Tips for a Manageable Email Inbox

Peeking into a student's backpack or dorm room used to be a good indicator of his organizational skills. But these days a student's email inbox may be more revealing than the way he manages his paper load. Information and documents are increasingly distributed to students via email instead of on paper, and many students aren't able to stay on top of their electronic clutter. We considered tips from organizational coach K.J. McCorry, founder of an environmentally-focused organizational consulting business called Eco-Officiency, and did some of our own brainstorming as well, to come up with this advice for students (and, just maybe, parents, too):

• Reduce: An easy way to combat inbox overflow is to get fewer emails, which can be accomplished in a few ways. First, set up a "dummy" email account and use it for all online purchases and other occasions when you must share your email address with an unimportant third party. This way, if your email address is shared, only your dummy account's inbox will fill up. Second, unsubscribe from solicitations. They may be hard to see, but "unsubscribe" links should be at the bottom of all marketing emails. Don't believe the myth that opening sales emails will cause you to receive more of them; get yourself off all of those lists. 

• Set-up for success: Nearly all email platforms allow users to create folders. We suggest that students create one folder for each class (chemistry, English, etc.), one for their personal communications, and one for each extra-curricular activity (band, soccer, etc.) in which they are involved. It may sound unattainable, but hear us out: the goal should be to have zero emails in one's inbox because they've all be placed in the right folders.

• Order of Operations: McCorry recommends checking email about five times a day; a lot more or less than that negatively impacts productivity. Each time a student signs on, McCorry suggests that they first delete all spam and irrelevant messages. Second, they should answer all emails that require only a quick response. Follow the three R's here: Read, Respond, Remove. By skimming quickie emails, jotting a short response ("We're meeting on the second floor of the library. Don't forget to bring notecards!") and dragging these messages to the right folder, inboxes will seem less intimidating in no time.

• Just Do It (Now): McCorry's steps should leave only a few emails that require careful reading and/or a thoughtful response in a student's inbox. This is great news because it means the important stuff won't get lost in a queue of other messages. McCorry suggests taking care of those time-consuming responses ASAP to avoid creating a backlog in one's inbox. Remember, waiting to respond means having to reread the email later before typing a reply, which is a big waste of time. Instead, students should bite the bullet and respond immediately while the email's contents are still fresh.

There's no single way to manage email, but we hope these tips will help. They certainly work for us!

photo credit: EUNOIA via FlickrCC

Camp Tips for Parents

Parents -- or grandparents -- of a certain age may remember the late comedian and singer Allen Sherman and his hilarious take on summer camp homesickness, "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah". But for those families whose children are leaving for sleep-away camps in the next few days, homesickness is a real concern, especially for first time campers.

The American Camp Association, in conjunction with Dr. Christopher Thurber, an educator and psychologist who has written extensively about camps, has developed a guide for parents about ways to prevent and to deal with homesickness at camp. Among the suggestions:

Julia Freeman-Woolpert

• Prepare your child by arranging overnight stays with friends; this way their first night at camp isn't their first night away from home
• Involve your child in the decision to attend camp so he or she can "own" the decision
• Send along a personal item from home, such as a stuffed animal. One parent we know created a hidden pocket in what looked like a standard "throw pillow" to hold a beloved stuffed animal that her son was embarrassed to bring to camp, but wanted to have with him. It helped.
• Check with the camp director if you believe your child is in serious distress. Some signs that may mean your child is suffering from more than transient homesickness may include not eating or sleeping, or distress that lasts more than a few days. Trust your instincts and don't consider it a failure if camp does not work out on the first try. 

The American Camp Association has a DVD and CD (for listening to in the car after dropping off your child!) which are available on their website. These feature tips for a successful camp experience for child and parent alike. Check with your child's camp to see if they can provide a copy for you. Here's to a great time at camp!

Tax Deductions for Parents

If the ads for tax preparation services haven't yet gotten your attention, then perhaps the pile of W-2 and 1099 forms in your mail basket might. It's time to think about taxes.

For the past several years we have reminded parents that they may be able to deduct certain expenses they incur for their child's special education. As set out in IRS Publication 502, the cost of tuition at a school with a program designed to help a student overcoming a diagnosed learning disability is generally deductible. Likewise, special instruction or tutoring outside of school, such as a certified reading instructor for a student with a diagnosis of dyslexia, may be deductible.

Other items that parents should consider for deduction include transportation to therapy appointments, and technology that is designed to enable a child to benefit from special education, such as text-to-speech programs, other specialized technology, and devices such as hearing aides.

These deductions are considered medical expenses and are subject to limitations as are all medical deductions. Raising children is expensive, and raising a child with special educational or medical needs is even more so. Make sure you speak with your accountant or tax preparer to take advantage of all the deductions to which your family is entitled.

photo: philiptaylor cc

Reading Recommendations for Writers

The following writing guides are among the best out there for those looking to get inspired or improve their writing skills. Appropriate for all adults, most high school students, and even precocious middle school students, these books will have even the most reluctant of writers racing for paper and pen.

On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction, by William Zinsser, is a classic resource for people who have to do lots of non-fiction writing. His advice is useful for students and professionals alike; Zinsser provides great tips for writing formal essays or simply writing an email to a colleague. The first part of his book contains writing principles and discusses various methods of getting words on a page. The second half is dedicated to specific forms of non-fiction like business, sports, memoirs, travel, etc. We are particularly impressed by his tips on rewriting and the way he explains how to banish “clutter” (i.e. extraneous words) from sentences and paragraphs.

Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within is more than just a writing guide. This is the kind of book that turns browsers into readers; dip into it for tips and you may find yourself reading it from cover to cover. Potential users should be aware that this is not a book to reference if you’re looking for very specific writing tips. It seems to be equal parts zen and instruction. Goldberg shares many of her own experiences and offers great advice on how to choose verbs, getting first thoughts out, and how to listen (because, she claims, “writing is 90% listening”). Goldberg believes that writing is not necessarily about the final product – though the final product is important – but about the self-discovery that occurs while creating the final product. Her short, witty chapters and warm tone may give reluctant, anxious, or frustrated writers the confidence they need to pick the pencil back up and begin again.

Fans of Stephen King’s literature will be surprised to see that the cover of his On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft features a bright window in a clean, white house with decorative flowers planted beneath. And this is the guy who kept us tossing and turning after reading The Shining?  There’s nothing spooky about this part-memoir, part-guide, however, except maybe how addictive it is. King recounts his experiences as a writer, and his keen observations about the links between writing and life will inspire and empower would-be writers everywhere. The book contains a writer’s “tool kit,” a reading list, various assignments writers can sink their teeth into, a story with corrections so that readers can appreciate the importance of editing, and more.

For those who wonder why they should take advice on writing from authors they've never heard of, Jon Winokur’s Advice to Writers: A Compendium of Quotes, Anecdotes, and Writerly Wisdom from a Dazzling Array of Literary Lights will be a welcome relief. The book is a collection of statements about all aspects of writing from people across the ages who demonstrated their prowess with a pen, from Aristotle to Toni Morrison. Though the book is intended to be more entertaining than instructive, readers will certainly find inspiration and wisdom in the words of some of their favorites, like Kurt Vonnegut’s tip: “Make your characters want something right away even if it’s only a glass of water,” and Hemingway’s suggestions to: “Use short sentences. Use short first paragraphs. Use vigorous English. Eliminate every superfluous word.”

Mentor Texts

Writing is a challenging task, and for many children it can be difficult to know where to begin. The use of mentor texts – books, stories, poems, articles, etc. written by professional writers – selected as models can provide young authors with a much-needed boost.

To begin, ask the child to select a text he really enjoys. (Or, if the child must complete a homework assignment, try to find a piece of writing that is similar to the goal of the assignment.) The student should reread the text and consider what makes it so appealing. Some children may need assistance in pinpointing the particular aspects of a text that make it so great – good word choices, flowing sentence structures, plot pattern, etc.

Once the student has generated some good observations, it’s time to get writing. She shouldn’t copy the ideas in the mentor piece, but rather should focus on trying to use the same elements she admires in it. For example, use of specific words that professional author included can make a piece more lively and vivid while simultaneously teaching vocabulary. Using someone else’s sentence structure to express a student’s own ideas will expose her to different ways to construct and join phrases and allow her to experiment and branch out as a writer.

Modeling writing from mentor texts is effective because it can liberate students from writer’s block and promote learning by doing. Pieces written with inspiration from models will be of higher quality than pieces written independently, and students are likely to retain the lessons they learn about good writing because they’ve had the opportunity to practice them.

Imitation is the highest form of flattery, and it can also be a great teaching tool.

Photo: Kristina/Flickr Creative Commons

Test-Taking Tips From The Experts

Because of the nature of memory, we often tell students that the best way to study for a test is to take practice tests. Research indicates that rereading study material, the method preferred by most people, is less effective than taking practice tests for two reasons: First, our brains have difficulty distinguishing between material with which we are familiar and material which we truly understand. Students may stop studying too early because they recall seeing information before, only to realize during the test that they didn’t actually understand it. Second, answering practice questions gives the brain practice at retrieving information from long-term memory, the process a student undergoes during actual testing. Students who have the opportunity to rehearse “finding” answers are more prepared to do this quickly and easily on test day.

An article in The Wall Street Journal from earlier this week covers this principle and offers other testing tips derived from a number of studies on learning. For example, nearly everybody knows that eating a nutritious breakfast on test day is important, but a recent experiment demonstrated that consumption of a nutritious diet should start a week before the test date for optimum results. The article also discusses how to balance sleeping and studying, and offers tips to help combat test anxiety. 

Students gearing up for the first round of mid-terms can access the full article here.

Photo used under Creative Commons by Steven S.

Opportunities for Young Writers

The next Virginia Woolf or Robert Frost needn’t languish in obscurity until adulthood to make themselves known; thanks to the internet and a surge of interest in fiction by and for young people, opportunities for kids and teens to publish their writing abound. All of the websites and publications below are great ways to motivate kids and young adults to get writing.

FOR EVERYONE

Spaghetti Book Club a fun website, featuring hundreds of book reviews, is a great resource for kids looking for a good book, but it provides an even better opportunity for young writers. Anyone can submit a book review and even an accompanying illustration for others to view. Books are searchable by grade level (kindergarten through 12th grade) or by title.

FOR YOUNGER WRITERS

Stories for Children is an Ezine written for kids ages 3-12 that publishes work by both adults and young writers. Categories include fiction, poetry, discovery, visual art, and more.

FOR YOUNG ADULTS

Cicada Literary Magazine, aimed at readers 14 and up, is affiliated with the outstanding Cricket Magazine Group, which publishes Babybug, for children ages 6 months to 3 years; Ladybug, for ages 3 to 6; Spider, for ages 6 to 9, and Cricket, for ages 9-14. (Check their website for a list of non-fiction magazine offerings as well.) The magazines make lively, enriching, and highly enjoyable reading for children, but Cicada is the only one that offers young writers the opportunity to submit short stories, poetry, book reviews, and visual art for publication. Alternately, authors can load work electronically onto Cicada’s “The Slam,” where other young people can laud it online and make comments. Finally, their “In the Know” webpage offers tips for writers and a list of other publications that accept submissions from teen writers.

Spine Breakers is an online magazine “for book-loving teenagers by book-loving teenagers” (editorial decisions are made by a panel of 9 British teens) is perfect for vampire or science fiction fans. Because the site is affiliated with Penguin Publishing, it has a sleek, professional appearance with content to match. Much of the featured art and written material is contributed by young people between the ages of 13 and 18, and there are lots of contests and opportunities to upload poetry, short stories, and song lyrics. A particularly appealing feature is the call for alternate endings to existing books.


Photo used under Creative Commons by Amelia Wells

Helpful Tips for Students from Google Student Blog

Google Student Blog is a nice resource for mature, tech-savvy students in grades 8-12, college, grad school, and beyond. The blog, along with its corresponding Twitter feed, @googlestudents, is rich with interesting tips and content geared directly toward students.

Often, tips focus on how to leverage Google's array of products for educational purposes -- most of them completely free of charge for personal use; this week, however, @googlestudents has been sharing some of the best and most popular study tips they have collected from student readers of the feed and the blog for upcoming end-of-year exams and finals.

While some of these may seem obvious, we often forget that identifying and consistently utilizing simple strategies for studying can make a big difference in many instances. Here are a few of our recent favorites: