The Clasical Education Model

Touted to be the return to a proven method of past centuries, the Classical Educational Model is gaining in popularity among homeschooling parents. The model is characterized by exposure to history, art, culture, languages, philosophy, and literature of Western Civilization. With a Christian emphasis (it also concentrates on the development of a biblical view of the world and Theology is considered to be the queen of sciences), the core of this model is the Trivium, which tailors curriculum subject matter to a child's cognitive development.

The Trivium is based on three levels, or stages of teaching and learning based on the age and ability of the child. The goals of the Trivium are Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric.

Grammar Level

This stage is the based on concrete learning. In Bloom's taxonomy, this is considered to be the base of the learning pyramid. In this stage, rote memorization is the emphasis. Many public school systems call this "kill and drill." The idea is for kids to learn the vocabulary, rules, and basics first. This level is recommended for the elementary ages of children.

During this stage, children are taught Art, Bible, Geography, History, Literature, Math, Music, Oratory, Science, and Writing.

Dialectic Level

Also considered to be the analytical thinking and understanding stage, this is recommended for the middle school age kids.

The student learns to reason and to string isolated ideas together.

During this stage, students are taught more in-depth concepts in Art, Bible, History, Literature, Math, Music, Oratory, Science, and Writing. Language, Logic, and Government are introduced at this time.

Rhetoric Level

This is where abstract thinking and self-expression come in. It is recommended for the high school years.

During this stage, students take all that they have learned and develop the ability to apply that knowledge to abstract ideas. Rhetoric and Philosophy are added to the studies while Government and Logic receive less concentration.

On a side note, history is taught throughout all stages in four year cycles. Repeating the cycle allows for further understanding as the child's cognitive development advances.

This model can be explained in layman's terms by likening it to the process in which a baby learns to speak. A child first learns sounds, vocabulary, and simple sentences. He then learns how to apply the rules of grammar in order to express more complete thoughts. Finally, the child learns to express opinions and more complex ideas.

The supporters of the Classical Education Model argue that the modern education system expects kids to master subjects before mastering the skill of learning. A bit like putting the cart before the horse?

Groom For Business

There is hardly a point in dressing up for a business meeting if you haven't taken a shower or if your nails are dirty. You need to take a bath or a shower at least once every day and use a good deodorant or antiperspirant. Whether you are a man or a woman, you should follow some simple guidelines concerning taking care of your hands, hair, face, and the scents you use.

Your hands are like your business card. They often show what kind of a person you are. You need to keep your fingernails perfectly clean at all times and should take good care of them. Never bite your nails or cuticles - it takes them days or even weeks to get back to an acceptable shape. Every time you get out of the shower, use a special wooden stick to push back your cuticles while they are soft from the hot water. This will prevent the cuticles from growing all over the surface of your nails. It is a good idea to get a professional manicure once in a while, even if you are a man.

If you are a woman, remember this: clear nail polish is your best bet for business. It is easy to maintain and you don't get into the embarrassing trouble of damaging the polish right before a meeting with a key client. If you feel that you need a colored polish, stick to pink or red. In this case you should get a professional manicure at least weekly, otherwise your nails will not look good enough. I would also advise you to keep the bottle of your polish on you at all times, just in case of those occasional accidents which always happen when you need to look your best.

Another thing to keep in mind is that your nails should never be longer than half an inch beyond the end of your fingers. Do a quick test - your nails are way too long if you can't pick up a coin from the floor.

Your hair should be trimmed, combed, and always - always - clean. Unless you are a caveman. Then you don't need to care so much. But I am guessing you would not be reading this article if you were one. Any signs of dandruff must be eliminated. There is a huge selection of shampoos at your favorite store for helping you out effectively on this matter. Dandruff is not an option these days.

If you have long hair, for business situations you should keep it out of your eyes. You can be an emo rock star on the weekends. Consider pulling your hair back for work. Which does not mean that you should look like a schoolgirl. Anything you put in your hair needs to be as simple as possible. And only Paris Hilton wears a tiara these days.

In some companies men are allowed to have long hair, in some others it is frowned upon. You should observe or ask what the policy is. Avoid looking like Ashton Kutcher in Two And A Half Men - unless you are a surfing instructor. If you have any facial hair - keep it trimmed and clean - crumbs on you beard are just disgusting. So is hair sticking out of our nose and ears. If you consider yourself a grown man - do shave every day. A quick shave before an evening meeting is probably a good idea too.

As far as scents are concerned - any aftershave or perfume should be used very sparingly. It should nor precede you nor follow you. There is nothing less pleasant than sitting in a conference room with a cloud of your perfume, no matter how expensive it was.

Minimizing Taxes

When it comes to investing in real estate, you should have one goal in mind. You want to gain more out of it than you put in and this includes any tax accounting that you need to do. While this sounds like the simplest thing in the world, the truth is that it really is not. There are a number of factors that you need to take into consideration and you need to know what is best for the current market. Since the economic downfall, you may be best renting rather than selling. However, once the economy goes back up, selling may be your better option.

There are some investor types that will only buy at certain times and will only buy certain types of houses. From then, they will do very little work to the home and sell when the market is on a boom. This process is known as "flipping properties." This takes a lot of skill and there is a lot of luck involved. It is definitely not for everybody.

However, there are other property investors that will look into doing more to a home and will usually buy a house that needs the work doing. Sometimes, this will involve decorating work and small jobs but there are others who will build extensions or convert whole rooms. This takes a lot of money to start the business and can sometimes run the risk of not making all of the money back when it comes to selling it.

Whichever type of investor you choose to be, you need to understand the real estate market and the current state of affairs. You need to know that you are going to get at least the amount of money that you put into the house back.

The best way, but sometimes the hardest, is to stay on track and never go over your budget. You will also need to wait for the best time to sell a house along with knowing that there are people out there that want what you have. Getting all three at the same time can be a daunting task.

One of the best ways to keep the initial costs down is by finding a bargain. If you find a home that has been up for sale for at least 90 days, there are high chances that the owners are more willing to do a deal just so they can get rid of the property. This will also take some research into the property and others around the area so you know a good deal when it is offered to you.

Do not just jump straight into a deal because you believe it is a good one. You will need to look at all options for the home as well. You could check the multiple listing service to find out what other real estate agencies think about the property to find out whether it is worth investing into.

When it comes to the real estate basics, you need to know that you have the accounting side of things set up correctly. You need to also look into the income taxes that you may need to pay and ensure that you are accounting for taxes that you will need to pay when selling the property. Sometimes, it may be worth starting a landlord business to be able to gain some of the tax breaks before selling the property. Before you sell, you also need to make sure that you are getting the return for your money that you want.