Alaska Native Tutoring Is Recommended For Your Child

Alaska Native Tutoring Is Recommended For Your ChildFor children who need extra help in reading, Alaska Native students may want to take a look at Alaska Native tutoring. If you have a child that is struggling with reading, you may want to consider a variety of Alaska Native tutoring programs.These tutoring programs work to enhance the education and skills of Alaska Native students. A teacher will put a child through individual tutoring sessions. These sessions are based on how the child is progressing, and how much they have improved. If the student is struggling with one subject, a tutor will focus on that topic.Every child is different, so the student will be able to ask for changes based on what they need to improve. You can find tutors that work for one, two, or even four years. There are a number of professional tutors to choose from when looking for a tutor for your child.Because of the way that Alaska Native students are raised, there are fewer expectations for them. Many of them believe that every child is able to learn, and if they are not ready to learn a certain subject, they are not bound by the rules. Since Alaska Native students work with their own self confidence and are able to ask for what they need, this allows the child to succeed.When a child is working with a well qualified Alaska Native tutor, the child will know that the tutor is there to help them reach their goals. Each child has a different learning style, so they will work with a tutor that will work with their own learning style.You can find a program online, or speak with a tutor that works with many of the top tutoring centers around the country. You will find that a number of children are learning more every day and getting better grades, which helps them all around.The only reason you will find a child that is in need of tutoring is because they are struggling, and not because the child is going through a hard time. Even when your child is in trouble, you can find a resource tha t can help them, but you need to make sure that you are hiring an Alaska Native tutor, to help your child grow and learn.

What is it Like to Attend The University of New Mexico

What is it Like to Attend The University of New Mexico The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Roxanne received her undergraduate degree in biology and chemistry from The University of New Mexico. She is currently a tutor in Albuquerque specializing in algebra, biology, chemistry, and several other subjects. See what she had to say about her experience at The University of New Mexico:https://www.varsitytutors.com/algebra-tutors Describe the campus setting and transportation options. Roxanne: The University of New Mexico has very limited parking for students who do not live on campus. Most commuting students must purchase off-campus parking lot passes, and then ride shuttle buses to campus. Parking is expensive, so living near enough to campus to bike or walk is a great way to save money. The University of New Mexico parking and transportation department provides free city bus passes to students, which is another money-saving option. The campus is in the middle of Albuquerque between the Nob Hill district and downtown. The area is mostly safe, and the campus has thorough security. Lights have also been added around the more dimly lit areas of campus to increase night safety for students, but I wouldnt advise walking late at night alone. How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Roxanne:This question is extremely class dependent. Some professors are incredibly helpful, whereas others are busy with their work. Academic advisers availability also depends on the area of study. Most department advisers have open hours of availability, but the university-wide advisers have more limited hours. Teaching assistants tend to be incredibly helpful during their office hours/help sessions, but it is important to remember that they are also students, and they have limited availability around exam times. How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Roxanne:The University of New Mexico has a plethora of clubs and organizations, so every student should be able to find at least one that interests him or her. The school also hosts several campus-wide events for students to socialize and recruit for their organizations/clubs. Dorm life is dependent on the style of dorm that the student is placed in. The University of New Mexico has apartment style, suite style, and traditional dorms. I lived in both the suite style and apartment style dorms, and I much preferred the apartment style. Most students enjoy the community of the traditional dorms. Living in the dorms gives students many other opportunities to socialize through events scheduled by the Resident Advisers. The on-campus dining options are plentiful, and the main cafeteria, La Posada, was recently redone and is greatly improved. The area around campus has plenty of restaurants within walking distance, as well. Which majors/programs are best represented and supported? Roxanne:The University of New Mexico has a very diverse student body. Business, psychology, biology, and engineering are popular programs. I studied biology and chemistry. I began as a biology major with a chemistry minor, but I bumped chemistry up to a double major once I realized how much I enjoyed it. The university did a fine job of supporting my areas of study. The biology department has several advisers, making it relatively easy to find solutions to scheduling problems and other questions. The chemistry department is less supported, having only one adviser who is also the only adviser for the biochemistry department. How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Roxanne:I was shy as an incoming freshman, and I had trouble meeting and talking with people at first. I joined Nourish International, and I also became friends with my dorm-mates. Events like Friday Night Live and other student union building-sponsored events were also helpful in meeting other students. Greek life does play a significant role on campus. I never pledged a sorority, but I know many people who were members of Greek life. How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services? Roxanne:The University of New Mexico offers many students employment and work-study positions. The Career Center hosts several job fairs each semester. They tend to under-represent careers in the sciences, so for me they werent extremely helpful, but they do have many opportunities for other areas of work. How are the various study areas such aslibraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Roxanne:The main campus library has recently been redone. The main area has many supplies for group and private study. If the main area is crowded, there are also several other computer labs and study rooms. If students need absolute silence to study, there is an entire wing of the library where no noise is allowed. The student union building is a great hangout spot, and it also has a computer lab and print area. The dorm lounge situation is dependent on the dorm. Several of the dorm common areas are newly refurbished, but some of the older buildings have rundown common areas that arent great for studying. Describe the surrounding town. Roxanne:The University of New Mexico is in the middle of town between downtown and Nob Hill. Albuquerque is close to several beautiful mountain ranges with many hiking trails. Some of my favorite things to do besides hike are visit trampoline parks, go to movies, and play putt putt golf. Students go downtown a lot on the weekends. Downtown is within walking distance of campus if students arent opposed to a decent walk. There arent many reasons to go to opposite sides of town from campus because they are mostly just residential areas. The University of New Mexico is placed in one of the busiest part of town. How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Roxanne:Again, this question is dependent on the area of study. Lower-level courses that many students take for their core curriculum are extremely large. My first class at The University of New Mexico had around 300 students. The honors program only allows up to about 12 students per class to suit the discussion setting of the courses offered. The higher-level classes tend to have fewer students because there are more options to fulfill degree requirements. Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Roxanne:I worked as a Peer Learning Facilitator (PLF) during my senior year of college. A PLF is similar to a teaching assistant, but we only work in lower-level science courses that have a high fail/drop rate to help students pass those classes and move on in their degree paths. We also only work for classes where a certain portion is dedicated to active learning. My last semester, I worked for a General Chemistry II course and absolutely loved it. The professor I worked with was incredibly fair and helpful to her students. She wanted everybody to have the opportunity to do their best. It was awesome being part of that class. Working with a professor who was so encouraging to her students was great! Being able to be a part of that class was something I loved most about college, and I wish I discovered the position earlier. Check out Roxannes tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

American English or British English Divided By A Common Language

American English or British English Divided By A Common Language Difference in British English and American English Biscuits or Cookies?By Peter BallHave you ever asked yourself ‘Did I just walk on a colorful sidewalk, or have I just walked on a colourful pavement?’ Well, if you have then you are probably noticing (and getting confused by) the differences between American and British English.At LOI we have staff from both sides of the Atlantic and teach both varieties â€" but what are the differences? How important are they? And which form should you use?I can’t give you a detailed account of all the differences here â€" I don’t have the time, space or expertise. But I will try to outline the basic differences and give you a few clues about usage â€" and hopefully that will be enough to start you off!Difference in British English and American English Pronunciation difference between British and American English.The main difference between British and American pronunciation is that American accents tend to be far less varied than British ones. It’s a really noticeable contrast; here are a few numbers to think about:There are about 230 million native English speakers in the USA (64% of the total number of native speakers around the world) living in an area of over 9 million km2, but speaking only about 10 major dialects between them. Now compare that to Britain where 64 million native speakers (16% of the global total) live in an area of 242,500 km2 (about the size of Michigan) and between them speak a bewildering 50 different versions of the language!Of course, these differences are not confined to accent but include other features such as unique vocabulary and non-standard grammar. I don’t have space to describe this variety but you can find an interesting and entertaining introductory guide to British accents here.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrmfnYTOKFAThis huge variety is the reason why we need to have something called ‘Standard English’ â€" it acts as a baseline against which we can describe other accents. If we had no standard to consider and to use i n public broadcasts, newspapers and books, the language in Britain would simply diverge and fragment to leave us in our own tower of babel!So, right here, we can only consider the differences between Standard British and Standard American English. Thankfully these two forms are pretty similar and native speakers rarely have problems understanding each other when they use these forms. I am just going to look at the one major difference that I think everybody notices.The ‘Rotic’ /r/Now, we all pronounce Rs at the start of words like regular or rectangle â€" right? And we also pronounce the R sound when it is part of the first syllable as in pretend or pronounce. However, things get more interesting when we consider Rs in the middle of words such as garden or energy, and words that end with the letter like teacher or November.If you pronounce the R in the middle or final position in a word you are using a ‘rotic’ R and this is prominent feature of American English â€" because i t was a common feature of the English spoken by the early British settlers. This R has now been lost to Standard British pronunciation (and also to most â€" but not all â€" regional British accents).So in the sentence:Our regular teacher practised perfect proseThe bold Rs are rotic â€" and most British people won’t pronounce them, while most American speakers will.So, while there are a few noticeable differences in pronunciation, most native English speakers, from either side of the Atlantic, can understand each other’s pronunciation most of the time.Some people feel quite strongly about the way we pronounce things and my personal favourite comment on the subject is the song ‘Throw the R away’ by The Proclaimers; you can listen to it here.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUE2jeSaHeMInterestingly, one thing that always stands out in a really good English student is the way that they have native-speaker pronunciation for words and expressions that they learnt for the first time while living in Britain or Ireland. It shows that having ‘a good ear’ is an essential element to language learning.I think that when a student says ‘I don’t understand British accents’, or ‘Americans talk too fast’, what they are referring to is connected speech. Unfortunately, I don’t have the space here to deal with this topic (and it isn’t a difference between American and British speakers anyway â€" as we all do it!) perhaps it is a topic for another blog post… Spelling difference between American and British EnglishLike all other native speakers at the time, Americans in the 17th and 18th centuries used a wide variety of spellings, some of which differed from spellings common in Britain. The first attempt to standardise American spelling was also an attempt to ‘rationalise’ the spelling â€" to make it more ‘phonetic’. This process was largely the work of one man; Noah Webster, who published The American Spelling Book in 1783. Coming at the end of th e War of Independence, he saw it as an important political gesture ‘to have a system of our own, in language as well as government.’This book, and his dictionaries that followed, presented the more rational spellings that typify American spelling, here are a few of the main ones:BritishAmerican-re becomes -erCentre, Fibre, LitreCenter, Fiber, Liter‘-our’ becomes ‘-or’Colour, Flavour, HumourColor, Flavor, Humor‘-ise’ becomes ‘-ize’Realise, Advertise, IdealiseRealize, Advertize, Idealize‘-yse’ becomes ‘-yze’Analyse, Paralyse,Analyze, Paralyze‘ge’ becomes ‘g’Ageing, JudgementAging, Judgment‘-ence’ becomes ‘-ense’Defence, Licence, OffenceDefense, License, Offense‘ll’ becomes ‘I’Travelling, FuelledTraveling, Fueled‘l’ becomes ‘ll’Appal, Distil, SkilfulAppal, Distill, SkillfulOxford Dictionaries provide a useful summary here:http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/british-and-american-spellingAnother good summary herehttp://www.s pellzone.com/pages/british-american.cfmAnd you can find an exhaustive list of all the US/UK ‘pairs’ herehttp://www.tysto.com/uk-us-spelling-list.htmlSpelling Standardisation So what spelling should you use? The important thing is to choose a standard and to stick to it all the time:If you write, ‘There is a drop-in centre in our neighbourhood,’ you are using good British spelling. And if you write, ‘There is a drop-in center in our neighborhood,’ you are using good American spelling. But if you write, ‘There is a drop-in centre in our neighborhood,’ you are mixing the styles and it looks like you just don’t know what the correct forms are!So Remember:US English for the Americas and Asia, but British English for EuropeSet your spell checker to UK or US as appropriateIf in doubt ALWAYS check your dictionary â€" it should give you the alternative spellings (if it doesn’t then throw it away and get a better one)Keep a note of words that you typically spell wrong â€" it’s great to know your enemies!Grammar difference between American and British EnglishLuckily, there are not too many differences between American and British grammar â€" let’s look at the main ones.I love listening to, and talking about, rock music â€" but which of the following sentences are correct?Queen was a band from England.U2 are a rock group from Dublin.In American English collective nouns are treated as singular, as in the sentence about Queen, and in British English they are treated as plural, as in the one about U2.There are similar small differences in how we use prepositions, for example British speakers will say that they studied at university, whereas American speakers will say they studied in university. Also, a British speaker might say he plays football at weekends, but an American speaker will say he plays soccer on weekends.English speakers often use noun phrases, rather than verbs, to describe actions. If I tell you about my daily routine I might say somet hing like: ‘I shower every morning before breakfast.’ There’s nothing actually wrong with this sentence â€" but it sounds a little strange. I am far more likely to use: ‘I have a shower every morning before breakfast’. In this sentence have is a ‘delexical’ verb which means that is has no literal, concrete meaning and is just there to allow the noun phrase to describe the action.These expressions are extremely common in English â€" but where British speakers use have, American speakers use take: I’m overworked â€" I need to take a vacation. (US)She can’t come to the phone because she’s having a bath.(UK)Grandma usually takes a nap around now. (US)We used to have a walk in the forest every morning. (UK)We spoke above about how American English has attempted to introduce more ‘rational’ spellings â€" this is true with many verbs which have irregular past tense forms in British English, for example:The irregular British burnt, dreamt, learnt, smelt, spilt, and s poilt become the regular American burned, dreamed, learned, smelled, spilled, and spoiled.However, American English isn’t always the most logical form â€" the regular British dived, fitted, sneaked, and wetted, become the irregular American dove, fit, snuck and wet!The Present PerfectStudents often ask me which of the following are correct?‘Did you finish it yet?’ or, ‘Have you finished it yet?’Well, as I’m sure you are beginning to realise reading this article, they are both correct â€" they are just examples of American or British usage.The present perfect exists on both sides of The Atlantic and both American and British speakers use it to say things like, ‘I’ve never been to Africa,’ or ‘Have you ever broken your leg?’ However, there is a difference in usage with the adverbs just, already and yet.Did you finish that report yet? (US)I’ve already told you twice! (UK)He just arrived â€" he’s waiting in reception. (US)Sorry if I seem groggy â€" I’ve just got up. (UK)I haven’t finished reading it yet. (UK)I won’t join you for lunch â€" I already ate / I ate already (US)In Britain, and across all of Europe, we listen to American music, watch American TV shows and read American books. This means that expressions like ‘I just did it’ are quite common in spoken English â€" even if they are not considered as ‘standard,’ or actually taught in any textbook. When writing, as with all the other comments in this article, it is important to keep to one standard in you work â€" mixing your grammar is almost as bad as mixing your spellings!Before I finish this section, I should tell you that gotten â€" something many of us associate with American English â€" comes from old English and is still very widely used in Northern England and Ireland.You can find a good detailed summary of the points in this section here.http://www.onestopenglish.com/grammar/grammar-reference/american-english-vs-british-english/differences-in-american-and-brit ish-english-grammar-article/152820.articleFinally, a phrase like ‘Tell me what you already did’ has great immediacy â€" and sounds cool, here the Fountains of Wayne contrast this usage with less certain expressions!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xwqIeiqO2EVocabulary difference between American and British EnglishThe word ‘Americanism’ first appeared in Pennsylvania in 1781, coined by a Scottish minister who was comparing it to the word ‘Scotishism’. By 1806 Noah Webster, compiling the first dictionary of American usage defined the word as meaning ‘love of America and preference of her interest.’ Today the word refers to any word or phrase which is used in standard American usage â€" but not in standard British English.The earliest Americanisms were nouns for things which didn’t exist in Europe, like Skunk, Hickory and Opossum. Americanisms include some old English words that arrived with the earliest British settlers but later became obsolete in Britain, for inst ance Faucet, Diaper and Candy. These were added to by words imported by non-English speaking settlers such as Prairie, Chutzpah, Ranch, and Sauerkraut.Many common, everyday items have different names in American and British English, for example the American Elevator, Sidewalk and Pants are the British Lift, Pavement and Trousers. These words are so common that we soon become familiar with the differences. The main problem comes when words we think are familiar change their meaning when they cross The Atlantic! Words like braces, bog, pants, rubber, dummy, trolley and chips cause real problems because they are so common and familiar to us that we often forget that they have a different meaning! Here is a great summary of the main ‘problem’ words.http://www.bigstockphoto.com/blog/20-british-words-that-mean-something-totally-different-in-the-usIn some situations the differences in vocabulary are particularly striking. When we discuss our cars the British boot, bonnet, windscreen, p etrol, torch and gearstick become the American trunk, hood, windshield, gasoline, flashlight and stick shift.Confusion becomes a lot worse when we discuss our education. At school, it seems like nearly everything has a different name; the British break time, marks, staff room, rubber, holiday and glue become the American recess, grades, teachers’ lounge, eraser, vacation and gum. Also, the phrase public school refers to state education in America but private education in Britain â€" pretty much the opposite meaning!This confusion is made worse by the fact that the education systems in the two countries are very different. In Britain we all love High School Musical â€" but where are those children and how old are they? Are they at school or university? We simply have no equivalent institution in the UK.My advice for dealing with vocabulary problems is to always check with the person you are talking to, check the context if it is a written form, and always keep a list of ‘problemâ €™ words. Here is a complete list of the main vocabulary differences.http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/british-and-american-termsIdioms â€" The Icing on the CakeIdioms are a minefield! They are fixed expressions with a figurative, rather than literal, meaning and do not translate into other languages. They are used to emphasise and illustrate, and create a high level of fluency when used correctly. These phrases express much about the culture and history behind the language â€" but also a lot about the background and attitude of the speaker. This could include their sense of humour, feelings at the time of speaking, and attitudes to things like politics, religion, profanity, swearing, bodily functions, the weather, and sport â€" the source material for idioms endless!Interestingly, an American speaker doesn’t need to have a knowledge of, or interest in, baseball to use an expression like ‘home run’ just as a British speaker can understand that an ‘own goal’ is an uni ntended negative result without being football mad. This means that students don’t necessarily need to know the origin of an expression to be able to use it.For students, there is little point in studying or comparing the differences between American and British idioms. This is because idioms have more than one meaning and can be used in different contexts so that we can’t translate an American idiom into a British idiom â€" or into a non-English one. Also, British and American speakers share some idioms, but not others. Finally, there are far too many idioms for you to study and learn by heart â€" it is far better to deal with them as you find them, and use a few that you are confident with.Here’s my advice for dealing with idioms:Think â€" Idioms are unusual expressions. So ask yourself why that person is using an unusual expression. The reasons are likely to be connected with emphasis, exaggeration, or a high state of emotion! So check the context â€" and the facial express ion!Ask â€" this is what native speakers always do when clarifying meaning with someone from the other side of the pond (Atlantic Ocean â€" a great example of idiomatic understatement). Use expressions like ‘- so you’re pretty angry about that right?’ or ‘OK, you mean that you’re too busy at the moment.’Be honest â€" Try using ‘I’m sorry, but I don’t know what you mean.’Never translate â€" Idioms from your own language may use the same imagery and concepts, but they are unlikely to translate word-for-word into English.Tolerate your mistakes â€" You will definitely make mistakes and create confusion when you use idioms, so be brave and allow yourself the space to try, fail, and try again.Listen and notice â€" British people NEVER say ‘it’s raining cats and dogs’ â€" so why should you? Listen to what native speakers actually say in a given situation, and copy.Notes â€" Keep a notebook of your favourite expressions and add anything new that you hear. Try to us e new expressions soon after you learn them, this is called ‘use it or lose it.’Here is a reference for common British idiom.http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/And here is a much better resource, about American idiom, organised around topics and including discussion questions.http://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/in_the_loop_pages.pdfStandardisationOne version of English is no better or worse than another â€" so it doesn’t really matter which one you choose. Some people say that one version is easier to learn or understand than the other â€" but no research has ever proven this. This means that the version you choose should be based on your needs â€" for example most non-native speakers in South America use American English, and this is true throughout the Asia-pacific region. However, in Russia and all of Western Europe British English is standard.Mixing things up is generally a bad idea. If you mix American and British words to describe your car you could conf use anyone who is not a mechanic. A sentence like; ‘My favourite color is red’ is just bad spelling whichever way you look at it. And if you are mixing US and UK forms then how am I to know what you mean when you say ‘I’ve lost my pants’ or ‘can I borrow your rubber?’English is a wonderfully expressive language, and easier to learn than many others, it is spoken all over the world and can be a door to success in so many parts of your life. At LOI, we see it as our mission to help you achieve your goals with whatever form of English you choose!  ReferencesOnestopenglish / Wikipedia / The British Council / BBC Learning English / Oxford Dicionary / Cambridge Dictionary / Merriam Webster Dictionary / David Crystal â€" The History of English in 100 words / Plus the links provided in the textQuizWhat Form of English are the following?1                   I’ve never learnt to spell properly.2                   Sorry I’m late, which team is winning?3                   Jane usually goes hiking at the weekend.4                   You should always take a shower after exercise.5                   That’s a dangerous sport â€" have you ever gotton injured?6                   I like to have a walk with the dogs in the morning.7                   Did John arrive yet?8                   Who spilled that milk on the carpet?9                   Ireland are going to win the next World Cup!10               You never listen â€" I’ve already told you twice!Now translate them from American to British or vice versa â€" but make only the smallest possible changes!

Usually and Used To - What is the Difference [Examples+Video+Exercise]

Usually and Used To - What is the Difference [Examples+Video+Exercise] One  pair of words that we hear students having problems with in our English classes are Used To and Usually.Look at the examples below to see if you know when to use them.I dont (usually/used to) go to work on the weekend.Do you (usually/used to) work on Monday?I (usually/used to) walk to work when I lived downtown.I didnt (usually/used to) like broccoli.Watch the video to see how you do, then try the exercises below. I (used to/usually) drink coffee in the mornings when I was in school.I (used to/usually) drink coffee every morning.He (used to/usually) be a journalist.Now he (used to/usually) writes fiction.I am (used to/usually) staying up late at night.Ok thats it! You can write your answers in comments and we will reply. You can also use comments to ask questions.Want to try another quiz on used to and usually? Click here. Clemens I used to drink coffee in the mornings when I was in school.I usually drink coffee every morning.He usually be a journalist.Now he usually writes fic tion.I am usually staying up late at night. LOIEnglish Clemens.You made two mistakes. Number 3 and Number 5. Number 3 is: He used to be a journalist. This is about the past. When we talk about our profession in the present tense we dont say usually. For example: I am a teacher. He is a journalist. Usually indicates something that is frequent but not constant. Our profession is constant while we are working in the profession. So, even when Im sleeping at night, Im still a teacher.Number 5 is a bit of a trick question. In this case the correct answer is: I am used to staying up late at night. The meaning isnt about the past it is about the present but it signifies that it is something we are accustomed to. Notice the construction: to be + used to + verb ING. We wouldnt use usually in the present continuous form (to be + verbING) because we use the present continuous form to talk about something that is happening at the moment. For example: I am staying up late tonight! I usually stay up late on Saturdays. I used to stay up late every night. I am used to staying up late.I hope this helps! Adham Bel Karim i usually drink coffee every morning. LOIEnglish Very good Adham! You should try the other questions too! Lewis Great Video!!!!! Thanks Pauline Guédon Hello, Isnt there a mistake in the sentences Did you used to ? and I didnt used to. Shouldnt we use Did you use to and I didnt use to instead ? Thanks for your answer LOIEnglish Pauline,I had to do a bit of research to get a clear answer about this. It is fairly divided about the ed when used with did or didnt. My most trusted grammatical sources however, say that you are correct and there is a mistake in the video. We shouldnt add the ed when using did or didnt in a sentence. In spoken English there is no clear pronunciation difference thus making it a written mistake that is so common to native English speakers it is becoming more and more accepted. Just googling it I found several news headlines that use the ed ending with didnt. Ive read that used to is becoming a modal verb over time and that soon either spelling will be correct. Although, at this time I would write it without the ed with did or didnt. Thanks for the great question! It was a tough one. Im going to record the video over correcting the mistake! Joan Great tip. Lets see if I got it:1. I don’t usually go to work on the weekend.2. Do you usually work on Monday?3. I used to walk to work when I lived downtown.4. I didn’t use to like broccoli. Kristi Black please can you explain articles-a/an,the.no articles? please LOIEnglish These can be tricky especially if you dont have articles in your native language. Here is a video and Ill make a quiz about it sometime this week. http://www.skypeenglishclasses.com/skype-english-blog/videos/english-articles-the-video-exercise/Here is another that could be useful: http://www.skypeenglishclasses.com/skype-english-blog/videos/english-articles-video-and-exercise/One more: h ttp://www.skypeenglishclasses.com/skype-english-blog/dressing-girls-as-boys-a-lesson-on-articles-aanthe-and-gender-issues/ Kristi Black please can you explain articles- a/an, the, no articles? LOIEnglish I had to do a bit of research to get a clear answer about this. It is fairly divided about the ed when used with did or didnt. My most trusted grammatical sources however, say that you are correct and there is a mistake in the video. We shouldnt add the ed when using did or didnt in a sentence. In spoken English there is no clear pronunciation difference thus making it a written mistake that is so common to native English speakers it is becoming more and more accepted. Just googling it I found several news headlines that use the ed ending with didnt. Ive read that used to is becoming a modal verb over time and that soon either spelling will be correct. Although, at this time I would write it without the ed with did or didnt. Thanks for the great question! It was a tough one. Im go ing to record the video over correcting the mistake! Deren Saraçoglu Hello. First of all, thank you for the information you shared. But I`d like to emphasize one thing on the video and the exercises below the video that the negative form of used to is: I didnt use to or He/She/It didnt use to. But instead, I saw that you had written them with the -ed in the end. I think you might like to make the corrections. Thank you again, have a great day.

Giveaway Alert

Giveaway Alert Giveaway Alert Kumon North America is a proud sponsor of the PBS Kids animated series Ready Jet Go! Enter for a chance to win a  Kumon PBS Kids Prize Pack. Goodies include an Amazon Fire Tablet, Ready Jet Go! beach towel, PBS Kids series DVDs, and a Kumon beach bag. Here’s how to enter! Follow @Kumon_NA and @ReadyJetGoPBS on Twitter Like and retweet our contest post   Look out for this post on the Kumon North America  Twitter account  the week of August 19th! Official Rules NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.   Eligibility The Kumon Giveaway (the “Giveaway”) is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States (excluding Rhode Island) and the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are at least eighteen (18) years old at the time of entry. Void where prohibited by law. Employees of Kumon North America, Inc., or any of their respective affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising agencies, or any other company or individual involved with the design, production execution or distribution of the Giveaway and their immediate family (spouse, parents and step-parents, siblings and step-siblings, and children and step-children) and household members (people who share the same residence at least three (3) months out of the year) of each such employee are not eligible. Franchisees of Kumon North America, Inc. and their respective employees are prohibited.   The Giveaway is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. Participation constitutes entrant’s full an d unconditional agreement to these Official Rules and Sponsor’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Giveaway. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein. Sponsor Kumon North America, Inc., 300 Frank W Burr Boulevard, Suite 6, Teaneck, NJ 07666. Giveaway Submission Period The Giveaway submission period is from August 21, 2018 at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) to August 28, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. ET (the “Giveaway Submission Period”). Sponsor is the official time keeper for this Giveaway. How to Enter During the Giveaway Submission Period you can enter as follows: Follow @KumonNorthAmerica and @ReadyJetGoPBS on Twitter Like and retweet our contest post Each entrant is allowed only one (1) Entry during the Giveaway Submission Period. By uploading the Entry, the entrant agrees that his/her Entry conforms to all of the Official Rules, including, but not limited to, the Entry Guidelines and Content Restrictions as defined in Sections 5 below (collectively, the Guidelines and Restrictions), and that Sponsor may remove an Entry and disqualify a Participant from the Giveaway if Sponsor believes, in its sole and absolute discretion, that an Entry fails to conform to the Guidelines and Restrictions. Entry Requirements Each Entry: Must not contain material that violates or infringes anothers rights, including but not limited to privacy, publicity or intellectual property rights, or that constitutes copyright infringement; Must not disparage Sponsor, or any other person or party affiliated with the promotion and administration of this Giveaway; Must not in any way, either visibly or otherwise, contain any brand names or trademarks other than those of Sponsor or as indicated herein.; Must not include personally-identifiable information of anyone other than yourself; Must not contain material that is inappropriate, indecent, lewd, pornographic, obscene, hateful, tortious, defamatory, slanderous or libelous; Must not contain material that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual or promotes discrimination based on race, gender, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age; and Must not contain material that is unlawful, in violation of, or contrary to the laws or regulations in any jurisdiction where Entry is created. All Entries will be reviewed for content eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules before being judged. Entries containing false information, prohibited material or inappropriate content, as determined by the Sponsor, in its sole discretion, may be disqualified. Sponsor makes the final determination as to what Entries are eligible to take part in this Giveaway. Submission of an Entry grants Sponsor and its agents the unconditional, irrevocable, worldwide right to publish, use, adapt, edit and/or modify such Entry in any way, in any and all media, without limitation, and without consideration to the entrant, whether or not such Entry is selected as a winning Entry. BY SUBMITTING THE ORIGINAL ENTRY, THE ENTRANT REPRESENTS AND WARRANTS THAT HE/SHE HAS ALL RIGHT, TITLE AND INTEREST NECESSARY TO GRANT THE SPONSOR THE WORLDWIDE, IRREVOCABLE AND UNRESTRICTED RIGHT AND LICENSE TO ADAPT, PUBLISH, USE, EDIT, AND/OR MODIFY SUCH ENTRY IN ANY WAY AND POST THE ORIGINAL ENTRY ON THE INTE RNET OR USE THE ORIGINAL ENTRY IN ANY OTHER WAY AND AGREES TO INDEMNIFY AND HOLD SPONSOR HARMLESS FROM ANY CLAIMS TO THE CONTRARY. Winner Selection On or about September 5, 2018, the Sponsor or an independent judging agency will select one (1) entry prize described below in Section 9 in a random drawing of all valid entries received up to the point of the drawing. The entrant will be contacted by Twitter direct message and may be awarded the prize (subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with the terms of these rules.) Sponsor’s decisions as to the administration and operation of the Giveaway and the selection of potential winner are final and binding in all matters related to the Giveaway. Winner will be notified or about or about the selection date. Failure to respond to the initial contact within ten (10) business days of date of notification will result in disqualification. Odds of winning a prize depend on the number of eligible entries received before the respective selection during the Giveaway Entry Period. Limit one prize per person. 7. POTENTIAL GIVEAWAY WINNER IS SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION BY SPONSOR WHOSE DECISIONS ARE FINAL AND BINDING IN ALL MATTERS RELATED TO THE GIVEAWAY. 8. Verification of Potential Winner Potential winner must continue to comply with all terms and conditions of these Official Rules and winning is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements. The potential winner may be required to provide the Sponsor with documentation that shows he or she was an eligible participant. The potential winner will be notified by Twitter direct message after the date of random drawing. The potential winner will be required to sign and return to Sponsor, within ten (10) days of the date notice is sent, an affidavit of eligibility, and liability/publicity release (except where prohibited) in order to claim his/her prize if applicable. If a potential winner of any prize cannot be contacted, fails to sign and return the affidavit of eligibility and liability/publicity release within the required time period (if applicable), or if the prize or prize notification is returned as undeliverable, potential winner forfeits prize. In the event that a potential winner of a Giveaway prize is disqualified for any reason, Sponsor may award the applicable prize to an alternate winner by random drawing from among all remaining eligible entries. Canadian winners must also answer a skill-based question in order to claim a prize. 9. Prizes One (1) prize pack will be awarded. The prize winner will receive: One (1) Amazon Fire ® 7” LCD Display, 8GB with WiFi capabilities; One (1) Kumon beverage tumbler; One (1) Kumon tote bag; One (1) Kumon pencil; One (1) Kumon activity sheet; One (1) Kumon eraser; One (1) Kumon pencil sharpener One (1) Kumon parent guide; One (1) Kumon Publishing workbook; One (1) Kumon beach towel One (1) Kumon visor hat Four (4) Arthur glasses; One (1) Arthur plush doll; Two (2) Curious George plush dolls; One (1) Ready Jet Go pillow case; Two (2) DVDs of other PBS Kids series (such as Dinosaur Train, Arthur, Wild Kratts â€" DVD’s may vary); Thirteen (13) Curious George stickers; Two (2) Sticker Books (Arthur and Pinkalicious); One (1) Ready Jet Go water bottle; and One (1) Ready Jet Go beach towel Prizes are non-transferable, and no substitution will be made except as provided herein at the Sponsors sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute any listed prize for one of equal or greater value for any reason. Winner is responsible for all taxes and fees associated with prize receipt and/or use.   Entry Conditions and Release By entering, each entrant agrees to: (a) comply with and be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, and/or the Giveaway judges which are binding and final in all matters relating to this Giveaway; (b) release and hold harmless the Sponsor, Twitter, and their respective parent, subsidiary, and affiliated companies, the prize suppliers and any other organizations responsible for sponsoring, fulfilling, administering, advertising or promoting the Giveaway, and all of their respective past and present officers, directors, employees, agents and representatives (collectively, the “Released Parties”) from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liability, including but not limited to negligence and damages of any kind to persons and property, including but not limited to invasion of privacy (under appropriation, intrusion, public disclosure of private facts, false light in the public eye or other legal theory), defamation, slander, libel, violation of right of publicity, infringement of trademark, copyright or other intellectual property rights, property damage, or death or personal injury arising out of or relating to a participant’s entry, creation of an entry or submission of an entry, participation in the Giveaway, acceptance or use or misuse of prize (including any travel or activity related thereto) and/or the broadcast, exploitation or use of entry; and (c) indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Sponsor from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liabilities (including reasonable attorneys fees) arising out of or relating to an entrant’s participation in the Giveaway and/or entrant’s acceptance, use or misuse of prize. Publicity Except where prohibited, participation in the Giveaway constitutes winner’s consent to Sponsor’s and its agents’ use of winner’s name, likeness, photograph, voice, opinions and/or hometown and state for promotional purposes in any media, worldwide, without further payment or consideration.   General Conditions Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Giveaway, or any part of it, if any fraud, technical failures or any other factor beyond Sponsor’s reasonable control impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Giveaway, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Giveaway or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or any other promotion or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Giveaway may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. Limitations of Liability The Released Parties are not responsible for: (a) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by entrants, printing errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Giveaway; (b) technical failures of any kind, including, but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines or network hardware or software; (c) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or the Giveaway; (d) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the Giveaway or the processing of Entries; or (e) any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the Giveaway or receipt or use or misuse of any prize. If for any reason an entrant’s Entry is confirmed to have been erroneously deleted, lost, or otherwise destroyed or corrupted, entrant’s sole remedy is another Entry in the Giveaway. No more than the stated number of prizes will be awarded. Disputes Entrant agrees that: (a) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Giveaway, or any prizes awarded, other than those concerning the administration of the Giveaway or the determination of winners, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action; (b) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Giveaway, or any prizes awarded, will be construed in accordance with, the laws of the state of New Jersey, and the forum and venue for any dispute shall be in the county of Bergen County, New Jersey. If the controversy or claim is not otherwise resolved through direct discussions or mediation, it shall then be resolved by final and binding arbitration administered by judicial arbitration and mediation services, inc., in accordance with its streamlined arbitration rules and procedures or subsequent versions thereof (“Jams Rules”). The Jams Rules for selection of an arbitrator s hall be followed, except that the arbitrator shall be experienced and licensed to practice law in New Jersey. All proceedings brought pursuant to this paragraph will be conducted in Bergen County, New Jersey; (c) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering this Giveaway, but in no event attorneys’ fees; and (d) under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. 15. Entrant’s Personal Information Information collected from entrants is subject to the Sponsor’s Privacy Policy which is available here. 16. Giveaway Results For Giveaway results send a hand-printed, self-addressed, stamped envelope to Kumon Giveaway Winners List Request, Kumon North America, Inc., 300 Frank W Burr Boulevard Suite 6, Teaneck, NJ 07666. Requests for the winner list must be received by September 30, 2018. DO NOT SEND ANY OTHER CORRESPONDENCE OR ENTRIES TO THIS ADDRESS. This Giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Twitter. You are providing your information to Kumon North America, Inc. and not to Twitter. The information you provide will only be used for this Giveaway. You might also be interested in: Enter to Win! What are the School Readiness Skills that Preschoolers Learn in Kumon? How to Teach Your Kids About the Stars This Summer Celebrate Mathematics With These Three Pi-Tastic Activities! Giveaway Alert Giveaway Alert Kumon North America is a proud sponsor of the PBS Kids animated series Ready Jet Go! Enter for a chance to win a  Kumon PBS Kids Prize Pack. Goodies include an Amazon Fire Tablet, Ready Jet Go! beach towel, PBS Kids series DVDs, and a Kumon beach bag. Here’s how to enter! Follow @Kumon_NA and @ReadyJetGoPBS on Twitter Like and retweet our contest post   Look out for this post on the Kumon North America  Twitter account  the week of August 19th! Official Rules NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.   Eligibility The Kumon Giveaway (the “Giveaway”) is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States (excluding Rhode Island) and the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are at least eighteen (18) years old at the time of entry. Void where prohibited by law. Employees of Kumon North America, Inc., or any of their respective affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising agencies, or any other company or individual involved with the design, production execution or distribution of the Giveaway and their immediate family (spouse, parents and step-parents, siblings and step-siblings, and children and step-children) and household members (people who share the same residence at least three (3) months out of the year) of each such employee are not eligible. Franchisees of Kumon North America, Inc. and their respective employees are prohibited.   The Giveaway is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. Participation constitutes entrant’s full an d unconditional agreement to these Official Rules and Sponsor’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Giveaway. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein. Sponsor Kumon North America, Inc., 300 Frank W Burr Boulevard, Suite 6, Teaneck, NJ 07666. Giveaway Submission Period The Giveaway submission period is from August 21, 2018 at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) to August 28, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. ET (the “Giveaway Submission Period”). Sponsor is the official time keeper for this Giveaway. How to Enter During the Giveaway Submission Period you can enter as follows: Follow @KumonNorthAmerica and @ReadyJetGoPBS on Twitter Like and retweet our contest post Each entrant is allowed only one (1) Entry during the Giveaway Submission Period. By uploading the Entry, the entrant agrees that his/her Entry conforms to all of the Official Rules, including, but not limited to, the Entry Guidelines and Content Restrictions as defined in Sections 5 below (collectively, the Guidelines and Restrictions), and that Sponsor may remove an Entry and disqualify a Participant from the Giveaway if Sponsor believes, in its sole and absolute discretion, that an Entry fails to conform to the Guidelines and Restrictions. Entry Requirements Each Entry: Must not contain material that violates or infringes anothers rights, including but not limited to privacy, publicity or intellectual property rights, or that constitutes copyright infringement; Must not disparage Sponsor, or any other person or party affiliated with the promotion and administration of this Giveaway; Must not in any way, either visibly or otherwise, contain any brand names or trademarks other than those of Sponsor or as indicated herein.; Must not include personally-identifiable information of anyone other than yourself; Must not contain material that is inappropriate, indecent, lewd, pornographic, obscene, hateful, tortious, defamatory, slanderous or libelous; Must not contain material that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual or promotes discrimination based on race, gender, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age; and Must not contain material that is unlawful, in violation of, or contrary to the laws or regulations in any jurisdiction where Entry is created. All Entries will be reviewed for content eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules before being judged. Entries containing false information, prohibited material or inappropriate content, as determined by the Sponsor, in its sole discretion, may be disqualified. Sponsor makes the final determination as to what Entries are eligible to take part in this Giveaway. Submission of an Entry grants Sponsor and its agents the unconditional, irrevocable, worldwide right to publish, use, adapt, edit and/or modify such Entry in any way, in any and all media, without limitation, and without consideration to the entrant, whether or not such Entry is selected as a winning Entry. BY SUBMITTING THE ORIGINAL ENTRY, THE ENTRANT REPRESENTS AND WARRANTS THAT HE/SHE HAS ALL RIGHT, TITLE AND INTEREST NECESSARY TO GRANT THE SPONSOR THE WORLDWIDE, IRREVOCABLE AND UNRESTRICTED RIGHT AND LICENSE TO ADAPT, PUBLISH, USE, EDIT, AND/OR MODIFY SUCH ENTRY IN ANY WAY AND POST THE ORIGINAL ENTRY ON THE INTE RNET OR USE THE ORIGINAL ENTRY IN ANY OTHER WAY AND AGREES TO INDEMNIFY AND HOLD SPONSOR HARMLESS FROM ANY CLAIMS TO THE CONTRARY. Winner Selection On or about September 5, 2018, the Sponsor or an independent judging agency will select one (1) entry prize described below in Section 9 in a random drawing of all valid entries received up to the point of the drawing. The entrant will be contacted by Twitter direct message and may be awarded the prize (subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with the terms of these rules.) Sponsor’s decisions as to the administration and operation of the Giveaway and the selection of potential winner are final and binding in all matters related to the Giveaway. Winner will be notified or about or about the selection date. Failure to respond to the initial contact within ten (10) business days of date of notification will result in disqualification. Odds of winning a prize depend on the number of eligible entries received before the respective selection during the Giveaway Entry Period. Limit one prize per person. 7. POTENTIAL GIVEAWAY WINNER IS SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION BY SPONSOR WHOSE DECISIONS ARE FINAL AND BINDING IN ALL MATTERS RELATED TO THE GIVEAWAY. 8. Verification of Potential Winner Potential winner must continue to comply with all terms and conditions of these Official Rules and winning is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements. The potential winner may be required to provide the Sponsor with documentation that shows he or she was an eligible participant. The potential winner will be notified by Twitter direct message after the date of random drawing. The potential winner will be required to sign and return to Sponsor, within ten (10) days of the date notice is sent, an affidavit of eligibility, and liability/publicity release (except where prohibited) in order to claim his/her prize if applicable. If a potential winner of any prize cannot be contacted, fails to sign and return the affidavit of eligibility and liability/publicity release within the required time period (if applicable), or if the prize or prize notification is returned as undeliverable, potential winner forfeits prize. In the event that a potential winner of a Giveaway prize is disqualified for any reason, Sponsor may award the applicable prize to an alternate winner by random drawing from among all remaining eligible entries. Canadian winners must also answer a skill-based question in order to claim a prize. 9. Prizes One (1) prize pack will be awarded. The prize winner will receive: One (1) Amazon Fire ® 7” LCD Display, 8GB with WiFi capabilities; One (1) Kumon beverage tumbler; One (1) Kumon tote bag; One (1) Kumon pencil; One (1) Kumon activity sheet; One (1) Kumon eraser; One (1) Kumon pencil sharpener One (1) Kumon parent guide; One (1) Kumon Publishing workbook; One (1) Kumon beach towel One (1) Kumon visor hat Four (4) Arthur glasses; One (1) Arthur plush doll; Two (2) Curious George plush dolls; One (1) Ready Jet Go pillow case; Two (2) DVDs of other PBS Kids series (such as Dinosaur Train, Arthur, Wild Kratts â€" DVD’s may vary); Thirteen (13) Curious George stickers; Two (2) Sticker Books (Arthur and Pinkalicious); One (1) Ready Jet Go water bottle; and One (1) Ready Jet Go beach towel Prizes are non-transferable, and no substitution will be made except as provided herein at the Sponsors sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute any listed prize for one of equal or greater value for any reason. Winner is responsible for all taxes and fees associated with prize receipt and/or use.   Entry Conditions and Release By entering, each entrant agrees to: (a) comply with and be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, and/or the Giveaway judges which are binding and final in all matters relating to this Giveaway; (b) release and hold harmless the Sponsor, Twitter, and their respective parent, subsidiary, and affiliated companies, the prize suppliers and any other organizations responsible for sponsoring, fulfilling, administering, advertising or promoting the Giveaway, and all of their respective past and present officers, directors, employees, agents and representatives (collectively, the “Released Parties”) from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liability, including but not limited to negligence and damages of any kind to persons and property, including but not limited to invasion of privacy (under appropriation, intrusion, public disclosure of private facts, false light in the public eye or other legal theory), defamation, slander, libel, violation of right of publicity, infringement of trademark, copyright or other intellectual property rights, property damage, or death or personal injury arising out of or relating to a participant’s entry, creation of an entry or submission of an entry, participation in the Giveaway, acceptance or use or misuse of prize (including any travel or activity related thereto) and/or the broadcast, exploitation or use of entry; and (c) indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Sponsor from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liabilities (including reasonable attorneys fees) arising out of or relating to an entrant’s participation in the Giveaway and/or entrant’s acceptance, use or misuse of prize. Publicity Except where prohibited, participation in the Giveaway constitutes winner’s consent to Sponsor’s and its agents’ use of winner’s name, likeness, photograph, voice, opinions and/or hometown and state for promotional purposes in any media, worldwide, without further payment or consideration.   General Conditions Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Giveaway, or any part of it, if any fraud, technical failures or any other factor beyond Sponsor’s reasonable control impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Giveaway, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Giveaway or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or any other promotion or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Giveaway may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. Limitations of Liability The Released Parties are not responsible for: (a) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by entrants, printing errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Giveaway; (b) technical failures of any kind, including, but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines or network hardware or software; (c) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or the Giveaway; (d) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the Giveaway or the processing of Entries; or (e) any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the Giveaway or receipt or use or misuse of any prize. If for any reason an entrant’s Entry is confirmed to have been erroneously deleted, lost, or otherwise destroyed or corrupted, entrant’s sole remedy is another Entry in the Giveaway. No more than the stated number of prizes will be awarded. Disputes Entrant agrees that: (a) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Giveaway, or any prizes awarded, other than those concerning the administration of the Giveaway or the determination of winners, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action; (b) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Giveaway, or any prizes awarded, will be construed in accordance with, the laws of the state of New Jersey, and the forum and venue for any dispute shall be in the county of Bergen County, New Jersey. If the controversy or claim is not otherwise resolved through direct discussions or mediation, it shall then be resolved by final and binding arbitration administered by judicial arbitration and mediation services, inc., in accordance with its streamlined arbitration rules and procedures or subsequent versions thereof (“Jams Rules”). The Jams Rules for selection of an arbitrator s hall be followed, except that the arbitrator shall be experienced and licensed to practice law in New Jersey. All proceedings brought pursuant to this paragraph will be conducted in Bergen County, New Jersey; (c) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering this Giveaway, but in no event attorneys’ fees; and (d) under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. 15. Entrant’s Personal Information Information collected from entrants is subject to the Sponsor’s Privacy Policy which is available here. 16. Giveaway Results For Giveaway results send a hand-printed, self-addressed, stamped envelope to Kumon Giveaway Winners List Request, Kumon North America, Inc., 300 Frank W Burr Boulevard Suite 6, Teaneck, NJ 07666. Requests for the winner list must be received by September 30, 2018. DO NOT SEND ANY OTHER CORRESPONDENCE OR ENTRIES TO THIS ADDRESS. This Giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Twitter. You are providing your information to Kumon North America, Inc. and not to Twitter. The information you provide will only be used for this Giveaway. You might also be interested in: Enter to Win! What are the School Readiness Skills that Preschoolers Learn in Kumon? How to Teach Your Kids About the Stars This Summer Celebrate Mathematics With These Three Pi-Tastic Activities!

The 200th anniversary of George Boole`s birth

The 200th anniversary of George Boole`s birth Today is the 200th anniversary of George Boole`s birth (2 November 1815-8 December 1864). He was an English mathematician, educator, philosopher and logician. George Boole was the first mathematician who defined an algebraic system of logic in the 19th century. In honor of the  200th anniversary of George Booles birth, University College Cork decided to  join admirers of Boole around the world and celebrate  his contribution in mathematics. UCCs celebration includes  variety of  events throughout the day such as a  viewing of a  documentary film on The Genius of George Boole, academic conferences on his  legacy  and the birthday party in the heart of campus. George Boole is regarded as one of the founding fathers of computer science.  Boolean algebra is named after him, as is a Boolean datatype in many programming languages. Are you looking for a great math tutor with lots of experience and convenient scheduling? You’ve found what you’re looking for. All our tutors  have a large range of experience with all types of learning styles and offer tutoring in person or via  Skype.

Updates Design improvements, using the CEFR

Updates Design improvements, using the CEFR Its been a long time since weve posted on our blog, but we hope you know that doesnt mean we havent been making changes to the site. We uploaded a few changes recently and we just wanted to write a quick post to let you know what those are. Redesign Over time, italki has added many new features, including our questions and answers, and our notebook corrections. We think these features are helpful for our users, but its also added a lot of complexity to the website. In our latest design update, weve tried to simplify the user interface to reduce all the distractions. Where there used to be two user menus, now there is only one. Recent Updates now shows what is interesting We are also experimenting with recent updates to try and bring up more relevant information to you. Interesting is a feed of updates that tries to pick out questions, notebook, entries, and other information that might be useful to you. You can modify what is included in interesting by clicking on the gear icon. You can still see the previous recent updates (what your friends are doing) by just clicking on following to see what your friends are doing on italki. Adopting the European CEFR System We also decided to shift our language rating system to the European standard for language levels called, the strong>Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). While our previous system was easy to understand, we believe over time, these official standards will become more common. CEFR Explanation A1 : italki Beginner Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help. A2 : italki Elementary Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need. B1 : italki Pre-intermediate Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans. B2 : italki Intermediate Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options. C1 : italki Upper-intermediate Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices. C2: italki Advanced Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations. (Text was taken from the Wikipedia entry) Here is the link to the Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_European_Framework_of_Reference_for_Languages There are more changes coming up still we thought wed just post a quick note, as many of you have already noticed the changes. As always, if you have any suggestions or ideas, please keep sending them into feedback at italki dot com. The italki Team Updates Design improvements, using the CEFR Its been a long time since weve posted on our blog, but we hope you know that doesnt mean we havent been making changes to the site. We uploaded a few changes recently and we just wanted to write a quick post to let you know what those are. Redesign Over time, italki has added many new features, including our questions and answers, and our notebook corrections. We think these features are helpful for our users, but its also added a lot of complexity to the website. In our latest design update, weve tried to simplify the user interface to reduce all the distractions. Where there used to be two user menus, now there is only one. Recent Updates now shows what is interesting We are also experimenting with recent updates to try and bring up more relevant information to you. Interesting is a feed of updates that tries to pick out questions, notebook, entries, and other information that might be useful to you. You can modify what is included in interesting by clicking on the gear icon. You can still see the previous recent updates (what your friends are doing) by just clicking on following to see what your friends are doing on italki. Adopting the European CEFR System We also decided to shift our language rating system to the European standard for language levels called, the strong>Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). While our previous system was easy to understand, we believe over time, these official standards will become more common. CEFR Explanation A1 : italki Beginner Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help. A2 : italki Elementary Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need. B1 : italki Pre-intermediate Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans. B2 : italki Intermediate Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options. C1 : italki Upper-intermediate Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices. C2: italki Advanced Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations. (Text was taken from the Wikipedia entry) Here is the link to the Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_European_Framework_of_Reference_for_Languages There are more changes coming up still we thought wed just post a quick note, as many of you have already noticed the changes. As always, if you have any suggestions or ideas, please keep sending them into feedback at italki dot com. The italki Team

Announcing upcoming jobs in Kuwait!

Announcing upcoming jobs in Kuwait! Teach Away is currently hiring for jobs in Kuwait! Following successful North American interviews for schools in the UAE and Egypt, Teach Away is arranging upcoming interviews for teaching jobs in a brand-new American elementary school in Kuwait. Candidates who hold a valid teaching license and a Bachelors degree in Education are encouraged to apply.A degree in Elementary Education and experience or training in education technology are preferred.Jobs in KuwaitTeaching jobs at this American elementary school offer a  tax-free salary based on qualifications and experience, as well as a number of benefits for individuals hoping to teach in Kuwait:Accommodation provided by the schoolRound trip airfareHealth insurance provided by the employerSummer vacation plus time off for all national holidaysResettlement allowance to help with the cost of relocationShipping allowanceContract renewal bonusTuition discount for young dependantsFamilies and teaching couples are welcomeFor full job details , as well as a list of available positions, please see our list of teaching jobs.  Interviews will be held in Atlanta (February 19 - 20), Houston (February 22 - 23), and New York (February 25 - 26). Candidates who have already applied with Teach Away should feel free to contact janette (at) teachaway-dot-com directly to state their interest.Teach in KuwaitFlexible, open-minded teachers with 2-3 years of experience in their teaching subject should consider teaching in Kuwait as a way to broaden their experience, discover a new region of the world, and earn a lucrative salary package. Though every teacher has different spending needs and habits, jobs in Kuwait generally provide teachers with the opportunity to save a large percentage of their salaries.Kuwaiti culture is friendly and family-oriented, although teachers in Kuwait will also find thriving fashion and shopping districts. For educators hoping to work in the Middle East, teaching in Kuwait provides an excellent opportunity to experience life in this dynamic region.Looking for more information? Visit our Teach in Kuwait page for details about life and work in Kuwait.

Finding a New Career? Consider Becoming an English Tutor

Finding a New Career? Consider Becoming an English TutorIf you are looking for a new career or have decided to go back to school, consider choosing an English tutor. If you live in Toronto, a foreign language is a must.Many people choose to live in Toronto to start a career and find that their skills are not transferable. A big advantage to living in Toronto is that you can easily work from home. There are many opportunities for bilingualism in Toronto.You may be one of the lucky ones that get to learn another language right away. If you want to find an English tutor, the best place to start is with your local library. Many library systems provide full service tutors as well as translation services.In fact, there is no shortage of potential employers who are in high demand. The Toronto Police Service, the Ontario Provincial Police, Toronto City Council, Toronto Hydro, Humber College, and many other organizations need bilingual employees to fill their vacant positions. All you need to do is to go online and search for jobs in the area of your choice.Once you have located a suitable tutor, make sure you are clear on their fees and cover charges. Some tutors will charge extra for an individual consultation, while others may offer a reduced fee for their services.Some may only offer regular consultations, while others may require a workbook that includes revision and writing tests. Make sure that you get all the information about the tutors that you want before signing up for the first class.English is the lingua franca of today's world. There are jobs in other cities as well, but it is not as easy to come to grips with a new language. When you travel to Toronto, take advantage of the English language.