5 Back to School Tips: September 2007 ShillerMath Tidbit

[Larry Shiller]

5 Back To School Tips

But first a short note from Larry Shiller...

Dear Pamela,

Want good discussion fodder for the home or classroom? Google
the popular Today's Math Behind the News, a light-hearted and 
unique perspective on today's top stories.

Sincerely,
Larry Shiller
258 Thunder Lake Road Wilton, CT 06897
203-210-5208 lshiller at shillermath.com

...and a word from our sponsor The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, who 
makes this Tidbit possible! 

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OK, back to this month's Tidbit...

5 Back To School Tips

It's time for back to school. I often wondered about that phrase 
- aren't we as humans always learning and in a way always 
"in school"? Having never left we don't need to "go back"!

That said, these five tips (whose first letters spell RAVES) will 
help students - and parents - make the most of the "official" 
start of school this year:

1. Review. Review homework every day when it's done and give your 
children the opportunity to ask questions. If you don't know an 
answer, be a good role model by admitting it and immediately 
researching it with someone more knowledgeable or on the Internet.

2. Attitude. According to a recent study, parents have more 
influence over their children than teachers, coaches, spiritual 
leaders, and even celebrities. Present a positive and anxiety-free 
attitude about school and communicate regularly with teachers to 
uncover any issues before they fester.

3. Visit. Visit the school web site and then physically visit the 
school with your child before the first day of school. A good 
checklist is to locate the classroom or homeroom first, and then 
the bathrooms, gym, cafeteria, and nurse's office. Make or print a 
map and go over it with your child before you visit. This works 
even if you're home schooling (who doesn't love maps?)!

4. Environment. Elementary school children typically do not 
concern themselves with clothes or accessories but they do want to 
know if they're in the right room, where to sit, what the teacher 
is like, and what the classroom rules are. Call or visit the 
school to find out and your child will have a stress-free first 
day.

5. Special place. Teens need special attention because they have a 
lot of distractions (can you spell "puberty"?). Provide a special 
place in the house for homework that is well-lit and quiet, and 
give your teen a sign to put on the door that says something like 
"Do Not Disturb - Genius at Work."

Parents and students following these tips often give rave reviews 
of their back-to-school experience. And students are better 
prepared to focus on learning and all the joys that can bring!

In our next Tidbit we'll look at the law of commutativity.


The poetry(?) of math

A mathematician named Joe
Said, Really it just can't be so.
My wife, for her sins,
is about to have twins,
And 2 into 1 doesn't go!

Geometry keeps you in shape
Decimals make a point
Einstein was ahead of his time
But Lobachevski was out of line.

September 2007 Puzzler [Grades 3-12]
A fair coin is flipped three times and lands heads each time. 
What's the probability it will land heads the fourth time?

Visit http://www.shillermath.com/puzzler by September 25, 2007 
with the correct answer and most interesting solution to be 
eligible to win this month's puzzler prize.

Answer to August 2007 Puzzler [Grades 7-12]
Q: What is the formula for the sum of the first n positive integers?
A: It's n(n+1)/2. The series 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, ... is built 
from this formula starting with n=1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, ... and 
comprises the set of triangular numbers. Congratulations to 
Lindsay Branton from Adlai E. Stevenson High School for getting 
the right answer!

I hope you enjoyed this short math break!

Sincerely,

Larry Shiller
Publisher

NEW VERSION! FREE Diagnostic Testing: Find and fill holes in a 
student's math foundation FAST! And FREE. Try it now! 
http://www.shillermath.com

Did you enjoy this Tidbit? You may share with your fellow parents 
and educators. Just click the forward at the very top.

Join Larry Shiller on Paltalk.com every Tuesday at 6 p.m. Eastern. 
Each show features the math behind the week's top news stories, a 
brand new puzzler, Math Q&A, and a featured guest. Our September 
guest line-up includes PR star Maria Sliwa (T9/11); Former 
Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Dr. Francis Barnes (T9/18); 
and Internet video star Kim CubeNews (T9/25). It's every Tuesday 
at 6 p.m. only on Paltalk.com. Don't miss it!


What is ShillerMath?
ShillerMath publishes Montessori-based math curriculum, songs, workbooks, and flashcards for ages 4-12. No Montessori or math knowledge is required and there's zero lesson preparation - just read what's in quotes and you're good to go! Students using this approach consistently outperform their peers. Larry Shiller, ShillerMath founder and President, has a math degree from MIT. ShillerMath includes authoritative materials and lessons used by thousands of Montessori schools and is the math curriculum of choice for schools and homes throughout the world. Visit the ShillerMath site for all the details on this proven and amazingly effective product.


About Larry Shiller
America's Math Expert Larry Shiller has a mission: to make the US #1 in math. President of ShillerMath, publishers of Montessori-based curriculum for classrooms and the home, Founder of the Rising Stars Foundation, a 501(c)(3) that builds positive role models for children in math, Host of the Shiller Math Behind the News, a weekly one hour Internet/TV show on Paltalk.com, and author of Today's Math Behind the News, a daily 2-minute podcast feature that shows how math is an integral part of every major news story, Shiller is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Harvard Business School.

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