Grade skipping, also known as academic acceleration, is the process of moving a student from one grade level to the next without completing the current one. While this may sound like a radical idea, research has shown that grade skipping can have a positive impact on a student's education and future success. Here are some of the key benefits of grade skipping:

Challenging Curriculum: Grade skipping allows students to move ahead to more challenging and stimulating coursework, which can help them develop their skills and knowledge at a faster pace. This can be especially beneficial for gifted and talented students who may be bored or unchallenged in their current grade level.

Social Development: Grade skipping can help students to develop stronger social skills by placing them in a more age-appropriate peer group. This can lead to better social integration and a more positive school experience.

Improved Self-Esteem: By successfully navigating more challenging coursework, students who have skipped a grade can develop a sense of confidence and competence. This can lead to improved self-esteem and a greater belief in their own abilities.

Preparation for College: By moving ahead academically, students who have skipped a grade are better prepared for the rigors of college. This can lead to more successful academic careers and improved prospects for the future.

Time Savings: By skipping a grade, students can complete their education more quickly, freeing up time for other pursuits, such as advanced study or internships.

It is important to note that grade skipping is not suitable for every student and should only be considered after careful evaluation. Factors such as a student's academic record, emotional and social maturity, and the opinions of teachers and parents should be taken into account when making this decision.

In conclusion, grade skipping can be a beneficial option for students who are academically advanced and seeking a more challenging educational experience. With the right support and guidance, students who have skipped a grade can achieve academic success and set themselves up for a bright future.  If you would like to learn more about Covington Latin School's approach to grade skipping, please contact us at admissions@covingtonlatin.org.

Classical education has been a fundamental part of Covington Latin School's philosophy for a century. It encompasses a comprehensive study of history, language, philosophy, mathematics, and the arts, providing individuals with a well-rounded understanding of the world and equipping them with critical thinking skills. In today's rapidly changing world, classical education is more important than ever as it provides a foundation for continued learning and personal growth. In this blog post, we will explore the importance of classical education and why it remains relevant in today's society.

Promotes Critical Thinking and Rationality

One of the most significant benefits of classical education is that it fosters critical thinking and rationality. By studying the classics, students are exposed to a wide range of perspectives, ideas, and worldviews, encouraging them to develop their own opinions and engage in meaningful discourse. This ability to think critically and logically is essential in today's complex and rapidly changing world, where individuals are faced with a plethora of information and must be able to analyze and evaluate it to make informed decisions.

Provides a Solid Foundation for Further Learning

Classical education provides a solid foundation for further learning and personal growth. By studying the classics, students gain a comprehensive understanding of history, language, and culture, which allows them to more deeply engage with the world around them. This foundation allows individuals to continue learning and exploring new topics with confidence, as they have a well-rounded understanding of the world and its history.

Encourages the Development of Virtues

Classical education is rooted in the idea that education is not just about gaining knowledge, but also about developing virtuous character. By studying the classics, students are exposed to the great thinkers and leaders of the past and learn about the virtues that they embodied, such as wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance. This exposure helps to cultivate these virtues in students, making them well-rounded individuals who are capable of contributing to society in meaningful ways.

Prepares Students for Success in Today's Global Society

In today's global society, it is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of different cultures, languages, and historical events. Classical education provides students with this understanding, as it covers a wide range of subjects and perspectives, including Western and non-Western cultures. This knowledge is essential for success in today's interconnected world, where individuals must be able to engage with people from diverse backgrounds and understand their perspectives.

In conclusion, classical education is a valuable and timeless form of education that provides individuals with a comprehensive understanding of the world and equips them with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in today's rapidly changing world. Its focus on critical thinking, rationality and virtuous character development makes it an ideal choice for anyone looking to invest in their personal growth and future success.  If you would like to learn more about how your child could benefit from a Covington Latin School classical education, please contact our admissions director. 

Citations:

"Classical Education: The Movement Sweeping America." The Heritage Foundation, 8 Mar. 2012, www.heritage.org/education/report/classical-education-the-movement-sweeping-america.

"The Benefits of a Classical Education." Great Hearts Academies, greatheartsamerica.org/the-benefits-of-a-classical-education/.

"The Importance of a Classical Education." The Claremont Institute, 14 Aug. 2015, www.claremont.org/crb/article/importance-classical-education/.

Gifted Children: Understanding and Nurturing Their Unique Talents

Gifted Children: Understanding and Nurturing Their Unique Talents

At Covington Latin, we often get asked about the term gifted and talented. Our child is doing well in their classes and seems to come by it naturally. How do we know if our child is gifted? The answer isn't always clear but by definition, gifted children are individuals who possess exceptional abilities or talents in one or more areas, including academics, creativity, leadership, and athletic skills. They often perform at a level significantly higher than their peers and require specialized educational and social support to reach their full potential. So how do you know if your child might be gifted?

Identifying Gifted Children:

Gifted children may demonstrate their exceptional abilities at an early age and continue to excel throughout their school years. However, not all gifted children are easy to identify, as their talents and abilities can take many forms. Some common characteristics of gifted children include:

• Advanced problem-solving skills

• Early development of language and communication skills

• A wide range of interests and intense curiosity about the world around them

• Advanced reasoning and abstract thinking abilities

• A tendency towards perfectionism and high standards for their own performance.

Nurturing the Talents of Gifted Children:

While gifted children have unique abilities, they also face unique challenges, including feelings of isolation and boredom in traditional classroom environments. To nurture their talents and support their overall development, it is important to provide them with:

• A challenging educational environment that fosters their intellectual and creative growth

• Opportunities to pursue their interests and passions

• Encouragement and support for taking risks and trying new things

• A supportive community of peers and mentors who understand and appreciate their unique abilities

Gifted children are unique and there is not a one size fits all approach to how best to fill their needs. As parents and educators, it is our responsibility to identify and support their talents. By providing them with the appropriate resources and opportunities, we can help them reach their full potential and make meaningful contributions to the world. This support might be in the form of acceleration either by subject or by grade skipping. It could also be by expanding their experiences beyond the classroom through enrichment classes.

In the coming weeks, we will be sharing information about giftedness, the challenges they may face, and the options that are available. Covington Latin School is committed to being a resource for your child at any age.

Now That's Funny

Sense of Humor in Gifted Children

One of the lesser-known identifiers for Giftedness is humor. While it may not be one of the biggest indicators like executive dysfunction, hyperfocus, or a large vocabulary, it is something to watch for. Typically, the jokes of children tend to mimic the jokes told by their parents. They may give nonsensical knock-knock jokes or repeat movie phrases to make you laugh. The gifted sense of humor; however, is quite different. 

The keen analytical and observational skills of the average gifted child create a plethora of opportunities for children to expand their thinking. A study published in The Journal for the Education of the Gifted Child states, “The results indicated that the gifted subjects performed significantly higher in spontaneous mirth response and comprehension than the general population group.” (Shade) Overall, gifted children could respond faster and with a more succinct answer than their peers. Because of their ability to react quickly and synthesize situations, gifted children are often seen as witty and as if they have a quip for everything. 

Along the same lines, sarcasm can be seen as a gifted indicator. When I was in one of my orientation meetings for teaching, the leader of the workshop stated emphatically that teachers cannot use sarcasm at all with their students. They worry that it will be interpreted incorrectly by our students. Teaching at a school for gifted and talented students, I’ve found that sarcasm is my personal greatest resource in my classroom. While my classroom is an anomaly, it seems as if it may be indicative of a larger trend in gifted education. 

Another trend in gifted education is disruptive behavior in the classroom. The “class clown” is a common role that students may take on simply because they are bored. In Sandra Manning’s article she explains, “Especially if left unidentified for an extended period, gifted students resort to class clown status out of boredom. This is not the fault of the child who is simply trying to cope with a sometimes torturous situation.” This so-called “tortuous situation” is often cited as the reason that students find themselves unable to focus on the task at hand. Many students with a hard time focusing are just labeled as “problem children” and are treated as such. 

With a focus on the sense of humor, quick wit, and sarcasm of the individual student, educators can more effectively identify gifted and talented students. When students are identified, they are more likely to be challenged in school and enjoy the process of learning, so keep on laughing it up! 

Our January Blog was written by Samantha Darpel, Director of ExploreMore! and teacher at Covington Latin School in Covington, Kentucky.

 

The Superpower of Hyperfocus

As a teacher, the beginning of the new year brings fresh school supplies and organization.  As the Director of ExploreMore!, Covington Latin School’s enrichment program for gifted and talented students, I recently found myself going through our ExploreMore! storage so that we may start our next session off fresh. Upon finishing the summer camp, we end up with boxes of discarded materials like pipe cleaners, cardboard boxes, and household science materials. The chaos of neurodivergent organization can no longer be ignored. I, like many of our explorers, have boxes and boxes of old interests and hobbies. ExploreMore! storage is no exception. Our offerings of diverse classes for the Gifted and Talented community in our area lead to quite the eclectic grouping of materials. 

First, I stumbled upon old sewing patterns, denim, and knitting needles: the official storage of Fashion and Design. Another box contained Indiana Jones-style artifacts and sand: Dino-dig’s remnants. The third box of the day contained beakers, lab coats, and enough borax to do laundry for a year. That could be from any number of classes. 

All of these classes were requested by our students. Most of our classes are. These seemingly bottomless boxes contain the hobbies of ExploreMore! past that have long been forgotten. The stacks of stored interests reminded me of just how quickly trends can change. What is even more striking is how intensely our kids care for their interests, as if they had created Minecraft or Harry Potter themselves. These interests become more. They are all-consuming. Our obsession means we learn EVERYTHING about it. We leave no stone unturned. 

Originally, this behavior may seem endearing. Many parents find that it makes holiday shopping a bit easier. Grandparents know exactly how to talk to their grandchildren. If you want to know anything about the presidents, they have an answer and a ten-minute monologue prepared. But it seems as if as soon as you’ve gotten used to hearing about which of our founding fathers had the most cats (Explorer, John, tells me that it is Washington), the interest shifts. Now the cycle has started all over again. You’re left with $400 in merchandise and a case of whiplash. 

This occurrence is known as hyperfocus and is most common in neurodivergent populations. While many may see this as an intellectual superpower, it can be frustrating to parents, teachers, and even the kids. 

Last year, I had a student say, “Ms. Darpel, I love history, but I don’t love what we are studying in class. Can we learn more about the fashion of Ancient Rome?” As someone who has often felt this way, I knew I needed to allow him to explore that option. Our Gifted superheroes throughout the classroom can now pick one aspect of the unit and become expert on it. They then present these topics to the class. Not only are they gaining confidence through their exploration of their passion, but they are also gaining public speaking skills. 

Not everyone has the ability to adopt this method. So how can you implement and engage with your hyper-focused kid at home? 

One way to make your child feel special while also connected with the family is to have theme nights. Give your child a budget for supplies, a list of ingredients, or other parameters so that they can create a night for the whole family. Not only will they get to share their passion with the family, but they will learn valuable money, social, and practical skills. 

Another option to control hyperfocus is to set a timer. I do this in many of my own relationships. Often I will say, “Give me ten minutes to talk to you about the craft I made. Then I will turn it off.” Not only does this make me more cognizant of my own focus, but it is a good cue for others around me. The same can work for your child. Give them ten minutes on their activity then twenty minutes of homework or chores. When this method is first implemented, it can seem daunting, but eventually, it will become a lifelong habit that they are sure to thank you for. 

Finally, and possibly the simplest implementation is setting a timer or alarm. The minute that blaring noise is heard, the synapses in the brain snap to attention. Your child will be pulled out of the trance they’ve been in. Within those few minutes, your child could have traveled to the Jurassic period and learned about thirteen new plant species while the world around her completely faded away. That buzzer is her signal that it is time to get back to algebra. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best solutions. 

Creating consistent and meaningful plans for the control and management of hyperfocus will allow your Gifted and Talented children to flourish. If, and when, we look at hyperfocus as yet another superpower of our children, they will find that they are capable of much more because they are able to remain on task. Look not at what they are missing through hyper-focusing, but look at what they are able to achieve and overcome because of it. 

About the Author: 

Samantha Darpel is the Executive Director of ExploreMore! Gifted. She has been with the program for six years as a teacher, Assistant Director, and Executive Director. Samantha is working toward a Gifted and Talented endorsement to add to her Masters of Middle School and Secondary Education from the University of the Cumberlands. She has also been teaching the gifted and talented community for six years. 

Executive Functioning- the Struggle Is Real

Confucius said that a journey of 1000 miles begins with one step.  That is all well and good, but for someone who struggles with Executive Functioning, even that first step can seem like a thousand miles. The technical definition of Executive Functioning (EF) is, "the cognitive processes that help us regulate, control and manage our thoughts and actions." It includes planning, working memory, attention, problem solving, verbal reasoning, cognitive flexibility, initiation of actions and monitoring of actions. A person with excellent EF skills will not have problems creating a plan, organizing, sticking to it and shifting gears, if necessary. Those who lack EF skills will certainly have trouble when they enter school especially when they get older and need to become more independent. Projects can seem overwhelming. There is so much work to be done, and yet, they don't seem to know where to begin. Once they do begin, they can struggle to keep on task, stay organized and be able to adjust and change directions. The struggle for them is real.

Even the brightest of kids can struggle with this because it is no way connected to ability or intellect. It is not an innate ability. It must be taught and developed. Even at a very young age (as early as toddler years), children can be taught the necessary skills to have excellent EF skills later in life.  Games as simple as peek-a-boo and hide and go seek use working memory, attention span, and concentration. These are your building blocks. They teach focus and problem solving.  As the child grows older, they will benefit from participating in sports, doing chores, playing strategy games and playing a musical instrument.

Because it is a learned and acquired skill, students who struggle with EF skills can get on track with strategies that make sense to them.  The caveat is that it is not a one size fits all approach. From my years in education, I know that kids learn differently, and what works for one won't work for all. My advice is to first figure out what kind of learning style the student has.  Is he or she a visual learner? Auditory learner? Kinesthetic learner?  All of these influences can affect which strategy you employ.  

For visual learners, I am a huge proponent of project boards, sticky notes, and paper or electronic calendars.  The more color coding the better.   For visual students, I recommend color coordinating their books, notebooks, and folders. Visually, they will be able to grab what they need based on subject. I, personally, am a visual learner.  I have a huge whiteboard with sticky notes and different colored markers for different projects I am working on.  This is how I operate and organize.  It makes sense in my brain.

Auditory learners organize things quite differently.  Those kids benefit from setting alarms on phones or timers to keep them on track. Noise reduction headphones or conversely, music can help tune distractions out that will cause concentration issues. It can also be helpful to leave voice reminders for themselves on their phones.  You will often hear these kiddos talking to themselves to remind them of the steps needed to do a task.  My son did this while learning to drive.  He gave himself directions on how to parallel park. It was funny and slightly disconcerting at the same time.

The kinesthetic learner will benefit from scratching things off their lists.  This gives them a sense of accomplishment and keeps them on track.  They can also benefit from moving around while doing a task. Pacing is a normal thing while working on a project or studying. It keeps them focused. Another thing I have found that helps an active kid stay on task is an organization app.  Habitica is an app that works like a video game awarding kids with gold coins for completing a task.  For every task they complete, they check it off their list and earn rewards. They can also compete against their friends to earn points. Wunderlist is another app that allows kids to compete against their friends to check things off their to do lists.  It is a great way to motivate kids that need some movement.  These apps will also help students who are social learners and like to work with others to accomplish a goal.

These are just some of the strategies that I use while working with students with Executive Functioning deficits.  The good news is that these are skills that can be developed at any time so they do not have to struggle. Look for future posts regarding specific ways to engage students based on learning styles.

Blog post by Amy Darpel, former teacher and educational consultant, Director of ExploreMore Enrichment
Program.

We are proud to be participating in this month's Blog Hop on Hoagie's Gifted Page.

Reading: It's a gift that keeps on giving

I see a love of reading as one of the greatest gifts we can give our children and students. A person who reads for pleasure will never be bored. There can always be a magazine, book, or cereal box around for the moments of downtime. In recent times, parents are more likely to hand a child a screen rather than a book when there is a need for a distraction. But there is a much greater benefit when the printed word serves as the time filler during those unfilled moments.

Research shows that a habit of regular reading – twenty minutes a day – yields significant benefits, particularly for preschool and school age children who are expanding their vocabularies.  The difference between students scoring in the 90^th percentile in reading and the 10^th percentile is literally how many minutes a day that child spends reading. This mastery exceeds by far the vocabulary gain from any direct vocabulary instruction like a vocabulary workbook.

 

Creativity and the world of imagination is also enhanced more through reading than through viewing stories on a screen. When we create our own pictures in our brains, the imagery if far more developed than that of seeing someone else’s imagination on a screen. Every good writer was first an avid reader. The two skills are linked which is supported by a 2005 National Center for Education Statistics study.

Students who read a lot often seek books written at a higher level that might contain more mature content.  Librarians have long explained that in a book, a child will comprehend information based on prior experiences. If the child has not cognitive or experiential basis for a description, he or she will often pass over it unawares to get to the next adventure. Many adult readers have told me tales of rereading a book first encountered in middle or high school.  With more life experiences, they marvel that they missed the intent or additional messages aimed at a more mature reader. The same is not true when these stories and scenes are viewed on a screen.

The gift of reading has never been more timely choice.  Americans are reading less.  The National Endowment for the Arts report To Read or Not to Read (2001) reported the following facts:

• Less than one-third of the thirteen-year-olds are daily readers, a 14% decline from twenty years earlier.
• The percentage of thirteen-year-olds who read for fun on a daily basis declined from 35% to 30%, and for seventeen-year-olds the decline was from 33% to 22%.
• On average, Americans ages fifteen to twenty-four spend almost two hours a day watching television, and only seven minutes of their leisure time on reading (that was in 2007- with the increase in the number of smart phones, the amount of screen time has certainly increased).

And the saddest of these findings:

• Nearly half of all Americans ages fifteen to twenty-four do not read books for pleasure. 

Turning such trends around can have a significant positive impact on the overall language skills of our youth. Students who engage in free voluntary reading on a regular basis improved test scores in reading comprehension, writing style, vocabulary, spelling, and also have a lifelong gift of entertainment, fascination, and discovery that comes with losing ones' self in the printed word.  Let's all give the screen a break for a little while and go enjoy a good book!

Covington Latin - A Look at Catholic Education

Acceleration- Skipping to Succeed

The age old question in education is what to do with our over-achieving children who become bored in class.  Are they the child that is disruptive because they have finished their work early? Are they the daydreamers or the absent-minded professors?  What can you do for them? There has been a constant stream of contradictory research as to what is best for these absorbers of knowledge. Our gifted journey started off as most do, a quest for knowledge.  We saw issues regarding our son and the school recommended testing.  What I had prepared for was a diagnosis of dysgraphia or sensory integration disorder. My background was teaching and I knew I could handle those diagnoses. Those diagnoses were confirmed but what I didn't anticipate was a diagnosis of profoundly gifted.  I felt like the wind was knocked out of me.  My first instinct was to question the results.  After all, this is a kid who makes armpit noises.  But as I listened to the psychologist, I began to wrap my head around the results.  Most people would be happy to hear that their child is gifted but knowing how school systems can fail these kids, I had a lot of anxiety of what could potentially happen. Would he do well in school? Sure.  Would he test well? Absolutely.  But would he succeed? Would he ever understand what it meant to work hard? Face adversity? Learn from mistakes? I knew I had to advocate for him and put him in a place where he could thrive but also learn the importance of hard work. We tried homeschooling but I couldn't keep up with his thirst for knowledge.  I knew I needed to find something more for him.  After reading A Nation Deceived, I quickly realized what the solution was.  I needed to find a school that would allow for his acceleration.  He needed to be with kids who love to learn. He needed to be with kids who were like him and would appreciate his intellect. Luckily, we have a local school whose hallmark is acceleration.  Students at this school can accelerate one to two years starting in the 7th grade. We jumped at the opportunity to see if this was the answer we were looking for.  Research is great but does it work in the real world?

I remember on the day that he shadowed, he came bouncing out saying that he had found his people. What an amazing feeling to see your once unhappy, hated-to-go-to-school kid want to be in a place where he felt he belonged.  This sense of belonging is something I have heard from many a parent who made the leap with their child.  It makes you wonder, how many kids are like my son? How many could benefit from acceleration? Why don't we, as educators and parents, advocate for this? My son completed 8th-12th grade at Covington Latin School and he blossomed from a quiet, shy, awkward kid to one that participated in a ton of activities, played in a rock band, and traveled abroad. No one can believe the transformation he made in those 5 years.  What confidence he gained from being with like minded students who he fed off their intelligence.  He no longer had to hide who he was, what he was.  He was able to flourish.  He was challenged.  He definitely learned how to study. He definitely learned how to overcome adversity and ask for help.  He is now a college freshman and finds it to be a piece of cake because he learned the skills necessary to be successful. Was accelerating worth it? Absolutely!

Blog contribution from a former parent of Covington Latin School. 

For more information on acceleration and other topics regarding gifted education, go to Hoagie's Education Page.

Travel to Learn- To Go or Not to Go?

Traveling abroad can be one of the most amazing and beneficial experiences a student can have. Where can I start with the importance of travel? As a young girl, my parents’ goal was to take our family on a vacation once a year. For them, going to the beach was the obvious get away. Being the history-minded person that I am, I knew that I needed to see and experience more places. The opportunity arose at the end of my senior year of high school to go on a trip with other students to five countries.  I begged my parents to lend me the money because I might never have the opportunity to go abroad again (My parents had never been out of the country so I thought it was very abnormal to go overseas). When l I got to London in June of 1999,  I realized how many people from America really do travel. I fell in love with the city. It was similar to the US in that we spoke the same language but totally different than anywhere I've ever been.  I was in culture shock- cars driving on the other side of the road,  the accents, the palace,  the changing of the guards.  I couldn't believe that this actually happened in the world!  I thought these were things that only happened on TV! From there we went to Paris, to Switzerland, to Austria and Germany. I learned a lot from that trip- not only did I learn how to keep my passport safe,  but I learned to budget money, use an ATM, have an open mind, try new foods, and be flexible with my plans.  I learned how to behave not like a tourist. By that, I don't mean wearing a fanny pack and white gym shoes. I mean to be confident, polite, and walk into a restaurant or store like I knew what I was doing.  Being immersed in a different culture and language takes you out of your comfort zone and it builds confidence that you didn't know you had in you.  

I then had the opportunity to travel abroad at the end of my senior year of college. Someone came to talk to our class about student teaching abroad and one of the places they mentioned was England- so of course I had to bite at the chance. I was very nervous though since I would be the only student going abroad from the University. Again, it was very expensive, but I knew again that it would be worth it. I lived on a college campus and made a network of friends for life.

When I started teaching, I wanted my students to have the same opportunity that I had so I started planning our first trip. Teaching in an accelerated school full of bright students, I had a unique opportunity to expose my students to more than what they could ever learn in the classroom.  I knew from experience that exposure to other cultures and languages can give students sensitivity and globalization that cannot be gained by reading books alone. I knew these kids were ready and able to take their classroom learning to the next level. Our first trip was a success! We visited London, Paris, and Rome. It was amazing for me to see the students’ eyes light up before Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, and the Coliseum. Even my breath was taken away by the Coliseum, since I was teaching ancient history at the time and had never been to Rome. That trip added value to my classroom as a teacher. I learned a lot from that trip about deadlines, tipping guides, being on time, keeping people on time, but mainly about how unique it is to be able to see the world. From the people on that trip, I know that out of the 24 students that went with me, 20 studied abroad in college. Two even live abroad now. I hope they remember the respect for cultures that I taught (and also to tuck their passports---inside joke for anyone that has been on my trips).  Most of all, I hope they remember to take someone else abroad one day to give them that love of travel. Where would I be without my teacher taking me back in 1999? I have taken 5 trips abroad with students (and am starting to plan my 6^th for 2018). I don’t think I’ll ever stop the love of learning that comes with the love of travel. 

Stephanie Tewes is the Dean of Studies at Covington Latin School, an accelerated school in Northern Kentucky.  She is also a history and speech teacher.  

Technology to learn: APPly Yourself!

Technology for technology sake isn't always a good thing.  In fact, I dare say there is some validity in not using them in every classroom setting. However, there is a time and place for technology. Throughout my life time as a student, teacher, homeschooling mom and tutor, I have seen technology evolve tremendously.

To give you an example of how things have changed, I give you Exhibit A:  the term paper. The process we had to go through would startle those who grew up in a digital world. First, we had to use index cards.  Not one pack, mind you, but three or four.  We had to write one fact per card that we actually looked in BOOKS to find.  Gasp! No internet!  Do you even know how many facts go into a research paper?  SO MANY INDEX CARDS! Each of these index cards then would be spread across your bedroom in an attempt to organize them into some sort of coherent paper which we then had to type on a  TYPEWRITER!  And once you finished your paper, you had to do your works cited page. I swear I have PTTPD (Post Traumatic Term Paper Disorder).  This was an exercise in torture.  The minutia that went in to a properly cited page was unbelievably painstaking and then to have to do it on a typewriter. Yikes! I am twitching just thinking about it.

Then we hit the modern age.  Kids just don't know how lucky they have it!   I am a firm believer of work smarter not harder especially since I never want my children to suffer as I did.  So I give to you bibme or easybib.  Both are excellent for creating fast and easy work cited pages. In some cases, all you need is the ISBN number to complete the citation.  Cue the choirs of angels.

While I am on the subject of index cards, let's save some trees! Quizlet and Studyblue are two flashcard websites and apps that allow your child to create flashcards and quizzes to help them study. While there is value in handwriting flashcards, these two apps make studying on the go a snap.  I love these for busy families.  I recommend these to the kids that I tutor so they can study in the car on the way to soccer practice and school.

Another website I recommend is Hoopla.  Hoopla is a free app that allows you to borrow all types of media through your local library.  I ran across this app when my daughter was struggling with reading comprehension. She was able to download audio books and read along and highlight passages in her book.  I have to admit that I am reintroducing myself to some of the classics via Hoopla.  And for those that question the legitimacy of listening to books on tape, I ran across this article that defends its use.

Next up is a collection of websites that engage those who want to learn more. TedTalks, Great Courses and Khan Academy are excellent resources. TedTalks is a free resource with over 2000 videos on a myriad of subjects that last less than 20 minutes.  Its purpose is to spread ideas and knowledge to whomever wants to learn it.  Khan Academy is similar to Ted in the sense that they have 1000's of lessons, but it is more academic in nature and is for all ages.  I love that if you are struggling in math, you can be taught by professionals.  Or if you are wanting to move ahead in a subject, you can find classes that can accelerate you in a particular area.  Finally, Great Courses is an unbelievable resource for those looking for advanced studies from science to philosophy.  The downside to Great Courses is that it is paid site but access can be gained for free for a month and they often run really good sales.  

I hope these apps and websites help your child this year. What tech do you like? We would love to hear from you. We are always on the look out for cool new ideas.

This blog was submitted by one of our ExploreMore! parents.  She is a 7-12 teacher, homeschool parent and private tutor.  If you would like to contribute to our blog on educational or parenting topics, email amy.darpel@covingtonlatin.org.