Home Health- It's the Job That Makes Your Friends Jealous!

Working in Home Health:

Two Thumbs Up!

Have you ever thought of working in home health but put the idea aside because of the bad things you've heard? Well, there are two sides to every story.  So, if you're contemplating full time, part time or PRN work as a home health therapist or nurse, it's important to consider the pros and cons of the job.  Today, let's consider the tremendous opportunities and many, many reasons why you would want to be a home healthcare provider. 

The Top 10 Best Reasons You SHOULD
Work in Home Health

10.  You work by yourself- no conflict, no drama:
When you work in home health, you're going to be by yourself, day in and day out. There are no coworkers to argue with. There is no gossip to distract you from getting work done. There is no supervisor looking over your shoulder,  telling you what to do or when to it. As long as you can get along with yourself, your work days are relatively peaceful and drama free.


9.  You can enjoy a flexible work schedule:
In essence, you are your own boss.  You decide when your day begins and when it ends. You choose whether or not you will work, and you can even pick which geographic areas you will cover. Such flexibility enables you to drop kids off at school every morning and be there to pick them up every afternoon. It's easy to carve time out of the day to schedule medical and dental appointments or to enjoy lunch with friends. Depending on your caseload, half days and three day weekends can happen whenever you want them to... without having to make your request 30 days in advance. (Your friends will be so jealous!) If you need any degree of flexibility in your work schedule, home health is the way to go.


8.  Patients are highly motivated and they actually look forward to seeing you:
Once your patients are home, sleeping in their own beds and eating home cooked meals, they seem to have more energy, tolerance and motivation for therapy. Typically, this means they actually look forward to your visits. Patients can't wait to see what interesting activity you will bring, what new challenge you have to offer, what pearl of wisdom you will share, or what solution you can suggest. Once home, patients often see therapy as less of an obligation and more of an opportunity for improvement.  It's a win-win situation for you and your patient!


7.  You visit your patient in their home- a very functional environment:
In an inpatient or rehab setting or in a skilled nursing facility, providing functional therapy tasks can be difficult due to the limited nature of the environment. For instance, facility staff passes all meds, prepares all meals and performs all housekeeping tasks. Your greatest opportunity for functional treatment may be in teaching the use of the call bell or how to operate the bed control or television remote. However, once home, there are tremendous opportunities for fun and functional treatment tasks:  organizing medication, planning and preparing meals, sorting laundry, clipping coupons, planning menus, scheduling appointments, etc. Cooperation and motivation tend to go through the roof when patients realize your therapy sessions can enable them to resume functional independence.


6.  You can be very creative with your treatments:
Home health therapy allows clinicians to be very creative during their treatment sessions. Your patient can't find the bathroom? Add bright tape around the door frame. He wants to be able to do simple chores without help? Practice getting food and water for the pets at every visit. She refuses to bathe? Create a realistic (but pretend)  "prescription" from the doctor, ordering showers three times a week. Taking a creative, problem solving approach to treatment can make your job more fun, and make life at home less frustrating, confusing or unsafe for patients and family members. 


5.  Family members are present for teaching and instruction:
While in a facility, patients are often alone, and communication with family members is limited to a written note taped to a bedside table or a fluorescent orange sign posted above the bed.  Once they get home, however, spouses, children, relatives and friends are almost always around. This is a golden opportunity for home health workers to provide education and demonstration of important techniques and strategies. When this happens, caregivers learn and understand right alongside the patients, enabling excellent consistency, compliance and carryover of skills. Everybody wins!


4.  You are well compensated:
While visit rates will vary, there is no doubt that home health workers are well compensated. It is not uncommon for a PRN therapist to be paid $15-$25 more than a salaried, facility-based employee. In some cases, nurses and therapists working part time in home health can make just as much as a full time hospital or clinic employee. 


3.  40 minute treatments:
Without having to fuss with a coworker or negotiate with a manager, home health visits are typically 40 minutes long. This allows more than enough time to get things accomplished and enables a therapist to target a variety of goals. 


2.  Professional autonomy:
Working within agency guidelines and/or insurance parameters,the therapist is able to autonomously make decisions that influence all aspects of patient care. Home health therapists will decide who will be picked up for therapy, the number of visits to be made each week, the total number of weeks the patient will be seen and when the patient will be discharged.  As a home health therapist, you have a tremendous amount of control when establishing a plan of care. It's a great feeling being able to give your patients what they need without begging or bargaining for time.


1.  Satisfaction of witnessing recovery:
In the hospital, patients are in and out in a matter of days. In this type of acute setting and with such a short stay, you're not sure if they've gone to heaven or gone home. It can be hard to deal with. In rehab, time flies and your patients are gone before you even get to know them. Working in home health, it's not uncommon to follow a patient for two, three or even four months. This amount of time enables you to see recovery and experience the satisfaction of know that your treatment made a difference. 


Being a home healthcare provider is fun, challenging and satisfying, all at the same time! Overall, home health is wonderful and it offers great opportunities to nurses and therapists all across the country... but it's not for everyone. In a separate post, you can find a list of the top 10 reasons why being a home health therapist is like your worst nightmare. Be sure to check it out!

In the meantime, what are your thoughts?  Where do you work? Feel free to post your comments below, and, as always, please share this information with someone you know that may benefit. 



The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.
Arthur Toynbee

What No One Tells You About the Dark Side of Home Health Therapy

Working in Home Health: 

 Two Thumbs down?

Have you ever thought of working in home health?  There are tremendous opportunities and many, many reasons why you would want to be a home healthcare provider.  Nonetheless, as the saying goes, there are two sides to every story.  So, if you're contemplating  full time, part time or PRN work as a home health therapist or nurse, remember to take time to consider the pros and cons of the job.


In a separate post, you can find a list of the top 10 reasons why being a home health therapist is like a dream come true, but today, take a look at the downside of  working in the home health industry.

The Top 10 Reasons

 Why You Don't Want to Work
 in Home Health

10.  Your car is your office:
There's no fax machine for communicating with doctors. There's no desk for you to comfortably complete your documentation. Worst of all, there is no bathroom when you're at work. If that's not bad enough, to have them accessible, all of your therapy materials must be kept in your car.


9.  Driving will be a part of your day:

You will encounter traffic jams, lane closures, accidents, detours, slow moving trains, speed zones and all of the things associated with a regular commute to work, but when you work as a home healthcare provider, you will be dealing with it all day long. Depending on where you live and work, it's not unusual for a full time worker to drive an average of 80-100 miles each day.


8.  Medical records are sketchy at best:

More often than not, you will blindly enter a patient's home having very little information about past medical history and wondering why you're there. Primary admitting diagnoses can be random and completely irrelevant to your scope of practice.  For instance, an SLP may receive an order to evaluate a patient with a primary diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus and a secondary diagnosis of necrotic ulcer to the foot. Eventually, you learn your patient has recently been hospitalized for aspiration pneumonia...that's when it begins to make sense.


7.  You work by yourself:

It can be lonely out there. If you enjoy socializing with nurses and like to have lunch with your therapy friends, then home health is not for you. You will spend the entire day by yourself. In fact, weeks may pass and you don't even get a glimpse of  a coworker. Because they're not around, those same people that make work fun or interesting are not available for you if you need a quick sounding board. Getting fast help with clinical problem solving or collaborating with other professionals  just isn't possible.


6.  Visits are not always easy to schedule:

Without a doubt, scheduling is difficult in any setting, but it can be particularly challenging once patients are back home.  In addition to routine therapy and nursing visits, you also have to deal with: showers,  hair appointments, visiting relatives, favorite television shows, medical appointments and naps. All of these things can and will get in the way of you scheduling your visits. Also keep in mind: visits before 9:00am are almost unheard, nap time is from 1:00-3:00pm for patients of all ages, and visits after dark  are almost always out of the question.


5.  You treat patients in their homes:

No matter how hot, how dirty, or how dangerous the neighborhood appears to be, the show must go on when providing home health services- you don't get a choice. Furniture may be covered with cat hair or it may be completely absent. A lack of air conditioning in the home may leave sweat rolling down your back. Roaches are a fairly common. Patients sometimes make inappropriate advances. Generally speaking, home health work is not for the prissy, weak or faint of heart.



4.  Missed visits mean lost income:

When your patient isn't home or cancels a visit at the last minute, you will find yourself with nothing to do. While a missed visit can be a welcome break in the middle of a busy day, it can really wreck that schedule you worked to hard to create.  Keep in mind, you're not making money unless you're sitting in front of a patient. That means, sitting in your car is not only wasted time, it's also lost wages.


3.  Documentation- Ugh!:

Everything must be documented according to the strictest of Medicare standards. That's usually the case anywhere you go.  It gets tricky and complicated when agencies  have their own specifications for documenting your work. They tell you to complete all of your documentation in the presence of your patient, but, unless you like long, awkward silences while you look at your computer, it's just not possible. You will spend hours at the end of each work day completing your paperwork so that it can be submitted by the deadline.  Evals, re assessments and visit notes are expected to be completed within 24 hours. Believe it or not, sometimes that's not easy to do.



2.  It's not an environment for rookies:

Working in home health is not recommended for new graduates. There are no professional safety nets available and the type of experience you gain is somewhat limited.

1.  You have to maintain a tight schedule and stick to it like glue:

The time related pressure of working in home health can sometimes be the most difficult thing. In order to get the most done, visits are often scheduled back to back.  When that happens, your schedule has to be executed with precision...down to the minute on some days. Getting off schedule by just 5 minutes in the morning can cause you to be late every where you go, all day long.


Working as a home healthcare provider definitely has it's dark side, but it's not all that bad. In fact, nothing is really that awful if you are prepared for it. Hopefully, this information is an eye opener for you and helps you make the best decision possible as to whether or not a job in home health is for you.

Your dream job doesn't exist...you have to create it.
Unknown

First Impressions are Lasting Impressions!

You Don't Need a Unicycle

 to Stand Out From the Crowd

Last week, I met with a new client. He's been out of college for about 9 months, has gone on several job interviews, but in the end, he's still unemployed. Uh oh!


On paper, the young man looks terrific- he attended a major university, he worked through college and he received a professional degree that is in rather high demand. Now, nearly one year later, he told me he is applying for job at a temporary agency as a data entry clerk...a job that is clearly below his training.   His parents suspected that his job interviewing skills needed some work, so they encouraged him to get help from a professional communication coach.


Even though he had several theories as to why he was still jobless, I wasn't buying any of them. In a matter of minutes, I summed up his problem:  poor communication skills.  I don't have any magical powers,  but I recognize a problem when I see and hear it. Here's what I mean.



Within 5 minutes of our introduction:

• He insulted me - "Your office is weird."
• He cursed- "Holy sh*t!"
• He baffled me- "Don't write on my resume. I'm going to need that back before I leave."
• He interrupted me- "Yeah, I already know that."
• He made an inappropriate statement of opinion- "The people at that company are stupid."

During the remainder of our time together, he made a few other faux pas:

• he shrugged his shoulders when I asked him questions (no words to accompany those shrugs)
• he stared at my business card holder an unusual amount of time (it's clear plastic)
• he talked mostly to my bookcase (not to me)
• he fidgeted in his chair (it made me wonder if he had ants in his pants)
• he fidgeted with the items on my desk (oh, brother)

I don't think this young man set out to make a bad impression, it just kind of happened. If he had done one of these things at an actual job interview, the interviewer could have probably overlooked it.  However, a variety of awkward moments could be the reason he still hasn't landed his first job.



What kind of impression to you make when you meet someone new?  Strong communication skills, including good verbal and non-verbal abilities, will help you stand out in a variety of situations.  How do you do that?  Check back for part two of this blog:  The Dos and Don'ts for Making an Outstanding Impression During an Interview.


In the meantime, if you would like to know more about improving your interviewing skills with the help of a speech coach, give us a call at (361) 271-1600 or send an email to melissa@SpontaneousSpeech.com.  We're happy to chat and answer any questions you may have. 



You will never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Will Rogers

How to Get Your Homework Done Faster: 5 Simple Steps

School is full swing and the teachers are really piling on the homework.  Have you noticed that assignments are more complex and require more time and effort than ever before? No matter what kind of "homework" you are completing, it's important to have a systematic method for getting your work done. Here are 5 tips you can use to complete any assignment faster.

5 Simple Things to Do to
Finish Your Homework
 Faster Than Ever Before

#1-Get the right attitude:  

Doing homework is something no one really looks forward to, but with the right mindset, it's not so bad.  Completing assignments can actually give a sense of accomplishment and that always feels good. Additionally, doing homework... 

• enhances your learning
• prevents the need for cramming
• decreases the amount of  time you will need to study for tests
• improves your grades
• makes you a better student

  So, give yourself a pep talk and get started...YOU CAN DO THIS!



#2- Get organized:  

• Keep a written list of assignments in a designated location, like an assignment book, an agenda or even a homework app 

• Once you know exactly what needs to be done, gather all of the materials you anticipate you will need- paper, pencil, markers, ruler, glue stick, scissors, dictionary, calculator...whatever the tasks call for

• Take time to gather and organize your materials and work space before you get started can save you time and will prevent you from losing the momentum you've got going later on

#3- Get the right environment:  

After you collect your materials, here are a few other things you can do set the stage for homework success:

• Find a private, quiet spot- try to avoid high traffic and high noise areas like the kitchen or the family room

• Turn off the tv-  if that's not possible, at the very least, turn the tv down and position yourself away from the screen

• If you must have some sort of noise, classical music has been proven to stimulate brain waves that are optimal for alertness and learning- I'm not sure how they figured it out, but Baroque music is the best (Vivaldi's Four Seasons is a favorite)

• Turn on the lights- it's easier to see and it can help prevent you from getting sleepy

• Sit in a chair at a table- doing homework on the floor or lying across your bed is never a good idea

• Go to the bathroom before getting started- a full bladder can be very distracting and bathroom breaks can cause you to lose your momentum

• Get a drink if you're thirsty, or get something to eat if you're hungry- same as above, you don't want a dry mouth or growling stomach to keep you from being able to concentrate or complete an assignment

• Get comfortable by taking off your shoes or changing clothes- little adjustments can make a big difference in your homework efficiency

#4- Get clear about the time that will be required:

Estimate how long your think an assignment will take to complete, add 5 minutes and set a timer. You may not always estimate the exact amount of time needed, but a good guestimate and a timer can:

• help keep you on track
• make sure you don't spend too much time on one single assignment
• serve as a visual reminder that you will eventually be finished with your homework

Challenge yourself to beat the clock. Consider giving yourself a small reward for your win.



#5- Get going:

Ready. Set.  Go!  Plain and simple, you'll never finish your homework if you don't get started. Don't wait until the end of the day to get it done, begin now.

• you're more alert with better concentration earlier in the day
• you won't miss out on all of the fun stuff your family and friends are doing later on
• you're more likely to have help available from family or friends if you need it
• you can avoid the panic and worry of running out of time

Following these simple steps will help you get your homework done faster, improve your grades and make you feel like an academic super star!  If you need additional help with organization, note taking, study skills or time management, Spontaneous Speech offers short workshops for students in middle school, high school and college. To learn more, call us at 361-261-1700. Classes are forming now!


There is no possible way a student can learn everything mentioned in a class without reinforcing the subject with homework.
Lew Levine

10 Things You Can Officially Stop Worrying About

I am a world class worrywart!

I worry about E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G!  

Can you relate?

Researchers have studied worry for decades, and every year since 2007, money is the number one source of worry for people in the United States. But don't Americans worry about more than just cash?  I know I do! I'm pretty sure my worry list can go to  infinity and beyond. Thankfully, I found some easy ways to help me shorten that list. 

I saw this article in an email newsletter I received from The Chopra Center. After I read it, I realized that maybe even I, a championship worrier, can let go of a few of my worries. The article is funny and gives clear justification as to why we should stop worrying about these seemingly important things. It was just too good to keep to myself. I hope you enjoy it!

Not to Worry: 10 Things to Stop Worrying About

by: Martha Beck

Everywhere I turn these days, people are urging me to worry. “Restaurants are swarming with bacteria!” shouts a local news promo. “We’ll tell you what to beware of!” From the computer in my lap, a parenting blog warns, “There’s plenty to be anxious about.” Noting the pallor of my furrowed brow, a neighbor clucks, “I think you should be more concerned about your health.”

Friends, there are many areas in which I need encouragement, but worrying is not one of them. I worry the way Renée Fleming sings high Cs: Effortlessly. Loudly. At length. You may be similarly gifted, because worrying comes easily to a certain sub population of humans, namely those of us with pulses. We’re constantly creating new, worry-based strategies for living.

But worrying is worrisome: It’s stressful, and as we all know, stress will kill you. I worry about thata lot. So today I’m striking a tiny blow for sanity with my list of 10 things you can officially stop worrying about.

1. What’s on Your Plate

“If I can just finish this project,” says my ultra-busy friend Nancy, “I can stop worrying.” She’s said this every time I’ve ever spoken to her. No matter how much work Nancy finishes, by the time it’s done she’s fixating on a whole new crop of chores. In our achievement-obsessed society, this is “normal.” But I realized just how insane it is when a friend was dying of cancer. On her deathbed she managed to joke with me, “Hey, at least I only have one more thing on my to-do list.”

Instead of fretting about getting everything done, why not simply accept that being alive means having things to do? Then drop into full engagement with whatever you’re doing, and let the worry go.

“But,” you may be thinking, “I can’t just cut my anxiety loose! It isn’t under my control!” I empathize with this argument. I also know it’s bunk. To stop worrying about something, simply direct your attention toward something else. Personally, I like to interrupt my flow of worry by imagining—vividly—what I’d do if an elk walked into the room. See? Distraction works.

2. Needing Help

I used to be one of those people who spurned assistance—from other people, from God, from chemicals. Not anymore! These days—whether I’m begging for divine intervention, enlisting a fellow coach to help me overcome my aversion to email, or refilling the awesome prescription that helps me sleep no matter how disruptive my schedule—I pretty much walk around hollering, “Help wanted!”

Are my helpers crutches? You betcha. Mama needs crutches, and she doesn’t worry one little bit about using them. If you worry about needing what you need—a shoulder to cry on, a standing date with a shrink, whatever the shrink prescribes—come to Mama, and she’ll smack you upside the head with her crutches until that worry flies right out of your mind.

3. Your Children

There was a time when I spent many hours worrying about my kids. In fact, I was so worried my firstborn would feel unloved that I “soothed” her constantly, blasting the poor child with a fire hose of anxious energy. It’s a wonder she survived.

My second child, who arrived with an extra 21st chromosome, eventually led me to a shocking conclusion: We don’t actually have much control over the way our kids turn out. Genes do a lot of the deciding, and the owner of those genes does most of the rest. Some kids let parents have a great deal of influence; others don’t. Either way, people blossom when we love them, not when we worry about them. Worry just teaches worry. Let it go.

4. Your Face (and Hips, and Butt…)

As long as we’re on the subject of DNA, let’s take on the big kahuna of worries: our appearance. Ten bajillion product ads notwithstanding, your looks are another thing that’s basically genetic. Stressing about them only deepens the facial creases that make everyone in your family resemble perturbed bulldog puppies. Key phrase: everyone in your family.

Instead of obsessing over your own appearance, try noticing—and mentioning—beautiful things about everyone else. This will make people adore you, which, last time I checked, is what most of us are hoping to achieve by worrying about our looks in the first place.

5. What You Own

The trick here is learning to reframe your perspective. For example, my friend Kathy always lays a colorful towel over her expensive tablecloth before serving her twin 7-year-old granddaughters a snack. One of the twins recently said, “Grandma, you don’t need to worry about us spilling. Spills are just memories.” If you’d rather live surrounded by pristine objects than by the traces of happy memories, stay focused on tangible things. Otherwise, stop fixating on stuff you can touch and start caring about stuff that touches you.

6. Everything You’re Doing Wrong

I don’t know any perfect people, but I know many who worry about being perfect. They exercise religiously and serve their families home-cooked, organic free-range Tofurky recipes. They are unbearable.

I love the Buddhist concept of enlightenment as living without anxiety over imperfection. You can strain every fiber of your being trying to be flawless, only to face inevitable failure—or you can stop worrying about perfection, which instantly makes everything feel great. Save time and tofu: Choose option two.

7. The Past

I agree that your divorce settlement was a travesty of justice on par with the sack of Troy, that your last boss was abusive, and that you shouldn’t have calmed yourself with so many Cosmopolitans prior to testifying before Congress. I do not agree that worrying about it now will do any good.

The word worry comes from the Old English word wyrgan, meaning “to strangle.” When we fixate on something in the past, we grab our own histories by the throat, cutting off the flow of physical and emotional energy that keeps us fully alive. To start the flow again, look forward. Think how you can apply what you’ve learned. Let your divorce teach you to negotiate assertively, your horrible boss help you spot and avoid other creeps. Let the debacle at Congress send you to a 12-step meeting. Embracing the lesson always loosens the stranglehold of worry.

8. What People Are Saying About You Right This Very Second

People are always telling me elaborate stories about the elaborate stories other people are supposedly telling about them. “I know people mock my pain,” growls one client. “Everyone expects me to be strong,” says another. “You think I’m expendable,” sobs a wife, while her husband protests, “You think I’m a robot.” All of these people are wrong, but they’ve got company. We all worry what people think about us—until we decide not to waste the energy.

When I first started coaching, I noticed that I never worried what my clients thought of me. Why not? All my attention was focused on understanding them. I watched like a Martian observer, not a vulnerable peer. This took me out of worry mode, and it helped clients feel seen. By not worrying about what they thought of me, I accidentally ensured that they thought well of me.

Today, pretend you’re a Martian gathering data on humans. As you notice what they do and say without focusing on your fear of their opinions, you’ll feel less self-conscious, and they’ll feel the nonjudgmental attention they’ve always wanted from you. Win-win.

9. Your Account Balance

I have nothing against the globally sacred rite of worrying about money. Except this: People, it has no payoff.

I stopped worrying about money when I was unemployed and living on credit card debt. It wasn’t that my ship came in. It was just that I’d decided to try writing for a living, yet I was too worried to write. So I proactively pushed aside worry as I worked. Did I make money that day? No. Did I make money sooner because I stopped worrying? I think so. Did I enjoy my life more from that moment on, regardless of how much I had in the bank? Abso-freaking-lutely. Go about your business, whatever it is, with full energy. And drop the worry. Watch how much stronger your moneymaking skills become when you’re not dragging around a hefty load of anxiety.

10. Worrying

If your Spanx are now totally knotted from trying to stop worrying, it’s time to take a nice, cleansing breath. Aaahhhh. Remember point number six: We’re not after perfection here. If you’ve felt even a tiny release from worry while reading this list, you’re succeeding. That slight lessening of anxiety is all you need.

Wiggle your worries a little each day, and they’ll gradually lose their hold on you. Trust that you’re already counteracting the barrage of messages that tell us, every day, to worry, worry, and worry some more. Enjoy the liberating sense of bucking the cultural tide. And speaking of bucks, if you have further questions, please feel free to direct them to my elk.     (link to original article)

Are you ready to scratch these items off your list of things to worry about? I am, and I hope you are too!

Overcoming worry is definitely a process, but just like the article suggests, if you work at it a little each day, you'll gradually have fewer things to worry about. So, whether you're a professional worried about your job, a mom worried about your kids, or a speech pathologist worried about your patients, it will do you good to ease up on some of the worrying.


Worry does not empty tomorrow of its problems, it empties today of its strength.
Mary Englebreit 

6 Fast and Easy Ways for Students to Keep Up with Assignments, Projects and Tests

How an Electronic Device Can Help You 

Survive Back to School

High school is terrifying!

I realized this all over again when my son came home from  his first day of his freshman year at Veterans Memorial High School. 

In usual fashion, Coby was cool as a cucumber as we sorted through the pile of papers:

emergency cards, information sheets, the student handbook, et cetera..  All of these are things I've come to expect. No big deal.

When I came across the syllabus for his Algebra class, I got a little worried. 

Then, there was a syllabus for World Geography. Uh oh...anxiety rising now. 

Next, I found a syllabus for Biology.  At this point, I thought my head was going to explode!

Me:     O-M-G, Coby!  Have you looked at these?

Coby:  Looked at what?

Me:     The syllabuses  for your classes.

Coby:  No. 

Me:     Man oh man...these teachers mean business!

Coby:  How do you know?

Me:     It looks like all of them have a zero tolerance policy for accepting late assignments. 

Coby:  So?

Me:     So...if you don't turn in your work on time, you're gonna be racking up a bunch of zeros!

Me:     You've got to do a better job of keeping up with your assignments this year.

Coby:  Yeah. 

Me:     How are you going to remember to turn in your homework? 

Coby:  I'll just remember. 

Me:     5 out of 7 days you can't even remember that it's your job to feed the cat.

Coby:  I'll just remember. Don't worry.

Me:     It's my job to worry!  

Coby:  Maybe you can just follow me to school and turn it in for me?

Me:    I tell my patients all the time:  if you want to remember something, you've got to write it down!

Coby: Uh.....

Me:    We need to get you an assignment book.

Coby: That sounds complicated... and really old fashioned.

Old fashioned?  Me?  No way!  

That's when I decided I needed to think of a novel way to get that boy to keep up with his school work. Finally, it hit me....his tablet!

6 Fast and Easy Ways

 to Keep Up with Assignments, Projects and Tests

1.  Leave yourself a voice message- using a voice recorder app, you can simply speak the specifics of the project or assignment and then listen to them later. Example:  Math worksheet, problems 1 through 15, odds only. Due tomorrow.  As an alternative, if your electronic device is a cell phone, you can call yourself and leave a message.  No kidding, this really works!  Example:  "Hi!  Just calling to remind you there's a Spanish test tomorrow. Don't forget to study."

2.  Send yourself a text or email- it sounds weird, but you can do it and it's very effective...I've done it myself.  Example:  Remember to bring the signed student contract to Biology on Friday. As a suggestion, don't delete the message until the task has been completed. The presence of the message is a great visual reminder that you've got something to do.

3.  Take a picture- snap a shot of the information your teacher has written on the board.  This way, when you're back at home at the end of the day, there is no confusion about the assignment, the project, the material to study or the date of the test.  It's not a bad idea to take pictures of assignment rubrics and schedules for practices, club meetings,  games and special events.  While you're at it, snap a picture of your course syllabus- it has a lot of very important information you will need the entire school year.    Chances are, the pictures on an electronic device won't get lost or eaten by the dog,  and I can't imagine they would ever be left at school.

4.  Download an app- there are several great options for assignment book apps.   I recommend you check out My Homework app.  This particular app has so many features, I can't even list them all! It's pretty snazzy and does require quite a bit of data entry, but it is comprehensive and it's free. As long as  the use and maintenance of the app doesn't interfere with actually completing the assignments, it's a great choice. You can click here to learn more about other available homework apps.

5.   Set an alarm- using your clock app, schedule an evening alarm to remind you to study, to get going on your homework, to collect items for a project...whatever you need to do.  Alarm apps can be set up for single use or for Example:  Create an alarm for 8:00pm- Time to work on your research paper! Turn up the volume full blast and be sure to enable the snooze feature...just in case. 

6.  Mark it on the calendar-a calendar app is one of my personal favorites!  You can add an event, make a note or set a reminder for today, this week, this month, this year, or really, for anytime. On my calendar app, I can schedule anything I need to between now and December 31st, 2036. That's incredible!  Remember those pictures you were taking earlier? You can attach a photo to your scheduled event. Super cool!

These are just a few ways an electronic device (cell phone, tablet, iPod or iPad) can help kids keep up with the demands of school. Maybe your kids can "just remember" things, but I know mine can't. 

This weekend, Coby and I are going to go over these options so that he'll have a plan of attack come Monday. I'm determined to teach him to be responsible, one way or another. I suspect the novelty of using apps on a device will be just the thing he needs to avoid getting zeros for late work. 

I'll keep you posted!

Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.

William Shakespeare 

Get Focused on Good Grades Before Going Back to School

Get Ready. Get Set. Go Back to School!

Summer is winding down and a new school year is just around the corner. It's time to start preparing your students. Here are a few things parents can do to make sure their kids begin the new year focused and ready for success. 

1.  Examine where you’ve been: before moving forward, sometimes it's good to look back; take time to sit down with your child to discuss...

• Report cards- have another good look at last year's report card:  grades, conduct, attendance, GPA, credits earned, etc.; talk about academic strengths and weaknesses; if needed, work together to outline strategies for improvement

•  Test results- review results of any standardized testing with your kids; compliment them on their success but gently point out areas for improvement; work together to create a plan for catching up, if necessary

• What worked last year- brainstorm all of the habits, routines and activities that added to success during the previous school year; commit to continuing with those same habits

• What didn’t work last year- were you always rushing out the door? make a plan to adjust your morning routine; were assignments turned in late or projects completed the midnight before they were due? purchase a calendar or assignment book to keep track; there's a solution to every problem

2.  Take a look at what’s to come:  here are a few suggestions...

•  Back to school activities or meetings- check the calendar and mark important dates for orientation, meet the teacher, registration, booster club meetings, etc.

• School schedules- decide on your day to day routine: when to wake up, when to leave, etc; set out a plan for pick ups and drop offs; start now to make your arrangements for time off during school holidays

• Practices, games and meetings- as soon as possible, get a master calendar started, plugging in information for routine practices times, game dates and club meetings; it's much easier to maintain your sanity when you know where they are and what they're doing

• Logistics- discuss family responsibilities and set a plan for  transportation, before or after school child care and carpools

• Upcoming class schedules- talk about the challenges that a new school year and more advanced classes can bring; discuss the need for tutoring; review expectations for school performance; if you anticipate your student will need a schedule change, contact his counselor or adviser now; provide encouragement and be enthusiastic  

3.  Set goals and expectations for the new school year: every successful school year begins with a thoughtfully considered plan of attack...

• Help your student get clear about what they want to accomplish- better grades, fewer tardies, more organization

• Consider what you, as a parent, want your student to accomplish- more involvement with school sponsored clubs and activities; better study habits; taking steps toward career/ college planning

• New responsibilities- as children get older, they are more capable; help them grow and mature with new responsibilities:  household chores, meal preparation, waking up with an alarm clock

• Monitoring grades- inform your student that you will be monitoring their school performance by completing routine grade checks; set up weekly meetings to discuss what you find

• Study habits- set expectations for when and where your student will study and complete homework assignments; if necessary, prepare that space now

• Limits and boundaries- take time to get clear about your student's screen time privileges; establish limits for use of electronic devices; set curfews to keep things from getting out of hand; the beginning of a new school year is a wonderful time to make changes

        

4.  Get help from a professional: when it comes to strategies for academic success, students may be more receptive to advice that comes from an expert.  

For this reason, Spontaneous Speech Coach is offering a series of new workshops for students who want to get focused on good grades and success at school.

Designed to assist middle school, high school and college students, these workshops build key academic skills: 

• Time Management
• Prioritization
• Organization
• Concentration
• Motivation
• Socialization

Learning how to develop these skills now helps students stay on track all year long. 

We'll begin hosting workshops in September, and will be sending out specifics regarding dates and times in the next few weeks.  Stay tuned!

Who do you know that might benefit?  Please share this information with friends and family that are preparing students to... get ready, get set, go back to school!

Education is a shared commitment between dedicated teachers, motivated students and enthusiastic parent with high expectations.
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