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Public Speaking Problems #4

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If you’ve missed the first three installments of this topic you can find them here (one, two, and three). Today I’ll be talking about another bad practice in public speaking. It’s an easy idea (certainly not my own) and you’ve all experienced the other end of this all too frequent occurrence. Do you remember sitting in a classroom, listening to a professor speak about some topic, when they finish talking about what they’d prepared but try to talk on endlessly about something you won’t even be tested on and isn’t really related to the topic of the day? That’s what … Continue reading →

Public Speaking Problems #3

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This is the third installment of my reflections on public speaking (here are links to one and two) and I’m going to talk about stories today. Stories are amazing little things that help us frame the world around us. They typically explain the “why” of an event through a logical construction of events. Why did the jar break? Because my little brother broke it. Why did he break it? Because he was angry. Why was he angry? Because our mother punished him. Why did she punish him? … and on and on. Public speakers are a peculiar blend of storyteller … Continue reading →

ADHD Symptoms Get Clearer as a Child Ages

Does your child have ADHD, or is he just “active”? This can be a difficult question to answer if your child is a toddler. As your child ages, however, certain symptoms of ADHD become easier to identify. This could be why some children are not diagnosed as having ADHD until they reach junior high. Symptoms of ADHD include an inability to sit still for long periods of time, a difficulty with being quiet, a tendency to have problems focusing on a specific task, with following directions, and with listening to a person that is speaking to the child who has … Continue reading →

Aesthetic Presentation

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When I was in grade school I remember loathing presentation day in school. I didn’t hate it because I was afraid to present (I wasn’t) or because I thought it was boring (I don’t think I did). I loathed it because some student would inevitably bring in a huge piece of poster board that they’d spend hours writing all over in every different color. That’s not so bad, you say. You could be correct. Most of the time, however, it really was that bad. The single thing that got under my skin like nothing else, the thing that drove my … Continue reading →

Some Signs That Your Child May Have ADHD

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ADHD is something that you have probably heard a lot about. A quick Google search will bring up tons of articles that mention ADHD. This is a neurobehavioral disorder that has become rather well recognized by doctors, educators, and the general public. As such, you may have heard a lot of information, and a lot of misinformation about it. How can you tell if your child might have ADHD? There are some signs that could indicate that your child may have ADHD. However, since many of these symptoms are something that a child who does not have ADHD may experience … Continue reading →

Speech and Debate in Homeschool?

I was bopping around the Internet this afternoon and stumbled across a site where the concern was raised that homeschool children aren’t introduced to the concept of speech and debate. Um, hello? Would this dude like to take on my twelve-year-old, or even my six-year-old? Kids come with a natural ability to debate. This is why parenting is so hard sometimes. And as far as speech-making goes, lemme tell ya … my kids could talk any professional debater into a corner and make them cry. But the question did raise a good point, which is that there are some aspects … Continue reading →

Elimination Communication With Older Babies

In a previous blog, I discussed the concept of elimination communication. Elimination Communication or EC is a way of learning your baby’s signals so that you can take him to the bathroom when he needs to go. It’s much more comfortable than diapers, and it involves a lot less laundry and expense. You also avoid many of the toilet training trials of the twos! However, hands up – who felt a wee bit overwhelmed with the very presence of their first child (or subsequent additions), let alone with the idea of taking this new being to the potty. Ok, probably … Continue reading →

A Completely Changed Life

After reading some of the forum posts by tmwhalens, I thought I’d share a story of lives and one marriage that has had more than the usual problems and every day hassles to overcome. Ron Brookman says when he first married he says ‘it was for all the wrong reasons.’ It was more about keeping up appearances and trying to subvert and hide his homosexuality. Ron had two children with his first wife. The marriage was dysfunctional and unhappy. After she left him, from time to time he visited places in search of a homosexual relationship. This was despite the … Continue reading →

Politics 101: More on McCain’s Platform

This is the last and final blog on McCain’s position on various issues. For those of you who are thinking that I highly favor the candidate–well, I’m not saying. But I will say that I will give equal blog time to the other candidates as well. I think it’s important to have a good overview of each candidate and their positions on various issues before you can make an informed choice on who to vote for. *Strict Constructionist–This is perhaps one of the most glaring differences between McCain and the other “major party” candidates. A strict constructionist philosophy essentially means … Continue reading →

Politics 101: Introduction and My Goal

“Okay kids, who can tell me whose running for President?” I asked my study group at the inner city tutoring center where I volunteer. “Someone named GOP!” “No, you’re dumb. . .it’s some black guy. We’re going to vote for him because he’s black.” The comments went on for another 5 minutes as to why you should vote for a woman instead of an African American or whether or not the old guy named “GOP” was an animal rights activist because one of the kids keeps seeing his picture with an elephant next to it. If these were little kids, … Continue reading →