Safe Search Kids - Education, Parenting, Internet Safety for All

It can be hard to watch your child grow up into an independent teenager. As they start to spread their wings, a whole new set of worries can come into play. Maybe they’re driving on their own, spending more time away from home, and even getting their first job. But, as hard as it may be to “let them go,” it can also be an exciting time for you as a parent.

This is the perfect time in your teen’s life for you to guide them into adulthood. That includes helping them with their first job search. Teenagers and after-school/summer jobs have gone hand-in-hand forever. As of July 2020, over 46% of teens in the U.S. had some form of employment.

But, finding a job right away isn’t always easy for anyone, let alone a teenager with no experience. Then, there are other factors to consider. How far away do you want your teen to have to go to work? Is the job safe? Will it affect their schooling or extracurricular activities?

It’s okay to have questions and concerns while still helping your child find their first job. You never know, with your help, they might find something that sparks their interest in a lifelong career.

Starting the Job Search

While having job leads is great, your teenager can also go the traditional route of scouring different places for job listings to find the safe job opportunities. Today, that will probably consist mostly of looking at job boards online. You can certainly help them along the way. But, this should really be something your teenager takes the reins on. They can look for jobs they’re interested in or local places that are hiring and taking applications instantly.

Many businesses are always hiring. So, it might be worth it for your teen to walk in and ask for an application. Going this route will allow you to go with them. As a result, you’ll have an understanding of where the job is located and how safe the neighborhood is.  Preparation for the job interview early on is also important because the call from a potential employer for an interview can come at anytime.

For the average American adult, a job search can take months. Granted, most adults in the workforce are looking for something very specific, while teens usually aren’t. But, they still might have to wait some time before getting an interview. Even then, getting a job isn’t guaranteed. Preparing your teen to roll with rejection is actually an important part of the job searching process. It’s a great lesson in how “failure” can help with growth in nearly every aspect of life.

Helping Them With a Resume

Your teen should have a solid resume put together once they start looking for jobs. Having one at the ready will make it easy to apply for jobs right away, especially when you’re looking online.

You might be wondering what they can put on a resume without any prior job experience. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to spice up a resume and cover letter by focusing on “soft skills” (communication, ability to work with a team, productivity). A resume writing service like ZapResume.io can help highlight their strengths effectively.

You can also include any extracurricular activities your teen is in. If they are on a sports team or are a member of a club, it will show potential employers that they have a strong work ethic and the know-how to cooperate with others.

Additionally, you can help them look for jobs that don’t require any experience to get started, including:

• Lifeguard at a local YMCA
• Starbucks barista
• Fast food worker
• Stock clerk
• Movie theater cashier

Most of these jobs provide training on-site, so your teen will learn everything they need to know once they’ve been hired. Even if they only work there a short time, it’s a great way to gain experience and have something more to add to their resume.

Teaching Them to Network

Networking can be an incredibly important factor in landing a job, and there’s no reason it can’t start with a part-time job as a teen. Networking can introduce your teen to positive role models that will help them learn communication skills and connect them with the right people to potentially jumpstart their career. In many cases, it’s more important than just searching for a job online or on bulletin boards. The sooner your teenager learns how to network and connect with the right people, the easier it will be for them to do so in the future when they’re looking for a job as an adult.

You can teach your teen networking skills in a variety of different ways, including:

• Attending career fairs.
• Introducing them to your colleagues.
• Having them shadow someone at a job.
• Creating a recommendation letter.
• Helping them build a LinkedIn profile.

The more you help them build those skills, the easier it will be for them to land a job now and in the future. Helping them to network might also mean giving them some new responsibilities,  like getting a phone. Even if you think your teen is too young, having their own phone will help them connect with potential leads. Plus, if they do land a job, it’s the easiest way for them to stay in touch with their employer when they’re needed.

While it may not always be easy to see your teenager growing up, helping them find their first job can be a great experience for both of you. Jump into the search with them, guide them along the way, and give them the career advice you wish someone would’ve given you at that age.

An argument, who hasn’t been in one? We argue on the school playground, argue with a best friend, argue whose best friend is better. We’ve all either been in an argument or tried our hardest to avoid one, but what happens when you have to write about one? Did anyone groan at that question?

Have no fear! This article is here with quick and effective tips that will help you write a great argumentative essay, no matter what you’re arguing.  It can also help in improved writing skills.

Tip #1: Pick a side, any side

It can’t be an argumentative essay if you don’t know what you’re arguing for or against. The simplest way to start an argument is to know what side you’re arguing for and to stick to the side until the very end. Sometimes the simplest statements of “I think. . .” or “I believe. . .” are a great way to start thinking about what side of the argument you’re on.

Here are some questions: Should schools push back their start time? Should healthy lunch meals be served to every student? Do you like the color black or blue?

Tip # 2: But Why?

Because I felt like it! If only that could be a valid reason for everything you have to explain (it’s not). But it’s not that complicated either. You picked a side of the argument, but you have to have reasons explaining why that side. The magic number to remember here is three. Any good argument needs to have at least three reasons that support your claim, and you get them by asking why.

• Why did you pick the color blue—? Give three reasons.
• Why should school days start later? Give three reasons.
• Why this School?  Give three reasons.

Remember, your argument is only as strong as your reasons. The sentence that has the chosen argument and three reasons to support the argument is what we call a thesis statement. That is if you want to sound all fancy and impress everyone around you!

Tip # 3: Find A Partner

A key to any good argument is finding good, strong evidence. In other words, find people who know what they are talking about, have been published properly, and now have come to your rescue. It’s an important element in your argumentative essay to have evidence that supports what you’re arguing for. The support could come in many forms: quotes, expert opinions, graphs, charts, or any form of data.

For instance, if you argue that school should serve healthy lunch for reason a, b, and c, then you need to find people that will support those reasons. The magic number here is two. Two pieces of strong evidence to support each reason. (When did an argumentative essay become a test in knowing how to add?)

Tip #4: Know Your Opponents

It’s just as important to know the other side of the argument as well as knowing yours. Wait. . . Why?!

You must address the other side of the argument in your essay, so that you can counterargue it.  The whole mission of the argumentative essay is to make a strong case for your side, and nothing makes a stronger argument than knowing what the other side is thinking. It’s called being prepared with the counterclaim, and having a strong rebuttal to prove your argument is stronger. This takes more good research.

The key here is to be prepared to defend your side till the very end. And yes, all this work is happening through writing. Let’s not forget that while playing mind chess!

Tip # 5: Take A Bow

Here’s the grand finale, time to put it all together. You’ve done all the hard work of thinking of good reasons to support your argumentative essay and then of finding strong evidence to support those reasons. Now is not the time to confuse your readers! Simply leave them with a thought about your side of the argument. Keep it short, neat, and clean!

These are the five basic rules to keep in your back pocket when writing an argumentative essay. Learning these steps will assist throughout entire acedemic life, including the abitlity to successfully write research papers.  Remember, writing is a process, so always be open to feedback and revisions. Happy writing!

Article provided by VSA Future; offering virtual classes for your child.

When doing research for an essay, watch this video to learn how to separate trustworthy information from biased information.

Learn how to ensure your essay doesn’t contain plagiarism.

Experts suggest that it has become a serious challenge to increase children’s attention spans in the age of new media. According to an article published in the National Alliance on Mental Health, exposure to a variety of information sources and devices may have a big impact on children’s ability to stay focused.

Technological overload is real and it can affect your child’s reading skills. After all, reading requires the ability to concentrate. With social media becoming skewed towards more visual content, children should take a moment to develop good reading habits and nurture their critical and creative functions.

It’s also important to ensure kids are equipped with fundamental comprehension skills, whether they are being taught how to read at home or in school.  A child’s ability to understanding in their mind what they see via text will create engagement that will draw them to reading, as opposed to turning to a phone or computer screen.

Here are some of the ways you can encourage your kids to read:

1. Be a role model

Younger children see you as a template for how they should behave or act. Reading a newspaper or a good book helps normalize reading in the household. Seeing you being in the zone when your read encourages your child to follow suit. This should happen at a very early age to instill a model of reading that will continue to engage them as students in elementary school.

2. Keep a collection of materials

Apart from showing your child the importance of reading on a daily basis, you need to let them know that you have ample things to read at home. You can create a mini-library that includes a good mix of fiction and non-fiction works. Apart from children’s books, you can also stock up on encyclopedias, dictionaries, and news magazines so your child has access to a wide array of knowledge that entices them to read.

3. Have story time before bed

There is truth to the idea that bedtime stories can help foster a child’s development. It helps them relax and, more importantly, stimulates their creative fuel. Eventually, your child will pick up the habit and look towards reading as a source of comfort.

4. Write a story for your child to read

Another way you can get your child to read is to write and publish your own children’s book with them as the main character. Nowadays, it’s easy to come up with an ebook that is aimed towards children, so take the time to write stories your child will want to read. Doing so will encourage them to write as well.

5. Allow your child to read online

While new technology could reduce your child’s attention span, you can also use it to encourage healthy reading habits. While most parents try to reduce screen time and rightly so, take time to teach your child how to find useful information online for their homework or school project. Along the way, you can also help them identify bad information and nurture effective online research skills.

6. Stay engaged

As you expose your child to the wonderful world of reading, they may find the activity tedious and boring. If this is the case, you should always be present as they absorb written information. You can also encourage them to read comic books and intriguing mysteries since these genres are meant to keep readers engaged.  Research the best reading apps that captivate their attention and make learning fun.

The more you expose your child to reading, the more they become more discerning of the information they see in social media. With these tips in mind, you can help your child develop their creative and critical skills even as information becomes increasingly instantaneous.

Reading Resources about Reading:

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Teachers are human beings and just like other humans do, sometimes we can be distracted while in the classroom. We can be biased towards some students and lose focus unintentionally. Sometimes you may focus too much on one gender. There are also cases of teachers focusing too much on one race and ignoring another race, either positively or negatively.

Of course, as teachers, we try to avoid preferential treatment, but sometimes our human nature gets in the way of our noble intentions. That makes it essential to self-reflect and evaluate our conduct in and outside the classroom. The beauty of the teaching profession is that we always have a second chance to right our wrongs; to do things better. Every year is a chance for us to get better than we were the previous year.

This article aims at helping you focus on all students in the classroom from different backgrounds at all time, whether it be cultural differences, gender, intelligence, or simply the fact that you connect better with some children more than others.  This is how:

1. Admit that you are not immune to bias

As a teacher, it starts by admitting that you are human and susceptible to distraction and bias. Acknowledge that you could be biased against certain students, so you start checking who those students could be. You are not color blind: How do you interact with kids who don’t have the same skin color as you? Evaluate how you treat kids from different ethnicities, religions, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Ask yourself whether you are doing enough to optimize every kid’s academic potential. Ask yourself whether you are focusing on each student as much as you would want your children to be treated by their teacher. Bottom line: Make genuine efforts of interrogating your conduct in the classroom and making the necessary amends.

2. Be empathetic

Make an effort to understand your students’ perspectives and emotions. You must understand what every kid is going through in their private life. Know the status of the communities where your students live so that you can understand their perspectives on different aspects of learning. Could be you have lost focus on a certain student because you judge him or her harshly, probably on matters of discipline, when in fact the child has been acting up just to get your attention, something he or she doesn’t get at home.

3. Encourage students to air their opinions

Encourage learners to tell you when you step out of line; when you focus too much on one group to the point of forgetting other kids. Agree to be held to account by your students. When students air their concerns in a respectful manner, you get the chance to self-examine yourself. When possible, teach your class about how we must all strive to treat everyone equal, regardless of their race, abilities or gender. Include teaching about what your students can do to stop bullying. This will give you opportunity to let your class that you are also imperfect and always trying to be a better person and teacher in your classroom.

4. Be kind and caring

Maybe you are kind and caring, but do you communicate the same to your students? Do the students think of you as caring? Start showing every kid that you care by being slow to judge, being patient with them all regardless of their many shortcomings, and being genuinely interested in learning about their distinct cultures and interests. Don’t make kids scramble for your love and attention. Be willing to share everything with everyone in your class.

5. Learn to focus and love your problem child

You may have ignored a particular student because you’ve formed a negative opinion about them, even sub consciously. Instead of ignoring him or her, force yourself to view and treat them with love and care for a whole school term. Start seeing them as in the same way you view the brightest and best-disciplined student in your class. Your opinion will soon change.

6. Communicate and work towards your expectations

Stop lowering your expectations for a certain group of students. Don’t assume, for example, that a kid is dumb just because he or shey are from an impoverished community or because they are from a given race. Have uniformity when setting expectations for all kids in your class. Interact with introverts in the same manner as you do with extroverts. It may take a little effort to draw an introvert out of their shell.  This extra attention is ok for a higher purpose.  Try to communicate with foreign students who do not speak the local language yet. If necessary advocate to include translation services in your school. Grade all students the same, both boys an girls. Don’t give up on a student or lower your expectations for them just because he or she has a physical or mental disability. If you are pushing your students to outscore their previous score, do it to all of them- equally!

Conclusion

The key to focusing on all students in your classroom is granting each one of them the same status as children. You must recognize that no matter how different they are in behavior and academic success, their innocence and vulnerability are the same. Treat them with the same amount of respect and love.