Free character education lesson plans are the subject of much wishing by educators. It reminds me of the idiom: “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.” First recorded about 1628 in a collection of Scottish proverbs, that idiom suggests that if we could have what we want simply by wishing, our lives would be easy. It suggests, too, that wishing is useless; we are apt to get much better results with action. Free character education lesson plans may not appear magically beneath our saddles.Free character education lesson plans do exist, and they do promise to make life easier for educators. Internet connectivity makes it possible for anyone to post hundreds of them in a few days. You must realize, though, that the free character education lesson plans you find may not be worth the cybernetic paper on which they are printed. You will probably get much better results by finding a quality program and investing necessary funds to purchase it.You may believe a tight budget makes that impossible Your administrator may have insisted that you use only complimentary materials. You may be shut up to an Internet search for “freebies.”If that is the case, you will want to search carefully. It will be essential to find qualified authors and qualified content.Qualified AuthorsFree character education lesson plans are of most value if authored by a qualified person. Teachers and administrators must consider the source. They must look, as it were, at the author’s credentials.· Is the author a trained educator?· How many years of educational experience does the author have?· What success in the subject area can the author claim?· Is the author a trained writer?· How many years of writing experience does the author have?· What success has the author experienced in writing?All too often, such examination reveals that free character education lesson plans were authored by unqualified individuals.Let me give you an example of a guidance counselor offering free character education lesson plans. I’ll call her Meg. Assigned to teach classes in moral values, Meg panics. She is not trained to teach any classroom subject, let alone moral values. She has been a guidance counselor for only two years, and that has been taxing enough. Her own children’s poor behavior shows that her success in moral training is inadequate, at best. Nevertheless, she must teach what was assigned, and she has no budget for it.Meg tackles responsibility as her first trait. She cobbles together a few of her own ideas on responsibility with a variety from Internet sources. Her presentation does not define responsibility accurately, but Meg decides it comes close enough. Meg makes no provision to assess current level of understanding regarding responsibility. She simply gives an oral presentation followed by discussion: students pooling their ignorance. Meg’s approach lacks memorable presentation, but Meg fails to recognize the need for such. She closes by tacking up a poster, and returns to her office – defeated.Over the next months, Meg grinds her way through that strategy with traits such as respect, honesty, fairness, kindness, and trustworthiness. She feels more comfortable with her formula as time goes by and then – one bright morning – an idea hits her:Free character education lesson plans!She wishes there were such, so other guidance counselors must wish the same. She could post her presentations on the Internet as free character education lesson plans. They will not earn money for her, of course, but the gratification of knowing that someone might use them is enough reward for Meg.She tries to make her notes coherent enough for others’ use. She has never liked writing, and never before wrote for publication, but it is not important, she decides, that the material be well written. The important thing is that others use it. She finds a website that accepts without question, and submits her free character education lesson plans.Many free character education lesson plans are offered by unqualified authors like Meg.Qualified ContentFree character education lesson plans must have qualified content as well as qualified authors. Look for these seven qualities.1. Clear, age-appropriate language2. Understandable, accurate definitions3. Assessment tools4. Stories for auditory learners5. Images or tangible objects for visual learners6. Physical involvement for kinesthetic learners7. Evaluation toolsFree character education lesson plans need not have every one of those qualities, but the majority of them should be present.ConclusionFree character education lesson plans may be among your biggest wishes, but remember: if wishes were horses, beggars would ride. You will probably get better results by silencing your wishes and taking action to order professionally written, quality material from qualified authors.

One of the most daunting questions about having a child with Down syndrome is how to best educate them. A child with Down syndrome will have more specific educational needs than a typical child.Mental retardation is the general rule for kids with Down syndrome, so you will be entering a whole new world of special education. But don’t despair! There are many systems set up to make sure that your Down syndrome child receives the best education possible, tailored to his or her needs.Laws Guarantee Your Down Syndrome Child’s EducationThe first thing you should know about Down syndrome education is that every child in the U.S. is entitled to what is called a free and appropriate education. That means that your child will be educated in the public school system in a way that fits his or needs, and this is guaranteed by law.When your child enters school, testing will be done to see what kind of services your child needs. An IEP, or Individualized Education Plan, will be written to address your child’s unique needs. If the school is not able to provide for your child’s needs, there is a process by which you may be able to get the school to pay for a special school that can.There are many different therapies and accommodations that the school can provide for your Down syndrome child. The specifics, in terms of which services are appropriate for your child, will be decided at your first IEP meeting.An IEP does the following:Identifies your child’s disability, and lays out how it affects their ability to be educated.
Lists goals that the child should be able to accomplish during the school year – both academic and functional, such as life skills goals.
Provides a mechanism for how these goals will be measured and assessed.
Specifies the specific aids and services that will be needed to meet these goals – for instance, tape recorders, sensory aids, note takers, aides, a modified curriculum and so on.A helpful website to learn more about IEP meetings is http://www.wrightslaw.com. IEP meetings are usually conducted once a year so adjustments can be made to your child’s services as he or she changes, if needed.Three Things to Look for in Your Child’s SchoolMost kids with Down syndrome are educated in public schools and receive special services. If you have a choice between public schools, or want to choose a private school instead, here are some things to think about.1. Will your child be educated in an inclusive environment or a self-contained classroom?A lot of schools these days educate Down syndrome kids in the same classes as other kids, pulling them out for specialty services like speech and occupational therapy. They have an aide to help them navigate the mainstream environment. This helps them learn better how to interact with their typical peers, and their peers how to better interact with people who have disabilities. Some still use self-contained classrooms, where people with disabilities are grouped together. Some use a mixture of both.Look into what transition support services the school offers for making the move from high school to beyond high school. This will become important later on.2. Supports Your Child May Need in SchoolThere are several different areas that your Down syndrome child may need support in once he or she enters school, and you will want to be aware of all of these.Academic support is an obvious one, but you will also want to make sure your child has support out on the playground.
He will need help interacting and feeling integrated with his classmates, and you will want someone there to make sure that no bullying is going on.
Some kids with Down syndrome will still need help in the bathroom, using the toilet, at least at the very beginning of their school years.Other areas of support can be added once you observe how your child is doing in school.3. Another Option – Private Schools for Down Syndrome ChildrenIf you feel your child cannot cope or thrive in a regular educational setting, there are private special education schools just for kids with Down syndrome. There are not a whole lot of them, and it is not the most common way to do things, but they do exist. (There are a lot of special education schools that accept kids with all sorts of disabilities, but fewer dedicated to only Down syndrome.) One example of a school dedicated to the education of Down syndrome kids is Pathfinder Village in Edmeston, New York.Education for Down syndrome kids can seem confusing and overwhelming at first, but you’ll get the hang of it. There are many resources available to guide you: books, websites, teachers, and other parents who have been there. This is where a support group with other Down syndrome parents will come in handy to share experiences with what works. With a little legwork, you will be well on your way to ensuring a wonderful educational experience for your Down syndrome child.

Education is one of, if not the most valuable attributes an individual can have. With education someone is able to solve problems, sell products, analyze data, and much more. There are many different types of continuing education available. There is industry specific continuing education. This type of education is usually required by the state and enforced by state legislature. Some common forms of continuing education are continuing legal education (for lawyers), insurance continuing education (for insurance agents), real estate continuing education (for realtors) and adjuster continuing education (for public and insurance adjusters). These are just a few of the regulated professions out there. Most of these professionals do their continuing education either online or in a classroom to meet their compliance deadline.Another type of continuing education is for individuals who want to go back to school to enhance their resume, change career fields or move up in their current company. Formal education at a college or University is one of the most widely used resources for everyone. College classes used to be done on campus, but now with technology changing online courses for adults have taken a huge leap. They are now almost as popular as adults continuing their education in a classroom. Many students complete a bachelor’s degree then work full-time for 15-20 years. They then find out they need higher education to continue to advance their career. This is where online education comes into play. Adults are able to balance their career, school, and their families at the same time. With the economy changing, other online students decide to go back to school for a complete career change. The healthcare industry for example has been booming. So a Master’s in Healthcare Management has been a popular degree choice over the past five years.Adults are not the only ones utilizing online courses. Many 18-25 year old students also pursue online education. Many feel online education is more flexible and easier to do. They also like the fact they are learning the same material whether in a classroom or online. This was a major issue some time ago. Employers perceived online education as a “discounted” degree and only hired graduates from a campus based institution. Times have definitely changed! Now, large Universities such as Penn State, Drexler, and even Harvard offer online classes and online degree programs. These larger accredited institutions have really helped change the perception of an online degree.