Most children today lack the understanding of why an education is needed in life.  Their parents and/or families do not stress the importance to them throughout life.  It makes me just so sad to see kids giving up so early and teachers being forced to pass them along.  As an educator I feel a responsibility to these children, yet my hands are completely tied.  It is making for some sad statistics for United States’ schools.  Check out some of the facts below.

Some people think that I just did not have enough drive or desire.  You know that old saying, “where there’s a will, there’s a way.”  The thing is that no matter how much will I had or how much desire, my life is not set up for me to be able to return to school.  Sometimes things get in the way and your choices are made for you.  The things holding me back from returning to school are countless, but the main things include my student loans from my four-year degree, my jobs that help pay those loans, and the fact that I have to care for my younger siblings due to family circumstances.

When I set out to get my degree, I was the first person in my family to ever think about going to college.  I was not given any help or financial aid, but I was determined that I would succeed and finish my education.  While I worked part-time through school to take care of most of my expenses, college is not cheap.  I had to take out loans that I am still paying on to this day.

To keep my bills current, I have to work, a lot.  It is not a boring life, but it is a busy one.  I work two different jobs, one full-time and one part-time.  I also do some side work for small projects that help out financially.  Maybe if I did not have other financial obligations like caring for my younger siblings, returning to school would work.

Alas, I will never be returning to school it seems.

You might be surprised to learn that Yoga teachers make more than our nation’s elementary education teachers — but then again, maybe not.  Teaching never was a profession for those seeking wealth or fame anyway, but if you were to apply your teaching skills to this very different context, you could possibly attain both.  Check out this infographic for more:

What most people forget to do when they are preparing themselves for college and making a budget is focus on the breakdown of the money that they are going to need for things that are not related to tuition. Although it is one of the most important things to plan for when you are thinking about college, there are many other factors to add into your final college total.

This infographic shows you the average breakdown of where a typical college students money goes on things other than school tuition. Would you have ever thought that the typical non tuition cost of college would be $23,010 a year? With a price that high you have to wonder where does all that money go?

1. Does your desired degree have an online program?  Not all degrees and programs are offered in an online program.  You must look into different schools and see if they have the degree program for you.  If you are looking for a human services degree at a school but it is not available online, you might be able to find that there is an online human services program at a different school.
2. Does the school’s adviser believe online is a good fit for you?  Make sure that you talk with an adviser at your school before you make the jump to an all-online degree program.  Advisers will be able to give you a better look at what it is really like to take all of your classes online so that you can make the best decision.
3. Are you a self-starter and well organized?  Some people are not able to get seriously motivated or stay organized.  If you are that type of person, then online classes will probably be more difficult for you than people who stay constantly organized.  This is not to say that you should not go the online route, but you should be prepared to make some slight changes in your habits so you can succeed.

Education is often taken for granted in the United States because it is so accessible. If everyone had to pay for a basic education as well as a continued education American’s might take their education more seriously. Without education so many of our great advances could have never been made. The threat of letting another country take over the educational and advancements of the world is becoming an astonishing reality. Check out these shocking facts about American education and dropout statistics.

The signs start going up, supplies is bought, your outfit is laid out and ready to go, you guessed it; back to school! Going back to school is anticipated and dreaded at the same time. Your so excited to start another year, see your friends, meet new people. But on the other hand you are not looking forward to long hours sitting in a classroom, the fear of mean teachers, and piles of homework filling your nights.

Although you may not admit it everyone has butterflies when they walk through the school doors on your first day. You look around and see everyone dress in their best clothes and have their hair and makeup (if your a girl) looking perfect! I have found that the  key to success on your first day is to find your friends but be friendly to everyone you meet. Remember it’s a new year anything is possible. Choose a seat that you are most comfortable with, but you don’t want to be labeled part of the trouble makers on the first day so pick wisely.

Don’t stress out if you don’t know anyone in your classes. You make friends in each class, and sometimes it takes longer than others. Just keep your head high and focus on your work, everything else will fall into place. Everyone seems to be worried about walking into class and having a mean or strict teacher. Teachers aren’t all the same and you will have some that are your favorites and others that you don’t care about but it’s important to remember it doesn’t matter if you like them or not you still need to show them respect and do what is asked of you.

For The Parent

The first day of school is often just as traumatic if not more for you than your child. Although the thought of letting your child go off on their own to wander through the halls and fend for themselves, you have to remember that they have to grow up and take the next step in life.

The best thing for you to do is support and build them up. It’s not going to make them feel better if they know you are worried about them. Although you want to capture every moment of their lives, try not to go over board on the pictures especially as they grow older.

Going back to school can be a challenging time for both parent and child, but it can be made easier when you work together and keep a positive attitude! Good luck and have a great school year!!!

Create a study space. Having a place that you can go to for studying and completing school work is vital to doing well.  You should feel very comfortable in the space that you create.  Also, you need very adequate lighting.  A desk is ideal for you to have a spot to work on top of.  In your study space make sure that you have all of the materials and things that you will need to get your things accomplished in good time, and still be able to effectively focus.  One great tip for focusing and even relaxing is to burn some incense in your study space.  Buy some bulk herbal incense so that you can always have help in being attentive and relaxed.  The smell of rosemary gives off an aroma that allows for concentration and relaxation all at the same time.  Remember, your study space is yours, so make it just for you.

Brainstorm. when you brainstorm ideas for projects and papers, you will most likely have more than one idea to jot down.  Taking plenty of time to think about what it is that you want to accomplish will give you the ability to chose the very best options.  When you know that you have chosen the best way to approach an assignment, then you typically will feel more more comfortable submitting it to your instructor with less worry over your grade.  Often, when you submit something that you did not take the time to really brainstorm, then you may get very antsy when awaiting the results.

Be overly prepared. Like brainstorming, you shoulds always prepare for classes and assignments.  When you take the time be be adequately prepared, you will certainly spend less time worrying about your grades and more time focusing on the tasks at hand.