It's been a few years since I have been directly involved with getting my own children ready for the first day of school, as they are older now, yet the memories are quite vivid. Actually, my daughter started this school year as a teacher for the first time, so a very different experience. It was fascinating to hear all that goes on from the teacher's perspective for a change.

Starting at a new school by moving from elementary to junior high or from junior high to high school can be anxiety ridden due to the changes and differences that are inherent at the new environment. The biggest changes are generally from elementary to junior high and again from high school to college, as the schedule is quite a bit different.

In my column last week I addressed the challenges of a student going from elementary school into Junior High school. This week I will touch on some areas to ponder for the student going from Jr. High to High School because here...the stakes are higher.

The past few weeks I have been writing about the differences between the transitions from elementary to junior high school, and then from junior high school to high school. This final article is about the transition from high school to college.

If A is a success in life, then A equals X plus Y plus Z, where X is work, Y is play, and Z is keeping your mouth shut.” -Albert Einstein. This tart statement by no less than Albert Einstein ties in perfectly to this week’s column on when to know the value of keeping one’s mouth shut.

When Spring Break arrives, for many, everything else in life comes to a halt. We drop our normal routines. Our schedules become more relaxed, and not much may get done. And that's the way it should be. This goes along with the old saying, "Stop and smell the daisies."

Learning our way around a kitchen is a necessary skill for basic survival, really. While no one needs to become a gourmet cook, learning basic cooking skills and proper nutrition is a valid use of one's time. This can begin at an early age. When my children were about 3 years old, I had them help in the kitchen.

My last column discussed teaching order by having young children learn to organize their toys and rooms. This time we go to the next step of keeping track of schoolwork and the accompanying papers. This can turn into a lifelong concern, as "papers" seem to plague the world and challenge even the most organized individual. Learning how to circumvent the problems early on makes sense.

After my last column on Teaching Our Children, which was based around learning to do laundry, the next logical subject seemed to be organizing skills of a more general nature. With all the toys, clothing, and school items that young ones are surrounded with daily, these young years are a wonderful time to impart the concept of order.

Yes, that's what I just said, "Do the laundry" to aid your child in learning and success. There are many excellent skills learned in doing the laundry. Let me explain...