education

 NINE REASONS TO READ

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

Here we are in the second half of the school year and all of a sudden news stories are filled with concern over the reading abilities of children. Being a good reader benefits children not only in Reading Class, but also benefits school success in in all subjects.

As a parent, be a good role model and let your children see you reading for pleasure at home. Reading is FUN and the more someone reads, the better reader he/she becomes.

  1. Reading is the discipline required to concentrate and helps children be successful in life and in understanding other subjects, such as science, mathematics, and history.
  2. Reading opens a child’s mind to the world and greatly increases his/her life prospects, as well making a good income. 
  3. Readers develop an appetite for knowledge in a variety of areas. 
  4. Good literature leads to appreciation of individual differences.
  5. A reader learns spelling, vocabulary and grammar, which also improves his/her writing and communication skills.
  6. Good readers are rarely dropouts. American college graduates earn 76 percent more on average than those with just a high school diploma.  
  7. Good readers have improved problem-solving and critical thinking skills, in addition to developing a sense of imagination and creativity. 
  8. A reader has an improved attention span and can comprehend news articles and other reading materials. 
  9. Poor literacy leads to unemployment, poverty, and crime, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

An Interesting Profile

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

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When I was a youngster, we used the words, “cool, neat, and swell” to describe good things.

Now, the popular words are, “awesome” and “epic.”

Remember the days when the word profile referred to how you looked from the side view?

Now, it means your bio.

Although word usage may change, an interesting bio/profile is even more important in our current world than in the past.

So, just what should one contain?

Begin with your name.   End with your contact information.

Between those two “bookends” include the following based on the purpose for writing your profile (is it for a college or job application? a dating site? your own website? to find contacts?)

A little research on my part has uncovered these necessary items:

Your profession/training/educational background (Simply state this. You don’t want to come off sounding “smart or cocky.”) **This is NOT A RESUME, so don’t fill in too much detail. However, realize that you’re going to be going into more depth in this area, if the bio is for a job application and less if it is for a personal website.

Special accomplishments/recent works/expertise. If you share examples, direct them toward your target audience.

Personal, humanizing details. Are you married? Do you have children? Pets?

Your age and a recent—tasteful—photo.

Include hobbies and interests (but, again, think of your audience. These might not be good to include in a job application, unless specifically asked for…)

Remember:

Be sure to write in the third person.

Keep it up-to-date, making changes whenever necessary.

It’s a word picture, so write with a smile!