How to Encourage Your Child on Test Days

How to Encourage Your Child on Test Days As the About.com test prep expert, I often get emails from parents asking for help with things like studying with their children, test prep techniques, easing test anxiety and more. Recently, I received an email from a mom who wanted nothing more than to encourage her daughter on test days. She could perceive - although nothing was said - that something wasnt quite right with her child on days when she had a presentation or test to take. She wanted to support her daughter in the kindest way possible.   Read the email she sent to me and the response I offered her to help her child feel the best she possibly could on test days.   Hi Kelly, How can I be more encouraging to my daughter on test days? She hasnt said that shes worried or anything, but I can just tell that something is up with her when she has a quiz or exam. Is there an activity we could do in the morning on the way to school? Kind regards, ~~~~~~~ Dear ~~~~~~~, If your daughter needs encouragement on test days, perhaps shes experiencing some test-taking anxiety, which can stem from different emotional places. To find out whats bothering her, start a conversation on the way to school since you drive her there every morning. Its a great time to have a conversation since the pressure is low - you have to watch the road and she can look out the window if she doesnt want to make eye contact.    Use a statement like, I can tell youre feeling discouraged about something. Is it the test? Would you like to tell me your feelings about it? This kind of conversation starter gives her some wiggle room if shes not up to chatting, but more than likely, shell open up about her worries if theyre test-related because you may have a solution for her. So probe a bit. Does she have a fear of failure? Is she worried about disappointing you or her teacher? Does she feel like shes not prepared? Once you know the root of the discouragement, you can encourage her by sharing your own experiences and boosting her self-esteem. Start by discussing moments in your life when youve been similarly discouraged. (Fear of failure during a new job? That time you felt unprepared for your finals in grad school?) Talk about the ways you overcame it to go on to complete the task you needed to do. Or, tell her about your failure. Its good for a kid to see that her parent is always perfect. Tell her what you learned from failing.   Then, boost her confidence with heartfelt praise. Describe one of her strengths; maybe shes a great shot in basketball or a creative writer. Show her how she can use those skills on test day. Scoring two points in hoops requires concentration, and since shes already good at that, she can use her powerful focusing skills to zoom in on the right answers. Being a creative writer means she can think outside the box. Confidence in one area can cross into others, especially if you help build the bridge. Most importantly, let her know that her score will never impact your love for her. Youll love her just as much whether she bombs the test or aces it. Even if she knows it already, hearing you say that she has your devotion regardless of her actions may help calm her anxiety if shes been telling herself something different. All my best to you, Kelly

Emergency Preparedness in US Prisons and Public-Private Partnerships Research Paper

Emergency Preparedness in US Prisons and Public-Private Partnerships - Research Paper Example It is therefore imperative that US prisons partners with private partners to increase and improve emergency preparedness. 3 This research paper identifies and analyses the special emergency risks associated with US prison systems, its current emergency preparedness regime and the philosophical underpinnings that drive the existing emergency preparedness regime. Finally, and more importantly, this paper investigates the utility of public/private partnerships for improving upon US prisons’ emergency preparedness systems. 3 Emergencies are difficult to predict and even where they are predicted, the outcomes can rarely be precisely anticipated. Prisoners in particular are a unique problem for prison staff in that prisons are already on high alert for prison-like emergencies such as riots, hostage situations, and more importantly prison escapes. Complicating matters for prisons, overcrowding adds a new set of risks that can lead to new emergencies or exacerbate existing emergencies. This is particularly so because the ratio of prison staff to prisoners is entirely unsafe and unsatisfactory. It is therefore imperative that US prisons partners with private partners to increase and improve emergency preparedness. This research paper identifies and analyses the special emergency risks associated with US prison systems, its current emergency preparedness regime and the philosophical underpinnings that drive the existing emergency preparedness regime. Finally, and more importantly, this paper investigates the utility of public/private partnerships for improving upon US prisons’ emergency preparedness systems. In the last decade, the US experienced a number of man-made and natural disasters ranging from the terrorist attacks in 2001, successive hurricanes in Florida in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. As a result, the American public has grown to expect more of emergency preparedness systems (Kapucu & VanWart, 2006). It is hardly surprising that