Tedeschi Educational Consulting
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Potomac, MD 20854
Phone: (301) 951-0131
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10/13/2020

Why you should work with an Educational Consultant during the Covid Crisis

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This admission season will be  different than every other year.  With a few exceptions, schools are only holding virtual open houses and interviews.  The testing requirements have changed.  Most schools will not hold student shadow days.  I have been an educational consultant for over 21 years and have never experienced  a year like this before.

It could be a much more competitive year than usual. Many families are unhappy with the way the public schools are handling education during the pandemic and will want different options. There are families trying for mid-year placements. This could take available space away from the 2021/2022 candidates. Some parents will apply  this year to avoid some of the usual testing requirements. There will be new families moving the area after the election interested in independent schools.

How will you find the best school for your child this year?  It is difficult to assess a school from a virtual event.  I have visited area schools often before the pandemic.  I have been in contact with admission offices to keep up with all the changes this year. If you want to know more about a school than what you learn on the website and through a virtual open house, I can help.

How will the school  admission officers get to know your child?  Usually they  become acquainted with students through in person interviews, visits,  testing and teacher recommendations.  If your child has been involved with distance learning, the teacher(s) may not know enough about him/her to write a substantial recommendation.  Admission committees will not have the information about your child’s strengths that testing usually provides.  How will your child stand out among his/her peers in this competitive year?  I work hard to get to know my clients and make sure the admission committees get to know them and their families through my communication.

You want your child to be successful, happy, confident and to love learning. Attending the right school to maximize his/her potential is important.  I am ready to help you find  school where your child can thrive.

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9/9/2020

Education During Covid 19

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This has been a year unlike any other. In March 2020, most of the schools in the U.S. transitioned to distance learning.  The majority of them had very little time to plan.  Six months later schools have had time to make some improvements in distance learning.   Some schools are having  hybrid models where there is a mixture of distance learning and in person learning.  Some schools are trying to return to in person learning with precautions in place; these schools may have to return to distance learning if positive cases of Covid increase.  The situation is difficult for every family.  Most children have not been able to attend summer camp or go on  family vacations and now they are still stuck at home  starting zoom classes without in person contact with their friends or teachers.  Most extra- curricular activities like music lessons or sports teams are cancelled for this fall.  No one knows exactly when things will return to pre-pandemic life.  This is taking a toll on our nation’s families.

Distance learning is difficult. Most students learn best in person.  Children should not be sitting in front of a screen for long periods of time. There are some things you can do to make the best of this situation for your child. 

First stick to a schedule.  Your children should go to bed early enough on school nights to get enough rest for his/her age group. This should be the same time each night. They should get up at the same time on school mornings with enough time to get dressed ( no pajamas in school)and eat a healthy breakfast.  School supplies should be organized in the child’s virtual school area.  If there is a daily schedule for classes, it should be posted just like most teachers do each day.  Your child can check off classes/ assignments as they are completed.

The virtual school area should have a charged computer or IPAD, a desk, shelves and/or a bookcase ( this can be labeled) to keep supplies, paper,  a filled water bottle, text books, the day’s schedule, writing utensils (pencils, pens, crayons- depending on the age of the student), a comfortable chair and also a big ball to sit on if possible. A white board and/or a bulletin board is a nice touch.  Your child could help design the area.  When it is completely ready to use, take a photo of it.  The photo can be taped to the desk or hung up nearby so at the end of the day the child has a model of how to stay organized.

Before distance school starts, make sure your child does some exercise for 30 minutes.  It can be an activity like walking the dog, riding a bike, jumping jacks, family jogging, kicking a soccer ball, shooting hoops etc.  It is especially nice if the whole family participates.  It can be the same activity each day or a different activity for each day of the week or try an activity for a week and then switch.  Before class starts make sure your child is hydrated and fed and that the internet connection works.

Once the child is successfully connected to the class you can start your work schedule. Check in during breaks.  Have your child get up and move during breaks.  Keep in contact with the teacher.  Have your child explain what was being taught each day during dinner when family members discuss their days.  If a child can successfully explain a new concept, then he/she understands it. If there is independent work to complete, your child should write it down in a daily planner and check off assignments as they are completed. You child can also use a calendar on the laptop or IPAD.

After classes are over for the day, make sure your child gets some fresh air and time to play outside ( weather permitting) before starting independent work.  Your child should have a healthy snack also.  He/she can help prepare it.  Once he/she is ready to start the independent work, ask if there are any questions.  If there is an assignment that is confusing, the child may need to contact the teacher, or review the lesson if it was recorded. If the child has a multi- day assignment, ask him/her to write down what will be completed each day until it is due. Breaking down a larger task makes it less overwhelming and does not allow last minute procrastination.
 
When school is over if there are other activities such a musical instrument lesson or practice time, make sure your child is ready for the lesson or  blocks off time in the schedule to practice the instrument.  There should be some down time (about 30 minutes) outside or drawing or playing a board game. If there is  a friend your child is social distancing with, they might play together. They could have a short zoom playdate. After the short break, your child can start on any homework.  Your child might also have some chores or could help with dinner. 
        
After dinner, there is time to shower and read and then it is time for bed.  After being on a screen for school each day, TV watching and computer You Tubes should be kept to a minimum. The last 90 minutes before bed  should be screen free.  The whole family could choose a book to read together in lieu of TV.
       
Weekends  should be for family chores and fun time. This could be a trip to a hiking trail, bike riding and board games. Some children’s sports teams may be starting and would keep everyone busy. If there is homework, make sure your child has a plan of when to compete it. On Sundays, your child will need to  organize the distance learning school classroom to be ready for the new week.

Distance learning during the Covid 19 pandemic is not optimum.  If you stay positive, keep to a schedule and stay organized, your child will learn.  

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8/30/2018

School is out for the afternoon, now what?

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It is mid- afternoon and Sam has just come home from school.  He  might be excited, exhausted, worried, happy or sad.  First give Sam a few minutes to decompose.  We all need that time after a hard day of work.  Then you might sit at the table and have a snack together; this is especially important for children during a growth spurt or if they have an early lunch at school and/or will be eating a late dinner. The snack should be appealing and healthy with some protein. This snack time should be a technology free time, just to catch up and listen.  Don’t pry with too many questions.  If Sam is not ready to talk about his day, you might discuss your day in the hope that he will then share what happened at school. Listen carefully and make comments like I think you said… did I understand that correctly? What would be some good ways to solve that problem?

If this is a day where there is a soccer practice or scout meeting or other activity, have Sam get ready.  If this is free afternoon, make sure that he gets to run around outside.  You can go to a nearby park or for a jog together. Sam can ride his bike or walk the dog or shoot hoops with a pal or sibling. The days are getting shorter, eventually there will be very little  daytime after school.  Being outside is invigorating. Getting physical exercise is shown to help one’s focus.  Depending on  the amount of homework, time of year and other commitments, the outside time should be 30 minutes or a little longer.  Then Sam can sit down look at his assignments and start his homework. 

Have him organize which assignment he will tackle first.  He might want to explain it to you. This will help him clarify the directions in his own mind.  While he is working you can be available to answer questions. Make sure he has a clean, quiet, distraction free area with the needed supplies for his homework.  Let him plan this area with some guidance before the school year starts.  When his homework is complete, have him put it in an organized binder or folder     (depending on what his teacher requires) and into his backpack for the next morning.  There will be less running around and looking for homework and books in the morning.

Dinner should be family time if possible. The after dinner hour can be used to complete homework, get ready for bed, maybe a quick game or 15-20 minutes of screen time (depending on your rules and Sam’s age).  Before bed, Sam can have a time to read with you and then on his own. Even older children love to hear stories.  You can discuss the book together.  It also gives Sam a chance to enjoy a story that may be too difficult to read alone.

This type of schedule keeps some of the hustle and bustle to a minimum.  Outside activities like sports and music lessons are wonderful, but every child should have some days where he or she is free to explore, make up and negotiate the rules of a  game with a sibling or neighbor, or  pick up autumn leaves for an art project.  The hurried pace  of the children in the DC area coupled with the overuse of electronics is taking a toll on our children.  They feel more anxious.  As the school year starts think about what you can do to keep your child healthy and happy.

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7/8/2016

How to keep summer fun without losing ground academically

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Often students forget concepts and skills over the summer. This especially applies to students with learning differences.  Teachers often use the first four to six weeks for review. How can your children keep up their skills while enjoying their time away from school?

The most important thing is to keep your children reading. Set aside 20-30 minutes daily when everyone in the family is reading.  It can be a newspaper, magazine or book. Go to a library or bookstore often to get new selections. You can have a family read aloud once a week. Younger children should spend part of their reading time reading orally; parents can turns reading a paragraph or page. No matter how old the child is sometimes it is nice to listen to a parent read or hear a book on tape. Discuss everyone’s reading selections at dinner. Talk about the best part of the story or parts the reader did not like.  What do you think will happen next? Would you like the main character as a friend? Why or why not?

Start a neighborhood parent child book club.  Everyone reads the same book and gets together to discuss the book, eat a snack (perhaps a food that was mentioned in the story), act out a chapter from the book, dress up like characters from the book, or do an art project related to the book. 

Keep your child engaged in writing with a brand new journal or diary that locks. Blank hardcover books with room for pictures and text turn even the most reluctant writer into an author. If you are taking a trip, let your child make a scrapbook complete with photos and text. Buy postcards for your child to send to friends and relatives. Have your child email friends and relatives. He/she can start a blog. They can make their own family newspaper to share with friends and grandparents.  It could include sports information about a sport they participate in over the summer or professional games they have attended.  
The entertainment sections could have an advice column, movie and book reviews. Your child can create a vocabulary game or math game to play and write step by step directions. Younger children can make their own grocery lists. Maybe your child likes to cook, he/she could create a recipe and write the directions to make the dish and then cook up a meal. There could be a writing prompt jar.  Everyone can write several prompts, fold the prompts and put them in a jar.  Other members of the household can pick a prompt and write a story using the prompt he/she selected.

Gardening is fun, teaches responsibility and can use reading, writing and math skills. Children can research the flowers and/or vegetables and fruit they want to grow. They can plan the garden. Then they can make a list and plan a budget of what they will need (tools, seeds, plants, soil, stakes, a small fence etc). At the garden store they can compare prices for all of their items on their list. They can decide if they want to use seeds or plants and determine which will be better for their garden and why. They can measure the plot and where to put the plants or seeds. The next step is to prepare the soil and dig the holes. They may need to add fencing to keep out wildlife.  They will need to water the plants and weed the garden. If more than one child is working on the garden, they can assign days for watering and weeding. They can graph their plant growth and keep a log of their plant care and observations. Once the harvest is ready, they can pick their produce and use it for meals, cut some of the flowers to make the dinner table festive or even set up a mini farm stand to sell their items. At the end of the harvest season they can write up a summary of what worked and what they might change for next year’s garden. 

Board games can teach a variety of skills from math to geography. They can also teach teamwork, patience when waiting for your turn or when you have bad luck and roll the wrong number or pick the wrong card, and improve focus to remember where a card was hidden.  Once a week family games nights are also great for bonding.

Math skills are can be kept sharp through every day activities like cooking. Your child can double or make half a recipe using math involving fractions. Plan a shopping trip with a budget.  Let your child cut out coupons to use. At the grocery store he/she can compare prices of brands and sizes. Older children can figure out the tax and add it to the bill. A lemonade or bake stand can teach math skills with money and be rewarding. Dice and decks of cards can be used to reinforce or teach probability. Road trips can be used to determine elapsed time. Children can practice division with decimals to determine miles per gallon when their parents fill up the car with gas. On a long trip “Buzz” is a fun game. The first person starts with one and the next person counts two.  Whenever there is a number that is a multiple of seven or has a seven in it, the person says “buzz” for his or her turn. If you forget to buzz or say buzz on the wrong time you are out. 

During the long, hot days of summer, your children can keep their skills sharp and have fun at the same time.  You just need a little imagination and time to share together.

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8/11/2015

Gearing up for the 2016 Admission Season

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As the summer winds down, many families are considering applying to schools for the 2016 school year. The best time to plan for the process is now, before everyone is bogged down with homework, sport practice, piano lessons, pre-school carpools and Back to School Nights.

First start to browse websites of schools that are of interest to you.  Determine when open houses and tours are given, what is needed for completed applications and when the applications are due.  Then you can start to look at your calendar and your child’s calendar to plot out the process.  Your child will visit and complete assessments for the schools.  When should these assessments be done and how many applications are enough or too many?  This is very individualized and depends upon many factors, including back-up plans if the child is not admitted to the schools he/she applied, and age, strengths, talents and needs of the child. 
    
Starting the process early is a good choice.  Independent schools are expensive.  Working with an Educational Consultant can help make sure you are making the best choice for your child.  An Educational Consultant can help you apply to the right schools to fit your unique child, help plan the process, determine the right time for testing and mange the stress that is involved with the process. ​

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8/2/2015

Why take a PG (post graduate) year between high school and college?

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A PG year at a boarding school can be beneficial for many students.  The student may mature and become more independent with a safety net that is not usually available in college. This year should be viewed as a gift to the student. It may help internalize organizational and study skills.  Dorm living at a boarding school gives the student an opportunity to live away from home, but with some structure to get ready for unstructured college dorm life. 

The PG year often offers new and different class options. The student might take some enriching AP classes, improve skills in an area of difficulty, and try a new elective in the arts or an interesting seminar class. Boarding school classes are much smaller than most public school classes and some independent school classes and give the student a chance for more participation and to form deeper relationships with the faculty. 

There are chances to try new sports or activities or enhance skills in an existing interest or talent. There are usually opportunities for leadership. 

The college counselor will tailor the college admission process to fit the PG student’s need. The student often gains a better understanding of what he/she wants to study and a better understanding of the best college fit for him/her.

There are many boarding schools offering PG years.  They have different requirements, programs and levels of challenge. Some boarding schools take a small number of PG students while others have a special program for a larger group of students. Enrolling in the right PG program can be a life changing experience.

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    Pamela Tedeschi, Educational Consultant

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