Freeway Driving

KTMS Commentary

Teens need to know that freeway driving demands special skills. 

Statistics show that fewer crashes occur on modern freeways, but the collisions that do occur are more severe due to higher speeds and increased traffic.

Freeway driving requires drivers to make complex but quick decisions at critical moments.

Identify for teens the correct procedures for entering and exiting a freeway.

Make sure they understand the need for advance route planning, and the factors that influence speed and lane selection.

Talk about the challenges involved with lane-changing maneuvers.

Have them use space-management techniques such as looking ahead and maintaining time gaps between vehicles.

Remind them that driving at the speed used by most other cars can reduce conflicts. This means they should choose a legal speed that matches the speed of other traffic. Have them consider visibility, traffic, weather, and road conditions.

Drivers can lose their sense of speed during extended freeway driving. They may start going much faster than they intended. Suggest that drivers look frequently at the speedometer and make corrections accordingly. 

All these actions help minimize the risks associated with freeway driving.

Reading Outloud

KTMS commentary 

It’s never too late to begin reading out loud to a child. And there is probably no more important activity for preparing a child to succeed as a reader. 

            So fill your story times with a variety of books. Be consistent, be patient, and watch the magic work.

            Children learn to love the actual sound of language long before they notice printed words on a page. 

            Reading out loud stimulates the imagination and expands a child’s world. The rhythm and melody of language become a part of their lives, and ease the transition to reading on their own. 

            Read stories that children find interesting but are beyond their own reading level. This way, you help them stretch their understanding and inspire them to improve their own skills. 

            Usually some time after age four, children begin to recognize words on a page. It can begin when a child recognizes a fast-food logo, or the brand on a cereal box. 

            Something “clicks” in a young mind, and children can look at a book and understand that the lines are words. With that, they begin to decode the mystery of written language.

            Be sure to have patience with young readers. Once the basic concept of reading takes hold, it’s usually full steam ahead. 

            The bottom line is that children who are often read to usually grow to love books.  

Parents are in a unique position to help children enjoy reading and see the value of it. If you haven’t already done so, today’s a good day to start. 

Strict

KTMS Commentary

Young children’s minds are full of information. This can make their attention spans very short.

You can help build their attention spans through activities that develop concentration.

You want them to learn how to pick one piece of information from the brain and focus on it. Concentration is key.

First, help your child pay attention to what you say by being very clear and focused when you talk. Look your child in the eye and use simple, direct sentences. Repeat important points several times.

Talk about what happened on a given day. Ask children questions that will help them focus on a specific event.

Have them talk about the event as long as they are able. At first this may be for just a few seconds.

It also helps to read together. Many children will sit to hear a book even when they won’t sit still for anything else.

When a story is over, ask children questions that will help them concentrate on specific characters or actions.

Finally, use pictures or props to focus a child’s attention. A child will be more interested in talking about a neighbor’s new kitten if you are both looking at a picture of a kitten while you talk. 

The most important thing in doing these activities is to be patient. Concentration skills can take years to fully develop, but it’s worth the effort. 

Concentration Skills

KTMS Commentary

Young children’s minds are full of information. This can make their attention spans very short.

You can help build their attention spans through activities that develop concentration.

You want them to learn how to pick one piece of information from the brain and focus on it. Concentration is key.

First, help your child pay attention to what you say by being very clear and focused when you talk. Look your child in the eye and use simple, direct sentences. Repeat important points several times.

Talk about what happened on a given day. Ask children questions that will help them focus on a specific event.

Have them talk about the event as long as they are able. At first this may be for just a few seconds.

It also helps to read together. Many children will sit to hear a book even when they won’t sit still for anything else.

When a story is over, ask children questions that will help them concentrate on specific characters or actions.

Finally, use pictures or props to focus a child’s attention. A child will be more interested in talking about a neighbor’s new kitten if you are both looking at a picture of a kitten while you talk. 

The most important thing in doing these activities is to be patient. Concentration skills can take years to fully develop, but it’s worth the effort. 

Communicating with teens

KTMS Commentary

Have you ever had a conversation with your teen that goes something like this:  How was your day? “Okay.” What did you learn in school? “Nothing.”

This is a typical exchange, especially in the preteen years. Here are some tips that have worked for others in trying to communicate with their children:

First, ask if it’s a good time to talk. If your child says no, you could respond by saying, “When would be a good time?” If no suggestions come forward, set up a time anyway and make sure it happens.

It also helps to set a good example by showing your child HOW to talk about his or her day. Talk about your day and then ask children about theirs.

Plan something together. Whether it’s a family vacation, visit to a relative, shopping trip or even something as simple as choosing a video to watch, young people like to be involved and feel like their opinions count.

Make the most of your child’s style, which varies from individual to individual.

Girls at the preteen age may still be comfortable just sitting down with a parent and talking.

Boys seem to be less self-conscious talking to a parent if they’re also sharing an activity such as playing a game of catch or building a model airplane. Activities help them loosen up.

Pay close attention to your child and see what seems to work best in different situations.

Don’t lose heart! These phases are quite normal.

Study Skills

KTMS Commentary

Good students are made, not born, and parents can play a big role in making that happen.

             Natural ability helps any student achieve.  But the habits of doing work thoroughly, neatly, on time, efficiently, and carefully, usually translate into higher grades and greater success in school.

Teachers provide the groundwork for good study habits, and parents can reinforce those skills outside the classroom.

            They can do this by keeping tabs on what their child is studying at school, and setting guidelines for work at home.

             It’s a good idea to make sure a student does some homework every night.

            If there are no written assignments from school to complete, there are always multiplication tables to practice, spelling words to memorize, or history chapters to review. And there are always books to read.

            Developing good study habits piles up many rewards— higher grades, stronger self-esteem, better discipline, and a heightened appreciation of learning. 

            These skills enable students to tackle difficult subject matter in an organized way.

            Maybe most important of all, having good study skills makes a child feel accomplished as a learner and provides a real sense that what takes place in school is important and is do-able. 

Communications with teens

KTMS Commentary

Keeping lines of communication open during adolescence is a key to getting the most out of this challenging time of life.

            Some high school students listed ways they’d like their parents to communicate. Here’s their advice:

            •  Don’t pressure us to achieve all the time.

            •  Praise us when we do well.

            •  Tell us you love us even if we act like we don’t want to hear it.

            •  Be honest with us.

            •  Don’t yell at us. Nothing makes us want to fight back more.

            •  Let us form our own opinions about some things. 

            •  If we have a major problem, help us solve it. Don’t solve it for us; if you do, we’ll never learn how to function as adults.

            •  Give us a chance to disagree with you without telling us we’re “talking back.”

            •  Never stop talking to us. You’re the only ones we can count on for reassurance and love.

            This is all good advice for anyone who deals with teens.

Prop. 13

KTMS Commentary

With our state once again in fiscal crisis, Prop. 13 often gets revisited as a point of reference. A Sacramento Bee editorial some time back raised a provocative analysis of Prop. 13’s long-term impact, and it bears repeating. 

The piece said that nearly 40 years ago voters passed Prop. 13 to curb runaway property taxes. But “little did they suspect they also were weakening their own ability to … control government.”

The Bee’s editorial pointed out that as a control on property taxes, Prop. 13 has been a great success. It stopped the inflation-driven rise in property taxes that caused tax bills on homes to skyrocket.

“But that was obtained at a big price — in tax fairness, in lost services and declining schools, in distortions in land use.”

The Bee asked:  “If California set out to redesign its tax system, would even Prop. 13’s most avid defenders choose to re-create what we have now?” 

It pointed out that as a result of Prop. 13, big houses in the wealthiest neighborhoods get tax bills lower than starter homes bought last week by young families. 

And that established firms pay lower taxes than upstart competitors down the block.

Plus, power was moved from local communities to the state Capitol, which now controls how money is divided among schools, counties, and cities.

The Bee claimed this adds to cynicism and discontent. It also adds to the state’s dire financial situation.

Sounds right.