Should I Go To Virginia Tech

Should I Go To Virginia Tech The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Kristine is a San Diego tutor and 2006 graduate of Virginia Tech. She holds a Bachelors degree in Biological Sciences and tutors several subjects, including Biology tutoring, Chemistry tutoring, and Ecology tutoring. Check out what Kristine had to say about her time at Virginia Tech: VT: Describe the campus setting and transportation options.How urban or safe is the campus?Are there buses or do you need a car/bike? Kristine: Virginia Tech is located in a quintessential college town. Blacksburg is in southwest Virginia, with a population that grows by about 50% when the students arrive in the fall. Transportation options around Blacksburg and the campus are plentiful. Blacksburg Transit (BT) is a public bus service, and its cost is included in your student fees. All you need to do in order to ride the bus is show your student ID. However, the town is small, so off-campus commuters only need to travel one to three miles one-way to reach the campus. Many students walk or bike as a result. Parking is generally pretty easy. VT: How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Kristine:My personal experience was that the educational staff was very accessible. Professors set reasonable office hours, and they were generally flexible if the hours they set conflicted with your class schedule. I always received an email back from a professor within 24 hours, and I found that professors were very personable and down to earth. VT: How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Kristine:Most freshmen live on campus during their first year at Virginia Tech. While most of the dormsare a little outdated, a few are very modern. Dorm life is all about meeting new people, making new friends, and discovering who you are. There are so many events and opportunities to try new things, so do not hold back! Try everything! The dining options are very diverse, from buffet-style dining halls, to a la carte dining halls, to Chick-fil-A and Sbarro. There are also off-campus eateries. The university has won multiple awards for the quality of their food options on campus. (I personally love West End Market!) VT: Which majors/programs are best represented and supported?What did you study and why? Did the university do a good job supporting your particular area of study? Kristine:Virginia Techis well known for its outstanding Engineering programs. However, science is also very strong and well supported. I studied Biology because there were so many aspects of the field that fascinated me: Developmental Biology, Ecology, Medical Applications. The Biology program was well supported and well advised. Students were encouraged to seek out undergraduate research opportunities in the labs of departmental faculty. My experience in a lab was crucial to my getting a job right after graduation at a non-profit biotechnology institute, as well as to preparing me for graduate school. VT: How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Kristine:Meeting new people as a freshman is dependent on your willingness to move outside of your comfort zone. There are so many opportunities to meet new people, who, just like you, have moved away from their homes and are thrown into a new environment. Your dorm and the activities that the Resident Advisers put on are great ways to meet new people. You can also make great friends who double as study partners in your classes, as well as friends who double as workout buddies at the gym! I never joined a Greek organization because it never fit my personality, but I know a lot of people who really enjoyed it. However, it is possible to be social and have a great time without joining a fraternity or sorority. VT: How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services?Do many reputable companies recruit on campus? Kristine:My personal experience with the Career Center was with resume help toward the end of my studies. They were very professional and helpful. I also attended a few career fairs, but I ended up finding a job through an online posting. VT: How are the various study areas such aslibraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Kristine:My preferred study areas were my dorm room or the dorm lounge. I always found the public study areas to be easily accessible, comfortable, and sufficiently quiet. VT: Describe the surrounding town. What kinds of outside establishments / things to do are there that make it fun, boring, or somewhere in between?To what extent do students go to the downtown area of the city versus staying near campus? Kristine:Blacksburg is a small college town, but there is plenty to keep students busy. Aside from the campus activities, there is an independent movie theater that shows blockbusters (usually after they have left the major theaters), old movies, and fun cult classics. The independent movie theater is a much cheaper option than a mainstreamone. The area surrounding Blacksburg is great for hiking, mountain biking, and other outdoor activities. There is also a beautiful frisbee golf course about five miles from campus. Downtown Blacksburg is located right next to campus. VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Kristine:The undergraduate student body is very typical for a state university, with about 25,000 undergraduates. Most introductory courses were large lectures with 200-300 students, while the more advanced courses ranged from 20-100 students. VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Kristine:I was enrolled in General Microbiology with Professor Benoit during my sophomore year. One day during lecture, the door at the front of the class opened and a young man dressed in a green leotard and a green mask ran in, looked around the classroom, and proceeded to sprint up the stairs toward the door at the back of the class. Seconds later, the first door opened again and two more young men ran in, dressed as Batman and Robin. They spotted the green man and chased him up the stairs and out the door. Professor Benoit smiled heartily and continued his lecture. Looking back on this moment, it embodies the culture of fun and personal expression at Virginia Tech. Check out Kristines tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

Our Advice for Tutoring in Businesses

Our Advice for Tutoring in Businesses How Can You Teach Private Tutorials in Businesses? ChaptersWhy Teach Private Tutorials in a Business?The Particularities of Teaching Private Tutorials in a BusinessThe Limits of Tutoring in Businesses“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.” - PeleBusinesses are a different world altogether, where different personalities live and work to make the industry as powerful as possible. Different people rub shoulders each day, share objectives, and behave in a particular way from the day they arrive until the day they retire.Sometimes, they’ll need some extra knowledge or new skills in order to effectively do their jobs, to make the business more competitive, and to advance. As a result, more and more professionals are opting for private tutoring.The world of business is a fertile ground for developing new knowledge of any kind and private tutors are far from the boring maths lessons and homework that you’d get in school. Here ’s our advice for teaching private tutorials to adults in businesses and the pros and cons of doing tutoring jobs with adults in the workplace. CalumDrama School Entrance Teacher 5.00 (15) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ToriSpanish Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OliviaSchool support Teacher 5.00 (2) £21/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkESOL (English) Teacher 4.76 (17) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors YuweiChinese Teacher 4.33 (6) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JenniferMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LouiseAutoCAD Teacher 5.00 (3) £60/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RickyPercussion Teacher 5.00 (7) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NicolasGuitar Teacher 5.00 (2) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MyriamOrganic chemistry Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JonathanEconomics Teacher 5.00 (9) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Oluwakemi imoleMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AlexPhysics Teacher 5.00 (1) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AdamSinging Teacher 5.00 (14) £48/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ValentiniMusic reading Teacher 5.00 (2) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MilenaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RashmiEconomics Teacher 5.00 (1) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsWhy Teach Private Tutorials in a Business?There are plenty of good reasons to become a private tutor for adults and teach private tutorials in businesses. For one, it’s a place with a lot of big personalities that will often clash heads. The tutor will often play the role of an intermediary, like the icing holding layers of a cake together.A tutor will need to know their subject better than the professionals. (Source: Free-Photos)This is why getting a tut or in to train the workforce is a great idea to improve their skills and get them to work together better. Learning about a particular topic, which doesn’t necessarily need to be academic like a Spanish or physics class, can be very rewarding and good for staff.In some cases, the classes can focus on a very specific topic related to their line of work.Of all the reasons to teach private tutorials in a business, some of the best include:Being able to monitor each studentTeam buildingThe unity found within a businessEncouraging progress from adult studentsA higher level of teachingHigher skilled studentsWorking in the heart of a businessEtc.As you can understand, there are plenty of reasons to teach private tutorials in businesses. Teaching private tutorials in businesses is vastly different to teaching exam prep or revision lessons to school children.From the tutor’s point of view, the business is somewhere they can really show off what they can do with specific courses. The empl oyees should already have a good knowledge of how to do their jobs and the field they work in and are probably just looking to get an edge. This means the gap between the tutor and the student is reduced.Teaching in businesses is a distinct way of teaching private tutorials. It’s a thousand miles from teaching tutorials at the student’s home, working with teenagers studying for their GCSEs and A Levels, or helping university student to improve their French.The Particularities of Teaching Private Tutorials in a BusinessTeaching private tutorials in a business is nothing like teaching school students or other private students at their home. While it may be used to supplement your income, it’s definitely not some simple summer job. In fact, the tutor needs to be impeccably trained at knowing their subject like the back of their hands.There are plenty of different classes that could benefit employees. (Source: mohamed_hassan)This is the first main difference when it comes to tutor ing in businesses, your students are already well-versed in their field. If you’re teaching language classes to a group of bankers who do a lot of business overseas, they’ll probably already be familiar with a lot of banking terms. This means that your students won’t feel lost when describing complex terms.An academic support class, be it French, physics, chemistry, or maths, only involves a working relationship between the student and the tutor. When you work in a business, you’ll need to take into account the age of your students when considering your teaching methodology.In fact, you’ll need to adapt your speech to talk to adults while remaining in charge, all without making them feel like children. When you provide private tutorials in a business, you have to establish a sense of trust between the two parties.On the one hand, the tutor is going to teach lessons and be paid for them. On the other hand, the students have to listen, take notes, and learn. This exchange of services reinforces the bond between the two parties and legitimises the teaching.The act of teaching benefits both parties with the tutor earning money and the students gaining knowledge. The business’ workforce will benefit in a way that they wouldn’t otherwise in a typical academic support tutorial, intensive tutorials, or your usual tutoring provided by agencies. However, despite all these advantages, there are also a number of disadvantages to teaching in this way.The Limits of Tutoring in BusinessesWhen you’re hired as a freelancer to teach within in a business to provide the workforce with new skills or knowledge, it isn’t all fun and games. In fact, teaching private tutorials within a business can be difficult for a number of different reasons:It’s not like an academic support tutorial, home tutoring, or teaching someone to play the guitar, you need to be meticulous in your planning and an absolute expert of your subject.You’ll need to have previous experience i n tutoring which you can build upon.Employees at certain businesses are often very confident and sure of their own skills, meaning that they don’t really feel the need to be tutored by an outsider who’s shown up to tell them how to do their jobs.Employees can feel threatened by the arrival of a tutor who’s telling them that they can improve. The staff might feel like they’re being treated like children with the arrival of a teacher. Thus, you have to pay particular attention to not treating them like children while ensuring that they do pay attention to your lessons.And a number of other disadvantages.The world of business can be stressful, but workplace tutorials can help. (Source: StartupStockPhotos)In fact, teaching adults at their workplace isn’t as simple a task as it may first seem. Every kind of student can quickly lose respect for their tutor. You’ll need to carefully consider the limitations of teaching this way.Tutoring is an admirable profession as you need to be in control and an expert of managing conflict and contention. However, teaching private tutorials to students at their place of work is a great way to share knowledge to a team that’s already very good at what they do, as you’d expect from professionals.Don’t forget that tutorials at businesses are often training for the staff. Staff members are often forced to attend training courses and tutorials and probably won’t be too thrilled about having to be dragged away from their work in order to learn how to effectively do a job they feel they’re already very good at.The tutor may end up teaching students who are very unwilling to learn, have no interest in being there, and be as unruly as schoolchildren would be. That said, they’re there to improve as workers, learn new skills, and get better at their jobs, not to pass their GCSEs or A Levels, catch up with their school work, or get into university.Learning from a private tutor in a business can be a very useful thing f or workers and help them in their daily lives. However, like everything else, it has its pros and cons.If you teach in businesses, the way you conduct yourself is going to have to be more professional. (Source: Free-Photos)If you're interested in providing tutoring services, then you should consider making a profile on Superprof. Whether you're offering one on one tutoring, academic tutoring, or online tutoring, you can create a profile detailing what you teach and where you teach it so that when potential students want to find a tutor, they'll find you.You can offer tutorials in any subject from traditional scientific subjects like mathematics (including calculus, algebra, geometry, etc.), chemistry, physics, and biology, humanities like English, history, and things like learning how to play musical instruments, fitness instructors, artistic subjects, study skills.Of course, if you're going to work in businesses teaching adults, they're probably not going to be looking for a chemis try tutor or an English tutor but rather someone specialising in economics, teambuilding, or maybe even foreign language skills like a French tutor.With a bit of preparation, professional development and confidence, an experienced and qualified home tutor can start looking for tutor jobs at businesses or tutoring companies, become an online tutor over webcam, or provide private tuition to undergraduate and postgraduate students before their exams from the comfort of your own classroom or in a library. The choice is yours!

Online Prepare for ACT Tutors Online ACT Prep Online Tutoring Tutorpace

Online Prepare for ACT Tutors Online ACT Prep Online Tutoring Tutorpace ACT is an abbreviation of American College Testing and is one of the popular tests taken by high school students to continue their education in colleges and universities in the United States. ACT test is a standardized exam and is conducted many times a year. Students can take the test according to their level of preparation and their convenience. To take the test, students can register online on the official website of ACT and can pick their test date and the location of the test center. ACT tests students in 4 main sections: English, Mathematics, Reading and Science Reasoning. Students also have the additional option of taking the Writing test as well along with these 4 sections. In order to get good scores on ACT, students should have good conceptual knowledge of the subjects. ACT test is not very difficult and its main purpose is to analyze students logical understanding of the concepts. Therefore students should focus mainly on the basic and important concepts of every topic, and only by having a good understanding of the basics; one can answer questions even on the advanced level. Every section in ACT test paper is of very limited time and one of the most important challenges for the students is to answer all the given questions within the given time range. Hence it is recommended for the students to practice answering each question in 1 minute at home, so that they have the confidence to handle time during the test.

English Idioms Related to Money - Intermediate Level English

English Idioms Related to Money - Intermediate Level English “Money makes the world go round” is a well known idiom. Money is an important part of our lives whether we realize it or not.  Without money not much can happen or not much can be done. Here are very common English idioms related to money. 14 English Idioms Related to Money 1. COST AN ARM AND A LEGusually something that is very expensive and outside our rangeex. Michael wanted to buy the latest (newest) mobile phone with all the apps. When he got to the shop he saw that it was really expensive and he did not have enough money. It would cost him an arm and a leg to buy it.2. LIVE FROM HAND TO MOUTHwhere someone has not got any money or regular job or savings and is unable to plan ahead more than a day at a timeex. People living on the street are unable to plan where there next meal is coming from. They have no savings or regular work and always live from hand to mouth.3. MAKE ENDS MEETyour income/salary is just about enough to cover your expenditureex. John had been working in the same job for several years without a pay increase. Inflation reduced his ability to save. He found it very difficult every month to make ends meet. He would have to get a job that paid more money.4. TO BE IN THE REDyou owe money to your bank and have a negative balance on your accountex. Peter received a letter from his bank manager. He had overdrawn his account and the bank needed him to repay the money owed as quickly as possible. He could not understand how he got in to the red but remembered he had spent a lot on Christmas presents.5. PUT SOMETHING BY FOR A RAINY DAYyou have some savings you will not touch (use) unless   there is an emergencyex. Mary saved a little money every week. It was a small fund for some emergencies in case her family needed money urgently or she had to replace something in the house. She always advised her children when they got a job to put a little something by for a rainy day. English Idioms related to Money - Infographic Enjoyed this infographic? Here's what you can do next: 6. OUT OF POCKETyou lose money in a transactionex. The organiser of a concert was €10,000 out of pocket after the concert was cancelled.7. MONEY DOESNT GROW ON TREES  there is only a limited supply of money. Usually, we say this to warn someone that its not easy to earn money.ex. You shouldnt be spending money on expensive lunches. Afterall, money doesnt grow on trees.8. TO SPEND MONEY LIKE WATER  to spend money freely as if it were in endless supplyex. Jack has just bought himself a new car. He spend money like water!9. MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVILpeople do many evil things because of greedex. Marys son was convicted of robbery last year. Money is the root of all evil.10. MONEY CANT BUY HAPPINESS  neither wealth nor luxurious items can bring long-term happinessJean-Jacques Rousseau wrote in 1750: Money buys everything, except morality and citizens.ex.  If somebody thinks that  money  can  buy happiness  then that is not true  happiness.   Popular English Expressions about Money - Video Lesson English Idioms related to Money - continued 11.ON A SHOESTRING  do something with very little moneyex. Marketing can be done on a shoestring budget.12. MONEY FOR OLD ROPE  easy money, money earned with little effortex. All you have to do is answer a few questions and smile to the camera. Its money for old rope.13. HAVE MONEY TO BURN  have a lot of money, spend unwiselyex. Why do they need 3 expensive cars? They dont, but they always have money to burn.14. SPEND MONEY LIKE WATER  regularly spend large amounts of money, usually on luxuriesex. Tom wife spends money like water, shes just bought a new expensive handbag.  

Overcoming a Poor Grade

Overcoming a Poor Grade At some point or another, every student brings home a poor grade on an assignment or a test, which can be a real blow to the self-esteem. It is understandably difficult to see your student struggling and feeling badly about school, but here are several things you can do to help your child overcome a bad grade or dip in school performance: Be supportive, not angry. Let your child know that youre there for support and you want to help him or herwhether this is a small or growing problem. When a bad grade comes home, resist the initial urge to yell or punish him or her. Its understandable that you may feel concerned or angry, but your child probably feels as bad as you do about his or her school struggles. First, have an open, non-judgmental conversation with your child about what happened. Determine whether youre dealing with a one-time problem or a deeper issue. Has your child had problems with this particular subject or skill in the past, or is this a new issue? Talk with your child about what went wrong on the assignment or test. Does he or she understand what mistakes were made and how to correct them? Look for signs elsewhere. Occasional bad grades happen to all students. Consistently low grades and test scores, however, are worth investigating further. How is your child during study and homework sessions? Does he or she take far more time than seems reasonable to complete work? Is his or her work sloppy or disorganized? Has your child regressed in a certain subject since the prior year? Do tests seem to make your child anxious? Remind your child that failure is a part of life. It may be hard for your child to understand without the perspective that you have, but let him or her know that making mistakes is how we learn. Share a story of a time when you or a favorite aunt or uncle struggled in school. Let him or her know that you do not expect perfection, and that this is an opportunity to strive for improvement. Focus on the future. Try not to dwell too much on a poor grade or test score. Instead, figure out the best way for your child to overcome any difficulties in order to earn a better grade next time. Be sure to involve your child when developing that plan of action. Teach him or her to set goals, lay out steps to achieve those goals, and work with you and his or her teacher to tackle problems as they arise. Ideally, you should take these steps before your childs school difficulties spiral into big problems. However, it is never too late to help your child turn things around and repeal any serious damage to his or her confidence and academic record. Huntington Learning Center works with students who have been struggling for a few months, students who have been struggling for years, and everyone in between. Whether your child needs help in math, science, reading, writing or another subject, Huntingtons experienced, certified teachers can design a customized, tutoring program that makes an impact. If you suspect that your child needs help and youre not sure where to begin, call us at 1-800 CAN LEARN.

Should I Retake the MCAT

Should I Retake the MCAT MCAT Medical School Admissions Application season is quickly approaching, which means that Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) score reports from last year and this winter break are beginning to be released. While some students will achieve their target scores, others may fall just short of their goals. Many students are then faced with the question of, “Should I retake my MCAT?” This prompts a myriad of other questions along with it. Below we’ll discuss when you should consider signing up for a retake and what to consider if you decide to take the test again. First, it is important to consider what your ambitions are in terms of medical school. Some questions to consider: Are you particularly set on certain schools or location? How competitive are those programs? What are the average MCAT scores of matriculated students? How strong is the rest of your application in comparison to your MCAT score? These questions should help guide your decision process. Since the introduction of the new MCAT 2015, the scoring has been solidified into percentiles and most schools have collected enough data to report average accepted and matriculant scores. To put things into a numerical perspective, if you’re familiar with the MCAT prior to 2015 the new ‘30’ is approximately a 508. This score along with an A/B grade point average and significant extracurricular activities should give you some opportunities to interview at a few programs. Obviously, these factors are on a spectrum, and a higher GPA or more extracurriculars may be able to make up for a slightly lower score, while a higher MCAT score may make up for lacking grades or extracurriculars. However, this is roughly thebaseline range you should be working towards for entry into a United States medical school. So suppose you met the qualifications listed above, what are some reasons you might still consider a retake? One reason many students give is that their practice test scores were significantly higher and their qualifications are otherwise excellent. This makes their MCAT score the limiting factor in their application. In this situation, there are a few considerations to make when deciding whether to retake, the first of these being the conditions your practice tests were taken under as compared to those on test day. It is essential when taking practice exams to mimic the environment your test will occur under. This means no extra resources, no cell phones, Facebook, similar time for starting the exam and for breaks, and practicing with exams that are similar in terms of content and difficulty to the actual MCAT. These factors are not easy to mimic, however; I find that students often give themselves small advantages such as starting off with a formula sheet that boosts their score on practice exams, resulting in a drop in the true MCAT score. If this is the case, you may want to consider retaking the test. Another factor that students often shy away from talking about is test anxiety. Even medical students suffer from severe test anxiety! Anecdotally, many of my friends in school have shared how mentally and physically challenging taking the MCAT was for them. Unfortunately, anxiety can affect exam scores. Taking a practice exam compared to the actual MCAT is a very different experience. I encourage you to ask yourself if you believe this may have impacted your performance and how you might be able to address this if you should decide to retake. Taking exams is one of the tougher hurdles in medicine and it is advantageous to develop strategies to cope with anxiety and improve performance. Students should also consider their performance in the subsections of the MCAT. For example, if the student did very well in three out of four sections but poorly in one section that resulted in a low composite score, a retake is strongly recommended. Admissions committees tend to favor balanced test scores and improving a single section is often an easier task than improving a composite score. If you fall under this category, try to reflect on why that section was particularly weak and how you plan to improve in the retake. While these factors are all very important considerations, by far the most important factor to contemplate before retaking the test is your future performance on a second MCAT. Since schools receive a report of all scores you receive on the MCAT, it is essential that your performance improves. A second score that is lower than the first outside of the typical margin of error is considered very poorly by most schools and can negatively impact how your application is viewed during the application cycle. Because of this, you really want to make sure that you will perform significantly better than your first exam. Should you decide to retake your MCAT, I encourage you to seek out new resources for your exam preparation and keep track of your performance on practice exams. The key to increasing your MCAT score is really planning and diligently following a study schedule (a private tutor can also help you with this, if that's something you're considering and are having trouble staying organized and focused on your study plan). There is so much benefit in getting a second pass at the material on your MCAT and looking at it with the experience of having already tak en the exam before. An improved exam score can be a huge benefit to your application and show many admissions committees that you are able to reflect and improve your performance on a difficult exam. Visit Accepted.com's Selectivity Index based on average MCAT scores GPAs to get an idea of where you stand. About the Author Jordan Salley is one of MyGuru's most accomplished MCAT tutors. Clickhereto learn more!

Andys October Language Challenge Week 1

Andys October Language Challenge Week 1 Andy is our new UX Designer and recently joined the italki team in September.  One of the first things he did was join the italki October Language Challenge as he really needs to improve his Chinese as you can tell from his Public Video Pledge.  Hes graciously offered to blog about his experiences and how he is going to conquer the Challenge!  Take it away Andy Wow, this has been an awesome week! Here in China we were quite lucky to begin the month of October with 7 days of holidays! In fact from October the first to October the seventh, China celebrated with seven days of national holidays the 65th birthday of the Peoples Republic of China, established the 1 October 1949. I took advantage of the break to kickstart my chinese and i took 6 classes already with the awesome chinese teacher Elena Ann during this 7 days. Actually I practiced Chinese much more than just those 6 hours, it usually take me between 30 minutes to one hour to prepare for a class. By reviewing the previous lesson by myself I can be much more efficient during the class and take the chance to talk more to the teacher instead of just getting stuck for seconds to try to remember a word. Another trick I use with my teacher is to try to write to her on the SKYPE  chat (while we have a lesson) every new word that we encounter or that I have issue to remember so whenever I have time during the day I can just pick up the SKYPE  chat on my phone and flip through those words to practice.  I find this technique quite handy! Here a snapshot of how i usually take a class: On one side i have the textbook that Elena sent me, on the other side the video and the chat where i write in Pinyin (next years goal is written chinese!) Screenshot of Andys class with Elena Ann This week I think I will take only  one or two more classes, and will focus on consolidate what I have learned until now. How is your challenge going? Let us know! Just in case you are dont remember how bad my chinese is,  take a look at my video pledge! See you soon guys! Andrea

?? 5 Reasons Why You Should Invest In Piano Lessons For Your Children

?? 5 Reasons Why You Should Invest In Piano Lessons For Your Children 5 Reasons Why You Should Invest In Piano Lessons For Your Children 5 Reasons Why You Should Invest In Piano Lessons For Your ChildrenFor most parents, there’s often a conflict between wanting their children to have the opportunity to develop interests outside of school, and the fear of becoming a ‘pushy parent’After all is football, art camp, dance classes and then piano lessons a bit too much? It can so often become the activity that gets bumped down your priority list. So when it comes to prioritising after-school activities, it’s important to think about how each activity enriches their lives and helps them to develop skills which will become useful throughout life. Learning to play the piano can increase your child’s confidence and their ability to concentrate and maintain focus. It allows them to practice exercising patience and discipline. Plus, studies have indicated that learning to play the piano can have a positive impact on a child’s mental health.Read on to learn more about these benefits... The benefits of piano lessons for childrenHere are 5 reasons to find a piano tutor today!1. Learning the piano increases concentration, focus, discipline and patience!Talk to any pianist and they’ll tell you that learning the piano takes real patience, determination and perseverance - but also that the reward absolutely outweighs the commitment they’ve put in. Children will need to focus on the instructions given by their piano tutor, and this learning process teaches them fundamental skills that help them listen, comprehend and react to information. Effectively, your children will be listening in one language and translating those instructions into action in another language, which is pretty amazing! It’s no small feat, but being able to concentrate for longer periods of time and having an understanding of the benefits of practice and commitment means increased resilience to problems they face - not to mention the academic and social benefits. It’s a no-brainer really!Check out our handy beginner's guide to learning the piano to find some awesome resources that you can use to help your child with their piano lessons and practice.2. It has a positive impact on your child’s mental healthHelping your children foster good mental health can often be about as clear as mud for parents! Am I doing the right thing? Are my children happy? Do they know how to cope when they feel sad?It’s a countrywide issue and schools are starting to do their part in helping to establish good mental health, and indeed help to tackle children experiencing poor mental health. Journalling, children’s yoga and mindfulness sessions are slowly making their way into the classroom as ways of tackling increasingly poor mental health in children.For parents, it can be difficult to know what to do for the best - but don’t worry there are lots of things you can do at home, and encouraging them to learn an instrument is one. Playing a musical instrument like the piano is thought to improve self-esteem, relieve stress and reduce anxious feelings. Other studies (although mostly conducted on adults) found playing the piano to be a beneficial treatment for depression and stress.By getting your children piano lessons, you’re setting them up with a creative outlet that will help them now - while they continue to develop - but also throughout their whole adult life!3. It is a powerful confidence boosterLearning the piano can have a huge impact on a child’s confidence. It’s not just the sense of achievement they feel when they’ve mastered a new note, tricky chord or mastered their favourite song. It’s also the confidence it takes to perform in front of others. We’re not talking about debuting at the O2 Academy, we’re talking about standing in front of your family, your friends, the people who love you, ready to display your newfound skills. Learning the piano gives children tools to flourish in public speaking or performance, to be comfortable knowing t hat they might make a mistake, and the confidence to carry on when they do. It’s a skill most adults haven’t mastered. There is science behind it! In a 2004 study, children in Montreal who had piano lessons over 3 years had higher self-esteem than those who didn’t. 4. Practical Skills Which Come In HandyIt comes as no surprise that playing the piano is a great way to improve your hand-eye coordination, as well as the skill of independent coordination between your two hands. A study by Cardiff University found that playing the piano had the effect of changing cortical mapping in the brain, in order to increase finger movement speed across the keys. Hand-eye coordination comes in handy in almost everything we do, from writing to typing, to driving, to almost every sport ever invented.5. There are so many opportunities within music!Be honest, who hasn’t dreamed of being a professional musician? Starting an instrument at an early age opens the door to this being a real possibility. And why not? Even if you don’t reach the heights of Ed Sheeran, Arianna Grande or the Foo Fighters... There are a wealth of lucrative careers to choose from behind the scenes within music. Songwriting, recording, producing, music education, among others are all great options! It may not seem as glamorous as the lifestyles of the big stars, but playing smaller venues and for occasions like weddings can be a great and fulfilling career path and one that is not open to everyone. There are also growing industries such as music therapy, a truly worthwhile career that will allow you to help other people through music. Piano lessons are a fantastic investment for your children, from improving confidence to possible opening the door to an incredible career. Piano lessons can be the gift that keeps on giving for children, and one they will surely thank you for in the future! If you want to know more, you can find our comprehensive guide to starting piano lessons and our curated list of fantastic piano resources here We have thousands of great tutors here on Tutorful that are all ready to help get your child started along their musical journey. Click here to get started now