Yvonnie Bailey- Davidson

Dear Counsellor:

It's back to school time and the old concerns have resurfaced. I would like to improve the grades of my nine-year-old son. He has a 'B' average and I want him to have an 'A' average so that he can go to a traditional high school. As a mother I want the best for him.

- Melissa

Dear Melissa:

Parents usually want the best for their children. Many children do well with individual tutoring either by parents or a teacher. Individual tutoring assists both the child and the teacher. The child can learn to work independently and at a fast rate, and spend a lot of time working on his weaknesses. Working on details and weaknesses will help him to improve the grades. Children want to do well as their self-esteem is boosted and they feel proud that they are achieving. A child needs to be a self-learner and needs to be able to motivate himself. This means that he will want to read general knowledge books, adventure books and the Bible. General reading will improve his writing skills as well as his oral skills.

Need encouragement

Children need a lot of encouragement, support and monitoring. Guiding your child along the academic road will be one of your tasks. You need to pay attention to nutrition as well. Individual tutoring helps the teacher to identify weaknesses, deficiencies and strengths.

The teacher is able to devise an individualised educational plan for your child that has been tailor made for him. Having assessed your child you will be able to pace him to develop speed and accuracy. Practice, practice, practice is one of the keys to maintaining success. Therefore, at home you should encourage your son to do various tests. The bookshops have books for each age and grade level that can be used at home. Go to the bookshops and get your supplies so that your son can practise at home.

With these many strategies your son can excel. If you identify any problems you can get your son assessed for learning problems or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. All the best for the school year.

Improving friendships

Dear Counsellor:

I have many friends but I feel that there are ways to improve the relationship. Can you suggest ways to improve my relationship with my friends.

- Johanna

Dear Johanna:

Friendships are one of the key ingredients of life. We need to value the relationships so that our needs are met. We have various types of friends. We have close buddies and distant acquaintances. Some friends we haven't seen or heard from in years and when you meet upon each other you can discuss the years past. Our friends are important as they are our support system. We need friends to give us information that can help us make informed decisions. We need friends to help us celebrate our successes and to encourage us when we are suffering.

The telephone is a good means of communicating with friends at any time of the day. Writing letters or sending emails are other ways of staying in touch with friends. People like to be a part of a group. Groups can plan activities together. A group can plan to meet once a month at a restaurant to socialise with each other. Barbecues, parties and picnics are good activities to plan to meet and great each other. Sometimes friends can plan trips together locally or overseas to visit historical sites. Creating cherished memories with friends is important so we need to take pictures as keepsakes.

Sometimes we can plan dinner parties or tea parties at home to entertain our friends. A games night with scrabble and checkers is entertaining as well as a movie night.

Remembering birthdays, anni-versaries and special events are important as also the exchanging of gifts at Christmas.

We need to share with friends and meet our needs. Friendships are forever and we should cherish them.

Dr. Yvonnie Bailey-Davidson; 9274824; yvonniebd@hotmail.com.