How to Get a Good List of References

How to Get a Good List of References You will inevitably be asked to give a list of references throughout your many application processes. This shouldnt be any shocking news to you, but if you are still new to the ways of the job search, you should be aware of the proper etiquette required to get and use a reference. Never blindly assume someone will be your reference and then give their information to a potential employer. There are some cases where this may be okay, for instance if you have been working for a certain company for a very long time and have a close and comfortable enough relationship with your boss that it would almost be silly to ask their permission. Ultimately, you have to be the judge of those things. But in many situations, its just safer to confront your employer directly about using them as a reference before you actually do it. Another reason this is important is because you never know what kind of contact information a potential employer will request for your references. Sometimes they just need an email address, other times theyll want a phone number, and many times they will want both. If you never discussed this with your references, you may find yourself in a pinch and having to list a company email or phone number. Itll be easier for everybody all around if you have a direct phone number and email address for each of your references. Think of it this way: you want to make it as easy as possible for potential employers to get a hold of your references. They may have to go through several unnecessary hurdles to get this person on the phone if they are being transferred from department to department and being put on hold for minutes at a time. No employer whos going through many applicants has or wants to spend the time on that. Plus, your references company probably wont appreciate all the hassle either . Lets say that for some reason you have come across direct contact information for your reference before having the references discussion with them. Dont think you are in the clear and no longer need to speak to them about it anymore. For all you know, this person may not like that particular email address or phone number given out to the public. If they are contacted by a stranger through those lines of communication and find out you are the reason, you may risk them resenting you for it. Hey, wasnt the whole point of this that they would give you a good reference in the first place? Dont let it slip away from you so easily. As long as you politely ask these people if they will be your reference, get the proper contact information that they say is appropriate, and be very gracious for their help, your references list will be a piece of cake. None of this takes long to do, but that doesnt take away from its significance. You picked these people because you feel they will sing your praises; going about this process is the way to maintain that relationship.

5 Ways Microphones Have Changed the Music Industry

5 Ways Microphones Have Changed the Music Industry Suzy S. If youve ever stepped on stage to perform, you may not have thought much about the microphone youre about to use. But its history is actually pretty interesting, as music recording equipment has developed drastically since the first condenser microphone came on the market. These changes have made a big impact on the music industry as a whole, and, for better or worse, are here to stay. Power Requirement Without outside amplification, the loudest musician wins every time. But when you introduce microphones into the mix, every individual instrument can be heard as the composer intended. So you can have brass instruments playing at fortissimo, and woodwinds and strings playing mezzopiano, but the final decision as to the volume is up to the sound engineer running the music recording equipment. Likewise, in a live setting, a quiet singer or instrumentalist can still be heard in the back row with proper amplification. Microphones can be strategically placed around a stage to pick up any whisper or important sounds, so the audience can hear them regardless of where they are seated. Live Performances While microphones have definitely become a powerful tool in the arsenal of music recording equipment, they are equally as important in live performances. A vocalist or musician does not need to be exceptionally powerful, as detailed above. This allows him or her to be more agile and experimental with the sound. Whereas a non-amplified performance requires the emphasis to be on power to reach the audience, a microphone gives the performer the freedom to deliver the highest quality sound to the audience at whatever output power is manageable, and the amplifier picks up the sound from the microphone and brings it to a proper volume. Overdubbing and Effects With a live performance, a performer can relax and focus on quality over quantity, so to speak. In addition to the value of amplifying the output, microphones can be used in conjunction with music recording equipment to provide a wide variety of aftereffects. Overdubbing, for example, can be beneficial for a solo artist who plays multiple instruments or sings different parts on a track. With the right music recording equipment, the artist can set up for the backing vocals, instrumentation, and then focus on lead vocals and one instrument during a live performance or put it all together for a music video, like this YouTube artist. Effects also heavily rely on a microphone. A vocalist can change timbre or distortion, and many acoustic instruments can be amplified with different waveform filters to change the sound. Without the microphone, all of these effects are limited, or nonexistent. Sampling Sampling requires a microphone for it to be of any sort of use at all. The difference between a cover and a sample lies with who is doing the performing. An artist who wishes to sample another needs the original recording, otherwise he or she will be covering the work instead of just sampling the original artist. With a microphone used in conjunction with the rest of the music recording equipment for the original recording, the sample can be overlaid with the new artists and processed through another microphone. Architecture of Performance Halls and Recording Studios Prior to the use of microphones, live performances relied on natural amplification for the audience to experience the sound. This required extensive work on walls and ceiling segments that would reflect the sound in the proper direction. It also required performances to be quite exact, as improper placement or slight variations in tempo would have a drastic effect on audience perception. While recording studios were few and far between before the microphone was in common use with music recording equipment, they also had to abide by the rules of natural amplification. Nowadays, every vocal and instrument has at least one microphone, and  performers can even be isolated into separate recording booths, so that the microphone has no chance of picking up any other sounds. Effects such as echos, reverberations, and delay, which were originally built in to recording spaces (or present unintentionally), are now added after the original recording.   Whether in studio or on stage, microphones should not be taken for granted. They help both first-time and seasoned artists make the most out of their music. And microphones add a new dimension to the production capabilities of music recording equipment. Who knows what technological advancements will be next for the music industry? Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo  by  saulk61, erik forsberg

Use a Standard Approach to Conquer GRE Quantitative Comparisons

Use a Standard Approach to Conquer GRE Quantitative Comparisons GRE/MAT Graduate School Blog One of the first thoughts that befuddles many potential GRE students is â€" How exactly do these Quantitative Comparisons work? This is the subject of today’s video tutorial with our Director of Online Tutoring â€" Stefan Maisnier. The most important thing to understand about so-called Quant Comps is that although the quantities may change, the answer choices never do. So, for the first eight or nine questions of every Quantitative section the note taking format and process for working through the problem remain the same. Standardizing the approach as done in the above video helps students maximize efficiency and memorize the meaning of the answer choices over time. In addition, understanding the goal of the question minimizes the amount of excess calculation. As seen in this problem, evaluating only one of the quantities may be enough to arrive at the correct answer, and of course getting to the destination in half the time of your peers is the name of the GRE game! About the Author: Stefan Maisnier is the Director of Online Tutoring at MyGuru, and sometimes contemplates the lagging Verbal scores of business school applicants while gazing wistfully at his own Masters of Science in Journalism diploma from Northwestern University.

Tips for Keeping Your Childs Brain in Shape Over Summer Break

Tips for Keeping Your Child’s Brain in Shape Over Summer Break Many parents have probably heard the term regression before, but what exactly does it mean? Regression is the loss of academic knowledge learned during the school year, also known as the summer slide. According to Co-Founder and CEO, Eileen Huntington of Huntington Learning Center, with a little effort, parents can prevent their children from regressing over summer break. It is easier than most parents think to help their children engage in regular educational activities, Huntington says. Need ideas? Here are several tips to help children keep learning this summer: Enjoy summer reading. Its on every list of top summer learning activities for good reason. Reading is perhaps the easiest way to keep up those literacy skillsand the most fun. Let your child choose the reading material and make it a daily activity. Take regular trips to the library and consider giving small incentives for milestones reached (e.g. each book, every 200 pages, etc.). Review last years assignments. For subjects like math especially, one of the best ways to maintain those math building skills is to review/redo old problems. Before that final school bell rings, ask your childs teacher for copies of worksheets and other assignments completed during the school year. Sort them into labeled folders for each week of summer and have your child review something every weekday, or at least several assignments each week. Review last years textbooks. If you purchased textbooks for language, math, social studies, and science and theyre yours to keep, dont throw them into the recycling bin. A quick call to the teacher should give you what you need in terms of the chapters covered this year and what would be best to review over summer break, but if school is out already and you forgot to do so, simply divide the texts pages evenly and plan to have your child read sections each day. Embrace the something learned each day mantra. Keeping the brain in shape is like keeping the body in shape: daily effort adds up to a lasting difference. For some children, a more flexible approach to summer learning will work better than textbooks and worksheets. Encourage your child to spend 30 minutes a day learning something new and keep a journal about those experiences. This gives him or her the freedom to chase those curiosities while acquiring new knowledge. Provide your child a list of questions to spark ideas, which might include the following: What have I always wanted to know about a favorite book, author, subject, or city? How are a type of vehicle, a type of food, a musical instrument made? How was a type of technology or other invention first created or invented and by whom? Who discovered constellations, South America, sharks, how to make paper and how? Huntington reminds parents that the summer slide is preventable and can be reversed. What parents dont always realize is that summer tutoring is the best opportunity for children to overcome learning challenges or get ahead for the next school year, she says. With a more relaxed schedule and no pressure of homework and other obligations, theres time for children to pinpoint the subjects that are troubling them most and make big strides between now and the start of next school year. For more suggestions on how to help your child retain everything he or she learned throughout the school year and overcome any problem areas, call 1 800 CAN LEARN. About Huntington Huntington is the tutoring and test prep leader.Its certified tutors provide individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. It preps for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntingtons mission is to give every student the best education possible. Learn how Huntington can help at www.huntingtonhelps.com. For franchise opportunities please visit www.huntingtonfranchise.com. 2018 Huntington Mark, LLC. Huntington Learning Center, the three-leaf logo, and 1 800 CAN LEARN are registered trademarks of Huntington Mark, LLC. Each franchised Huntington Learning Center is operated under a franchise agreement with Huntington Learning Centers, Inc.

Music is Everybodys Business

Music is Everybodys Business Music is everybodys business. Its only the publishers who think people own it John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon was an English singer and songwriter, known worldwide as one of the founding members of The Beatles.Born and raised in Liverpool, Lennon formed his first band The Quarrymen being only a teenager, has been transformed into The Beatles in 1960. Lennon is an image of a rebel and a fighter for peace. All his labor is thoroughly imbued with subtle sarcasm and caustic wit. Sales of Lennons album only in the United States jumped over 14 million units, and as performer, writer, or co-writer he is responsible for 27 number one singles on the US Hot 100 chart. In 2002, a BBC poll voted him eighth among the 100 Greatest Britons, and in 2008 Rolling Stone ranked him the fifth greatest singer of all time. In 1987 he was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Advanced Language Lessons Unique as You Are 15 DIY Tips

Advanced Language Lessons Unique as You Are 15 DIY Tips Advanced Language Lessons Unique as You Are: 15 DIY Tips You may not have a horn.But that doesnt mean youre not a glorious unicorn!Each language student is as special and rare as the majestic mythical beast.But the one problem with being so magnificent is that you set your own standard.The  best ways to learn a language  for other people might not be the best ways for you.And that means you need lessons  as unique and unmatched as you are.This is especially true once you get into the advanced stage. Going forward, you can no longer just rely on the basics.You need to start becoming yourself in your target language.But how do you accomplish that?While some  advanced language lessons  may be too formulaic and textbooks may not address your specific needs and concerns, theres one surefire way for you to keep improving your skills: By  crafting your own customized advanced language lessons.With a little effort and attention to detail, you can create your own advanced lesson plan to nudge you that much closer to fluency.These language study tip s and tricks will help get you on the right path! Why Use Your Own Customized Advanced Language Lessons?Advanced students have more diverse skill sets, so one size does not fit all. All beginners start at the same point. However, as learners skills grow, theres much more variation in what they can do. By the time students complete  intermediate language lessons, even those who started learning a language together may have vastly different skills. This means that by the time you get to an advanced level, you may very well need more customized lessons.As an advanced student, you have a much clearer idea of your own skills and what you need to work on than lower level students, which makes  advanced self-study  an appealing option. You know what rules you feel comfortable with and what youre more nervous about, so you might as well address your own needs.With more advanced skills and more experience learning a language, youre also skilled enough to know what works for you. Some peopl e enjoy reading textbooks. Others learn by doing. By the time youve reached an advanced level, you know what language learning methods work for you, so you can easily apply them to your own customized lessons.Putting together your own lessons is also usually cheaper and more flexible than traditional study methods. Conventional advanced classes can get pricey and weigh you down with a set schedule you must strictly adhere to. Putting together your own lessons can save you valuable coin and keep your schedule flexible and fun.How to Get the Most Out of Your Customized Advanced Language LessonsDont worry, in a moment were going to get into how to actually create great low-cost, low-effort advanced language lessons for yourself. But first, here are some general tips that will help you get the most out of your customized coursework.Focus on filling in gaps in your education.As your skills have gotten more advanced, chances are, some skills have lagged behind. Maybe your classes didnt co ver them. Maybe you just struggle with them. Or maybe, you learned them so long ago you cant remember the exact details. Regardless of the cause of the gaps in your education, using your DIY advanced lessons to fill them will help ensure your skills are well rounded and ready for action.Aim for native-level proficiency.If youve been taking conventional language classes, theres a strong chance that you speak your target language like a student. However, now that youre an advanced student, your aim should be to move towards native-level proficiency. You should be able to understand the speech of native speakers. You should be able to use the words and phrasing natives would lose. And, you should aim to make your pronunciation much more like native speakers. The best thing you can do to move towards more native-level proficiency is by using authentic resources intended for native speakers.Get more specific.Rather than focusing on broad grammar and vocabulary, hone in on the nitpicky ru les and words that separate students from natives. For instance, perfect tricky conjugations and irregular verbs and learn to use them seamlessly in context. Fine-tuning the little details can take your skills to the next level.Get hip with the lingo.Its time to learn slang! Slang is one big area that usually separates native speakers from students. While your language lessons may have taught you some basic, common slang, learning a wider array of regional slang can expand your functional vocabulary and help you recognize commonly-used words that you might otherwise miss.Use FluentU.Since FluentU comes pre-loaded with video language lessons for all levels of learner, you might wonder why were mentioning it here. Well, first of all, its automatically personalized, so its a lazy way you can always get complete customized lessons as an advanced language student.Plus, FluentU is a fun way to add authentic resources to any advanced lesson plan, including any you come up with from the ide as below.FluentU uses real-world videosâ€"like movie trailers, news, informational talks, music videos and moreâ€"and converts them into powerful learning tools. Each video is captioned and the captions are annotated, so you can easily check any words definition, read example sentences and see an associated image.Want to change it up? Try quiz mode. In this mode, videos, example sentences and images are combined into activities and flashcards for an irresistibly interactive learning experience.Regardless of your skill level or how much time you have to commit, FluentU can work for you. Thats because you choose what you watch and for how long. Meanwhile, FluentUs algorithm tracks your learning to present you with level-appropriate questions that build on what you already know.Always have goals.Youve gotten pretty far in your language education; now is not the time to take your eye off the prize, so keep firm goals to drive your learning forward. Without clear goals, it can be temptin g to quit and assume youre already good enough at your target language. Youll never reach fluency that way!Advanced Language Lessons Unique as You Are: 15 DIY TipsVocabularyDevelop more specialized vocabulary based on your interests.As an advanced student, you probably already know a lot of the most common vocabulary words youll encounter. However, there are still plenty more vocabulary words to learn!One major vocabulary area you may not have fully explored is vocabulary based on your interests and plans. Learning terms related to things youre already interested in will not only expand your vocabulary, it will also provide you with words you might want to use in your personal and professional lives.For instance, if youre going into the medical field and youre studying Spanish, you might read a helpful book like Spanish for Healthcare Providers.Love movies? Learn more specific film terms. If youre studying French, you could check out a film website, like Cinéma français (French ci nema).As you go over materials in your target language, jot down vocabulary you want to learn. Then, you can use flashcard  resources to reinforce your new vocabulary. If you have FluentUs Plus plan, you can actually make your own customized flashcard sets and the program will automatically grab multimedia material to supplement your vocab list!Seek out sources for practicing targeted vocabulary in context.Consider what specific vocabulary youre studying and what sources might actively use that vocabulary. Then, seek out sources that are likely to use those words.For instance, if you want to practice industry- or interest-specific vocabulary, you can read trade or scholarly journals in your target language.  Spanish students can practice more advanced vocabulary with Spanish-language academic journals. German students can find specific, targeted vocabulary used in trade journals through Deutsche Fachpresse  (German Trade Press).Below, well give you more ideas for reading, writing, l istening and speaking activities that you can use for practicing vocabulary in context. Actually using the vocabulary youve learned will help reinforce it and prepare you to use it more seamlessly.GrammarHandle more complex ideas in reading and writing.Earlier levels of students often rephrase what they want to say to make it easier. Its a natural habit acquired through limited skill. After all, as a beginning or intermediate student, theres a lot you dont know how to say, and you have to adjust to accommodate this.However, advanced students need to break this habit to get a better handle on more advanced words and phrasing.At first, it might be best to practice this in low-pressure situations where youre not interacting with native speakers.You might even do it privately to see how it works out:1. Come up with the most complex sentence you can in English.2. Try to communicate the same idea in your target language. Jot down what you come up with.3. Check your work with an online tra nslator, your favorite language tutor or a friend whos a native speaker to see if it makes any sense.Determine which conjugation or grammar rules still require thought.For full fluency, you should be able to communicate without having to think about grammar rules. No one wants to pause mid-conversation to have a think break. Because of this, you should take a careful look at what rules you still struggle with and practice until these rules come naturally to you.One way to see what areas you might still be struggling with is by taking a language proficiency test. Transparent Language  offers free proficiency tests for an array of common languages. The tests examine grammar, vocabulary and reading. Most of the questions are fairly basic, but if you pay attention to the questions that take you the longest to answer, you might notice youre struggling with certain words, rules or conjugations. If you want a detailed breakdown of what you got right and what you got wrong, you can also hav e Transparent Language email you this information, giving you a more precise look at what you might be struggling with.Once you know what you need to work on, you can continue with the complex-sentence procedure above, putting the rules you need to focus on into practice.Have a tutor assess what specific skills or rules you should work on.Some issues are easy to notice. If you refuse to talk about what you did yesterday because of your phobia of past tense verbs, clearly thats a problem. However, some problems that advanced students have arent as obvious.To get a little extra direction on what specifically you should be working on, you might consider hiring a tutor. You could certainly take ongoing lessons in which the tutor also helps you correct your problems, but even a one-time session can help set you up for success. A good tutor can help you not only identify areas youre struggling with, but also give you personalized tips to improve.If you need help finding a tutor, you might check out some quality online tutor services, such as  italki. Not only does italki help you find available language tutors, but tutor accounts feature useful profiles that help you find someone you truly want to talk to.ReadingRead academic journal articles or abstracts.Up for a challenge only suitable for advanced students and beyond? Dive into academic literature. Its not only great for learning about a specific field or industry, as mentioned above, but it can be challenging to read in any language, so it will be a much greater challenge in your target language. Its a great way to strengthen advanced-level reading skills and prepare yourself in case you ever want to study abroad.If you only have a moment, you can just read an articles abstract, which is a brief summary of the findings. If youre feeling more ambitious, you can delve into the whole article (including detailed methodology and findings).You can access many materials for free on Google Scholar. To find works in your target language, all you have to do is search in your target language. For instance, if you search ?? (medicine), youll find dozens of article titles and quite a few full-length articles in Chinese.Read full novels in your target language.Novels, whether they were originally written in your target language or translated into it, are intended to entertain native speakers. However, for non-native speakers, they can be a fun and entertaining way to improve your reading skills.You can easily find novels in your target language on  Amazon. There are several ways to find the right novel for you.Many popular novels are translated into a wide array of world languages. For instance, you can find the Harry Potter series in countless languages, including Japanese,  Russian  and so many more.If authentic works are more your style, you might look up popular international authors and then look for works in the original language. For instance, you can easily find O Alquimista (The Alchemist) in t he original Portuguese.There are also filtering and search options that ostensibly allow you to filter by language, but these searches still sometimes yield English-language results, so it may be faster to go in with a specific book or author in mind.Read news articles in your target language.Reading the news in your target language is so much more than great reading practice. You can also stay up-to-date on the latest events all while learning relevant vocabulary.News coverage usually assumes the reader is at least somewhat well-educated, so its particularly good practice for advanced speakers. Plus, its a self-renewing resource, so youll never run out of learning material.One of the most reliable places to find multilingual content is BBC News. They offer articles in a variety of world languages, including Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.WritingInteract on message boards and social media websites in your target language.Message b oards and social media can give you both reading and writing practice with your target language. Plus, the language use is authentic and colloquial, preparing you to understand the language as its used in real life (even though you might not learn this version in most classes).One way to interact online is through country-specific subreddits on Reddit. There are subreddits for a huge array of countries, so it shouldnt be hard to find a subreddit for a country where your target language is spoken. While these subreddits may contain some English, they also usually feature a hefty dose of the local language.For example, there are subreddits that focus on France,  Italy, Mexico,  Russia  and other countries.Start a blog in your target language.Getting enough writing practice in your target language can be hard. However, if you start a blog, you can get plenty of writing practice without having to think too much about it. And once you get some readers, youll feel that much more obligated to keep posting (and therefore practicing) regularly.Blog about whatever you like. You could start a makeup blog, an entertainment blog or just a personal blog. Each blog would feature different vocabulary, so your goals (and imagination) can help you find the right topic for you. If you need a little help getting started, check out this guide on starting a blog.In summation, there are plenty of easy, affordable ways to start up your own blog, whether youre using WordPress, Blogger or Tumblr. Getting your first followers can be as simple as posting in the comments section of blogs you already read in your target language. You might even reach out to bloggers to see if theyd like you to write a guest post.Plus, once you get followers, theyll probably be happy to point out any errors for you. After all, an eagerness to correct people is the same across cultures! Luckily, when youre writing in your target language, these corrections are handy learning opportunities.SpeakingStart a You Tube channel in your target language.Like a blog in your target language can get you writing practice, your own YouTube channel can get you speaking practice.You can talk about life where you are, your favorite hobbies or whatever you like. Over time, you might even try engaging with viewers in the comments section for additional reading and writing practice.Do a podcast in your target language.As with YouTube, podcasts can help give you valuable speaking practice. However, unlike YouTube, making a podcast is also great for camera-shy learners.Again, any topics work when youre podcasting. Podcasts can focus on business, unsolved crimes or virtually any subject you can imagine. You might even try teaching your native language. The Podcast Host can walk you through how to start your own podcast, but getting started doesnt require too much work. You can record using programs already on your computer and post to iTunes for others to enjoy.ListeningDo a Netflix binge without subtitles.Th eres a strong chance that Netflix  has tons of awesome shows in your target language, so go ahead, find your next favorite show and binge away. But dont go too easy on yourself! Turn off those subtitles.Your main focus should be on comprehension rather than entertainment. At first, it will require focus to understand everything in your target language without subtitles, but this can help you transition towards full fluency. Part of why this works so well is that as you watch, youre likely to translate in your head less and less, instead understanding your target language itself rather than mere translations.But if theres a particularly challenging or fast segment, you can turn those subtitles back on for a moment. We wont tell anyone!Listen to audiobooks in your target language.Childrens stories can be fun. Short stories can fill in gaps in your schedule. But youre an advanced student nowâ€"try to delve into full-length adult audiobooks to practice your listening.Audible  offers ple nty of foreign language audiobooks. You can peruse non-English audiobooks before you even subscribe to see what sorts of options you might enjoy.Download the right audiobook before your next road trip or long flight, and youll jam-pack advanced language listening into your adventure.Watch news in your target language.Like reading news, watching news can be excellent language practice.The commentators usually speak clearly using standard language, but you may encounter challenging vocabulary that youre not yet familiar with.Again, BBC News  offers coverage in a number of different world languages, so its YouTube channel can be your go-to to watch news in Arabic, English, Portuguese or Russian.Spanish students might like the  Noticias Telemundo  YouTube channel for live coverage and a nice assortment of news videos, both new and old.With these ideas, you can craft advanced language lessons as unique and wonderful as you are.

Vocabulary Bee Coming in 2014 - ALOHA Mind Math

Vocabulary Bee Coming in 2014 ALOHA Mind Math unveilednew 2014 initiatives at their third quarter franchise meeting. One new program being instituted isa student language arts competition for elementary school children. “We wanted to introduce something that would offer a fun competitive environment where bothkids and their families would be able to enjoy. We tested the program this year and receivedexcellent feedback from many parents and kids alike. We are very excited to roll out Vocab Bee,a vocabulary-based competition,” said Mani Manickavelu, ALOHA CEO and President. The vocabulary bee will be held mid-year 2014 at all of ALOHA Mind Math’s learning centers.“Americans need spelling bees and vocabulary tests, “according to John McWhorter, ColumbiaUniversity associate professor of English and comparative literature and author ofWhatLanguage Is.“It’s (spelling and vocabulary tests) getting back in touch with loving our nativelanguage, something ordinary in most cultures on earth.” The national vocabulary competition coordinates with ALOHA Mind Math’s mission to teachand advance children’s crucial reading and language skills, which they will employ throughout.Parents who want to give their children a good foundational base or a broader skill set, or givetheir high-achieving children an opportunity to excel will find ALOHA Mind Math’s after schoolenrichment reading programs and math programs valuable.