General Chemistry Review Sheets

General Chemistry Review SheetsThere are a few things that you should consider before choosing a General Chemistry Review Sheet for your next quiz. Do your homework and find the best fit for your learning needs.The first thing you need to consider is the size of the paper. You can usually use a standard-sized sheet of paper, but you want to make sure that you use the correct colors for the questions and take the proper steps to make them stand out. Keep in mind that people use different colors depending on their experience with the type of chemical they will be working with. It is important to make sure that you get your color choice just right.The next thing you should consider is the number of questions that you need. This will depend greatly on the type of question that you will be taking and what you need for the quiz. If you are taking a general chemistry quiz that has only one or two questions per page, then you will need a small paper because you will have to figure out the an swer.If you have more than one question per page, then you can purchase a General Chemistry Review Sheet. This will allow you to write on the questions without having to worry about running out of space. If you are taking a general chemistry quiz where there are more than one question per page, then you will need a larger paper because you will have to write down an answer for each question.When you are purchasing a General Chemistry Review Sheet, you will want to make sure that you ask yourself if you need a student or personal version. These types of review sheets are better to use when taking a quiz that you have not worked with before. You do not want to get confused when you are taking the quiz because you do not know the answer to one question. Make sure that you ask for a student version to save some space.Finally, you want to ask yourself if you want a general chemistry review sheet for all of your students. A personal version is good for people who are taking more than one class that has a chemical component. If you use a generic paper for all of your students, then you will be wasting some space.Before you buy any General Chemistry Review Sheet, you should consider how much money you want to spend. The more money you pay, the bigger the paper you can purchase. In addition, there are many websites that sell various sized sheets.Your first General Chemistry Review Sheet is probably the easiest to make because you can use a blank paper and a math calculator. You can also make a copy for your students and give them for their birthday.

What Can You Do With Math Websites For Algebra 2 Help?

What Can You Do With Math Websites For Algebra 2 Help?Many students have not chosen to pursue a career in math because they are not sure what the future holds for them. A lot of times they worry about what will happen after they graduate and don't know how they will find employment in this field.It is always good to go back to your math roots to see what these ideas mean to you and make you familiar with the things that are being taught in math classes. The more you know about the subject, the better you will be able to distinguish yourself from other students. These websites will give you tips on how to succeed and use advanced mathematics to solve mathematical problems and get an A on the test.Algebra is a fairly easy subject to understand and to practice. Many students will continue to use algebra even after they graduate from high school. It is one of the most popular subjects and it is a very good idea to take up algebra as a hobby or a new career because of the amount of money that can be made in the investment of stocks and shares.You should also look into the subject of Math for Life because this website will give you an insight into the advantages of pursuing math as a career. The website will tell you that learning math can be very fun and a great social activity. Once you have studied math for a while you will be able to apply it to all aspects of your life such as work, sports, relationships and financial decisions.You need to make sure that you study the subject of algebra for many years so that you are prepared to use it in your student's success. There are many websites that are now available that will give you a glimpse into the subject of algebra and help you discover where you need to focus your time and attention.The websites offer the opportunity to talk to the students online and get some suggestions. By communicating with students on the site you will be able to get suggestions for the books that you need to purchase, information about tut ors, the best ways to explain topics in algebra, and how to make them think outside the box when solving problems. This way you will find out which type of study and practice you will need to use in order to understand the material in algebra.You will find that studying math can be fun and can be made much easier if you take advantage of the online resources offered by these websites. Take your time and get prepared before you get to the next level in your education.

The Best Drum Blogs and Drumming Magazines

The Best Drum Blogs and Drumming Magazines Which Are the Best Websites for Learning to Play the Drums? ChaptersLearning to Play the Drums: Blogs from Music SchoolsEssential Drumming WebsitesProfessional Drummers’ WebsitesLearning to Drum: Other Sites to Check Out“Everyone knows deep in their hearts that the drums are the coolest instrument, and that a band is only as good as its drummer.” - Fred ArmisenWhile acoustic drums lead the percussion market (with 29% market share), this doesn’t mean much for buyers. Regardless of the percussion instrument you play, the internet is a great place to find tonnes of information on it!Following blogs and drummers, for example, is a great way to find out more! Which are the best? Who is the best? In this article, we're going to have a look at what we think are some of the best blogs available online for those wanting to  learn more about drums, percussion, and music! SerbanDrum Teacher 5.00 (11) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RickyDrum Teacher 5.00 (7) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RussellDrum Teacher 5.00 (4) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JamesDrum Teacher 5.00 (5) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors StephenDrum Teacher 5.00 (3) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PeteDrum Teacher 5.00 (2) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors OllieDrum Teacher 5.00 (5) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AlexDrum Teacher 5.00 (5) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsLearning to Play the Drums: Blogs from Music SchoolsIt’s quite common for a music school or a drum school to have a blog alongside their core lessons. They’re perfect for aspiring drummers to learn how to play or brush up on something they’re not quite sure about. The school may also have information on music theory and how to do certain techniques for the following instruments:A drum kit with a bass drum, snare, and cymbals.Tambourines, kettledrums, maracas.Classical guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar.You can learn a lot just by reading blogs. (Source: kaboom pics)Whether you want to learn how to play African percussion (djembe), Cuban percussion (congas), or European percussion (jazz kits), here are some great resources:Modern Drummer MagazineDrum Channel - Your Source for the Best Drum Lessons in the WorldOnlineDrummer.com | Get Ready to PlayDrumChat.com - DRUM FORUM for DrumsCruise Ship Drummer!Drumhead AuthorityMy Happy CultureThere are general music blogs that you can also check out for:Getting a better idea about certain styles of music, the history of music, and the fundamentals of music.Choosing the right store to get music suppliesHelping you choose your instrument with demos, product reviews, and comparisons.It’s very easy to find these sites online thanks to search engines such as Google as well as the search engines built into each site.Are these types of sites free? May you could opt to join a free drumming lesson.Most of them are. However, you may sometimes have to pay to access certain articles. That said, articles you h ave to pay to read tend to be of a higher quality.Essential Drumming WebsitesAny self-respecting drummer should take their music theory seriously. Drumming requires discipline, technical ability, and practice, just like any string or woodwind instrument. This is where general drumming sites can help. Here are a few examples of the subjects covered:Which instruments are considered percussion instruments?How do you choose the right resonator or metronome?What’s the difference between a crash cymbal and a ride cymbal?What style of drumming should you opt for?A general drum blog is a great way to keep up with the world of drummers and the topics that you’re interested in. If you’re a beginner, you won’t want to waste your time looking at specialised articles, you can go straight to the topics appropriate to your level. Some of the most popular sites include:Drummer CafeMusicians Byte - Drums, Reviews, Best GuitarsElectronic Drum Advisor | Guides, Reviews, and Tips for Electronic DrumsDrum Teachers BlogBANG! The Drum SchoolOnline Drum Lessons by 180 DrumsThere are also specialised drum blogs. By looking at different sites, you’ll be able to learn more about drums and drumming at your own pace. There are literally thousands of resources for drummers available online. While it's not hard to find online drum resources, finding the right ones can be rather tricky, especially if you're looking for something very specific such as a particular genre or uncommon drumming technique.Which are the best drumming apps? Or where to find online drumming lessons?Professional Drummers’ WebsitesWhile reading a drumming blog is good, checking out a famous drummer’s site is even better. A lot of professional drummers have their own blogs and websites where you can see what they’re getting up to as well as get tips to improve your own playing. These are veritable goldmines for learning more about drumming and:Advice on playing the drums and improvingAdvice for choosing your equipmentTips on how to form a bandTo find a load of great advice for drummers, you should seek out general drum blogs. (Source: socalbrass)Some of the most popular drummers include:The Steve Goold Blog | Drummers are musicians too…David Aldridge's Drumming BlogFour on the FloorThe Drumdoctor's BLOGNot to mention:Matt McGuireCoop3rdrumm3rSina-drumsSteve MooreNea BateraDon’t forget there are also drummers on social media channels such as Instagram.Whether you want to play in a symphonic orchestra or just on your own, these resources should help you get there. Every musician needs an idol or mentor to inspire them to learn more.Did you know there are loads of YouTube drum tutorials?Learning to Drum: Other Sites to Check OutAs you probably gathered, it’s better to buy drums in a music or drum shop since you can try out the instruments. It's very difficult to see what drums feel like to play or even what they sound like if you've never touched them.You can also try out instru ments in the store and then buy them online if they're cheaper. However, I don't like doing this as brick-and-mortar music stores offer an invaluable service and should be supported.Some music stores even have their own blogs where they discuss new products and provide reviews for them. This is great for finding information on which ones you should buy. Some of the best sites to find out more about drums include:Thomann’s blog has loads of information on equipment and music.Planet DrumYamaha DrumsSome blogs are an absolute goldmine for aspiring drummers. (Source: StartupStockPhotos)So how much do drums cost?Kits can cost upwards of £200. Your budget should depend on what you’re going to use it for. Remember that when you first start playing the drums, you won't necessarily need an extensive kit. In fact, to learn a basic beat, you can start with just a bass drum, snare drum, and hi-hat cymbals.Once you've got the hang out basic beats and want to move onto licks and fills, you c an add other cymbals (such as crash and ride cymbals) and tom-toms to your kit.Additionally, when your drumming get more serious, you may want to invest in better drums. When you do this, don't forget that you can always sell on your older drums to other aspiring drummers. Both blogs and advice are generally free and will help you when it comes to decided what kits to get!Drum tutors will try to ensure that their students and followers get the most out of their content. On Superprof, we’ve got a lot of stuff for aspiring drummers looking to learn their new instrument. Our blog covers several topics:Drum classes around the UKDrum techniquesAdvice for improving your playingPopular drumming styles such as funk, folk, hard rock, etc.The best drummers to inspire you.We’ve got plenty of stuff on drumming for you to sink your teeth into. Of course, our main goal is to help tutors find students and vice-versa!Don't forget that you can also find drum tutors on Superprof! (Source: Huskyhe rz)So why should you get online drum tutorials?To learn how to play the drums or improve your playing. Have a look at our blog for more information on the tutorials offered!No matter what level you are, all these sites and resources should be able to help you get better. They’ll not only help you. They should inspire you! They can help you become driven and independent learners. Don’t hesitate to check out testimonies from other drummers when choosing your drums, either!So are you ready to start?If you've done your research and and feel you could benefit from some extra tuition, consider enlisting the help of a private tutor. Unlike group music classes, private tutors will tailor their lessons to you and exactly what you want to learn. If you're struggling with a particular technique, a tutor can spend a session focusing on it.  If you need to practise something for an upcoming gig or performance, you can work on that, too!What about if you live rurally or work irregular hours ( such as shifts or nights)?You can get online private tutors who offer their tutorials over Skype or other video conferencing platforms. You can get a tutor from anywhere in the world. Obviously, if you live in a block of flats, don't schedule your drum lessons in the early hours of the morning when you'll wake up all your neigbours!See drum lessons london.

What is Traditional Japanese Food

What is Traditional Japanese Food How to Recognise Traditional Japanese Food ChaptersJapanese Cuisine: Going Way Back in TimeHonzen-ryori: Ancient Japanese Foods Served in StyleKaiseki-ryori: Authentic Japanese CuisineWashoku versus YoshokuContrary to recent claims that multiculturalism is passé, perhaps more so than any other country’s, Japanese food is influenced by other cultures’ preferences. A perfect instance of such is the much-beloved tonkatsu, a deep-fried, panko-breaded pork cutlet that is usually served with rice and cabbage salad.This dish epitomises what the Japanese call yoshoku â€" western-influenced cuisine.Essentially, yoshoku represents European dishes with a Japanese spin; indeed, the aforementioned pork cutlet dish is reminiscent of the Germanic schnitzel... and for good reason!It was the Dutch who introduced the dish during the Meiji Restoration period, when the emperor concluded that Europeans were physically bigger than Japanese because of the food they ate.Now that that fact has been disclosed, we have no choice but to delve into the history of Japanese cuisine.Let’s find out which dishes are native to the Japanese culture, which ‘outsiders’ are so popular they’ve been adopted as an integral part of the cuisine, and which foods are still considered outsiders.Pour yourself a cup of Japanese tea â€" or sake if that’s your preference, and find out where all these yummy concoctions really came from.Spiritualism played a part in shaping the food culture of those early days, too.During the Yamato Period, from 300 to 538 CE Buddhism was introduced; another Chinese influence, albeit routed through Korea. So great was Chinese influence in every aspect of Japanese life at that time that the tail started wagging the dog â€" meaning that the Japanese started knowingly and actively imitating Chinese food and culture.Mapu tofu â€" a popular dish in Japan today originated in China’s Sichuan Province, giving ample evidence of the Japanese mirroring of China. China’s and Buddhism’s influence had lasting and, some say dire consequences on the diet of the Japanese.In 675 CE, that belief system led to meat eating banned; especially consuming the flesh of domesticated mammals, for five months out of the year. Prior to Emperor Tenmu’s declaration, it was not unusual to eat meat, even horses, dogs and chickens, year-round.After that decree, wild game remained in the stewpots as it was considered essential to the Japanese diet in remote regions. Chickens became pets and monkeys were only eaten as a part of ceremonies.Further restrictions on meat consumption: Empress Koken declared a ban on fishing in 752 CE but, to compensate the fishermen for their loss of livelihood, she promised them extra rice.The Heian Period (794-1195) saw further banning of meat from dinner bowls.Perhaps the oddest decree of that period â€" perhaps of all time was: should any government official, imperial household member or person of nobility eat meat, they would be considered unclean for three days and barred from p articipation in any religious ritual.Get some of the best cooking classes London on Superprof.From this brief history, we see that the Chinese had a massive influence on early Japanese culture, especially their food: what it contained and how it was prepared, served and eaten.The end of the Chinese Tang dynasty signalled the end of that culture’s influence over Japan, but they did make one more remarkable contribution to the Japanese food culture: chopsticks.Granted, they too came to Japan via Korea and it is true that only nobility used them at first; ‘commoners’ still ate with their hands.Nevertheless, from the 9th century on, Japan set out to find its individuality, both in cuisine and in culture. What happened next could be considered a complete denouncing of lavish Chinese foods and eating habits.No longer would there be elaborate preparations; offerings were simplistic but substantial â€" peasant fare by another name.Fish and seafood made its way back into their diet but meat was still vilified: anyone who slaughtered an animal and consumed its flesh was considered ‘burakamin’, worthy of discrimination and ostracisation.In the meantime, said peasants did get their bit of nobility: the chopstick made its way into the countryside. Soon, eating with one’s hands was considered crass, even in the poorest households.Also explore the diversity of regional Japanese cuisine...Honzen-ryori: Ancient Japanese Foods Served in StyleAs expansive as traditional dining in Japan sounds, each dish presentation is only a couple of bites! Image by Robert-Owen-Wahl from PixabayThis cuisine is what emerged from the Shogun influence of the 14th century. That is when eating became highly ritualised and stylised. Prior to that time, all of the food had been placed on the table at once, as it is still done in China today.In this updated eating etiquette, food would be served on legged trays to individual diners, arranged in a prescribed manner and following a strict li st of permissible dishes.Find the best cooking courses in the country thanks to Superprof.Those dishes included:Sakizuke: an appetizer, generally served with sakeNimono: a simmered dish involving dashi and fish, tofu and/or seasonal vegetablesMukozuke: a sashimi dishHassun: basically, whatever is in season â€" be it fruit, veg or meat ( meat is also seasonal!)Yakimono: a grilled dish of fish or meatSokuji â€" a rice dish.This feast would be preceded by an aperitif and rounded out with a sweet, perhaps mochi cakes. Invariably, a tea ceremony would follow.Unfortunately, it is no longer common to find such an extravaganza.Some elements of such a meal feature in traditional Japanese weddings and some Japanese restaurants might serve such a feast... but the entire experience will likely run into the thousands of yen!If that’s more than the cash outlay you were anticipating, you may find elements of this style of cuisine in kaiseki-ryori, a much more common presentation. Discover other Japanese food specialities... Kaiseki-ryori: Authentic Japanese CuisineThis dining experience centres on harmony between appearance, taste, texture and colour of the foods.Originally, this meal started with a bowl of miso soup complemented by three other dishes; today, that is what the Japanese people consider a ‘set meal’.In other words, it is a standard dinner in the average Japanese home or restaurant.Today, in the finer Japanese restaurants, you are more likely to be treated to much the same outlay of dishes as with the traditional Honzen meal, but with a slightly more reasonable price tag.Typically, chefs will start your dining experience with an appetizer and follow it with seasonal fare; generally a type of sushi and several side dishes.You would then linger over sashimi, ahead of a simmered dish that may consist of vegetables, meat, fish or tofu, each stewed separately so that they will keep their own flavour. You would then cleanse your palate with a soup.Now you’re o n for some grilled fare, typically fish, followed by an acidic palate cleanser such as pickled cabbage or radish.And then, you get into some serious eating: a hot pot. The reigning favourite is Sukiyaki:a pot of broth with assorted raw ingredients that you scald in the broth prior to eating.Finally, you encounter the Japanese staple dish, rice, mixed with ingredients fresh in season.  You may end the meal with a dessert: seasonal fruit, some confection or cake.This meal sounds substantial until you consider that each serving is only a few mouthfuls... but rest assured you won’t leave the restaurant hungry! What is on your top ten list of Japanese foods?Although rice is a diet staple, soba noodles are also quite popular in Japan Image by ?? ? from PixabayWashoku versus YoshokuThe two styles of cuisine covered so far are considered Washoku: traditional Japanese cuisine.The more modern style of cooking is called Yoshoku and it incorporates elements of European cooking arts, as we men tioned in this article’s introduction.At one time in Japan’s history, outsider influence was deemed harmful and the country entered a period of isolationism: nobody was allowed in or out for about 220 years.Besides limited commerce with China, the lone exception was trading with the Dutch, through which trickled medical, scientific and technical advances.Naturally, early assays into meat-based cooking were replications of Dutch foods but soon, others followed, each getting their own ‘spin’ and being served in Japanese style.What most westerners and many Japanese consider an authentic Japanese food feature, tempura, actually made its way to the islands from Portugal in the 1500s.So ingrained is tempura in the food culture there that it is considered ‘washoku’.The easiest way to tell whether you are eating traditional or ‘updated’ Japanese dishes is by how they are served.Traditional dishes will be served in individual bowls; it is considered poor taste to mix flavours together. Also, these meals will invariably be eaten with chopsticks, save for the soup.By contrast, ‘updated’ fare may be mixed; you might be served a plate of teriyaki chicken on a bed of rice, for example. For this type of dining, western-type spoons are acceptable utensils.Another dead giveaway that you’re in for some ‘real’ Japanese food: the Japanese restaurant menu will list those dishes in katakana, a syllabic means of writing foreign-sounding words... but that line is getting blurred.Some yoshoku dishes are so popular in Japan that they are now served as part of the washoku lineup, like that cutlet dish we mentioned at the start of the article.These days, it may be served with Japanese sauces like daikon or ponzu and, more tellingly, it features on menus as a native Japanese word rather than its syllable-spelling.There is no doubt what traditional Japanese food is: elegant, tasteful, appealing to the senses â€" including that mysterious fifth taste, umami.Were we to designate foods that are traditional... that would be a bit harder, seeing as that notion is in flux.But then, Japanese cuisine has long been about so much more than food for sustenance.Now learn how Japanese food is adapted to suit tastes around the world...

Start Boxing Now With A Coach!

Start Boxing Now With A Coach! Start Boxing With The Help of an Instructor! ChaptersWhy Train with a Private Boxing Coach ?How Do You Find a Private Boxing Instructor?How Long Does a Boxer Stay at the Beginning Level?What's Next, After Your First Boxing Class?“Rhythm is everything in boxing. Every move you make starts with your heart, and that’s in rhythm or you’re in trouble.” â€" Sugar Ray RobinsonYour ideas have finally come to fruition, and you now want to put yourself to the test and seriously take on boxing, right?To exercise via sport, to let off steam or to know how to defend oneself in case of aggression, the reasons to learn boxing are as numerous as they are personal.The ring is a particularly physical environment, difficult and demanding, where it is necessary to be enduring and powerful, but where  brute force would be nothing without a high technicality.In this respect, it is necessary to start with a good base understanding of the sport, otherwise you may soon have regrets: the slightest little bad habit taken during your first boxing  class will be extremely difficult to uproot ... Your first attempt at the sport will indeed become the foundation of all of your sporting technique.Nothing better, then, than an experienced boxer to show you the way: there just for you, he can give you demonstrations and watch you to monitor any error that may occur!To avoid the KO, you must find a great coach!What's Next, After Your First Boxing Class?As we have just seen, there is no more effective or tailor-made way to learn boxing than through private instruction  with an expert coach: it's a custom introduction and education, at your own pace, where you will easily overcome any inhibition (a kind of misplaced shyness is a common disadvantage of many learners).Then, once the bases are in place, we can more easily branch-out to courses in several clubs, the advantage is to be able to confront sparring partners regularly and in good spirits, and not just spar with your coach.You'll see fast improvement after your first day of tra ining in the boxing ring or gym!The boxing club is also the ideal springboard to find opponents to face in a legal and secure  environment, with the benefit of sound advice and the experience of others.Of course, this should not prevent you from continuing to look for instruction by your private coach, if you have the means and if boxing has become like a drug for you, in order to progress faster.The state of mind, with enthusiasm and motivation, is the most important thing to make quick progress! In a very short time, you will be able to say: Beware the one who will seek me out, for I will send him to the ground!Finally, find out if you should to choose competitive boxing or fitness classes ...Discover how much boxing classes really cost here.Find out more about boxing for women here.

What is Pattern Making

What is Pattern Making Pattern Making: the First Step in Clothing ChaptersClothing Before PatternsPattern-Making ParticularsThe Tricky Science of SizingPattern-Making for Non-Clothing ItemsWe are so lucky! We take it for granted that our trousers have two legs of equal width and length and that our shirts button up evenly. We don’t even need to constantly tug one sleeve down to match the other!You might think that this is such an obvious thing to remark upon but it wasn’t so long ago that merely draping oneself in a piece of cloth and cinching a belt to hold it closed was standard attire.In some parts of the world, it still is: think of India’s flowing saris, for instance, or the traditional kimono of Japan, held together by its obi.There is a science to making clothes to fit the body; clothes that are ‘even’ on both sides. It is called pattern-making.As you may have guessed, that statement only applies to roughly the last 150 years. Before that time, all sewing was bespoke; done by hand and made to order.Even that is not exactly true.Onl y the wealthy could afford tailor-made clothing; everyone else made do as best they could. As you might imagine, those results might not have been… even.What really revolutionised the clothing industry â€" indeed, what turned clothing into an industry was the sewing machine.The first working sewing machine caused a riot. Angry tailors, fearing for their future income, burned down the shop of one sewing machine inventor and nearly killed him.Fortunately, we’ve moved past those days; now we live in a time where we can buy all the clothes we want without having to endure multiple fittings at the dressmakers’ or tailors’, with a reasonable assurance that the clothes will be properly cut and sewn.Besides the sewing machine, what makes such extravagance possible? Sewing patterns!Today, your Superprof takes a look behind the actual making of clothes to see how they are measured and cut, how they are sized and why there really is no ‘one size fits well’ in off-the-rack clothing. Find and take sewing courses on Superprof.Before the mid-19th Century, outside of the royal court, sewing was pretty much for practical purposes only.Nobody had the time to sit around, dreaming of dazzling garments, nor did they have the money to buy shimmering cloth with which to make said garments.  To say nothing of the fact that the average person had no need of shimmering garments.The Industrial Revolution changed all of that.It didn’t give people reasons to wear nice clothing but it made the possibility of clothing being more than just serviceable.Machines could now produce low-cost bolts of cloth from which many articles of clothing could be made and factories sprang up to mass-produce clothing. They were able to do so thanks to pattern-makers.Discover how you too can make your own clothes patterns... A dressmaking form is a way to get a look at how well the dress will drape Image by Lara Gonzalo from PixabayPattern-Making ParticularsMass-producing clothing for men in varying sizes was really not so difficult; measurements are pretty straightforward and nothing gets draped.Women’s clothing, on the other hand, proves a far greater challenge. Besides the greater variety of styles in women's clothing,  things get much more complicated because there is no hard-and-fast ratio of the bust-waist-hip measurement.That is why clothes-making was soon standardised through the use of patterns. These patterns are meant to accommodate body measurements of the average-sized person.To be more exact, two main pattern-making techniques were designed.The Flat PatternPattern drafting starts with a set of measurements.Let’s say you want to make a pattern from which all of your future clothing will be made from. You will need to take exact measurements of your:Neck, measuring at its basechest (bust) : wrap the measuring tape around your chest at nipple heightshoulder width: from shoulder to shoulder, across the yokesleeve length: measure both arms from shoulder to wristyou will also have to measure your biceps and wrist!Waist: measure the fullest part, if possiblehips: here also, you should target the fullest parthalf-length: from the base of your neck to the top of the hipsAnd so you would continue, measuring your inseam, outer seam, thigh girth and so on.Once you have all of these measurements, you would plot a sloper; a basic outline of your measurements.In fact, you may want an upper and lower sloper and, if you anticipate making skirts and dresses, you might make a narrow skirt sloper. Don’t worry, you can always embellish it later!The point of having a sloper is that you have a basic outline from which to make patterns. You might think of your slope as a two-dimensional dressmaker dummy.You may also want to make it on something more resilient than paper; maybe paperboar d or even a thin sheet of Teflon.Once you have created this more durable slope, its name changes to ‘block’. You can make free sewing patterns from your own blocks Image by Maatkare from PixabayThe Draping MethodIf you’ve ever undertaken any sewing projects that called for draping cloth over a dress form, then you are already familiar with this method of making clothing patterns.As its name implies, one simply drapes muslin over this form until the desired look is achieved, after which the design is transferred to paper to create a slope or the cloth itself becomes the pattern.Using such a form is especially effective if you want to learn how to make your own dress patterns because it gives you a three-dimensional look at how the dress will drape and flow.The Tricky Science of SizingIf you endeavour to make clothing for yourself or members of your family, you will encounter one obvious stumbling block: not everyone is the same size. Or shape, for that matter.How do clothiers use a slope or block to make clothing suitable for everyone? That is where sizing â€" grading is the industry word for it, comes in.To make a graded shirt pattern, for instance, you would first trace your block onto pattern paper.Then, using the centre line, the measurement that reaches from the base of the neck to the top of the hips as a baseline, expand or shrink the straight seams as needed.Straight seams include the bottom line of the shirt and its sides. They are the best place to start grading because they run parallel and perpendicular to the centre line.Once you expand/contract the sides of the shirt, you must also modify the armhole. For that, you would take away from the side seam â€" the lower part of the sleeve opening, rather than from the shoulder.You would surely need a French curve ruler to make sure the bow of the armhole keeps its proportion in relation to the shirt's grading.The neckline is another tricky measure to grade; here too you would have to rely on geometry to make your adjustments.It is important to know that slopes and blocks do not include any seam allowances so, as you adjust your pattern for size, do not forget to add an inch or two for this allowance.Grading a pattern is not complicated; you may get a better idea of how to do it by looking at a Butterick pattern… You can learn how to sew and make patterns by following a quilt pattern Image by engin akyurt from PixabayPattern-Making for Non-Clothing ItemsThe days when sewing was considered an essential skill are gone. Today, few practise home sewing and children do not learn to sew in schools anymore â€" at least, not public schools.A recent poll indicates that rather than sew a button back on or mend a tear, most people would discard the item of clothing to buy a new summer dress and buying sewing supplies would never cross their minds.Still, there is room for hope, judging by the number of Vogue patterns being bought and the sewing tutorials being watched online.So maybe, instead of starting with an ambitious sewing project like a sundress or a gathered skirt, you could start by sewing something you won’t wear but may still display.You could start with bag patterns. Sewing a unique tote bag would give you a good idea on how to measure and cut, how to follow a pattern… and you may even le arn how to grade from a bag pattern.Once you know how to sew bags, you could move on to something larger.You might opt for a quilt pattern, for instance. A simple Internet search will turn up free patterns that you could download and execute â€" probably not in time to make holiday gifts this year but certainly by next year…When you feel you are ready to start making clothing, you might start with doll clothes.True, the sizes are scaled down dramatically but, once you get the hang of sewing those tiny clothes, you can look forward to buying your first sewing pattern and make something for yourself.In all, learning how to make patterns for sewing is not difficult and, once you gain the skills necessary to do it, there’ll be no stopping you!Now, learn all about pattern-making for fashion design…

When Did Latin Die (Did It Ever, Really)

When Did Latin Die (Did It Ever, Really) What Happened to Latin? ChaptersThe History of Latin: The Origins of the LanguageClassical Latin and Vulgar LatinLatin to the RenaissanceThe Birth of ItalianHow Come the Catholic Church Speaks Latin Now?Did Latin Ever Really Die?Examples of Italian Words Similar to LatinWhy Bother Learning Latin?You probably are aware that the Romans spoke Latin.  You probably also know that the Italians are the descendants of the Romans.However, if you’ve studied both languages, you’ll have noticed that they’re quite different to one another.How did Latin turn into Italian over the years?  Why did Latin change so much and become the Italian we know today? When did people stop speaking Latin - and why? Discover the history of learning Italian with us.It turns out that a lot can happen over the course of 2,000 years. Hopefully, this article should have the answers you’re looking for.Latin comes from the Italic languages. The Italic languages were generally spoken in what is now Italy.Latin was never the only language spoken in the region. In fact, the whole area was home to plenty of different peoples and languages.Italy has always been a fertile land for language. (Source: pixabay.com)Let’s go back to the 6th century BC.The Italic people we’re interested in resided in the centre and the south of Italy. At the time, this region was known as Latium. This area currently is home to the Vatican.The Italic languages, like almost every language spoken in Europe, are members of the Indo-European language family.  This includes a lot of languages that have since disappeared as well as languages such as Italian, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Romanian.It should be noted that while the Italic languages were spoken around what we now call Italy, the speakers of the Italic languages weren’t originally from Italy.According to historians, they emigrated from the Balkans around 1500AD. Certain specialists think that the group that occupied Italy before them were the Ligures who are thought to be an It alo-Celtic people.Before the foundation of Rome in 753AD, we believe that the Italic languages were heavily influenced by Greek and Estrucans.Once Rome was created it became hugely important in spreading the Latin language around the region.  Latin inherited 6 of the 8 grammatical cases from the Indo-European languages.Including:The Genitive: used for possessionThe Vocative: used for addressing or calling peopleThe Accusative: used for the object of the verbThe Dative: used for nouns that are to or for somethingThe Ablative: used with nouns that are by, with, or from somethingThe Nominative: used for the subject of the verbClassical Latin and Vulgar LatinBefore speaking about Classical and Vulgar Latin, we need to look at Old Latin which was spoken until around the 1st century BC.Old Latin: Evolution and DeclineAfter the foundation of Rome and its expansion, Latin began to spread across the regions occupied.Thanks to colonisation, it reached as far as the limits of Western Europe, A sia Minor, and North Africa.The Romans left more than just words. (Source: pixabay.com)By the 3rd century BC, Latin was the official language of the Roman Republic.  It was used by the Roman administration as well as for law, politics, and religion.  While it coexisted with Greek dialects, Latin quickly took over the other languages.  This is due to leaders forbidding their people from speaking Greek in favour of Latin.Classical Latin entered its golden age between 75BC and 14AD when Latin literature played an important role in its propagation.  The two centuries that followed could be called Classical Latin’s silver age.While Rome was responsible for the spread of Latin, the fall of the Western Roman Empire led to its decline.How did we get from Classical Latin to Vulgar Latin?Before the Huns arrived from the East and forced migration to the West, the Roman Empire was weakening.  In the 5th century, some Germanic peoples were taking control of areas of Italy. The Eastern Roman Em pire, also known as the Byzantine Empire, survived the attacks and Greek culture began to spread.However, Latin only declined moderately. Latin's tough. It can roll with the punches.  We could say that rather than disappearing, Latin transformed when it came into contact with other languages (such as the Germanic languages).Furthermore, Classic Latin was used by leaders, intellectuals, and writers. The colonists and soldiers, on the other hand, spoke the Latin of the people, commonly referred to as Vulgar Latin. Think about the difference between standard English - used by politicians and academics and in written texts - and the language that we actually speak: there's quite a difference.Vulgar LatinVulgar Latin gave rise to a number of different languages: the Romance languages and Italian, namely.While already in decline in the 2nd century, Classical Latin became less important while the opposite was true for Vulgar Latin.  In fact, scribes and clerks began to rewrite civil and re ligious documents into Vulgar Latin which would take over Classical Latin.Classical Latin (which wasn’t in use by the people) lost its lustre once the empire collapsed. Since the connections between Rome and the other cities were complicated, the region began to fracture linguistically as there was no standardised form of the language for people to use.  However, the Romans did put the Latin alphabet into common use and nowadays is used by tonnes of languages all over the world.Latin to the RenaissanceWith the arrival of new peoples over the centuries, Latin transformed and evolved.By the 5th century, Italy was under invasion by the Ostrogoths.  In 6th century, the Lombards had a go. The Francs, under the reign of Charlemagne, came to Italy in the 8th century. We should also mention that Southern Italy was under the control of the Byzantine Empire and the Muslims.The large number of different cultures allowed the language to take on new terms.Medieval LatinBetween the 9th and 14th centuries there was Medieval Latin.  While Latin started to become less and less popular, priests and intellectuals still used it. They’d add new terms from Hebrew and Greek.And so, in the Middle Ages, you'd see a strange phenomenon in which, whilst nobody actually spoke the language - as they rather spoke the regional derivations of Latin - the Church and the Holy Roman Empire (Charlemagne's power) used the language in all of their official correspondence and records. In fact, Charlemagne promoted the use of the Latin language and literature in what became known as the Carolingian Renaissance.Consequently, the 'dead' language spread into territories that never had a history of speaking Latin, such as the German states. This was due to the fact that the Holy Roman Empire over which Charlemagne ruled conquered new states - and so officials and authorities in his extended kingdom were required to follow the desires of the Emperor.Yet, during this period, the nature of Latin was cha nging: Latin grammar, pronunciation, syntax, and vocabulary all changed, with different users, contact with each vernacular, and a move towards greater clarity, such as the use of the preposition.Renaissance LatinDuring the Renaissance (between the 14th and 16th centuries), we see the development of a cultural force known as Renaissance humanism.  This was a movement - in line with the Renaissance's broader project of the 'rebirth' of classical forms - that paid close attention to the study of classical antiquity. Many of those involved in the movement - such as Petrarch, Boccaccio, and Bracciolini - were collectors of antique manuscripts, and they were known for promoting classical models for the art and literature of the day.  However, the Latin that they studied and promoted was put promoted in opposition to what was Medieval Latin: they didn't so much like the then contemporary Latin with all its changes and developments than the 'proper' Latin spoken by the ancient Romans. For example, they looked to writers such as Cicero and Virgil as their models.  The importance of this movement cannot be overstated - as, all across Europe, Latin came to be taught in the humanist style. You find people like Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe having to learn the Latin of Virgil in London.  This language came to be known  as Renaissance Latin - and, whilst it was never spoken by the people as such, this language was written by diplomats, artists, politicians, and philosophers throughout the period.We know at some point that the Italian language we know today took over from written and spoken Latin.Placiti CassinesiThe earliest documents we have of written Italian come from the late tenth century - and they are rather prosaic. They are legal documents regarding a dispute between some monasteries and a landowner about fifty miles south of Rome.Rather than in Latin - in which most other legal documents were still being written at this time - these texts, known as the Plac iti Cassinesi, are written in a vernacular. They show a distinct difference from Latin, moving away from Latin grammar and with different spellings and syntax and new words. The dialect in which they are written developed straight out of the vulgar Latin we discussed above.The Renaissance and Italian VernacularWe can point to the Renaissance and Florentine writers such as Dante, Boccaccio, and Petrarch as a significant turning point in the death of Latin as the language of culture in Europe.Whilst these writers promoted classical culture and Latin as models and benchmarks of literary quality - and although they wrote in Latin too - these writers were also the first to compose poetry in the vernacular, meaning in the local language.Dante's Divine Comedy is one of the works responsible for making unifying Italy's linguistic landscape. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)Dante's  The Divine ComedyThanks to his work The Divine Comedy, Dante is one of Italian’s forefathers. The Florentine write r wanted to be understood by everyone and not just by the elite - and this work was one of the first poems ever to be written in something called Italian.  Who wrote in Florentine, a sub-dialect of the Tuscan dialect, and borrowed words from Latin, French, Lombard, and Provençal.  His goal was to show that everyday language was as noble as Latin - and his work  De vulgari eloquentia  (ironically, a defence of the value of the vernacular written in Latin) explained his decision.His gamble paid off since a number of other poets followed in his footsteps  - including Petrarch. And inspired by this vernacular poetry, writers across Europe moved away from Latin too: Geoffrey Chaucer and John Gower as examples.  The First Italian DictionaryHowever, 'Italian' as such was still far from existing at this point. Dante was writing in a dialect - in a peninsula in which there were nearly a thousand such dialects.It wasn't until 1612 that the first Italian dictionary was published, by a institu tion in Rome called the Academia della Crusca. Their  Vocabolario degli Accademici della Crusca, one of the first dictionaries in the world,  was an attempt to formalise the Florentine dialect (the language in which Dante was writing) and this became the basis for standard Italian subsequently.As Florence was such an important city state from the time of Dante into the seventeenth century, it was this Tuscan dialect that proved most influential in the development of the Italian language. Even today, Italian is based on this dialect - much as 'standard' English is based on the dialect spoken around London from the time of Chaucer.Modern ItalianBy 1861, when Italy was finally unified as a country, only 2.5% of the population could speak Italian. Everyone still spoke regional dialects.As the country entered into political union, 'Italian' became the language of the state - and so the common language of the people in the peninsula.It is thought that Alessandro Manzoni's novel  The Betro thed, published in 1827, set the basis for modern Italian.Tempted to type  Italian classes near me in google?   Save time and head straight to Superprof to connect with local tutors now.How Come the Catholic Church Speaks Latin Now?Bit by bit, Latin became the language of religion rather than of the people. Whilst, after the 16th century, we use the term New Latin (or Neo-Latin) to refer the Latin being used in international science, we use 'Ecclesiastical Latin' to refer to that spoken by the Catholic Church.  But now, Latin is only spoken in the Vatican as an official language. The reason for this is that the Church was, back in the Middle Ages, one of the main promoters of Latin as a language. Part of the demand of the Reformation in the sixteenth century was that church ceremony be performed in the vernacular.  Consequently, a strong attachment to Latin can be seen in the Roman Catholic Church. It wasn't until the 1960s that the Church allowed mass to be performed in languages o ther than Latin! However, even now, all official documents are written in Latin.Interestingly enough, whilst they speak Latin in the Vatican, pronunciation is based on Italian - so they may not be as different as they might seem!Did Latin Ever Really Die?The answer to this question is yes and no - and it is very hard to identify a precise moment at which it died definitively. Scholars make the helpful distinction between  extinct  languages - which no-one speaks - and  dead ones, which no longer has a native community that speaks it. In this sense, Latin is a dead language, but it has been dead for a very long time.Rather, the history of Latin is one of change: the populations speaking the language changed, Latin pronunciation and grammar changed, and it was heavily manipulated and reformed by the whims of different intellectual currents throughout history.But Latin, clearly, never became extinct - not in the same way as languages like Etruscan or Phoenician, for example. Rather, it remained as a language - at least, as a language that is studied and recognised - due to European culture's continued respect, not to say adoration, for the classical culture of ancient Rome.Throughout history, cultural movements and political powers strove to legitimise their own cultures and authority by appealing to the memory of ancient Rome. So, the Holy Roman Empire chose its name to hark back to that ancient culture - and there is no surprise that it was Charlemagne who had such an effect on the revival of the language.Similarly, figures during the Renaissance in Italy sought to give their artistic works a greater authority by returning to the models of ancient culture - and this in turn returned Latin to the centre of artistic production.This concern for ancient Rome continued long after this - with Roman architecture being the inspiration for cities such as Edinburgh long into the nineteenth century. With such an attention to the culture of the ancients, Latin is very unli kely ever to go fully extinct.You could also look at the history of Hebrew, a language that was successfully brought back from the dead when the state of Israel adopted it as its official language.Examples of Italian Words Similar to LatinLatin still has a huge influence on Italian vocabulary.To prove our point, we’ve put together a list of a few Latin terms and their almost-identical Italian counterparts.Here’s a non-exhaustive list, with the Italian listed first, followed by its Latin root and English translations:ItalianLatinEnglishAccelerareAccelerareAccelerateBibliotecaBibliothecaLibraryCalamitàCalamitasCalamity/DisasterDiplomaDiplomaDiplomaEnciclopediaEnciclopediaEncyclopaediaFondamentaleFundamentalisFundamentalGladiatoreGladiatorGladiatorIndeterminatoIndeterminatusUndeterminedLacrimaLacrimaTearMaggiordomoMajor domusButlerNegoziatoreNegotiatorNegotiatorOccasionareOccasionariCausePacificazionePacifiicatioPacificationQuerimoniaQuerimoniaLamentationThe are tonnes of expressi ons in Latin that have made their way into English, too.Latin also gave us our alphabet. (Source: pixabay.com)Why Bother Learning Latin?People still learn Latin today, and not just those people who are working in the Catholic Church, nor those who have chosen to study classical history or the history of medieval or early modern Europe.Rather, kids are still taught Latin at a lot of schools. Most famously, children at public schools learn the subject - but it is not uncommon in state schools too. If you are one of these people, you might benefit from a Latin tutor.If you are not one of them, you might wonder why you would ever bother learning Latin. But we've already told you that  Latin ain’t yet an extinct language - and it comes in useful a lot.  Help to Understand Your Own LanguageIf you love Italian culture and the lingua italiana, you can see how Latin can help you better understand your Italian lessons (as well as a number of English words).  It can help you learn Italian in school or in private tutorials or learn Italian online  - and it will help you make sense of  why  particularly rules are to be found in the language, as you will notice that all of the irregular aspects of the language come straight out of the Latin.  But it can also help you to understand French, Portuguese, Romanian, any of the Italian dialects - and even English, a language that has been influenced by Latin to a perhaps surprisingly huge extent. If you are interested in grammar, etymology (the history of the meaning of words), or syntax - pretty much any aspect of linguistics - a knowledge of Latin will be pretty essential.Develop Your Knowledge of History - and the History of LiteratureLatin tutorials won't only help you with your knowledge of language. But they could help you to understand ancient history better too. In studying Latin, you will be looking at the most important texts written in the language. And these so happen to be hugely important historical documents that help us understand what on earth was going on in the world back then as well. You can't study the Romans in any detail - or antiquity in general - without a pretty solid understanding of the Latin language.Finally then, knowing Latin also helps your understanding of literature. So, if you are a poetry nerd, you'll probably be thinking, where do we get all our literary forms, poetic themes and concerns, and motifs from? The answer to that is ancient literature - including Latin, but also Greek. So, if you want to develop your knowledge, Latin is the language to learn.If you’d like to learn Italian culture in general, you should learn Latin as it was used by Virgil.  Learn the Italian basics with our blog for Italian for beginners.   A private tutor can help you get the bases of the Italian language:Italian courses LondonItalian lessons GlasgowItalian lessons Birmingham

My Experience at Pomona College

My Experience at Pomona College The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Miranda received her Bachelors degree in Religious Studies from Pomona College. She is currently a tutor in Seattle specializing in Reading tutoring, SAT prep tutoring, Writing tutoring, and several other subjects. See what she had to say about her experience at Pomona College: 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? Miranda: Pomona College is one of the five Claremont Colleges, and our campuses basically blend together you cross the street, and suddenly you are on a different campus. Each campus has a different architectural style, but that is pretty much the only way you can tell them apart. Pomona College is California Spanish style, with a lot of terracotta and stucco, as well as a lot of greenery. It is very beautiful. You can walk everywhere on campus, and it is only about a mile from the edge of Pomona Collegeto the edge of the most distant sister school. If you are injured, you can get a ride in a golf cart from designated injury drivers. That being said, a lot of people have bikes or skateboards, and cars are necessary if you want to go anywhere that is not Claremont. Claremont itself is also within walking distance. It has a few nice restaurants and vintage stores, but there is not a lot to it. Very cute, though. The campus is not urban at all, and it is incredibly safe, though we do have a bit of an issue with bike thievery. Otherwise, I felt totally safe walking around alone (even in the wee hours of the morning). VT: How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Miranda:The professors (who are also the academic advisers) are very accessible. Everyone holds office hours, but a lot of instructors are also willing to meet at whatever time works for you. Nearly everyone I met with was willing to spend a huge amount of time talking through whatever I came to them with, whether it was a paper, a class dilemma, or just to chat. In fact, a few were so willing to talk that I almost missed other appointments because I did not expect to spend an hour and a half there. There are no teaching assistants, but there are mentors who run homework/study sessions for the math/science classes. They help students work through problem sets or study for midterms. I almost never experienced this as a humanities major, but many of my friends were mentors, and they spent a ton of time on their mentor sessions, staying until the last person felt confident. The one time I had a mentor session, for my geology midterm, my mentor stayed for ages and answered every question several times over. So, basically, everyone is all about teaching and is very accessible. VT: How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Miranda:Pomona Colleges dormsare palatial. Not everyone has awesome housing their first year, but nothing is awful. I had a lovely single that overlooked a courtyard filled with birds of paradise, so it was pretty nice. The next year was my worst housing a smaller single that was less nice but still a single... and after that, just more large singles. In my senior year, I lived in a suite of four singles with my best friends. It had two bathrooms, a big balcony as a common space, and a working fireplace in my room. This overlooked a grassy courtyard that was a great gathering place for everyone who lived around it, and we hung a hammock there for a bit and studied on the steps. The dining options are pretty good. Four years in, you are going to get bored of dining hall food no matter what, but compared to any other school, our food was great. There were always tons of options for all dietary restrictions and taste preferences. I am vegetarian, and it was no problem. There is always bread, and peanut butter, and hummus, and cereal, and a big salad bar, and at least one vegetarian hot option usually more. There are also cafes and grills on campus for food outside of normal dining hall hours. Four days a week, there is a free snack at 10:30 p.m. in the dining hall to fuel your late-night studying. If you get bored of Pomona Colleges dining halls, or want something other than what they are serving that night, you can use your meal allotment to eat at the dining halls on any of the other four campuses. The dorms attempt to run events to help everyone meet each other, but that pretty much ends after your first year. In your first year, though, all the students are placed in sponsor groups, and each group has two sophomores living with them, to provide advice. They tend to hang out a lot and socialize together, and it is an easy way to meet your first friends. There are plenty of ways to meet people outside of that, though, so even when the dorm events peter out after your first year, there are classes, clubs, parties, talks, etc. 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? Miranda:Pomona College is pretty good across the board, and it is very supportive of all of its majors. Our Math major is particularly good, and there are a lot of Economics majors. I also think my department, Religious Studies, was amazing. I chose this field because it was what I was most interested in, and it turned out the course offerings were fascinating and the professors were both incredibly intelligent and just all-around great people funny and imaginative and great communicators. The college did a fine job of supporting us. While not the most popular major, we had some of the most popular classes and professors, who consistently won student-voted awards. We have a beautiful building, and the professors in my major had amazing and huge offices, with big windows and ceiling-high bookshelves with ladders. It made you feel wise just to walk in. 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? Miranda:It was pretty easy to meet people through my sponsor group and my dorm, as well as through other activities. Of course, like nearly anywhere, you have to put yourself out there a little bit, and you have to be willing to approach people or go to events. But if you do, people are outgoing and welcoming, and they make it easy. I think a lot of the first years do not even know that there are fraternities. There are, technically, but it does not look like Greek life usually does there are no houses, and they have little social capital or sway on campus. There are also no sororities, though one of the fraternities is co-ed. (You are getting the picture now, right, of how non-traditional our Greek life is?) Each house throws a weekly party on school property, and they are regulated/overseen by the school. Basically, if you want Greek life, the Claremont Colleges are probably not ideal for you. If you do not want Greek life, you have found your place. VT: How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services?Do many reputable companies recruit on campus? Miranda:I would say that the Career Center is not particularly helpful unless you are in a specific industry or looking at a specific job, for which you just want help with a cover letter or interview skills. Otherwise, they are very vague, and I have gotten advice like, Have you looked at a job site online? They are trying to improve. I think reputable companies do recruit on campus, but since I was not looking to go into consulting or any science- or technology-related industry, I do not honestly know. VT: How are the various study areas such aslibraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Miranda:There are couches all over the place, as well as outdoor seating, plenty of room at the library, lounges in most dorms, student-run cafes, and so on. Many of the academic buildings have lounges and libraries, as well. There is plenty of space to study, and plenty of variety between crowded and not, quiet and noisy, etc. There is nearly always a seat, and nearly always someone napping in public. 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? Miranda:I already mentioned Claremont above, but its downtown is called the Village. So, as you can imagine, it is not big. There are a handful of restaurants, maybe two bars (more restaurant than bar), no clubs, a lot of vintage stores and boutiques full of kitsch, etc. There is a farmers market every Sunday. People do not really hang out in town, though people will go to the trivia night at the only bar anyone ever goes to. Our campus life provides enough or it has to, because there is nothing else. People will occasionally go into Los Angeles, but it is rare, in part because it is not easy. You have to have a car or take the train, and the train does not run late into the evening. It is not that cheap, and it is very slow. I am not saying people never go into Los Angeles, but it is not exactly a mainstay. VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Miranda:The student body is very small 1,600 total. There are the four other schools, so that expands it a bit, but they are all the same size or smaller than Pomona College. I would say all the campuses add up to around 5,000 students. This does mean that people you do not even know sometimes know who you are dating three hours after it happened, but it is not too claustrophobic. For the first two years, you still feel like you meet a ton of new people. To me, it felt kind of homey, even if gossip traveled faster than the speed of light. Classes were also very small. Introductory classes might go up to 25 students, but most after that were 15 students or less. It was great. A few classes (like geology) are bigger, because people who hate science take that class to get their credit out of the way. But even the biggest classes get capped at 40 at the absolute most (usually less). VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Miranda:My favorite professor was my academic adviser and thesis reader. She is a snarky, whip-smart lady, but she also cares incredibly deeply about both her students and her subject, and I learned a lot of life lessons from her. I also house-sat for her cats. I have numerous favorite memories of her, but perhaps one of the funniest was the first few days of Ritual and Magic in Childrens Literature. This sounds like an easy class, and a lot of people showed up looking to get a humanities credit out of the way. There were maybe 45 people in there, and they did not even fit in the classroom. My professor tells us that this first class will be short, and it is; she spends about 15 minutes talking about how high her standards are, how harshly she will grade, the heavy workloadnot just childrens books, but lots of critical theory, as well. She also says that your childhood nostalgia might be destroyed by some of the analysis we will do on the classic childrens tales. About 18 people show up to the next class. During this class, we had to read a Freudian analysis of the classic fairytales, that argues, in typical Freudian fashion, that they are all about sex. A few people argue that this cannot be true, and she tells them that it certainly is, s he is sorry if they are upset about it, and unless they can come up with a good argument against the theorist, they are just going to have to accept it. She also assigns a paper, due the next class, about this analysis. The next class, 12 of us show up, and things run smoothly. The class after, she asks us which paper we want to strike from the syllabus, now that she is done scaring people out of the class and has the most devoted students possible. A few weeks later, she has us over for wine and cheese. I also learned a ton from this class, made some great friends, and ended up writing my thesis on religious interpretation in childrens literature. Another favorite collection of memories pertains to the Philosophy department. Once a semester, even when he was on sabbatical, one professor cooked a huge, fancy, multi-course feast at his house he chose a theme each year, like Kenyan food or French cuisine. All the professors and any students involved in the department came over, mingled, talked, ate, and relaxed in a beautiful home. It was wonderful, and he was an amazing cook. Check out Mirandas tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

Tips for Managing ADHD in the Classroom Dealing with Impulsivity

Tips for Managing ADHD in the Classroom Dealing with Impulsivity Why dont you think before you act?! Students with ADHD hear this over and over from teachers, parents, and even peers who are frustrated by their impulsive behavior. Acting without thinking about the consequences is actually a defining feature of ADHD for kids who have the impulsive symptoms of the disorder. Putting on the breaks and acting thoughtfully and patiently is not something that students with ADHD can do regularly without support. Fortunately, consistently using targeted behavioral strategies in the classroom can go a long way toward reducing impulsive behavior. The Daily Report Card. A well-structured daily report card or personalized positive behavior system is the backbone of any successful classroom behavior management program for kids with ADHD. Impulsive behaviors like talking out of turn or rushing through work can (and should) be included as behavior goals on a daily report card. Daily report cards only work well when they are designed and used correctly. For tips on creating effective daily report cards for kids with ADHD see my previous posts on the topic (insert links to posts here). Hold that thought! Most kids with ADHD struggle with resisting the impulse to shout out answers to questions before they have been called on by the teacher. Help students with ADHD resist calling out by encouraging them to hold their thoughts in a notebook where they can write them down instead of shouting them out. While students might not be able to capture every thought in writing, this exercise provides an opportunity to resist the urge to call out every time. In addition, adding a daily report card behavior goal of, raise a quiet hand and wait to be called on, puts a reward system in place that will encourage impulse control. Waiting is not easy. Impulsive students often feel like they need to be first at everything first in line, the first to make it to the rug for circle time, the first to try a new activity, etc. Ask your students with ADHD to count to 5 before jumping into an activity. Initially, you may have to help by counting along with them either out loud or silently with your hands. Eventually students will remember to count independently, and will continue to do it on their own if they are praised or rewarded for the behavior often. Faster isnt always better. Getting started on classwork and staying on task are challenges for all students with ADHD. On top of this, many students with ADHD rush through their work and make careless mistakes. Reduce this impulsive behavior by reminding the student that the goal isnt to simply finish the assignment, its to finish the assignment accurately. Praise students for behaviors that reflect patience and thoughtfulness, like careful handwriting, answering questions in the correct order, and double checking answers before turning in assignments. Check in with the student while they are working and praise their effort. Kids with ADHD will work more methodically and accurately when they know an adult is monitoring them. Higher engagement = lower impulsivity. Students with ADHD struggle with downtime in the classroom. As soon as boredom sets in, impulsive behaviors increase dramatically. Consider giving your students access to an engaging filler activity if they finish assignments and quizzes early (after double checking their work of course!), to reduce impulsive behaviors while they are waiting for their classmates to finish. Impulsivity can be one of the more challenging aspects of ADHD to manage in the classroom. When impulsivity interferes with a students performance and peer relationships, then the student needs classroom accommodations and supports to help him or her change his or her behavior. Creativity and consistency are the keys to implementing successful behavioral strategies and reducing impulsivity in the classroom. ABOUT DR. MARY ROONEY Mary Rooney, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco. Dr Rooney is a researcher and clinician specializing in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD and co-occurring behavioral, anxiety, and mood disorders. A strong advocate for those with attention and behavior problems, Dr. Rooney is committed to developing and providing comprehensive, cutting edge treatments tailored to meet the unique needs of each child and adolescent. Dr. Rooney's clinical interventions and research avenues emphasize working closely with parents and teachers to create supportive, structured home and school environments that enable children and adolescents to reach their full potential. In addition, Dr. Rooney serves as a consultant and ADHD expert to Huntington Learning Centers. ABOUT HUNTINGTON Huntington Learning Center is the tutoring and test prep leader. Its certified tutors provide individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. It preps for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students of all levels succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntington's mission is to give every student the best education possible. Call us today at 1.800.CAN LEARN to discuss how Huntington can help your child. For franchise opportunities please visit www.huntingtonfranchise.com. This website does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The material on this site is provided for educational purposes only.