Educating our children is such an important, yet difficult decision we face every year.  The decision for them to go to national schools, international schools, or be home-schooled should always be made prayerfully, considering and weighing all the factors.  It is a decision that we as parents need to make on a year-by-year, child-by-child basis.  One size does not fit all!  There is no perfect school. I know that this is not news to any of you; however, I want you to be encouraged.  When you’ve weighed all the factors for next year’s schooling decision, talked about it, prayed about it and made the decision, don’t wonder later if you really messed up big!  Yes, there are advantages and disadvantages in every school option.  There is no perfect system.  God is using your child’s years of education (in whatever form) to shape him (or her) for the future He has for him.  God knows your child and sees what He desires your child to become and will direct your steps as you make decisions for your child.  You ask, “What if I don’t hear God right?  What if I have really screwed things up by making the wrong choice?”  Well, Romans 8:28 does NOT say that God works all things for the good of those who listen correctly, obey immediately, never make a mistake.  Praise the Lord for that!  It says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”  He works things out for our good and our children’s good because HE LOVES us and because HE CALLED us, and because HE has a purpose and a plan.  Isn’t that good news?  So, this week when you doubt the decision you made last year, rest in this promise.  Re-evaluate what you will do next year, make a decision, and then rest on His promise to us!                   –Delana S

Hundreds of children and parents have found an excuse not to go to school or work, with the ocassion of World Day of Book of Records – day when all over the world recordman are trying to beat new… records.

One of the most bizarre records at this year’s edition was the longest human domino – 244 children from São Lourenço International School in Portugal have succeeded this performance on the football stadium in Faro Algarve. The previous record was held by an 121 man domino.

45 million school age children in the India have learning problems that public and private schools can’t solve. There are 72,000 special education students in LAUSD, alone. Every day these students sit unhappily in class, losing hope of ever realizing their dreams. Students are living in pain and shame. They are not learning to be successful students.

Their parents are frustrated in their attempts to find suitable education for their child. They’ve tried working through the public schools. They have hired tutors. Parents are calling for real solutions.

In order to thrive, these students need special educational methods that address their unique profile of strengths and needs. But even more importantly, these children require a new mindset of success.

Educational therapy offers help and hope to children and adults with learning challenges such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and learning disabilities. Educational therapy is an appropriate and highly successful approach to helping students of all ages achieve their maximum potential.

Educational therapists use state of the art educational programs and methods that have been proven to teach students with learning problems the skills they require to be successful. Educational therapy shows students how to overcome their learning problems and lead successful lives.

All throughout the school years, foundations for future success are laid down. Not only are students learning essential skills such as reading, they are also learning to value education. But most importantly, they are learning to believe that they are successful students!

When students experience repeated frustration and failure, they develop self-doubt along with dislike or distrust of educational experiences. These negative views influence how much students can learn, at every level from elementary school through college!

Special needs students experience three major problems with learning:

Teachers and tutors use the same methods for every child. Children are unique and each learns in his or her own way. Teachers and tutors usually do not understand how to modify their approach to address different learning styles.

Teachers and tutors only teach subject matter. Students who experience repeated academic failure lack the underlying foundational skills to be successful students. They often don’t know the best study methods, how to manage their time, or what the real secrets are to academic success.

Teachers and tutors do not address the root cause of continued academic failure—learned helplessness. When students experience failure after failure, they develop a mindset that they are “stupid” and “can’t learn.” They give up on ever being a good student! But, when students believe they can succeed, they begin to try. When they believe they can learn, they begin to study. When they believe they can have impressive futures, they make powerful choices. Students have the right to believe in their innate intelligence and skill!

Educational therapists generally begin their professional careers in special education, child development or counseling. The Association of Educational Therapists is the national professional organization that sets the training standards for educational therapists. There are three levels of membership in the Association of Educational Therapists: Associate Professional (introductory level), Professional (experienced), Board Certified (seasoned).

According to the Association of Educational Therapists: “Regardless of previous background, all Professional members of the Association of Educational Therapists (AET) have met rigorous professional requirements in the academic areas of elementary and/or secondary education, child development, educational assessment, learning theory, learning disabilities, and principles of educational therapy. All members have a B.A. degree and are required to hold a Masters Degree or equivalent in post-BA course work. They have completed at least 1500 supervised direct service hours, and are required to complete 40 clock hours of Continuing Education every two years.

Following is a report from The Dharitri:

Following report is from indiaeducationdiary.in:

The Orissa government and the British Council have jointly begun a two-day orientation training camp to impart information and telecommunications studies to the students through computers at primary and middle level.

In the concluding ceremony, school and mass education Pratap Jena said that the British Council has made an effort to impart information and telecommunication studies to the students in Odisha.

The state government will extend all possible cooperation. The students in the state will get an opportunity to interact directly with the children in United Kingdom through computers in this programme.

While 40 schools have been selected for the programme, in the first phase this education will be imparted in 16 schools. The schools which have their own building, teachers, computers and Internet facilities have been selected. Later on, this programme will be extended to other schools after creating the necessary facilities.

The students by interacting with UK students can improve their skills in English and their professional skill sets will improve, the minister said. Among others, the British Council’s MM Mukherjee, school and mass education secretary Bandana Jena and senior officials of the concerned department were present at the meeting.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

• This is a very good initiative by British Council and govt of Odisha. Each districts of Odisha should have at least two of such international schools. This can be done in collaboration with software giants like Infosys, Wipro etc.
• There are some International schools in Odisha viz. KIIT International School, and Sai International School.

So I’ve been wondering why Fredrikstad doesn’t have a proper international school. I know there’s FRIS – offering Norwegian language classes for adults.

But why is there no real international school like in Sandefjord or Bærum?(or Stavanger, Arendal, Trondheim and Telemark). An international school that offers primary, middle and high school education in English. A private international school.

Fredrikstad – the 6th largest town in Norway. Fredrikstad – the town desperately trying to promote itself as the ‘place to live‘ (they even give you a welcome package worth Kr 2500 when you move here) but yet the international school is on the other side of the fjord. In Sandefjord of all places? Why is that?

I mean … nothing happens in Sandefjord! I must be missing something because how is it possible that they get to have an international school and we don’t (read the envy in those lines)!

It baffles the mind! All this talk about having the best movie house in the country but nobody notices the shortage of teachers and schools?

Fredrikstad is approx a 1 hour train ride from Oslo (capital city). It’s even closer to the Swedish border, not to mention that it has stacks of tertiary educational institutions both in and around the town.

There’s currently a shortage of qualified teachers in the Government schools and there’s not much to chose from in the area of private education for primary and medium schools.

If Fredrikstad had a real international school then international companies based in Oslo could consider basing their international staff in Fredrikstad.

Norwegians with international ties could have the option of English medium instruction for their children. Foreigners could have the option of paying for Norwegian lessons instead of sitting around and waiting for their ID number.

So why has nobody opened an international school with English as the medium instruction? Surely Fredrikstad has the potential to provide for a successful International school?

Maybe Sandefjord does have more happening after all!

Holy crap, I thought this stuff only happens in movies! Shirley Lane, the principal of the kindergarten or junior school of the International School of Sacred Heart, and her husband Thomas, have been arrested for smuggling marijuana into Japan. They tried to have someone mail 5.9 grams of weed, stuffed between clothing, from another country. The husband also admitted to bringing in $100 worth of the drug to Japan, which he purchased in Florida. The police found small amounts of pot in the principal’s office and home.

Wow, I actually attended the school for a brief period in high school. Who knew the administration were more wild than the students!

Emily

Link

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sedikit banyak saya jadi tau psikologi &perkembangan anak-anak jaman sekarang…

bedaaaaaaaa banget sama jaman saya dulu [berasa tua ya?!hahaw]

berawal dari obrolan saya kemarin sama seorang murid, percakapannya kurang lebih seperti ini:

murid:aduhh capeee

saya:kenapa?emang tadi pulang sekolah jam berapa?*si anak bersekolah di sebuah international school di bandung*

murid:jam 4, setiap hari miss *ini adalah anak kelas 6 sd, jaman sy dulu kalo masuk jam 7.00, jam 09.30 juga udah pulang ;p hoho*

saya:oh gitu, emangnya full belajar sampe jam 4?

murid:enggak miss, setiap hari emang pulang jam 4, tapi siangnya ada tidur siang duluu, trus makan siangnya juga dikasih disana.

saya:ohh gitu *yang baru tau kalo ada pelajaran tidur siang juga*

murid:terus makan siangnya juga disana miss, tapi rasa makanannya tawarr, gak enak

saya:loh, emang gak boleh bekel dari rumah ya?

murid:ya boleh sih, tapi kan sayang aja udah bayar mahal-mahal *salut ni anak sd masih inget bayaran mahal,padahal orangtuanya yg bayar, info:bayaran disekolah ini over 1 milion/month.wew belum ditambah duit sono sini*

terus miss, kan aku kelas 6 sd…setiap bulan tuh ada liburan gitu..nah aku bingunggg

nah, karena ini terakhir..kelas 6 ntar disuruh ke beijing, tapi bayar lagi.masing-masing 20 juta! *waw..*-**

tapi aku males miss, takut.tapi kata papi harus ikuut *no wonders -.-’*

saya:terus klo di sekolah belajarnya bilingual ya?

murid:disekolah gak pernah pake bahasa indonesia miss belajarnya, pusing!aku kalo guru ngomong ngerti tapi kalo ditanya gabisaa, suka gugup gitu kalo ditanya bingung mau jawab apa

saya:emang bahasa pengantarnya apa di sekolahnya?english all lessons?

murid:enggak miss, klo english, monday untill thursday, sisanya mandarin. tapi karena udah dibiasain dari kelas 1 sd, ya jadi kebiasaan aja.

saya:terus kalo gurunya nerangin, kamu ngerti gak?

murid:ya terpaksa harus ngerti, jadi kan udah 6 taun tuh miss kaya gitu, jadi lumayan ngerti,,ntar smp juga mau lanjut bahasa mandarinnya, sayang kalo gak dipake

saya:mmh..

*ternyata ga cuma disekolah international aja yang seperti itu, disekolah negeri pun anak-anak sd umumnya full day school, ditambah les sana-sini, ditambahin bahasa macem-macem –kalo disekolah islam biasa ditambahin bahasa arab juga–…hmm bagus sih, tapi dari obrolan sebentar itu semakin memperjelas orang yang punya fasilitas kemungkinan untuk tahu lebih banyak tentang sesuatu itu jauuuuuh lebih besar dari anak anak yang serba terbatas, bisa dibayangin kan persaingan masa depannya mereka seperti apa?terus nasib anak-anak yang sekolah dengan fasilitas seadanya BAHKAN gak sekolah mungkin gimana?*

karena sekarang jaman digital kali yaa, dimana satu atau nol itu gak ada toleransi lagi…. *thinking* –apa seeeh– heheu

*semoga bisa jadi pemikiran bersama*

CMIIW

The day started with a bit of a splutter as fellow dormers started getting up at 5am. I had slept, we were all in bed by 10:30 (while the sun was still out) but sleep came in bits and pieces. I hadn’t planned to wake til 6 so I left them to it. Then I got out of bed had a conversation with the owner that I understood nothing of except for cafe. Whereupon, to my delight and bemusement, proceeds to pour coffee into what I thought was my cereal bowl. So there I sat drinking my coffee out of a bowl two handed as if a priest drinking consecrated wine.

The I headed out, filled up my water bottle at the church and was serenaded out of town by the seven o’clock bells. A brief sortie into the local boulangerie to buy pain au chocolate and un baguette in broken French and I was out of town.

I chatted to a few people on the route before the heavy breathing put paid to that. I wandered up through farmers fields, dodged clumps of bullshit, watched cows swish their tails, birds of prey soar on the winds and often I just stared at my feet.

The route is well signposted and varies from pathways through forests to roads. Everything is well marked with red and white swatches, yellow arrows or yellow shells. My travelling companions were varied but the most common spoken languages were Spanish and French.

I stopped every now and then to drink, admire the view or just take my pack off. The roadway rose higher and my earlier confidence gave way to one foot in front of the other slog. The scenery is fantastic, green fields, undulating hills, distant towns.

Hours later I strolled into the Spanish town of Roncesvalles to hear the two o’clock bells heralding my arrival. Seven hours start to finish – not to bad, my feet have held up well, the body feels a bit sore but the biggest problem is underwear that’s begun to chafe. I’ll have to sort that out soon or I’ll be making mince meat of my groin

Roncesvalles or Ronceveaux as the French know it is quite small, although that said I did take the route directly the Abbey rather than pass through town.

There’s a pub, a couple of restaurants (one of which I have just booked in for my €9 peregrino meal), the Abbey, a church and the Alebergue within which I’m staying. It’s the oldest pilgrim refugee on the route and looks like it once lived life as a church. The walls are roughly hewn stone, and heavy arches support the curved wooden roof. All that with the 100 or so beds makes it one of the most unusual places I’ve stayed in and at €6 one of the cheapest (at least in Europe).

In an hour or so I’ll go across for my pilgrim’s meal. No idea what’s in it, hopefully some carbs, but what I’m most looking forward to is the quarter litre of wine. Aside from my mince meat legs, today has been a good day, challenging, scenic, new experiences, friendly people, blue skies and fresh air. Tomorrow my biggest concern will be where to get breakfast. I could get used to this life.

– Posted from my phone

Arrived at Paris CDG airport – what an airport, efficient, clean, bright and, dare I say friendly, the antithesis of Heathrow.

The TGV station is in the same terminal (2) as Vietnam airlines so a short walk, a quick line up and I’d collected my tickets to get to Biarritz. I’m planning to get off at Bayonne to catch a local train to my jumping off point.

I’m now on the TGV which is comfortable, and in which I hear a multitude of languages being spoken. As you can see from the photo below my seat companion doesn’t look the friendliest of fellows. Next stop Bayonne,

On the connecting TGV to Bayonne I spot the first indicator that I’m on the Camino de Santiago, a backpack sporting a shell. The shell is an indicator of a pilgrim on the journey to Santiago de Compostela.

I’ve had a lot of luck with connections. At Bayonne a few minutes saw me catching the connecting train to St Jean Pied de Port. And then … it hit me … sitting on my backpack on the floor as if I was in an old sub-continent rattler I looked up to see pilgrims, pilgrims and more pilgrims. I can see there ain’t gonna be much solitude on this trek.

– Posted from my phone

Former Team India captain Sourav Ganguly today assured West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee of arranging Rs 50-60 lakh for relief to the Aila-affected people.

Ganguly went to the Writers’ Buildings and called on the Chief Minister to express his sympathy with the cyclone-hit people of the state.

After emerging out of the Chief Minister’s chamber, Ganguly told reporters that he assured him of arranging Rs 50-60 lakh for the cyclone-affected people.

He said he would contribute the money after returning from England.

He informed he would fly to London on June 05, 2009 to witness ICC Twenty20 World Cup. Ganguly had been assigned by the ESPN STAR Sports to give expert comment for two semifinals and the final match.

In reply to a question, he said he had apprised of a disputed matter to the Chief Minister regarding his proposed school at Salt Lake in the city.

The residents of CA and DA blocks of Salt Lake have been opposing construction of an English medium school on a 60-cottah land.

They said already there are two institutions Salt Lake School and Haryana Vidyamandir and the proposed six-storeyed third school- Wiffren International School of Ganguly- would cause environmental hazards and create noise pollution as the area is very congested.

Ganguly hoped the dispute would be resoved amicably.

Asb – International Schools In India
For International educational schools in India, there are high standard schools from ASB-India, an IB school for
International students.  A U.S. style school with dynamic educational program brings the Indian setting in the
multi-national community, offering quality curriculum, research abilities and an international outlook.

How international your school will be?

I wonder how people like demeaning themselves by following other’s tracks. It is okay if they really know what to do or where to go. At least, before we start doing things right, we need to consinder many things like the preparation, the planning, the agenda and the commitment among people involved. Doing things without good plans will be a step to disasters. This is my respond to the following link:

Rintisan Sekolah Internasional

International school has become a new trend in Indonesia schooling system. Despite the term of international itself, the trend seems to diregard all the impacts of the newly issued law on the establishment of international schools in many regions, cities and regents all over Indonesia. The question stated by a columnist in the Jakarta Post, I forget when it was, is: “How international your schools you want to be?”

Studying in other country can be a very exciting and unforgettable experience.  You meet new friends, explore unknown territories, and learn new ideas.  But it could also be the opposite.  That is why it is important to prepare yourself and plan ahead.  SpainExchange features simple tools that can help every students make the most of their experience while studying abroad.  Students can search for programs and various courses, the best international schools, participating exchange students, and different student housing accommodations.  And best part of it, it is easy to use, and it is free!

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There is no place like home.  But there is such a thing as SpainExhcange that offers you the chance to find the next best thing.  Your study abroad does not have to be boring.  You can spies it up.  Choose the field you are really interested in, find the best school, and select your lodging type.  But first, you must register in http://www.spainexchange.com/index-en.htm… Good luck on you study!