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A Parent's Guide To Understanding High School Teaching Methods
This comprehensive guide helps parents navigate the various teaching methods used in today's high school classrooms. By understanding these approaches, you'll be better equipped to support your teen's learning journey, communicate effectively with teachers, and create a complementary learning environment at home.

A Parent's Guide To Understanding High School Teaching Methods

You and I began teaching our children probably even before they were born. I remember well how my late wife played a Mozart symphony or some Gilbert and Sullivan while she was pregnant. She also frequently read aloud. Teaching by example truly is one of the most effective teaching methods.

Teaching by example still has its place in teaching high school examples, but things are a bit more complicated, or should I say, enriched, in 2025.

  • As parents of high school students, we often find ourselves puzzled by the teaching methods our teens tell us about.
  • Gone are the days when education meant simply lecturing and memorizing facts. That may be true, but I can still conjugate the Latin verbs I learned in 8th Grade. But I digress.

Against that backdrop, let's take a look at how teachers function in today's high schools. I've included quotes from several authoritative sources so you can drill down and find out more about the methods.

Canva generated this picture of high school students.

Let's ask Perplexity to answer our questions.

RK: How do high school teachers teach these days?

Perplexity: Today's high school teachers employ a wide variety of approaches designed to engage students and prepare them for a complex world.

  • Understanding these methods isn't just interesting. It's essential for supporting our teens throughout these
. . .read more

How To Use AI For Research: A High School Student's Guide

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How To Use AI For Research: A High School Student's Guide
We introduce teenagers to AI as a powerful alternative to traditional search engines. This practical guide walks students through using AI tools like Perplexity and ChatGPT for academic research while maintaining intellectual integrity.
hapabapa/iStock Photos

How To Use AI For Research: A High School Student's Guide

As a high school student in 2025, you're at the perfect moment to embrace AI as a powerful research tool.

  • Unlike traditional search engines, such as Google or Bing, AI research assistants can understand complex questions and synthesize information.
  • They can help you develop ideas in ways that weren't possible just a few years ago.

Canva generated this picture of a student writing a paper on his laptop.

In this article, I will share with you some of the strategies I have learned about using AI tools in my writing over the past two years.

  • I will help you learn how to harness the tremendous capabilities of AI tools effectively.
  • I'll also address the issue of academic integrity.
  • Finally, I would ask any parents and teachers who have read this far to share this article with some young people and discuss some of my strategies with them.

Getting Started with AI Research Tools

The first thing to understand about AI research tools is that they function differently from search engines like Google and Bing, with which you're familiar.

  • Instead of providing links to websites, they generate direct answers by analyzing vast amounts of information.
  • As a result, you can ask questions, give commands in natural language, and receive comprehensive responses tailored to your needs.
  • It's similar to having a live research assistant working for you.
  • Moreover,
. . .read more

Social Emotional Learning: Education's Hidden Symphony

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Social Emotional Learning: Education's Hidden Symphony
A musician's perspective on Social Emotional Learning reveals how this educational framework orchestrates success through five essential emotional competencies.
Aaron Amat on iStockPhotos

Social Emotional Learning: Education's Hidden Symphony

As a classical musician and writer, I deeply understand how emotions and social connections shape our learning experiences. Let me share my perspective on Social Emotional Learning, a framework that resonates strongly with my artistic background. To help you understand SEL, I have included quotes from authoritative sources together with links, so that you explore the subject more fully. Here's why Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is as essential to your child's development as learning their ABCs or multiplication tables.

The Daily Impact

Your child might struggle with situations like:

  • Getting frustrated when homework becomes challenging
  • Having difficulty making friends at school
  • Feeling anxious about speaking up in class
  • Managing conflicts with siblings

SEL helps children navigate these everyday challenges by teaching them to understand and manage their emotions just as they learn to read or solve math problems. Since a report indicates that too much screen time on smartphones increases children's aggressiveness, SEL is a tool that can mitigate those unhelpful emotions.

The research also suggests that teachers with better social emotional learning (SEL) skills are more likely to have good relationships with students, and those students in turn are more engaged in learning. Source: American Psychological Association

Real Benefits for Your Child

Think of SEL as giving your child an emotional toolkit. Children who participate in SEL programs show remarkable improvements:

  • Higher academic scores and test results
  • Better classroom behavior and focus
  • Stronger friendships and
. . .read more

A Roadmap For Starting A Private School

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A Roadmap For Starting A Private School
Use this roadmap as a set of talking points with your trusted mentors and professionals to start the private school of your dreams. You're not alone. Over the years, hundreds of folks like you have had the same dream. From Quintilian to Maria Montessori to Lucy Madeira Wing, visionary educators have established schools to teach according to their beliefs and methodologies.
DragonImages/iStockPhotos

Disclaimer: I am not an attorney. I offer this information solely to give you an idea of the kind of questions and issues you need to be discussing with professionals such as your attorney and your accountant. Finally, there are about 11,000 private schools that are not members of any private school association. You won't have to reinvent the wheel when you belong to a private school association. Hopefully, my suggestions in this article will encourage you to take advantage of the wealth of knowledge and experience in these associations. ~Rob Kennedy

Chapter 1: Choosing Your School's Legal Structure

Been there. Done that. Yes, I was actually involved in starting a private school. R-E-S-P-E-C-T Academy in Nassau, The Bahamas, was the brainchild of Senator Elliston Rahming. He hired me to be his assistant principal or deputy director as the position was styled. He charged me with organizing the admissions and academic side of the operation in four months so that we could open the school in the fall of 1994.

Starting a school requires one of your earliest decisions to be its legal structure. While you excel at education, this business decision needs professional legal guidance to protect your dream. Think of legal fees as an investment in your school's future. A qualified education law attorney will help you navigate complex regulations and prevent costly mistakes that could threaten your school's survival.

Now, let's look at the two forms of incorporation

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The Spectrum of Islamic Education: From Secular to Orthodox

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The Spectrum of Islamic Education: From Secular to Orthodox
This article explores the importance of Islamic K-12 education in today's secular society, providing a roadmap for parents to nurture their children's faith and academic success. Through a question-and-answer format between a parent and an imam, it addresses key aspects such as the types of Islamic education available, when to start, and how to balance religious and secular learning. The essay emphasizes the spiritual and moral benefits of instilling Islamic values in young people, offering practical advice and inspiration for families seeking to raise well-rounded and faithful individuals.
iStockPhoto/Prostock-Studio

The Spectrum of Islamic Education: From Secular to Orthodox

One of the reasons many parents send their children to private schools is to receive a comprehensive approach to their religion in the school's curriculum and activities. In this article, we'll offer some answers to questions about an Islamic education.

Looking for Islamic schools?? Use the powerful search engine on PrivateSchoolReview.com to see what schools are near you. Your Imam will also be able to help you select schools.

After you click on "Find Schools", click on Advanced Seach in the lower right-hand corner of the next screen.

Then select line 7.

Now, here are some common questions parents have about sending their children to an Islamic school.

Parent: Who should consider an Islamic education for their child?

Imam: Any parent who wishes to instill Islamic values, ethics, and knowledge in their children should consider an Islamic education. In today’s secular society, where competing ideologies and distractions often challenge our faith, it is essential to provide young people with a strong foundation in Islam. As the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, "طلب العلم فريضة على كل مسلم" (Talab al-'ilm fareedah 'ala kulli muslim) — "Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim." An Islamic education ensures that children grow up understanding their identity as Muslims while learning how to navigate

. . .read more

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How To Use AI For Research: A High School Student's Guide
How To Use AI For Research: A High School Student's Guide
We introduce teenagers to AI as a powerful alternative to traditional search engines. This practical guide walks students through using AI tools like Perplexity and ChatGPT for academic research while maintaining intellectual integrity.
A Parent's Guide To Understanding High School Teaching Methods
A Parent's Guide To Understanding High School Teaching Methods
This comprehensive guide helps parents navigate the various teaching methods used in today's high school classrooms. By understanding these approaches, you'll be better equipped to support your teen's learning journey, communicate effectively with teachers, and create a complementary learning environment at home.