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How to Choose the Best Babysitter?
By Manu Vikram Singh
When it comes to your children, every parent wants only the very best. One of the services that many working or busy parents require for their child is a babysitter. Most of them are looking for the best babysitter, but few know how to choose the best one.
To cut the hassle and smooth your process here are some simple yet very important considerations to ask the potential babysitter of your child.
Things to consider before you go hunting for a babysitter:
Prepare a list of the rules followed at your household. Do not forget to include your expectations from the babysitter in that list. A more comprehensive list will also contain the properly laid down timings of meals, bedtime of your child as well as slot for homework and play.
Where to look for a babysitter?
The first place to look for able babysitters is your neighborhood. The sphere of inquiry regarding a babysitter can include your colleagues at work and play, relatives and friends.
You even have the option to put up notices of requirement in the local church, high school, civic organizations and in the local daily. There are many classified ad columns too, that can help you find an experienced babysitter as many advertise their services there. Another great place to look for a reliable babysitter is the YMCA or in Red Cross classes.
Zero down on a few good babysitters among the many applications that you will receive. However, you will have to keep this thumb rule in mind: younger the baby older the babysitter. So if you have an infant or a toddler to be taken care off then list down only those babysitters who are past their teens.
What to ask in Interview?
Okay! This could be a hassle as most parents can come down to this stage, go on interviewing numerous babysitters, and still not find an apt babysitter for their child. The problem lies somewhere else. Most parents are not aware of what to ask in an interview.
Firstly, ask for any references your prospective sitter might have. It's a good start as you can follow up the reference straight away and inquire more about the babysitter from someone who had availed their services prior to you.
Next comes the more regular questions like "How long have you been babysitting?"
"What different age groups have you watched?"
"What emergency and first aid training have you undergone?"
Is the babysitter CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) certified? In case, your child has some emergency. This is something that ought to be done, so ask the babysitter you are interviewing about how they would handle an emergency, bad behavior of your child or any tough situation. Better if you have a plot in your mind related to which you can ask questions and the babysitter will answer them.
First Time:
Once you have decided to go ahead with a babysitter then before hiring him/her permanently, you need to test them a little. Silently observe the behavior and interaction of your child and babysitter with each other. Go out for a dinner or party with your spouse and call back to check on the situation back at home. When you return, take a feedback from your child on the time spent with the babysitter.
Once you are satisfied with the expertise and behavior of the babysitter you can hire him/her permanently. A good babysitter normally charges anything ranging $10-$20 per hour depending upon the experience they hold. Qualities like friendly, adaptable, good mannered, mature, confident and responsible are indispensable for a babysitter.
The Most Popular IQ Test for Young Teenagers
By Alan Haskvitz
Intelligence is an elusive term to define. Howard Gardiner of Harvard has published research indicating at least eight types of various quotients. In other words, the probability that most individuals have above average intelligence in at least one area such as music, dealing with people, and even bodily-kinesthetic. Those divisions aside, common usage indicates that intelligence is the ability to learn and comprehend.
Regardless of what test or theory tendered, they are all based on a measurement of that ability from a slate of tests administered by a professional. The result is frequently called an IQ score or Intelligence Quotient. Usually the better the individual's reasoning ability the higher the score. Scores of 100 are considered average on some tests with the majority of Americans falling in that range. Only a few percent rise above the 125 range and the higher the number the more the student may need enhanced academic help. These students are often in Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) programs in California where differentiated curriculum is made available. IQ tests are also used to help identify students who are not performing well and may have a learning problem.
Before discussing some of the most widely used tests there needs to be caution given to the idea of IQ testing. These tests are not an exact science and having a child with a high score is not necessarily a guarantee of success in high school. Secondly, what most parents should get from the tester isn't just the score, but how to help their teenager. I have taught gifted children for 30 years and I highly recommend joining with other parents at the many websites to get ideas and resources. The site is posted below.
There are several tests used to measure intelligence of which the most well known are probably the Stanford Binet, the Wechsler (WISC), and the Woodcock Johnson.
Although many experts have their favorites, for evaluating children as to giftedness, the Stanford Binet is popular due to the range of scores. For example, the Stanford Binet evaluates both verbally and non-verbally in such areas as knowledge, visual-spatial processing, working memory, and fluid and quantitative reasoning and time is not as heavily weighed.
The Stanford Binet and the others provide a general verbal and non-verbal score and differ in the time taken to administer, the number of subscores offered, and how the tests were created. Also the parent needs to understand that different tests measure different types of intelligence and that the test scores from one test to another can't be compared with the scores of the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment (RIAS) been said to be higher than some others.
As the population soars there are more customers from IQ testing and thus a variety of new tests are been offered. Which brings up the question that is the best test for my teenager? Well, that is difficult because it depends on how the scores are going to be utilized. If it is just a number to share with grandma any test may do. If it is to determine areas of strength and weakness something as simple the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), although not an IQ test, can provide good feedback on areas of strength and needs. Best of all it is designed for the teenager and the scores reveal a student's ability in comparison with others of the same age. The Woodcock-Johnson test can also help provide parents with an age level comparison.
Perhaps the question shouldn't be which test is the most popular, but which test can give the answers needed.
This site enables a parent to see each type of IQ test in more detail.
www.hoagiesgifted.org/tests.htm
Teaching the Gifted Child and Links for Parents
http://www.reacheverychild.com/feature/gifted.html
On-line reviews of these tests from the Davidson Academy
http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Resources_id_12342.aspx