I am the mother of a 5 and 7 year old. I am a conscientious parent so I am beginning to think about how to teach my children about “community service.” I want my kids to be justice oriented, aware and appreciative of differences, and immersed in the joy of giving. Being Jewish, I want to teach them the mitzvot and help them become active and generous community members, engaged in “repairing the world.”

I know that parents are the most important teachers, whether we like it or not, so it’s on me to pass these values along. But, I will be honest, I bristle at the notion of making up a community service project and “doing it,” rather than living as someone who serves my community.  What I really want to teach my children  is to become people who see being of service as part of their daily lives.   Recently, a neighbor’s experience crystallized things for me. . . (more…)

Over the last 10 years, we have seen a new breed of homeschooling family.  In the past, homeschooling was largely reserved for families who were devoutly religious, lived in secluded, rural communities, or resisted exposing their children to the local school system.  In this generation, the concept of the typical homeschooling family has expanded to include a much wider array of students and circumstances.  While Partners With Parents continues to provide full-year curricula for some homeschooled students, many of the families we work with are doing it to bridge a gap—a short-term solution for a temporary situation such as physical or mental illness, relocation in the middle of the school year, or suspension/expulsion.  Sometimes, given the nature of the academic calendar, families just need an at-home education for a few months so they don’t fall behind while figuring out their options for the next September.

Many of the homeschool families that work with Partners With Parents value the traditional school environment and have the eventual goal of returning to it.  We find the most successful transitions happen when the school that the student has left and/or will be attending can be involved in the process.   (more…)

1) Take a few practice tests. Try to imitate real test conditions as much as possible.  Don’t skip the essay.  Take pride if you are meeting your target score.  Get to work if you are not!

2) Prioritize! With only a little time before the test, you must tailor your efforts to the areas where you are most likely to see improvement.  Don’t get stuck on a particular concept if you are having difficulty with it.  You can always come back to it later.  You want to be able to answer as many different kinds of questions as possible.

3) Improve your vocabulary. At this point you should be hitting those word lists with considerable intensity.   Keep words you don’t know with you at all times (flash cards, iphone apps, etc.).   Learn a new word while you’re in the car, waiting in line at Starbucks, or, dare I say, in the bathroom.  Think how many words you could have learned in the time it took you to send those 863 texts today. (more…)

Reminder!  Thursday, April 15th, is the final opportunity to register for the May 1st SAT and SAT Subject Tests.  This is the late registration deadline.  The costs of the tests, including the $23 late fee, are $68  for the SAT and $52 for SAT Subject Tests (+$20 for language tests with listening).  You can sign up at http://sat.collegeboard.com/register

The next and final chance to take the SAT this school year is June 5th.  The registration deadline for that exam date is May 5th.  If you haven’t started preparing, what are you waiting for?  It’s not too late to let us help.