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Who said moving was stressful?

Academics Plus — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 22:21:19 +0000

Ok, so we’re just making a “virtual” move, so I guess it doesn’t count really. But it’s a move nonetheless! Anyway, we wanted to let you know where to find our blog from now on: http://www.academics-plus.com/blog/. Hope to see you there!

What about stressed out teachers?

Academics Plus — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:58:50 +0000

So, our focus at Academics Plus has been on stress and students, a mighty important topic if you ask us. But how about their educators? They experience a lot of stress too. And, really, if you think about it, the experiences of our educators directly affect the experience of our students, so if you want to look at it that way, we still are focusing on the students in our discussion of this topic. But even if not, we thought it couldn’t hurt to start addressing how teachers could handle the overwhelming effects of managing a classroom and the pressures of the job.

In the following article, Stress Busters: Keeping Your Cool Amid Classroom Chaos, members of the Education World Tech Team offer suggestions for keeping one’s cool amid career challenges and classroom chaos. While some of the tips may not speak to you, there is bound to be one or two that you can relate to and perhaps a few that you might consider adopting as one of your own. I especially liked the ones offered by Carol Midgett, which include:

Ø Find a reason to laugh

Ø Do some relaxation therapy by thinking of my favorite place to be and envisioning experiences that make me happy when I’m there

Ø Do something for someone else

Ø Treat myself to a trip to the spa

Ø Read the news to realize how fortunate I am

Ø Make a list of my blessings, personal and professional

There are many more, offered by other educators, including exercise, going out to dinner with friends, and so on. To read more, check out the article, Stress Busters: Keeping Your Cool Amid Classroom Chaos. Enjoy!

For more information, FREE articles, resources and audio files, visit: www.howtoacethesat.com and www.academics-plus.com.

Academic stress isn’t just for high school students anymore

Academics Plus — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:03:19 +0000

One of the tools we use at Academics Plus in our crusade against stress is education. Our aim is to inform students and parents of the negative consequences of stress; of “case studies” of those who experience stress; of tips, tools and strategies to avoid and/or combat stress; and of practices, such as yoga, meditation, and nutrition to minimize the effects of chronic stress. Today, we would like to share an article written by Elaine Gaston and Steve Palisan on “stressed out students.”

The article focuses mainly on 11-year old students and the stress they experience handling accelerated classes and programs, as well as managing the transition from elementary into middle-school. The coping mechanism discussed by Jim Rogers, a certified family life educator and owner of Parents Care, a company that offers family enrichment programs is to ‘run away’ emotionally, kinda like the flight aspect of the flight-or fight response to stress. A more drastic response is to run away physically, as one student in Myrtle Beach actually did to escape the pressures at school. Rogers also mentions however, later in the article, that not all stress is bad. In small amounts, stress can be motivating.

As usual, we encourage students, their parents, their educators, and anyone who interacts with the young people in our lives, to be aware of what is going on with them; learn how to decipher tell-tale symptoms of overwhelming stress or anxiety; talk to students and ask questions. As adults who are all too familiar with the effects of daily stress, it is our responsibility to help the younger generation have a healthier outlook on life and encourage them to lead more balanced lives. To read more about the stressed out students discussed in this blog, go directly to the article “Pressure to perform can derail scholastic success.”

Our goal is to make this blog the most helpful and informative blog on Academic Success and SAT preparation. To do this, we need your help, so please give us your feedback and make comments to our blog!! For more information, FREE articles, resources and audio files, visit: www.howtoacethesat.com and www.academics-plus.com.

This month’s Student Success Insider Report: Better Health with Kendra Coppey

Academics Plus — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 12:41:15 +0000

If you receive our Student Success Insider Report newsletter, you are now familiar with last month’s featured expert Kendra Coppey, founder of Barefoot Tiger. Kendra is a certified Yoga Teacher, Personal Trainer (ACE) and Nutrition Coach. In her interview with Academics Plus, she shared her knowledge and expertise on topics such as the importance of eating healthy, the benefits of exercising and meditating, how to differentiate between positive and negative stress, the negative effects of long-term stress, the role of family dynamics in creating a positive environment for healthy living and much more. If you haven’t received this newsletter, we encourage you to email us at academicsplusnyc@gmail.com and request January’s newsletter for this very informative and inspiring interview.

We would also like to share that Kendra recently updated her website, www.barefoottiger.com. Here you will find even more information about the benefits of yoga, nutrition, massage therapy, and how a personal trainer can help you “live the life YOU want.” Don’t miss out, check it out now.

Please note that Kendra’s interview is just the first of a series of interviews we will publish in our monthly newsletter. We will be interviewing professionals—such as nutritionalists, college counselors, academic coaches, authors and learning specialists—who will share their knowledge, expertise and experience.

Lined up for our February newsletter is an interview with Jacob Krueger, college coach, award-winning screenwriter and writing coach for professional and non-professional writers, and author of 3 books on test preparation. Jake is currently working on yet another book, this one on the college admissions process. In his interview, Jake presents tips and strategies on the college application process and offers a fresh and illuminating perspective on identifying the “best school” for a student to attend.

If you have a topic that you would like to see covered in our future newsletters, please email us at academicsplusnyc@gmail.com and we will try to research your area of interest and/or find the experts to share their knowledge with you. We are currently working on getting our forum site up and running so that our readers can ask questions, share their stories, put their two cents in, and communicate directly with other Academics Plus readers. We hope to have it “live” soon and will keep you informed of our progress.

If you would like to subscribe to our newsletter so that you can receive the latest news on important topics, please email us at academicsplusnyc@gmail.com with the words “Newsletter subscription” in the subject header and we will put you on our list for future mailings.

For more information, FREE articles, resources and audio files, visit: www.howtoacethesat.com and www.academics-plus.com.

What is the difference between the SAT and the PSAT?

Academics Plus — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 16:56:44 +0000

One of the questions, we often get at Academics Plus is: What is the difference between the SAT and the PSAT? So over the next few days, we will post blogs listing the differences between these two important exams.

The following is an excerpt from a short article written by Justin Dolecki over at the Princeton Review.

Prestigious Scholarships

Usually when you see the acronym PSAT, you’ll also see NMSQT along side it – which means National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. High scorers on the PSAT (95th – 99th percentile) may qualify for the prestigious National Merit Scholarships and Letters of Commendation. Qualifying for either of these looks great on college applications – one reason why a student may want to put in some study time for the PSAT. While the SAT is not used as an evaluative tool for this particular scholarship, most other scholarships will use SAT scores as a factor in their decisions.

For more information, FREE articles, resources and audio files, visit: www.howtoacethesat.com and www.academics-plus.com

What is the difference between the SAT and the PSAT?

Academics Plus — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 02:30:14 +0000

The following is an excerpt from a short article written by Justin Dolecki over at the Princeton Review.

Just Add a ZeroThe last big difference between the two tests is how the scores are reported. Each section of the SAT is scored between 200 – 800 for a total maximum score of 2400 (3 sections – Math, Critical Reading, and Writing). The PSAT on the other hand scores each section (once again, 3 sections) between 20 – 80 for a possible score of 240. Just add a zero to a PSAT score to get an approximate idea of its SAT equivalent. Our goal is to make this blog the most helpful and informative blog on Academic Success and SAT preparation. To do this, we need your help, so please give us your feedback and make comments to our blog!! For more information, FREE articles, resources and audio files, visit: www.howtoacethesat.com and www.academics-plus.com

What is the difference between the SAT and the PSAT?

Academics Plus — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:38:18 +0000

One of the questions we often get at Academics Plus is: What is the difference between the SAT and the PSAT? So over the next few days, we will post blogs listing the differences between these two important exams.

The following is an excerpt from a short article written by Justin Dolecki over at the Princeton Review.

A Sprint vs. a Marathon

Coming in at 3 hours and 45 minutes, the SAT is a test of endurance. The PSAT on the other hand isn’t nearly as taxing. It clocks in at 2 hours and 10 minutes. While it’s nice to get out of the classroom earlier, the shorter PSAT doesn’t fully prepare a student for the SAT “marathon.” It is essential to take full-length SAT practice tests to build up the necessary endurance.

For more information, FREE articles, resources and audio files, visit: www.howtoacethesat.com and www.academics-plus.com

What is the difference between the SAT and the PSAT?

Academics Plus — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:45:00 +0000

One of the questions we often get at Academics Plus is: What is the difference between the SAT and the PSAT? So for the next few days, we will post blogs listing the differences between these two important exams.

The following is an excerpt from a short article written by Justin Dolecki over at the Princeton Review.

Essay MIA

While both tests pretty much mirror each other, there is one notable exception. The newly added essay on the SAT is nowhere to be found on the PSAT. So if a student is looking for real practice for the SAT essay, their best bet is to look elsewhere, namely test preparation books and courses. (The Princeton Review will be grading SAT essays for free this October. Find out more.) Another slight content difference is in the math section. The SAT tests math at a higher level – Algebra II. While these more difficult questions are few, they’re nowhere to be found on the PSAT.

For more information, FREE articles, resources and audio files, visit: www.howtoacethesat.com and www.academics-plus.com

What is the difference between the SAT and the PSAT?

Academics Plus — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:23:33 +0000

The following is an excerpt from a short article written by Justin Dolecki over at the Princeton Review.

It’s only practice!

In a student’s life, SAT day falls along the lines of the World Series and Super Bowl all rolled into one. Whereas the SAT is the big game, the PSAT is more along the lines of a scrimmage. It’s great practice but doesn’t count toward the final record. You see, the “P” in PSAT stands for “preliminary” – the test is meant to give a preliminary idea of how well your child will score on the SAT. But PSAT scores do not predestine SAT scores. Actually many students significantly improve their SAT scores from their PSAT scores through a lot of hard work and preparation.

For more information, FREE articles, resources and audio files, visit: www.howtoacethesat.com and www.academics-plus.com

What is the difference between the SAT and the PSAT?

Academics Plus — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 16:26:37 +0000

One of the questions, we often get at Academics Plus is: What is the difference between the SAT and the PSAT?

So over the next few days, we will post blog entries that list the differences between these two important exams. The following is an excerpt from a short article written by Justin Dolecki over at the Princeton Review.

It’s not used for admission!

The PSAT is a rite of passage for many high school sophomores and juniors. Like the SAT, the PSAT is a standardized test given to assess math, critical reading, and writing skills (how good of a job these tests do at assessing these skills is open for debate), but unlike the SAT, the PSAT isn’t used to evaluate candidacy for admission to college.

For more information, FREE articles, resources and audio files, visit: www.howtoacethesat.com and www.academics-plus.com