Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - September 24, 2000, Winnipeg, Manitoba Editor Elizabeth Holland. 697-7234 Winnipeg Fiu i a kiss sunday Sirn vim h 24, 2000 Magazine b3 who son the Leash a dog or master family to private tutors to improve academic skills by Kim Mcleod Edmonton a three years ago when Alexandra Penteliuk was seven she would be close to tears when she tried to answer questions in math class. Now the Edmonton girl is pulling in top Marks after taking three years of private tutoring. The 10-year-old is one of thousands of students across Canada going outside the school system to improve their academic skills. A Smath is not hard for me anymore Quot says Alexandra whose big struggle now is to sit through the to to 30 minutes of work she needs to do at night As part of the program run by the Kumon math and Reading centres. Kumon has 34,000 students at 330 centres across the country. Her mom Michele Penteliuk a teacher with a private practice offering students study skill courses says outside tutoring is a growing trend. Extra lessons in most provinces and territories at least to per cent of 16-year-old science students spent an hour or More a week with tutors or on extra school lessons according to a 1999 Survey by the Council of ministers of education Canada. Demand is coming from teachers under pressure to have their students do Well on provincial achievement tests and also from parents who have Many reasons says Michele Penteliuk. A we have some parents who Are coming to us and saying they know its an increasingly competitive world out there and they want to give their kids every advantage possible a says Penteliuk whose study skills course is being snapped up by teachers students and parents. A i think we also see a lot of kids who Are struggling in school. So their parents Are saying we need somebody else to give them the tools because ifs not being done necessarily within the schools or else their children Arentt open to having it be done in the she said people also realize that schools done to meet everyone a need especially if a student Falls a outside of the typical or they learn a Little bit critics of the school system Are More Blunt. Some parents have concluded their school curriculum has big holes they need to fill with tutors or supplementary books or computer programs says Andrew Nikiforuk a freelance writer who specializes in education reporting and has written books on the topic. A and its easier to fill the holes than it is to fight the Public school system a Nikiforuk says from Calgary adding that the growth of programs such As Kumon is related to the poor Quality of math instruction. Kathy Legrow president of the Canadian school boards association says cuts in school funding have affected a As Long As a child is confident in their skills then they will continue to do better in school and likewise do better in any Post secondary education or when they Are out in their a Tim Bateman Vancouver Kumon math and Reading centres Branch manager How much professional development teachers receive. A you have teachers being assigned subjects to teach who have not been properly in serviced along the Way so that could very Well be a Gap in the system a Legrow says from her Home in St. Johns fld. Legrow a son has a learning disability and has been tutored since Grade i. He Snow in Grade 12 and receives tutoring four nights a week. High school students May have special reasons for turning to outside support she adds. A if you want a competitive Edge to get into a University or College setting your Marks generally Are very a Kumon spokesman says some parents put their children in the centres As youngsters to ensure their Early experiences in school Are positive. The Kumon program which charges roughly $40 for registration and about $70 a course tries to build Confidence in students As Young As four and As old As 16, says Tim Bateman Branch manager of the Kumon centres in Vancouver. A confident a was Long As a child is confident in their skills then they will continue to do better in school and likewise do better in any pos secondary education or when they Are out in their but some Are worried about the tutoring trend. They Point out that Many families can to afford to pay for the service. A it would be tragic to have any child slip through the cracks a says marines Rettig president of the Canadian teachers federation a group also concerned about the funding cuts to the school system. A with reduced funding there is a concern that we can to meet the needs of All the children in particular those who require the greatest amount of even though tutoring helped relieve Alexandra a frustration Over math she can fall into the Camp of those who sing the praises of tutoring. Her mom often bribes her to do her Kumon work by mixing up a Batch of fruit smoothies. Alexandra struggles when her friends ask her Why she has to spend time four or five nights a week doing math assignments. A i Tell them its because i used to be horrible in math a she sighs. A and i done to see Why i should have to continue to do it but i do it a Canadian press make kids punishment Tough enough to work those of us who have pets Are under the impression that our official role in their lives is that of master when really the opposite is closer to the truth. You Only have to look outside on a typical Manitoba Winter morning when the Snow is swirling the wind is blowing and there we Are following along behind our enthusiastic four legged faithful friends. The poor citizens who done to have one of these buddies just done to know what they Are missing. Obedience school is always recommended by those in the know when one obtains a new dog. Been there a done that in fact when our sessions were Over and certificate presentations were made i Felt that the masters in the group not the dogs were the ones who had been trained. There a no doubt about it. Pets Are in control. When my Little companion and i were walking one Rainy morning we met a Man and his Fluffy Little White dog going in the opposite direction. Actually the dog was reluctantly dragging along behind. The Man explained rather sheepishly that the dog did no to like to get his feet wet. When i met him again in the next Block he was carrying the dog. Cats As everyone knows Are totally in control of their masters. When a cat decides it is time for you to get up she sits on your Chest and pats your nose with a soft Little Paw. If you Are foolish enough to pretend you Are still sleeping the Sharp Needle like claws slide out and you get the message. When dogs leap on to your bed it s because they adore being with you. When cats leap onto your bed its because they adore your bed. A nursing Home of my acquaintance has a menagerie that includes a couple of canaries a Budgie a Cockatiel and a cat called Brandy. Ones first thought is a How pleasant for the residents to have a cat snuggle into a Lap for a but that a not the Case with Brandy. In fact he is smart enough to keep his Tail out of the Way of those wheelchairs. When the residents Are safely in bed and the dining rooms Are empty he saunters in for his cleanup tour. Best of care this cat happens to be diabetic and consequently it is the nurse in charges duty to administer an insulin shot twice a Day. He gets the Best of care sleeps in a Basket in an office with a cat door so he can come and go at will and somehow has made it Clear that he likes ice in his drinking water. The very thick procedures manual for pets in nursing Homes gives instructions for his twice yearly Bath. Every morning my dog and i meet any number of other dog walkers who Are out in All kinds of weather. There is Zsa Zsa a toy poodle who wears an imitation Diamond studded Collar and who is ready to take on any other dog that crosses her path regardless of size. Her owner says she has an attitude problem because she has lived a sheltered life. Another canine acquaintance is called Homer. When i expressed Surprise at this handsome dog having such a mundane name his owner told me that when he lived in the country he had a farm dog named Barney who kept running away. So he thought if he named this dog Homer Homer would stick around. A pair of poodles one Black and one White whose names Are Rocky and Tyson reside in my neighbourhood. These two Little characters can never agree on which direction to begin walking. Their master struggles to keep their leashes from becoming hopelessly tangled. A Friend who recently returned from a european Holiday described being in a rather upscale restaurant in Paris when a Mademoiselle sat Down at the next table and her dog hopped up on the opposite chair. Neither the waiters nor the other patrons blinked an Eye. Although i never actually saw this kind of indulgence i did notice that dogs in Britain accompany their owners everywhere. They Are in the pubs department stores restaurants and libraries and amazingly they never seem to pay any attention to one another. With the invention of motorized wheelchairs disabled persons can enjoy the pleasure of taking their dog for a meander through the Park in the Sunshine. It is an activity that costs nothing but the pleasure is immeasurable. If i was asked to make a list of things that complicate my life my dog would probably be up there in the top to. But if i was asked to make a list of things that give me enjoyment she would definitely be up there in the top to. Sheila Christie is a Winnipeg writer an grandmother of four. By John Rosemont some time ago the statute of limitations has passed Good Friend told me his five year old in Complete disregard of the rules Rode his bicycle off the Cul de Sac on which they live and was found an hour later on the other Side of the neighbourhood. A we were terrified a this fellow said referring to himself and his wife. A fall sorts of things went through our minds while we were looking for a so a i asked a what did you do about it a a ooh Quot he replied his voice taking on a you better not mess with the big Guy tone a we took his Bike away for a i help it. It just came out before i could Stop it. A wooo oooo a i crowed mockingly. A what a my Friend said startled. A you sure Are mean a i replied with a chuckle. A ooh right what would you have done or. Parenting expert taken his Bike away for a month a he rejoined sarcastically. A ooh absolutely. For two weeks at my Friend looked at me for a moment then said a a you re serious Arentt you Quot i was dead serious. Here a my prediction having been inconvenienced to no significant degree As a result of breaking the Rule on Riding his Bike my friends child will break the Rule again. He probably already has. After All what a the big Deal of a Day without your Bike a great Price on the other hand if his parents had put the Bike up for two weeks to a month Hung it from a Hook in the garage for example then this Little boy would have paid a great Price relative to his age for breaking the Rule. In which Case i would predict he would have never broken the a a done to ride your Bike off the Street Rule again. Not Ever. Most of today a parents Are like my Friend. When their kids do something wrong they tap them on the backs of their hands with wet noodles. When it comes to corrective discipline they do not want to upset their children. Ironically because they will not upset their children they themselves end up getting upset and Yelling things like a How Many times have we told you not to ride your Bike off the Street answer me Young Man How Many times a then they feel bad for having lost their tempers. Then they apologize and its Back to Square i. If you want a child who has broken a Rule to not break the Rule again is this not in everyone a Best interest then when the violation occurs Levy a punishment that does not fit the crime a punishment that is completely out of proportion to the offence. In that fashion you will make a lasting impression on the child and the infraction in question is unlikely to occur again. Ever. In a not talking about spanking by the Way. In a talking about what parents of old referred to As a nipping it in the a a outrageous consequences of this Solido not have to be levied often. A handful or one every so often will serve As a great preventative of future disciplinary infractions. So in the final analysis parents who employ consequences of the a no Bike for a month sort wind up Seldom having to punish. Why because their children take them seriously therefore they obey the rules. On the other hand parents who tap with wet noodles wind up having to tap tap tap tap tap tap. Then because their children done to take them seriously and keep breaking the same rules they yell. Then they feel bad apologize Quot in a sorry. In be had a bad Day. I did no to mean to take it out on Start tapping again. To constantly tap and be often stressed out or to be occasionally outrageous and almost always Cool As a Cucumber that sounds like a no brainer to me. John Rosemond is a family psychologist. His next Book. Raising a nonviolent child will be in bookstores this month. This piece first appeared in the Charlotte observer. A John Dian Canadian press eight year old Alexandra Penteliuk does her Long division Homework in Edmonton with the assistance of her Mother and Tutor Michele. Outside help education funding cuts driving kids ;