Academic Avenue News

Tackling the To-Do List

2012-01-08T08:42:00.000-08:00

Clearly, my blog hasn't been on the top of my To Do List. The fourth quarter at Academic Avenue is usually pretty busy with the Back-to-School rush, inventory, year-end financials, etc.

The New Year usually brings resolutions for self-improvement. So, here we go....

My husband got me an iPhone which has the most wonderful apps on it. One of them is for errands. I've been mapping out my days with the application by placing errands complete with dates and times. The trick is allotting enough time to complete the task and including extra time, for those "monkey wrenches" that occasionally get thrown into your day. It goes something like this:

7 am Workout
8 am Get ready for work, make lunch/dinner
10 am Stop at bank
Vacuum, clean store
11 am Pay bills
12 pm Expense Reports
1 pm Lunch
2 pm Tutoring Schedule
3 pm Check in orders, merchandise, set displays
4 pm Tutoring
6 pm Close store

With the application you're able to check things off as they get done. You can sort the tasks by Home or Work. Just checking the individual list of items off gives you a sense of accomplishment. Not everyone has an iPhone but you can make up a similar schedule yourself just on paper. Don't forget to include set times to check your email account and/or social net work account. Test it out and let me know how it works for you!

Organizational Tips

2011-07-29T12:31:00.000-07:00

I raised four children and at one point in time they were all in different schools. Remembering a teachers name by the time they had six each was out of the question. I was also working full time and going to school. The following tips are good for parents and/or teachers:

Color Coding - I kept different colored folders and highlighters for each child. School papers for each child and homework to be checked and turned in went into the folders. Events on the calendar were highlighted for each child in their color. This kept the confusion out of which school to go to for each event or what was due for whom.

Tips for Paperwork - I have a rule. If I put my hands on it I take care of it right then and there. That means when I get mail, I open it, file it, pitch it....right then and there. No piles!

File System - I have file folders labeled: "bills to be paid", "orders to be processed", "Invoices to be processed", etc. These are for tasks I can't get to right away. These should never be ignored - they just enable you to put your hands on something until you complete the task. It's harder to find something in a pile. The label names can be changed to "papers to be graded", "notes to go home", "permission slips", etc. You get the idea. Just don't forget they are there!

Time Saver - How often do you check your email, facebook, twitter accounts? Think about how much time you actually spend. Limit your time to just a couple of times a day. Try making a chart with times on it and assign certain times of day to checking these things. List out tasks that need to be done for the day on the chart and allow enough time for unplanned events that take you away from the task at hand. You'll be amazed at how much you get done and what a sense of accomplishment you have when tasks are completed.

Cleaning - Sometimes you don't have time to give the house a good cleaning but you can keep it looking neat. When you go into a room, grab anything that belongs in the next room you plan to visit or rooms along the way. Straighten anything out of place while you are in a room.

Hope these tips keep some sanity in your life!

Some of my Special Customers - 6/20/11

2011-06-20T17:10:00.000-07:00

Today was a special day at the store. It wasn't about the sales, it was about the people.
Let me introduce you to some of the important people that come to my store.

Avery used to come in about every other week with his grandpa who lives in the neighborhood. He's a very smart little boy who's going to break about a dozen hearts or more. He used to come in for books to "teach" his friends. I haven't seen him since he came to say goodbye about a year ago because he and his family were moving to Germany where his dad was stationed. I was pleasantly surprised when he came in with his grandpa just to say hello to me and let me know he was okay and back for the summer. He introduced me to his mom and little sister, Sophie. A child of about ten years, made me feel incredibly special today.

Also in today were the sisters that live in the neighborhood that stop in every so often through the year and always make it in a few times in the summer. They bring their own money and carefully choose the items they want to spend their money on. They're always very polite and I swear they grew about a foot each in the last year. Isabella and Olivia are turning into beautiful young ladies and I enjoy their visits.

There was a dad that came to me a couple of years ago, going through a divorce and wanted to create an educational environment for his kids when they were visiting. He was pretty down. Today, a couple years later, he was really up and was nice enough to share with me what he'd accomplished with his kids in the last couple of years.

Yes, today was a very special day for me. These people made my day just by walking in and allowing me to be a part of their lives. That is priceless.

Summer Vacation

2011-06-07T16:41:00.000-07:00

What I'm not going to miss about school is the daily battle to get my student out of bed every day. However, I don't know how on earth I'll get him up before I leave for work? Ah never-ending battles. It's always something isn't it?

I made an effort every summer to keep my children learning until they went back to school. Believe me, that was a battle, too. Lots of parents are coming in to my store and are worried about the same thing. When I was in school, I really didn't need much help with homework from my parents because we worked hard in school and pretty much worked on lessons until the whole class understood them. Parents had the mindset that they were paying taxes and they were sending kids to school to learn there. Why should they have to do it at home?

That isn't the case any more. Parents absolutely must work with children in order for them to succeed. Teachers are bogged down with impossible deadlines and benchmarks. They don't have the time to stop for each child. Not to mention, class sizes aren't what they used to be.
Kids need us now more than ever. If you have questions about what you could be doing at home to help your child learn, my phone line is always open. You don't have to spend anything to get information out of me. I'm happy to give ideas out over the phone or via email.
Whatever keeps them learning!

Steal Precious Moments

2011-05-24T09:40:00.000-07:00

We had the most beautiful weekend here in southeast Michigan. A weekend that was predicted to be the last. I saw the gentleman who made the prediction on the news this morning, and despite the tongue-in-cheek humor I've heard in the last couple of days, my heart really went out to him. He truly believed with every fiber of his being that he was right. So much so that he wanted to warn the world.

I'm sure the folks in Joplin, Missouri are feeling as though their world ended. What would be the end of your world or what has been? Many of us have experienced something that rocked our world to it's very core. When is there time to enjoy life? Sometimes you just have to steal those moments because they are precious and few.

My husband and I abandoned our housework/yardwork responsibilities on Friday to go shopping. Then, we put off making dinner to go biking in the park. Then we just couldn't resist a walk, hand-in-hand, around the block after dinner. I hope you can take a few moments today and everyday to enjoy life. It's shorter than you may think.

Mother's Day

2011-05-10T08:25:00.001-07:00

To me, there is no better Mother's Day gift than spending time with my family. Now that most of my children are grown and on their own it's difficult to get them all together with conflicting work schedules and life in general. My oldest son took charge this Mother's Day and rallied his siblings together to prepare a wonderful feast! He is quite the cook. I have to say it was odd watching my adult children scurrying around in the kitchen and running me out of the kitchen when it was time to clean up. My youngest son prepared a heart-warming video set to music of him as a baby and me. It's those thoughtful gifts that I cherish the most.

I hope everyone else had a wonderful Mom's Day, too!

4/26/11

2011-04-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

Everyone has their favorite age group to deal with when it comes to kids. Mine happens to be 15 months to 3 years old. I know, that includes the terrible twos. What I like about this age group is that you can actually hear the wheels turning when you look at them. When their little minds are at work you can almost hear them learning. This little one is 16 months old and holds a special place in my heart. This is our granddaughter, Jocelyn, and as you can see she dyed Easter eggs with us for the first time. I can only imagine what she's thinking. The first thing she did was take the egg in her hand and try to eat it. There was such bewilderment when we started dipping them into different colors. Still lots of wonder on her face when we were done, as you can see. I had lots of family and fun during my 3 day weekend. Hope you did, too.

4/14/11 - Teachers Protest in Lansing

2011-04-14T09:16:00.000-07:00

Let's hope the teachers protesting in Lansing today can get through to Slashing Snyder! Monroe School District is expected to drop the news on parents today that class sizes may swell to a whopping 37 students. Students report they have a hard time learning due to the noise in the classroom. More parents are moving to homeschooling which decreases the budget for schools even more.

The Future of Education - 4/12/11

2011-04-12T11:34:00.001-07:00

I had a meeting with a superintendent recently and she asked me where I saw education in the future. I told her that I saw virtual education taking over, school buildings unnecessary, and the old Mel Gibson movies, Mad Maxx come to mind. Remember how desolate things looked in those movies? For those of you too young to remember, just think "ghost town". We've been through some frightening changes and quite honestly I think it all comes down to the almighty dollar. Officials are no longer concerned with quality education, just the budget. Hearing the phrase "budget cuts" makes me cringe. Afterall, where will I be when schools are no longer spending? The state continuously increases the benchmarks across the board, but also hacks the education budget to bits. Our tutoring center is doing quite well thanks to some of the changes made in education. Kids are struggling because there just isn't enough money and not enough time to teach everything they want taught. I just read an article on virtual education and the lack of quality of the on-line courses now required of high school students in some southern state districts. Instead of reading the classic tales that you and I read in school and then reporting on what we read, students may now Google their answer, read a Wikipedia piece, cut/paste, and send it to the teacher. Where's the quality in that education? Something has to give here soon. The future of our nation depends on it.

2011-03-24T09:17:00.001-07:00

3/24/11

The Better Business Bureau contacted me today to let me know I was eligible for accreditation based on the fact that I have no complaints logged against me. Really? That's all it takes?
Of course not......for a mere $485 a year I can get the BBB logo on my website, be accredited and get legal representation should I have any complaints against me.....and people will now trust me. If people don't trust me by now.........I don't know - nothing against the BBB but I think this small business owner is just going to rely on her own good reputation without the expense.

Anyone out there actually search out businesses on the BBB? I'm sure it's a reputable source but I'm doubtful now that I know that's all that it takes. Seems like a popularity contest to me and "he(she) who gives us the most money wins."