Saturday, May 26, 2012

There Are Some Serious Homeschooling Advantages

My younger sister started out her academic career at a public school. My brother and I had done it and so would she. By the time she reached middle school, however, she wanted to be home schooled, and my parents did not object to this. While she did suffer in certain areas, such as her social development, we did start to notice that there are some serious homeschooling advantages that we had never really thought about. Looking back, my sister said she would not have it any other way!

One of the big homeschooling advantages that my sister brought up was the fact that she did not have all of the distractions a classroom has. She told me that when she was in class at the middle school she attended, students were constantly disruptive, throwing paper wads and talking loudly in class. She said that in most cases, it did not seem like the teacher had control of the classroom, which really made it difficult on the students who were there to learn. My sister was definitely one of them.

Another thing that my sister said was one of the real homeschooling advantages was that she could dress however she wanted to and not feel that she was being judged. My sister was always shy and kind of sensitive when she got around other people. She said that school had become like a fashion show for her and said that most of the girls would tease the other girls who did not have all of the latest fashions. My sister said she had a very difficult time in this respect, and said she would sometimes come home and cry because she her feelings were hurt.

Then there is the fact that students can study at their own pace, which to me is one of the biggest homeschooling advantages, if not the biggest of them all. My sister was way ahead of most of the other students in her class, but had to learn alongside other students who needed more individual help. I think my sister finished two years of middle school in a year and a half and then four years of high school in three. She started college when she was 17 years old!

There are many homeschooling advantages for students who have the opportunity to take advantage of this option. My sister has always said that it made her educational experience much more palatable than if she had to go to a public school in middle school and high school, and I believe her. I am not sure that it is the best option for everyone, but for some students, it makes completing their education much easier.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

When Kindergarten Schools Come With loan Desks

Student loans are more difficult to come by these days. And they are more expensive too. If you are nodding along in agreement that student loans for college or just extortionate, hold it right there. We aren't talking about student loans for college. We're talking about kindergarten schools here.

If you happen to live next to rich people or people who want to be rich, you've probably already seen this phenomenon. Ambitious parents put their children in private schools where the tuition per year can run to $6000 for kindergarten and twice that for middle school. When you step into such a school, right away, it will be like stepping into a car dealership. There's a student loan desk that they refer you to, they'll talk to you about your down payment, your monthly payments and everything.

Now this can't be a healthy trend, can it - kindergarten schools having loan desks? It may not be that big a trend now. But wait a while - it will become just that. There are a number of nonbanking lenders that specialize in this - companies with names like Your Tuition Solution. They report that business is great.

Understandably, it's high income families that even try to do something like this. You may wonder about why if they are high-income families, they would need to borrow to send their children to kindergarten. That's just the way it is these days. They probably have other expensive commitments to think about as well. There's only so much that a $200,000-a-year salary takes you these days.

The problem is that these loans can be expensive - an 8.5% fixed rate usually. It can take you two or three years to pay back the $20,000 you've borrowed if have a couple of children in school. Some schools helpfully of long-term loans. You don't have to pay your loans back until your kids graduate from high school. But that can't be a pretty sight - parents on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars in school loans and then college loans to think about as well.

You'd be surprised to know that private schools have grants and financial aid. They do - just like you would see in colleges. But even so, not that many qualify.

Whatever happens, private kindergarten schools and elementary schools everywhere do find takers. Parents of course, don't know how they are going to pay for all this. They just hope for the best and try to do the best they can for their children.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Finding the Right Acting School Course For Your Needs

When you try looking for an acting school to help train to become an actor, you'll find that there are so many schools that offer you some manner of training that it can be hard to decide which way ahead makes sense. As with any college that you might pick, there is a general reputation out there that each acting school comes with. And at first at least, the name of the school you come from will have an effect on the eception you receive.

There are a number of things you should keep in mind when you decide on an acting school. The first one of which is that you need to know what you aim really is. Which is a lot simpler really than might appear at first.

Are you just looking for an acting class for a little bit of training, or are you looking for a real intensive course that teaches you everything over three or four years?

Actually, often, you can just take a class or two over the weekend at first. And as you go on,you will find that you've fallen in love with acting so much that you'd like to switch to a serious course.

So if you aren't completely sure that you want to go into acting, or if you're not sure about what kind of acting you would like, short weekend acting classes may be a lot better than full courses. You'll learn a lot about your strengths and weaknesses and about acting itself.

But let's suppose that you going to acting school because you are sure. In this case, you'll want to think about whether you will need a BA or BFA - actual credentials. If this isn't really necessary, a conservatory education should be fine. The BA will give you more than just acting.

A BA will give you a grounding in some of the other skills that you need in life or as a working performer. It wouldn't be a bad idea going to a scjool that offers both the BA and the BFA. This way, you could start off in one kind of course, and change your mind a little down the line. You just can't decide before you get started.

But these are things you decide on when you have an overall grounding in the art form. What if you are already an actor, and you would like an introduction to a few kinds of acting that you're not good at already? That's the thing about learnng more than one kind of acting technique.

If you have a problem with doing a kind of role at any point, you can always try another strategy. If this is what you need, then of course, a long three-year course is not what you're looking for.