Anything a school might need to purchase over the course of a year could also bear the school’s mascot, but frequently won’t. The unfortunate fact is that there are many schools that do not take branding into consideration when they are drawing up their annual budgets, when they really should. Many schools don’t realize that the industry has more than pompoms and jerseys that they can imprint a school mascot on, and many schools might not see the benefit of branded products.

Even if a school is working with limited budget, it can find basic supplies available at lower prices that can be found at a regular retail source. Opportunities to save money in this manner can be found across a broad spectrum of grades, from as late as high school or as early as kindergarten. Scissors, crayons, and glue, for example, are common requirements in early grade school years. Supplies for the later grades, or even the school office, are readily available as well: rulers, pens, pencils, and paper.

Quite often a promotional product’s price will include an imprint, which compounds the savings. This is always a part of the promotional industry purchasers should use to their advantage. As items bearing a school?s colors or mascot inevitably make their way into the nearby community, the school becomes a piece of the fabric that binds the community together.

The promotional items market is pretty gigantic, and there is a wide variety of school-related items that can be found. Just as in the case of an employee gift, a good student gift or reward will not just be inexpensive but will be something students will use. A well made binder that is embroidered with an image of the school?s mascot would encourage school pride in a student. The promo items industry doesn’t just make leather tote bags or stylish messenger bags that are only suited for business execs, either. While these do exist, there are also backpacks fit for students of all ages available to be imprinted. A backpack is something any student will be using in a modern school setting as the number of schoolbooks they carry around increases each year.

The size of a school doesn?t really matter, either. Even small elementary schools or junior colleges can be a matter of pride for the surrounding community. Having gifts or donated items with school logo on them will help establish this vital symbiotic link and contribute to an interest in the welfare of the school?s students.

Starting around high school and college, you can begin to find students who love to show their school spirit and can do so with help of promotional items. Just as branded products can link a community and school together, they can form a connection between the student and school. A student body that feels a connection to their school inspired to make better grades. As a graduation present, a customized product bearing the mascot they grew up with is an excellent memento of an unforgettable school experience.

Many organizations, businesses and schools purchase office and school supplies at their local supply store off the shelf when in reality the low cost of getting a pencil with a logo or backpack with a mascot could provide budgetary savings and extend the school’s brand into the community.

In the last couple of weeks there have been a good deal of interesting and important comments made on the Tamil/Indian Malaysian community. The guiding thread in all these comments has been the problems faced by the community, the causes of the problems within the community and suggestions of corrective measures. Watson Road Tamil School, Port Klang.

The most dramatic problem that took a lot of space in the mainstream media and caught a lot people’s attention recently was about the menace of gangsterism in the community.

If one surveys the various comments carefully, three causes for the problems of the Tamil Malaysian community come to mind. These causes are economic and political marginalisation; Tamil cinema; and Tamil schools.

No benefits

Many middle- and upper-middle class Tamil/Indian Malaysians hold a view that Tamil schools are practically useless. Students in Tamil schools do not benefit either educationally or economically. And, worse, Tamil schools have become a hotbed for nurturing and sustaining vices and gangsterism.

So why maintain an institution that does not do any good for the Tamil Malaysian community and generally embarrasses the Indian community. Their solution: Get rid of Tamil schools.

On the surface this seems like a reasonable proposal. But is it? The proposal is based on the assumption that in comparison to Tamil education, putting Tamil Malaysians in the national type schools will solve the educational and economic needs of the community and that the community would eventually gain.

On what basis is this assumption really made? If the national type schools are doing better, why are they doing better in comparison to Tamil schools? To make sense of these questions, we need to look at some basics.

What is education for? What are its goals?

Simply put, education must be able to prepare young people in terms of cognitive, affective and motor skills so that they are prepared to meet the needs of the economy (which is the economic agenda of education).

Secondly, education must be geared towards producing youth who are informed, sensitive and critically responsive to one’s social and natural surroundings (the “active citizenship”/political agenda of education).

Lastly, it has to groom young people to actively sustain and live a cultural form of life (the cultural agenda of education).

In a multi-cultural environment, all these inter-related and inter-dependent aspects are really much more complicated.

To continue with the questions, what is the basis of the “abandon Tamil schools” argument? The Tamils are asked to dump Tamil schools because the critics perceive that the national type schools are better equipped to achieve the economic agenda of modern education. Or, it is assumed that students going through the national type schools seem to be able to perform well economically later on in their life.

Really, the critics of Tamil schools only have this to sustain their arguments. Because they feel that Tamil education gets us “nowhere here” (read: does not give young Tamils in Malaysia bargaining power in the labour market), Tamil schools need to go.

In other words, Tamil schools have failed in their economic agenda and therefore have no right to exist. (Of course, some even feel that they have failed in their cultural agenda, having become a breeding ground of, say, problems like gangsterism. )

As one recent critic suggested, Tamil education is useful perhaps only in Tamil Nadu, India, from where Tamils come from, but certainly not in Malaysia. Though seemingly plausible, this position is really practically shortsighted, culturally suicidal and politically naïve.

Cultural agenda

We need answers to many critical questions before we can even start thinking or understanding the consequences of doing away with an institution. It is easy to do away with an institution but difficult to build one.

In fact, I don’t think the critics have even thought about the sheer practical problems that will ensue if the Tamil schools are closed down. Education even in this form for many Tamil children will become practically unavailable. And what will happen to all the teachers? This suggestion looks like another recipe for further marginalisation.

There are more questions. Have we done enough longitudinal investigations to show whether the majority of Malaysians educated in Tamil schools are doing well or not given the social, economic and political odds faced by Tamils and their institutions?

In fact, if the above question is answered affirmatively, there will be nothing to criticise, and therefore no critics, within the present framework. To prove that this will be so, we need not look very far: just take a look at Chinese education in this country.

Have the critics really explored why the Tamil schools are not doing as well as the national type schools in relation to the economic agenda? In this context, people like to compare Tamil education with Chinese education and ask an unreasonable question: “Why can’t the Tamils/ Indians organise their education like the Chinese?”

In fact, it is behind such kinds of questions that the focus on the responsibility of the government in a multi-ethnic society is lost. The comparison is really insensitive to the distinctive trajectories of the histories of the Chinese and the Tamil/Indian people in Malaya, and later Malaysia. Of course, the leadership of the Indian community is also certainly to be blamed.

To continue, have we studied the career path of students in the national type schools for purposes of comparison with those who are being educated in their mother tongue, in this case Tamil? How many students from poor Tamil/Indian/Malaysian families remain in the national educational system till they reach secondary and tertiary levels of education or benefit from the system beyond the secondary level of education?

What are the types of career paths available to young Tamils/Indians? Does ethnicity influence different career paths? Is the different educational stream (Tamil stream or national stream) the primary reason that affects a young Tamil/Indian’s career path and economic well-being within our ethnically charged socio-cultural environment?

The critics seem to be unaware of an important goal of education: the cultural agenda of education. In considering this, have we done our homework to find out which stream helps greater self-development and culturally stronger identity formation? Have the critics considered the impact of education through non-mother tongue medium on children?

What is the status of ethnic/mother tongue education in this country? What is our commitment to multiculturalism and educating young Malaysians in multicultural competencies?

What is our commitment to a culturally diverse and active national community? Is mother tongue education the responsibility of a particular ethnic community or the national government? What is the Malaysian government doing for the education of the Tamil minority – and other minorities – in their mother tongue?

Government’s business

I think there is a need to evaluate the extensive research available relating mother tongue education to intellectual and emotional, and consequently, the self-development of a child. Yes, there are practical and governance problems about realising mother tongue education, the goals of multicultural education or nation building. However, burying our head in the sand like an

ostrich will not certainly be helpful in resolving them!

Is it really difficult for a society and its government – if it only had the political will – to make the Tamil education stream sufficiently productive by upgrading the schools and its facilities and by improving the standard of its teachers and their performance?

In attacking Tamil school and Tamil education, critics are careful to overlook or avoid an in-depth reflection on the responsibility of a government in educating its citizens in a multi-ethnic society or on the cultural goal of education. There seem to be little realisation about the direct consequence of this on the economic agenda of education.

In fact, some will even tell us that we should stop demanding the government for everything. But education is not just anything. It is about creating the “soul” of a community and the nation. It is perhaps not the interest of “this government” but it certainly must be the business of “the government”.

There are in fact more areas in which we do not have sufficient information. For instance, how do our teachers deal with ethnicity in a multi-ethnic classroom? It would be naïve to believe that all our primary and secondary schoolteachers are ethnically neutral and imbued with multi-racial/ multi-ethnic wisdom. There have been many cases of cultural and ethnic insensitivity and abuse in Malaysian schools. Has anyone considered what would have been the impact of this on students’

performance?

Many cases reported in the mainstream newspapers involved Tamil/Indian children in the multi-ethnic national educational system. While such events

have been reported in the daily newspapers, I have not read much on how teachers have been taken to task or made accountable for their ethnic insensitivity. Such a kind of situation certainly affects the performance and morale of Tamil/Indian children, as it must children of any other ethnic community.

Ornamental reason

A critic of Tamil education recently suggested that Tamil language be taught in a casual and not in an institutionalised way. There is great danger in this. This is a sure recipe for loss of mother tongue in the long run. Language teaching needs to be institutionalised, transmitted and used inter- generationally. There must be social avenues to keep it a living language not just left to the interest on this or that individual or this or that parent. To preserve a culture for ornamental reasons is to insult it. The suggestions of the critic are a sure pathway to the “extinction” of a language (at least from the Malaysian environment).

The Malaysian national educational system is hardly multicultural in content and/or practice. Our cultural policy is hardly clear or precise about its approach to mother tongues – certainly more than just Bahasa Melayu, Mandarin, or Tamil – in Malaysia or about paying attention to building multi-ethnic/cultural competencies. Even in areas of stated intentions to introduce, at the tertiary level, courses on civilisations, civilisations other that the Islamic one has not been adequately addressed.

Thus, the national educational system is an utter failure in terms of education’s cultural agenda. Our national educational system is hardly the place to look for an active and informed support for ethnic cultural diversity in this country. The market, mediated by the national educational system, influences a national consumerist cultural outlook. A subterranean theme of the national educational system is to create more of the same, to standardise. There is an Americanisation of a public.

In Malaysia, ethnically compartmentalised thinking and action in relation to what I think are national issues, systematic long-term official neglect of ethnic cultural institutions, suggestions of legal difficulties to take corrective actions to improve or upgrade Tamil schools, poor leadership and untimely political intervention have the direct potential of killing Tamil schools and education eventually. We really don’t need critics. But there are hardly any good reasons for dumping Tamil schools or mother tongue education. In fact, we will be going against an important social current of the present millennium – the active protection and promotion of enlightened ethnic cultural diversity.

There is a growing trend that more and more parents are embarking on home schooling for their kids.

With that trend, there is a constant need to have a structured method to proceed with. Although, most parents would love to home schooled their kids, they have to be more aware that bring up a child is going to be tough and of course meaningful.

As more and more parents started to think that teaching and educating their child at home next to going to school, there are more and more free online home schooling resource.

It proves to be a great help for those who choose this manner of educating their child at home.

Before knowing where to get free online home schooling tips, I think it is best to define is what is actually home schooling.

It is an alternative to institutional schooling; it is in compliance with state laws and regulations. This way of schooling is a substitute to institutional schooling.

Over here, the parents take over their children?s education and classes are held at home instead of the traditional mainstream schools.

Who are involved in home schooling?

There are many people from different walks of life. They are turning to home schooling for very different reasons; even though research was done on this subject it could not be generalized as to why people seek home schooling.

There are nearly 10% around the world that most kids are home schooled.

What are the benefits of home schooling?

1) It is to create a stronger bond between parent and child.

2) Direct supervision of the child and his/her studies at all times and also provide convenient to the parents.

3) Safety concerns are not to be dealt with as what they face in mainstream schools.

4) There are certain flexibility for both the parents and children such as waking up the child as early as 7AM to be on time at school.

What about the benefits of free online home schooling?

1) These resource are ready to help both the parents and children to cope with the disadvantages that come with home schooling, if they are doing it for the first time.

2) It is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

3) It allows your kids to interact and create a social life for himself/herself, something that is lost when not going to an actual school.

4) It is crucial for the child to know that there are others like them that are taking the home schooling route; thus parents may give encouragement, tips and feedbacks from other parents of their similar situation.

In conclusion, free online home schooling is a great plus point for both the parent and their kids so as to improve one?s knowledge and experience. Having home schooled your kids at the comfort of your own homes is going to be the trend of modern education. I believe it is going to stay for good as most government is facing shortages of teachers.

Therefore, Eddy has started a information guide on how to help parents home schooled their kids and also recommend some tips and techniques to home schooling for the kid in developing him to be a genius.

 
An increasing number of parents these days are electing home schooling as a way of schooling their children. A lot of these parents find that their children are not acquiring the aid they need for a suitable education because of the flood of students in public schools. A few likewise concerned about the escalating violence and feel like bad habits are easily acquired in public schools.
 
While a few parents entertaining the thought of home schooling may think their children may get a better education in private schools, they also believe that private schools are far to costly. Taking for granted all of the downfalls of public and private schools, home schooling seems to be the logical choice to educate a child. Yet, electing to home school also has costs associated with it. It’s possibly even a lot more costly then you might imagine. Textbooks, lessons, the home school curriculum and additional material are costs you must think about. In addition think about the parent doing the home schooling isn’t earning any money because of the home schooling responsibilities, which makes home schooling still more costly.
 
All the same, there are ways of making home schooling worthwhile and profitable. Methods home schooling parents can do so they can home school and bring in money at the same time. Here are some ideas.
 
Home Schooling Lessons For Other Parents
As an experienced home schooling parent you can show other parents who would like to home school their children but don’t have the know how to get going and bill them for it. You’re offering a service and you should be compensated for it.
 
Make Information Products From Your Home Schooling Lessons And Sell Them
Turn the lesson you are teaching to your children into information products and sell them on the net. A lot of parents would find Information from your experience can be very useful.
 
Home School Other Parents Kids For Pay
While you?re home schooling your children why not offer to home school other parent’s kids for a price. Some parents may prefer to have their kids home schooled but just don?t have the time or the know how to do it themselves. Naturally you will have to learn what the laws are concerning this in your area. Likewise you don?t want to have a bunch of kids. You want to be able to give some individual attention where needed.
 
With these few ideas under your belt maybe you can come up with some other ideas on how to make money home schooling.

You may be amazed at the number of career doors a high school diploma can open for you. It is true that a high school diploma will fetch you numerous great job offers. In a world, which is becoming increasingly competitive, possessing even the best skills is not good enough without a high school diploma. Today there are vast numbers of youngsters who have got the skills suited for many higher positions but they are deprived of them for not having a high school diploma. Though you may feel you have much greater potential than the person next door, in reality you may be working in a much lower position and earning far less just because you don’t possess a high school diploma whereas your neighbor does.
Challenging circumstances of life or financial problems sometimes force people to drop out of school leaving their high school education incomplete. Though most of them manage to land a job, sooner or later they realize they have got stuck in their career and have stopped growing professionally. They continue to stagnate helplessly in the same position for years without a promotion. To their frustration, a new employee with a high school diploma grabs a higher position in the same organization and progresses fast receiving one promotion after another. You may find this to be unfair but this is the trend of the job market where only a well-qualified person is considered to be knowledgeable and able to handle the job responsibilities efficiently.
Although many people feel they do not need a high school diploma because they have the essential skills for a job, they would still need to produce a certificate for the same. The law or any organization does not trust your words, but it does trust a certificate issued by a reputed official body. Even you are one of those who had had to drop out of high school, cheer up you can pursue a high school diploma in spite of all constraints. There are various online as well as distance learning diploma programs to choose from. If you are working for a living you can still study in your free time and get this diploma.
When you begin to look out for an institution to do your high school diploma make sure it has a good reputation in the job market. Be sure that the state education board validates their online or offline diploma program. There are many people who are repenting everlastingly for not having received a high school diploma. So if you have realized the importance of the same, you can access the Internet to find out about a reputed institution that can help you earn a high school diploma. You may not attend school and yet earn the diploma by scoring high. A high school diploma will certainly give you an advantage over all those who don’t possess it.
There are cases where people have been trapped into opting for a fake high school diploma. Beware of schools offering fake diplomas or certificates. There are many ways to check on their status and find out whether or not they are authorized or validated by the state education department. Try and find a reputed institute, and pursue a high school diploma. After receiving your diploma you can be sure of getting a better job that will not only give you more money but a sense of fulfillment in life.
Thus a high school diploma is really necessary and it is extremely wise to have one. These days it is possible to get a high school diploma without spending money. You just have to explore various options available before deciding on the kind of course and the learning center ideal for you. After all, you do not want to repent all your life thinking: “Oh, I wish I had done my high school diploma. ” So if you are still without one, it’s time you started thinking seriously about joining an online or offline high school diploma program. It will provide you with a better future. A high school diploma will boost your self-esteem and improve the quality of your life.

High school education is extremely important to acquire basic knowledge of various academic subjects. It is during your high school days that you lay the foundations of a lucrative career for leading a happy and successful life. Your high school education may seem pretty challenging and time consuming, but don’t forget that a high school diploma heaps many rewards upon you. If you put in sincere efforts and complete your high school graduation the rewards will be yours. On the contrary, dropping out of high school deprives you of these rewards.
Let your high school studies be great fun. Don’t allow it to make you feel bogged down. Of course you will have to attend to the usual academic work that goes on throughout the year. At times there may be pressures of completing assignments but don’t give up and never join the herd of dropouts. Getting into high school has been your important step towards a successful professional life. The qualities of hard work, patience and perseverance always pay off helping you to move ahead in life with a great sense of self-esteem.
The percentage of high school dropouts in the US has been very high. For varied reasons ranging from a feeling of insecurity in a school environment to being unable to cope with the academic work many students tend to drop out. They are the people who have no career goals or ambitions in life. They are just drifting in life. If you don’t want to be one among them, it is important that you set your career goals and always stick to it. Staying focused on your goals is key to successfully completing your high school graduation. You cannot expect high school to be as easy as middle school. Naturally you will have to invest more time and energy. You cannot take it easy and hope to come out with flying colors in the examinations.
If you carefully plan your daily schedule including all activities you can manage your high school studies very well. High school is not meant for only reading books; there are times for sports and various other extracurricular activities. You get the opportunity to learn foreign languages and pursue your interests and hobbies. A particular subject that you can pursue further in college and university may fascinate you. Similarly you get to draw and paint under the guidance of your art teacher. Do not let go of such wonderful opportunities by dropping out of high school.
To make things easier for yourself plan your schedule for the whole year breaking it into each month. Include even you holidays and vacations and plan all your activities accordingly. Vacations are good times for completing your projects and other lengthy assignments. Similarly make your weekly plan and don’t forget to include some fun-filled activities for the weekends. This will help you recharge your batteries after a busy academic schedule over the week and you can look forward to the next week with renewed energy and enthusiasm. Allocate enough time for rest and relaxation. However do not let yourself slacken the pace of work putting off what you had earlier decided to do. It may snowball into a real problem and upset your entire planned schedule.
Remember there is life outside the classroom. High school education encourages you to explore the life outside school. It provides you with opportunities to explore your hidden talents and potentials. If you find something that interests you, stick to it throughout the year. You may find yourself excelling in multiple areas. There are various events that schools and community organizations organize which you may involve yourself in. If you have time to spare then volunteer for some social activities or jobs, which can offer you a good experience along with your high school learning.
Getting a certificate in such activities boosts your resume when you start your working life. You may even find a part-time job, which can be a great way to earn some money for your college education. An important reason why you should not become a high school dropout is the fact that in the competitive job market a high school diploma helps you qualify for a better paying job as well as a higher education in college or university. Constantly remembering this vital truth will prevent you from dropping out.

A high school diploma plays a crucial role when it comes to applying for a job. However, there are many people who cannot attend high school for financial or other personal reasons. Thankfully, there are now various types of diplomas available for all those ambitious people who want to acquire more education and move up the career ladder. The best news is that you don’t have to shell out money on acquiring a high school diploma. Yes, you can acquire a high school diploma free of charge. However it does not come about without putting in sincere efforts. In order to earn a free high school diploma you need to possess some special skills and fulfill certain criteria.
There are many people who have excellent skills to get a decent job but it is denied to them for not holding a high school diploma. It seems to be unfair, but that is where you realize the importance of a formal education. If you have been working in a skillful job and your career growth has stopped for not possessing a high school diploma you don’t need to worry any more. You can get it now by proving your skills. On this type of free diploma program you will have to demonstrate your specific skills that you are supposed to have acquired on your job. You also need to meet the appointed consultant every week and complete the given assignments related to your particular professional field.
This special diploma program can be completed within a period of four months to 2 years. You are awarded a high school diploma after you successfully exhibit all your talents and complete the assigned tasks related to your work. The course duration depends upon the amount of time you take to develop the necessary talents and skills. As soon as you complete the entire task showing good performance you are eligible to get a high school diploma without paying any charges. However, this program is restricted to the residents of certain specified regions. Therefore to acquire this type of high school diploma you need to check out with the state education department office in your area.
Another type of program through which you can obtain a free high school diploma is for those who have experience in a volunteering field or hold experience in occupational or military service. You can either opt to attend classes conducted in the evenings or study on your own. You are given credit points for completing each assignment and session. After performing well in all your exams and demonstrating expected skills in the given tasks you become eligible to be awarded a high school diploma.
Alternatively, you can opt for GED tests and acquire a high school diploma. The GED testing system compares your performance on such tests to the results of Grade 12 students on the same tests. These tests take into account the skills and knowledge people are expected to retain from high school, especially the ability to reason, gather and process relevant information, and draw logical conclusions. On demonstrating such skills the General Education Department (GED) awards you a certificate, which is equivalent to a high school diploma. Again, this certificate can be obtained for free. In a number of states the State Board of Education (SBE) finances this program. This free high school diploma program helps students to clear the five-part exam without difficulty. This program is so popular that at times there are students who attend this program to sharpen their skills despite already holding a high school diploma.
However, when applying to a school or university for a free high school diploma you have to be very careful. There are many fraudulent online schools that cheat students. To be on a safer side try to find out a reputed and well-known school that offers a free high school diploma. With a high school diploma becoming so easy to obtain there is no reason why you too shouldn’t have one and qualify for a better job or a promotion in your current job.

For parents, back-to-school shopping for the various school supplies that their children need, can be a challenging task. Children invariably want school supplies that are covered in the latest cartoon characters, and parents end up having to a pay a premium for such products. Many parents who finally tire of spending so much money on school supplies eventually have a change in attitude towards shopping for educational supplies – they learn to be thrifty. Learning to be thrifty, however, does not mean not buying supplies that your child will need for school. Being thrifty means not paying as much for the same things. The dictionary definition of thrift is to practice economical management, and you can do so fairly easily if you know how. Back-to-school shopping is definitely one of the areas in which you can learn to be thrifty, and not spend exorbitant amounts of money on your child’s back-to-school supplies. The following things are some things you should know about being thrifty when shopping for back-to-school supplies. Look For Back-To-School Sales One of the best ways to save money is to shop for school supplies is at back-to-school sales. Many stores have sales on school supplies during the week or so before the new school year begins. Many items on your child’s back-to-school supply list will be offered at discounted prices during these sales. You should take the opportunity to stock up on school supplies that you know your child will need more of over the school year such as pens, pencils, paper, and other items. Look For Bargains On Ebay You will probably end up spending the most on items such as clothing and schoolbags when buying all the items on your child’s back-to-school supply list. One of the best and easiest ways to be thrifty when doing so is to buy such items from http://Ebay. com, the well-known auction site. On the site, you will find an enormous selection of clothing, shoes, bags, and accessories both used and new. Remember to do your shopping early, however, as the items have to be shipped to you and will take some time to arrive. Leave Your Child At Home When Shopping One of the best ways to stop yourself from spending more money than necessary on back-to-school supplies is to shop without your child. Brining your child along turns what might have been a fast and easy shopping trip into one that has your child clinging to you and begging for the latest designs and fashions. Instead of dealing with all that hassle, simply bring along your child’s back-to-school supply list, and tick each item off one by one. This way, you get your shopping done fast and you are able to exercise thriftiness by buying only necessary items. Simple Is Best Children love any item with their favorite television or cartoon character printed on it. These items are everywhere and are part of merchandising schemes meant to get parents to pay more for items that would cost a lot less without the decorations. In order to remain thrifty while buying your child’s school supplies, you should avoid buying such merchandise. Style Without The Brand A few decades ago, products under the brand name of Lisa Frank were being offered in stores. Lisa Frank was what is known as an “off brand” – their products were popular and fashionable but remained affordable. Many parents who are buying school supplies for their children now still remember that brand well. Now, however, Lisa Frank items are considerably more expensive and are considered “in fashion”. This just shows that items need not be expensive to be fun and stylish. Keep this in mind as you procure your child’s school supplies, and avoid paying premiums for branded items when there are other items that are just as fashionable and of the same quality. This will help you stay thrifty as you do your back-to-school shopping. In order to be thrifty as you complete your shopping for your child’s back-to-school supplies, you simply have to consider what you buy carefully. Avoid paying any more than you absolutely have to for the various school supplies that your child needs for school, and you will save a good deal of money.

Children usually ‘Walk’ to school and ‘Run’ when they return home. This is a universal phenomena and is tested and proven over time – from our grand parents to possibly our grand children – we see that during our initial days (formative years) we do not enjoy schooling like the way we enjoy during our school ending years (adolescence years). Home schooling provides great opportunity to children with learning disabilities and other ‘hesitant’ children
The merits of home schooling are many – the primary being that you are not compared even inadvertently with anyone around you – thereby saving a huge embarrassment and guilt. A child can learn at a pace that can be decided mutually between the child and the guide. A child can study what is appealing on that day. In a classroom, a child can’t expect or get individual attention and therefore the time it takes to complete a lesson is much higher when compared to a one on one session. In addition to all these advantages, a child need not go for ‘tutions’ which is an inevitable evil in Indian education system. Tutions are no different from Home schooling.
When we talk of tutions, I used to wonder about this concept. Typically, the tution teachers are the same individuals who teach in classrooms. Even the students are same. Even today, I fail to understand that if a child has to attend tutions after the school hours, then what is the purspose of going to school and attending to classes. No magic is taught in private tutions. Then why is ’tutions’ so important in today’s education system? If tutions are inevitable, then is schooling necessary? Is schooling needed only to the extent that any educational board demands an association with a school?
These thoughts are not new. These thoughts have been haunting educationists and socialists for a long time. So, new methods of home schooling have started getting recognised. The first of its kind is the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS). A child need not attend classes at school – can continue to make arrangements to learn from home  – and can appear in the board examinations. A wonderful opportunity for children who can’t afford to spend their time and money in traditional school system. This type of education is economically affordable for the masses and for children closer to poverty line. The population in NIOS has kept a steady increase in these years and it is glad to see many children have fulfilled their dreams of completing their school education from home. We all know that at the university level, we have distance education program (Correspondence courses) where students can afford to join these courses without attending to colleges – and instead of wasting their time, such children employ themselves and earn their fees for such courses.
So?? am I driving to a point where we conclude traditional schooling is bad? Am I saying that schooling is a waste of time and energy? No- certainly not. No system can replace a traditional schooling model where a child learns to be a social being. A child undertstands the importance of good over bad, magnanimity, role modeling, leading, sports, games, competition and many more. But these should not stop education to a child who can’t afford to come to school – may be because of financial burden or due to any other reasons.
Home schooling is certainly a very good alternative to traditional schooling and paves way for many students to pursue graduation at affordable fees and time lines. We should be thankful to open schooling or home schooling systems without which we would have lost so many young minds in their formative years. Home schooling is therefore a wonderful opportunity and wherever possible, I would request the responsible people of the society to support and patronize home schooling.
Thanks and regards,
Dr. PM Anavaratham

Every year public school boards across the country debate the issue of implementing school dress regulations and what level they will enforce it. In an ever growing trend, the school uniform is being pushed as a way to stop violence and promote order in schools. Does it actually work?
So far, there is no proof that the way a child dresses for school will increase there ability to learn or to curb violence in the school setting. If your child?s school doesn?t have a uniform rule in place, it does have a dress code of some sort. All schools have a dress code, some school seem to enforce more strict rules than others but each year before the bell rings this topic comes up for debate.
This is not a new issue. This issue has been around as long as we as human beings started wearing clothing. Each religion and country has its own ?dress code? more stringently aimed at women 90% of the time.   If you ask the populous what their feelings are about some of the dress restriction in place in foreign countries, general consents will agree this is an oppression of freedom of expression. But if you refer to ?dress code? in schools it seems politically more correct. Ask any high school student and their response will definitely scream freedom violation.
The problem is that the school boards should not be spending their time making these decisions and enforcing them. The schools time and our tax dollars are better spent on educating the children in question rather than fashion critiquing. But they are! They are because the school board doesn?t feel parents are doing their job  anymore and are grasping at a way to get it back. The school system has lost the hold they once had on order in the classrooms. Sadly, the idea that a dress code or uniform will bring back the days of order in the classroom is very mistaken. The problem isn?t what the kids are wearing; it is what they are or are not learning in school and at home. It?s a society issue that has been growing for years. Regardless the dress code pro?s and con?s debate will continue so we have to look at the issues.
What is reasonable? How should it be enforced? Is it a breach of freedom?
Some of these rules are forged from common sense; some are old etiquette and some I have not found a reasonable explanation for. Here are some of the restrictions in debate:
- No hair bands, kerchiefs
- No caps or hats
- No unnatural hair colors
- No make-up
- Big jewelry
- No flip-flops or sandals without a strap at the back
- No outdoor shoes that make black marks on the floor
- No tank tops or spaghetti strap tops that show shoulders or arm pits
- No shirts showing the midriff or belly button
- No shirts with offensive language or promoting violence
- No shirts or shorts above the knees
- No pants with underwear showing
It?s common sense that if movie and TV have to bleep out the adult language and violence as a rating that wearing an offensive language t-shirt would be offensive and shoes that leave black marks are damaging school property, both of these rules I can agree on 100%. T-shirts with ?Harley Davidison? or a skeleton is not dangerous just artistic to some. Kerchiefs have been banned from wearing because of its being used by inner city gangs as a way to indentify gang allegiance. Being a parent of a child attending a small rural school where this is not an issue for grade school children, I find the rule odd to even spend time enforcing. But if it helps save lives by banning bandanas then I am definitely in agreement with it. The need to remove gang activity and violence from the school setting should be a top priority but we need so much more than a dress code to do that.
Removing your hat when you are inside was an etiquette rule centuries old. Men removed their hats indoors as a polite gesture and in reverence when entering church. This etiquette rule is lost to the new generation. They see hat wearing as fashion and a way to hide bad hair and nothing else. So when adults tell them it?s rude to wear their hat inside they don?t understand. I mean it?s only a hat; it?s not really rude to wear a hat. It?s just something of the older generation understands the meaning of and has no stands in today. How can we remove so many more important traditions such as sing the ?National Anthem? every morning and tell children a several hundred year old hat rules still applies?
The same goes with clothing etiquette. I personally do not allow my daughter to go to school in clothing I find too revealing. As a parent I get a few years to have a say in some of her dressing choices because I pay for them that gives me a little leverage as a parent. The school board on the other hand does not pay for her clothing and therefore I feel they should have limited say. As a young girl, I wore cute sundresses my mother handmade for me, they had spaghetti straps, they showed my shoulders and my arm pits and there was never an issue. Were they inappropriate to wear? Well even the strictest of teachers never said a peep about them other than to compliment my mother?s sewing skills. But today my daughter is not allowed to wear the same attire because apparently showing her shoulders might distract the boys from learning. Give me a break! If the girl were dresses in blouses up to their necks and long skirts with petticoats the reaction would be the same. Actually I believe if you read ?Anne of Green Gables? you?d see even then school was a melting pot of hormone reactions between boys and girls. How they dressed did not change the fact ?boys will be boys? and ?girls will be girls? whatever the fashion. Back then showing your ankle was the dress code issue, things don?t change.
The responsibility for clothing decisions needs to be left to parents, not schools. As much as I feel some of today?s fashion is quite wild and not to my taste, I do not believe the power to decide what my children wear should be in the hands of the School Board. In the end it all comes down to a matter of personal opinion. I believe everyone, children alike deserve right to express themselves through their style. Living in a democratic country where I strongly believe in supporting freedom of expression, these beliefs outweigh my personal fashion preferences.   Living in a country where we have choices and a voice is the reason this debate will probably continue every school year for generations to come.
© 2008 This article was written by Sharon Graves MacRae