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HALF WAY THERE - - - YES!

1/31/2014

Would you believe it! We are half way finished with the school year! Two quarters are completed and two are remaining. It's time for you to evaluate how you are doing. You had goals in September. Have you done the work needed to stick to those goals and earn the grades which you want? Will your results in June be ones which you will be proud of, which your parents will be proud of? It is very difficult to be objective about your own performance - but it is sometimes necessary, if you are to improve. Make up your mind NOW to do your best in every subject - and, when you are having difficulty in a subject class, let us in the Study Center know so that we can support what your classroom teacher is doing and help you do better in your classes. That's what self-discipline is: taking responsibility yourself for recognizing how you are doing, and taking steps to improve your performance. That's what we are here for. Make use of the hundreds of years of teaching experience we have in the Study Center, and let us help you improve your report card grades.

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WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN THE MOVIE IS LOUSY?

1/27/2014

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What do you do if you are in a movie theater, have spent money on the ticket, and, after watching the movie for 30 minutes, you realize that you hate the movie? Do you get up and leave (knowing that you will not be given your money back) or do you stay and suffer, and then later rip the movie apart as you discuss it with friends and family? The worst type of movie is one in which you don't like ANY of the characters or care what happens to them - a movie such as "American Hustle," which is supposed to be good but which has no likable characters - or "Alien 3," which has one nice character (who gets eaten by the monster half way through the story). What do you do in a case like that?

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WHO IS YOUR HERO?

1/17/2014

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Martin Luther King Day celebrates a hero to people who believe in civil rights. These people feel that all humans should be treated as equals, regardless of their color, religion, sexual orientation, age, etc. Rev. King stood for justice for all, and he took non-violent action to fight unfair treatment for African-Americans. He led the March on Washington in 1964 (50 years ago) and made his famous "I Have a Dream" speech that day, but he did so much more. Read a biography of him online or in print and you will learn why he deserves his day of celebration.

YOU have heroes in your life. You look up to people who have done things which you think of as heroic. These are unselfish people who have done things to make people's lives better, safer, healthier, more satisfying. Such a personal hero may be a famous person or a close family member. Why not write about your hero? Who is he or she? Click on the word "Comments" above and type a few words which tell us who this person is and why he or she deserves to be called a hero. We are not looking for super-heroes. Superman, Batman, Iron Man, Flash and Mighty Mouse are not real. However, there are actual people whom you know who make your life better because they care about you. Here's your chance to say "Thank you" to one of them. Click on "Comments" and write about that person now and then click "Submit."

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CHECK IT OUT

1/9/2014

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Make it a habit to go to our school district's web site every once in a while to find information about what's happening in different Great Neck schools. You can also get early notices about school closings (for snow, for example) and delays as well as activity (clubs,teams, shows) postponements. In addition, from this site, you can get to the web sites of individual schools as well as places such as the Parent Portal. You can even access the lunch menus. Believe it or not, you are doing research when you use this site. You should be aware of every place where you can get information about things which affect your life!

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HAPPY NEW YEAR - AND A NEWER YOU!

1/2/2014

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As this year begins, it is the custom in this country for people to make New Year's Resolutions. That is, people state how they will become better or more successful or happier. Examples of such resolutions are: "I will lose weight" and "I will study harder" and "I will argue less" and "I will read more novels." We at this web site are curious. What are your New Year's Resolutions? Take a minute and click the word "Comments" above and write one of your resolutions and submit it. Name one way in which you plan to improve yourself. Of course, if you feel like sharing, type two or three resolutions. We wish you success with keeping your resolution(s) for the year 2014. We will try hard to keep ours.

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HOW DID TODAY GO?

12/23/2013

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Some people LOVE the rain. Do you?

It rained all day today. It was gloomy and gray and wet, not the kind of day that one dreams about. However, the girl on the right has the right attitude. She doesn't allow the weather to get her down, to depress her. After all, none of us should permit outside forces, such as the weather or another person, to determine our fates. We should take advantage of conditions - as they say, make lemon aid out of lemons. So, what did you do today? Did you mope around the house and complain about life - or did you determine your own fate by taking things into your own hands and maybe catch up on your reading? Today was a perfect day for reading. The weather couldn't interfere with that activity. On days such as this one, read to get ahead of your class, or read to catch up - or read just for pleasure. There's so much more in books than in the movies. A book transports your mind to another place, another time, another world. With a book, time travel is not impossible at all - and the time machine is right in your hands, whether electronic (Nook, Kindle or iBooks) or text (hard or soft covered). You are the the master of your fate and the captain of your soul. (If you like those metaphors, start your reading by Googling the poem "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley here, and then read his brief biography here, especially the part about his illnesses and how he faced them.

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HOW IS YOUR VACATION GOING TO BE? GOOD? BAD? GREAT? AWFUL?

12/17/2013

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You have a long vacation coming up. Are you going to have a terrible vacation as the chicken in the Japanese cartoon above has? Will you have a so-so vacation as the cow (who apparently gets his super-powers from drinking milk) has, in the cartoon? Tell us what you will be doing and where you will be going - or tell us where you'd like to go. You can even write about the best or worst vacation you ever had. Just click on "COMMENTS" above the cartoon and write. We want to read what you have to say.

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WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE MOVIES?

12/13/2013

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You watch movies. They may be shown in theaters or on TV. They may be in English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Korean, Hebrew, etc. Now you have a chance to share your favorite movies with the other readers of this blog and this web site. Just click on the word "Comment" above on the right side and list your five favorite movies. Write the titles. It doesn't matter which language the movies were in (but type the English titles). If you'd like, write a sentence or two telling what the movies are about or why you liked them. Don't be shy. Your opinion is important. This is your web site. Also, if you'd like to read reviews of some movies, go to the "Reviews" section of this web site. For now, COMMENT on your five favorite movies. If you can't think of five, list fewer. Other people will find them interesting, and they may get ideas for which movies to see in the future.

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ACTIVE IS BETTER THAN PASSIVE: DO SOMETHING!

12/10/2013

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President John Kennedy, echoing an old Chinese proverb, once said, "It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness." What does that mean? It's better to be a person who tries to solve a problem than complain about it. Nobody likes a complainer - and the one who complains is not trying to get rid of whatever it is that is bothering him or her. Which kind of person are you? If you have a test coming up or homework or a research paper coming due, are you a person who complains about the work or are you a student who does the necessary preparation - and therefore succeeds? If you are the former, then it is time to change your attitude. You are hurting yourself - and your future. Complainers do not do nearly as well as those who take action to overcome the obstacles facing them. Here's another famous saying: "A word to the wise is sufficient."

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