their reluctance and resistance to become active participants in sports.

The third factor is fear where they have fear and anxiety about getting injured and of being ridiculed by their friends are very psychological factors that often contribute significantly to difficulty in learning movement skills later in life. This will also increase their chances of leading a sedentary lifestyle when they reach adulthood. Thus, it is vital for children to fully develop their fundamental movement abilities and a variety of basic sport skills as early as possible (Gallahue, David L. and Frances Cleland Donnelly, 2003).While there are many sports available to developing fundamental movement skills, Wushu remains a very unique and effective exercise to train the different movement skills for children since it focus on mind and body exercise that also focus on character building that instill self-discipline.

The Wushu exercise helps to develop the coordination, synchronization of the whole body movements in all direction which is very useful and help in enhancing quality of daily physical activities. Building a strong foundation in fundamental movement skills and correct posture alignment also reduces the chances for musculoskeletal problems such as low back pain and scoliosis in their later stage of life.

Keeping It Fun

Making the Wushu classes fun by using creative game-based concept doesn't mean it is easier and less intensive. In fact, the reverse is true as fun and enjoyment often prove to be a more intrinsic motivating factor which pushes the children wanting to do their best in a positive learning environment.

"In order to engage children to be more actively participating in Wushu as a sport, we have modified our training program by including more game-based circuit training to replace the traditional Wushu drills which often seem boring into something which is more fun and challenging" coments Diana Ng, senior Wushu coach who has years of experience in coaching with thousands of children.

Understanding what the children like to play in their leisure time is also important in considering the various games which to be implemented into our Wushu games play, where we have seen an increase in having more children who continue learning Wushu for a longer duration and able to sustain their interest.

The importance of Early Childhood Education is Incredible

Early childhood education may be fundamentally mentioned as "Learning through play". Recent research have established that early eight years in any children life are necessary time because during this phase their brain develops and much of its 'wiring' is laid down. The education experiences and relationships a kid has as well as nutrition can actually affect child mental growth enormously. While good early childhood education helps the brain to build up in healthy ways, improper education or study without experience other hand may affect brain increase in different manner. Therefore the experiences along with the learning on the child at the begining of years supports them in their entire life.Recent reports of early childhood education have even shown some remarkable success. It resulting effects on child motivation and learning power work for a while. Today where education happens to be vitally important role to learn in the society, it's not at all to postpone buying children education until they become adults, nor wait till they reach school age.

In truth early childhood is the central phase of life concerning a child's intellectual, emotional and social development. Besides this, an important indicate know is the development of mental abilities is at a great rate and high proportion of learning develops during this period.It's very important for any parent to understand that the child spends first eight years in realization of his very own identity. These include very crucial years when children achieve a feeling of self and discover ways to associate themselves using the people around them. They develop an awareness and behavior up to a point. For that reason it's a good idea that early childhood education through these years must be more focused on teaching children regarding the world around them through play and establish all the links. Moreover, many child development experts also agree that play is important in the learning and emotional development of children.

A play may be multi-facet and they often helps with educating different skills in children. In addition to this, education through play likewise helps them learn social skills, and develop values and ethics.Certainly, today partner's clothes wrong to talk about that early childhood education is key element that helps in creating a god foundation for child's educational success. Every child learns habit and form patterns who are not easily changed in the future. If parents and educators can develop productive early education patterns for the children for their charge, those children is going to be on their way to achieving great educational success. Deficiency of parental interaction during early childhood can negatively impact a child's development. Ultimately oahu is the equal responsibility of your parents and tutors to assure the children have a good early childhood education that may further assist them to develop their personalities.Early childhood generally encompasses the first eight years within the lifetime of a person.

The training given over these many years of a child's life plays a vital role so it helps in proper continuing development of children. Early childhood education may be fundamentally mentioned as "Learning through play". Recent research have established that early eight years in any children life are necessary time because during this phase their brain develops and much of its 'wiring' is laid down. The education experiences and relationships a kid has as well as nutrition can actually affect child mental growth enormously. While good early childhood education helps the brain to build up in healthy ways, improper education or study without experience other hand may affect brain increase in different manner. Therefore the experiences along with the learning on the child at the begining of years supports them in their entire life.Recent reports of early childhood education have even shown some remarkable success. It resulting effects on child motivation and learning power work for a while. Today where education happens to be vitally important role to learn in the society, it's not at all to postpone buying children education until they become adults, nor wait till they reach school age.

In truth early childhood is the central phase of life concerning a child's intellectual, emotional and social development. Besides this, an important indicate know is the development of mental abilities is at a great rate and high proportion of learning develops during this period.It's very important for any parent to understand that the child spends first eight years in realization of his very own identity. These include very crucial years when children achieve a feeling of self and discover ways to associate themselves using the people around them. They develop an awareness and behavior up to a point. For that reason it's a good idea that early childhood education through these years must be more focused on teaching children regarding the world around them through play and establish all the links. Moreover, many child development experts also agree that play is important in the learning and emotional development of children.

A play may be multi-facet and they often helps with educating different skills in children. In addition to this, education through play likewise helps them learn social skills, and develop values and ethics.Certainly, today partner's clothes wrong to talk about that early childhood education is key element that helps in creating a god foundation for child's educational success. Every child learns habit and form patterns who are not easily changed in the future. If parents and educators can develop productive early education patterns for the children for their charge, those children is going to be on their way to achieving great educational success. Deficiency of parental interaction during early childhood can negatively impact a child's development. Ultimately oahu is the equal responsibility of your parents and tutors to assure the children have a good early childhood education that may further assist them to develop their personalities.

Teachers Enrich The Lives Of Children

Even those who hold management positions will find that they interact with children on a daily basis. The actual job you can obtain within this field will depend upon your level of education. As with most jobs, the more advanced of a degree you hold, the greater the number of jobs you will be qualified for.An early childhood education degree prepares you for a career where you work with children, teaching them and helping them to develop into the responsible adults of tomorrow. Working with children everyday allows you to share in their creativity and their limitless desire to learn. Working as an early childhood educator, in any position, allows you the opportunity to shape young minds into future leaders.Graduates of early childhood education programs will find that they are prepared for a variety of careers in the field of education. The first decision they need to make concerns the age of the children they would like to work with. Early childhood educators typically work with children from the time they are toddlers to approximately eight year old, teaching them social skills as well as phonics, numbers, and letter recognition.

The most basic education in this field requires a two-year commitment. During that time, you can receive a certificate or an Associate's degree. Prior to applying for this program, you must have received your high school diploma or GED equivalent. These programs teach basic professional skills and usually lead to an entry level job.A Bachelor's degree in early education will take four years to complete. Often, credits earned from other schools can be transferred and applied towards your degree program. This is an important degree level for prospective public school teachers as a four-year degree is required prior to being certified to teach. This degree is a part of more balanced program, offering both education requirements as well teaching skills.A Master's degree program that focuses on early childhood education generally includes more specialized concentrations like technology used in schools or curriculum development. These degrees are typically awarded as a Master of Education degree (MEd) with an early childhood education concentration.

Many school systems base their salaries on a teacher's experience and education, while others require teachers to complete their graduate degree during their first few years of teaching.Salaries for early education professionals will differ depending on where they are employed. Preschool teachers, not including special education teachers, had an average annual salary of over $24,000 a few years back. A kindergarten teacher, who has a four-year degree, had a median annual income of above $50,000 for the same time period.An early education degree can prepare you for the many opportunities in this field. A teacher is instrumental in a child's development and future potential. There are several different degrees available for this career, including online education degrees, that range from a certificate to a doctorate degree. Early education degree graduates can opt to work in preschools or public schools, which require state certification.