Everyone who has children or who has worked with children is aware of the "terrible two's." The majority of the children will grow from the "no" stage to become inquiring, comfortable children. But a few children don't reach that goal. Instead these children develop a pattern  of chronic aggression filled with open hostility, and defiant toward authority figures. When this behavior develops into a behavior trait that interferes with day-to-day functioning, they may be classified as having oppositional defiant disorder (ODD).

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Excerpts in the following article are from Three Things Juniors Should Be Doing NOW July 22,2011 by Lynn O’Shaughnessy. Ms. O’Shaughnessy is a financial journalist and the author of The College Solution – a must read for all parents planning college for their children.

In this article, Ms. O’Shaughnessy is addressing both the parents and the high school junior. Too often both of these parties feel no need to hurry in preparations for college while the student is still a junior. Thought college planning could wait until the senior year? Ms. O’Shaughnessy proposes an outstanding “No” to that questions. She infers, and rightly so, that preparation for college should begin as early as possible. Although the subject of degree may not be chosen, preparing for the more intimidating aspects of testing and funds should begin early. She gives 5 principal areas for the junior to accomplish.

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Everyone worries now and then. Youngsters worry that they will get lost, lose their lunch money, or find a monster under their bed. But for some youngsters, worry goes beyond the limits, and they find themselves enveloped in a world of worry. Their worries just don't come and go. Instead, their worries are intense and those worries never quit. It's like getting a song stuck in your head and playing it over and over again. This is OCD.  It's worry beyond normal.

With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, the child becomes obsessive with repetitive thoughts such as: germs or dirt, unlucky numbers or words, things being even or straight, doing or thinking something bad, being perfect in everything. In turn, these obsessions turn into compulsions such as: lots of hand washing, counting, touching (every locker passed), checking everything over and over, doing things a certain number of times, or asking the same question over and over.

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Section 504 is a part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which is a federal statute, not a state statute. Basically, Section 504 is an anti-discrimination, civil rights statute which insures the needs of students with disabilities are met as adequately as the needs of all students in educational system.

Section 504 (29 U. S. C. 794(a), 34 C. F. R. 104.4(a) “No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States, as defined in section 706(8) of this title, shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance….

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Prime Minister Winston Churchill visited his old school, Harrow School, on October 29, 1941. He wanted to hear the old songs that he enjoyed while attending the school. The School, however, wanted to hear Churchill speak. He reluctantly approached the podium and said "Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, give up. Never give up. Never give up. Never give up." Then he quietly sat down.

He gave what has to be the best advice ever for the young person who is applying for a scholarship. Try, try, and try some more. Never give up. Applying for scholarships is difficult, time consuming, and very tedious. All scholarship applicants will face stiff competition. But, it's true, the profits are worthwhile. By writing and rewriting applications, one will begin to recognize the certain methods to be used on the application process, and the practice greatly increases the chances of scoring a scholarship. No one is saying that scholarships are impossible. They aren't. They do require practice and commitment to acquire one. With this in mind, review a few practical words of wisdom.

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From:  TEA The STARR The Next Generation Information

Beginniing in spring 2011, students will start a new voyage with the launch of the next testing program called the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness or STARR.

What is STAAR?

STARR is a more rigorous standardized testing program that will replace the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) for elementary, middle and high school students.  The new STAAR program will emphazie "readiness" standards, which are considered most important for success in the grade or subject that follows for college and career.

What tests must you take in high school?

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Who is the gifted learner? Often the I.Q. score is used as the projection to measure I.Q. If this is the sole judgment of I.Q, then one may consult the Stanford-Binet Form LM , the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, or the Silverman & Kearney tests. Each of these three tests defines an I.Q. of 140 as the nominal IQ for a gifted child. Estimated statistical occurrence of the children in this range is one or two children per a million children. Highly and profoundly gifted children may be defined as those who score above the third or fourth standard deviation on IQ test, or who are prodigies in a particular domain. (Webb, Meckstroth, & Tolan)

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