Monday, May 21, 2012

What do you do with a teenager who is so afraid to fail that she is afraid to try

What do you do with a teenager who is so afraid to fail that she is afraid to try?
My daughter has always been "the perfect child". And I'm afraid my telling her so may have set up a fear of failure for her. She is a very intelligent child but she makes horrible grades. I keep telling her how important good grades are for her future and she says that she gets it. In fact, she has an opportunity to go to Peru in June with the Girl Scouts, but it's contingent on her having a 3.0 GPA. She really wants to go and I see her trying, yet when she misses a day of school, it seems almost impossible for her to make up the work that she's missed. I see her trying, yet half of her grades are D's from work not turned in. It seems to me that maybe she just is not trying so hard so that when she has to hear the bad news that she can't go to Peru, she can say "well, I didn't really want to go that badly anyway". Thanks in advance for your feedback. She's almost 15 -- 9th grade. Daniel. She's the light of my life. I genuinely enjoy her company. And she lights up everyones room just by entering it. I can't help but smile when she's around. Thanks.
Psychology - 8 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Zig Ziglar has some motivation to share as do many athletes as Michael Jordan (I failed more times than I succeeded, that is why I'm a winner), Wayne Gretsky (100% of the shots not taken miss), Helen Keller (failure is a sign to keep on trying). You can grab their books for free from the library... try discussing it with her. Nothing ventured nothing gained. You can also pick up 7 habit of highly effective people... create a mission statement with her to help her focus. Failure is not failure if you learned something. Best of luck to you!
2 :
geez thats rough. myself i've always been a perfectionist, and as such, a procrastinator. also had trouble making up work after missing class. how old is the child? i'm giong to guess 6th 7th or 8th grade. here is what i propose, tell her of course as you have been, that good grades are important, and as such, taht you wnat to spend quality time with her helping her with her homework, so that she can get thsoe grades up. when i was that age, my mother was perfectly devoted to my academic life, and to be honest, i never woudl have got better than Cs if she hadnt. that is the hardest time, academically, because at that time, your brain is growing and youre in adolescence. its a crazy time, when shes a little older you wont have to help her. but i think you shoudl now.
3 :
I don't think that it's fear for the reasons that you believe it is... I believe that by failing, a child learns to muscle their way out from under the heavy expectations of a doting parent, and find out for themselves exactly how academically perfect they want to be as opposed to how much "less than perfect." you are willing to tolerate. . My oldest is a genius. He had a 160 I.Q. from an abnormally young age. I pushed and prodded and voiced my expectations, I showed him off like a show pony and pleaded and punished and cursed and swore when he slipped down past what were, MY expectations of his intelligence. In the process, I lost him for a little while... I didn't see why either... It was hard lesson to learn for me but Pride indeed does come before every fall... He... sat ME... down one day and using the voice I gave him, (but tried to silence, at the very same time whenever it was convienient to me.) he asked me; "Would you would love me as much if I got all B's instead of all A's?" It damn near broke my heart to see that he had been feeling that way for so long before actually coming out and asking me. I think THAT... Is where the fear lies. Not in a fear of failure. Children learn from their failures just as much if not more than they do from their achievements. Think about it... You know I am right! I don't pressure him anymore and although he is no longer on the Deans list and getting accomidations from the President... He is much, MUCH happier... and that, is worth the world to me.
4 :
Oh Comet...what you need to do is boost her confidence and ask her about the school work that interests her and what she dislikes. Don't argue with her, try to listen to her and talk to her about everything that is on her mind. I'm pretty sure your relationship with her allows this, I imagine you as a great parent. I worked with teenage girls back in my town and most of the time they are getting distracted by boys, hormones or because they don't see that what they do or don't has consequences until reality hits and heart break sets in. I used to talk to most of my students when their grades started dropping and most of the time it was because of trouble at home or because boys were starting to appear in the picture. If Peru is important to her, let her know in advance what the requirements for the trip are and that you are willing to help her in any way you can to reach this goal, but she has to be willing to go the extra mile even if she has to sacrifice something (like her time, hanging out with friends, talking on the phone, etc.) As soon as you see improvement of some kind, make sure she knows you are aware. Teenagers are going through a lot while growing up...all those changes happening all at once are sometimes just too much, but with patience and by avoiding confrontation you are sure to succeed. Good luck...Hang in there.
5 :
There is a very very very simple answer- love; spend more time together, and smile everytime you see her.
6 :
Wow. She just might be my female version. So far, no one has found a way to get my ass to working, so I only can wish you a good luck with that.
7 :
I think she could use some help with organization. The worst thing that can happen to any student is to get behind. Once behind, it feels like there is no way to ever be on top of things again. This in itself may be the cause of a lot of her discouragement. Being behind feels like being down a well. Kids are rarely taught how to organize themselves in the school system. In the Early Years, there are places in the classroom to hand in every type of paper product work going. Once a kid hits Middle Years, this changes. Students are expected to be more responsible and accountable and organized, but we have not really taught them how to do that! Know what her assignments are. Get a homework notebook, or dayplanner with an appropriate amount of room for writing down details. Be sure that you teach her to include the stuff (like texts, etc) that she needs for each assignment. Make a large calendar for her home school work space. Post assignments on this calendar every single time! Look at her notebooks and see how she takes notes and places her materials. If she uses scribblers or duotangs, assignments are really easy to lose as they are not attached to anything. Binders with dividers and the zip-up edges tend to 'retain' more information. At Wal-Mart they have these clear coloured plastic envelopes... they are the size of a standard sheet of paper.These are great for handing in assignments. Keeps everything clean. If you have to move from one organization system to another, have her bring home EVERYTHING so you can gauge the appropriate sizes that she needs. Now... My apologies for the long post... especially if your daughter has none of the troubles that I've gone on about. I have a bit more! (Sorry!) One thing that I do in my classroom for those afraid to try is "set them up for success." For some kids this just boils down to PROVING to them that they CAN do the work. How to do this? Teaching them what works for THEM in organizing is usually my first step. I acknowledge EVERY success, no matter how seemingly small. Discouragement is met with encouragement, tasks are broken down into smaller steps (I teach them how to prioritize so they can do so for themselves), and everybody uses graphic organizers like the calendar and dayplanner that I mentioned. It has yet not to work. We just tweak it so it fits the students needs... Best Wishes... hope some of my babble made sense! :) PS-> I forgot a bit... colour code by subject... and I check in EVERYDAY with my students to see how things are working for them... at least at the start. After that, they rise to meet expectations pretty quickly.
8 :
Yes, your daughter seems to be afraid of her future and the expectations she feels is coming from her parents or peers or both!! Maybe you have put too much pressure on her to succeed. Let her know that you love regardless of her "potential" and cut her some slack as far as her life choices go. It's Her Life not yours. She just needs more confidence in herself but maybe she heard how Much She Could Accomplish and it resulted in stress and fear of the future. Back off for awhile Mom and let her know that her life belongs to her, not to you!! Too Much Pressure!! I know you love her and want her to have the best life she can make for herself, but Herself is the point you need to understand. Let her make her own choices and plan her Own life. It will make you happier in the long run if you can stop asking more out of her than she is able and willing to give right now. If that doesn't work, or you can't get off her back, she needs counseling but it will revolve around exactly the point I am trying to make here. Good Luck!! We All Deserve to Live Our Own Lives As Individuals!! @8-]

Monday, May 14, 2012

Does she need Citizenship, Sponsorship or to be Married

Does she need Citizenship, Sponsorship or to be Married?
My girlfriend lives in Peru and wants to move to New York to work for a law firm. She will get her bachelors degree in general law from the best university in Lima. She also has lots of internship experience. In order for her to get a job here for a law firm, does she need to be a citizen? She has a travel visa for the next 10 years. Maybe a work visa? Is it difficult to obtain a work visa?
Immigration - 6 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
yyou gotta make a sacrifice and more to Peru..thats the best advice i can give
2 :
well, citizenship or a green card would certainly make that easier. however, a work visa would do, but that would be up to any potential employer to file the paperwork to allow her to get a work visa. It's more expense and time for the employer, of course, so she'd have to convince them she was worth it.
3 :
Your girlfriend needs to be sponsored by an employer before she can legally work here in the USA. The travel visa is known as a B2 tourist visa. Tourists are not allowed to work legally here in the USA. If a NY law firm will sponsor her, then she may receive permission to work here. If you decide to marry her, then as a US citizen, you would petition for your foreign-born wife to become a US citizen. It takes time, interviews and must be a legal marriage. It will not pass the "smell test" if it is a marriage just so she can come work here. Good luck to you both.
4 :
She will need to either be a legal permanent resident (which she could get by marrying you), or by getting a work visa. However, it is unlikely that she will be able to get a work visa in her field. To be a lawyer in the U.S. she will either need a US J.D. degree (3 year law degree), or the equivalent from her home country followed by an LLM degree (1 year law degree, usually requires the person be a lawyer in their home country). If she just wants to work as a paralegal (or something similar), she won't be able to get a working visa, because almost all working visas are only for jobs that require a minimum of a bachelor's degree, which a paralegal does not.
5 :
Your girlfriend is not allowed to work in the U.S. right now. She is not eligible for Citizenship: that requires that you first live here as a permanent resident for a period of time, usually 5 years. If you marry her now, you will be scheduled for a "Stokes" fraudulent marriage interview, because you have been married less than 2 years and because you are currently living apart. It will be very hard for you to prove that it is a 'bona fide' marriage at this point. Sponsorship is her best bet. Any law firm that wants to hire her simply has to file an I-140 petition on her behalf. Here is the link to getting the I-140: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=4a5a4154d7b3d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=db029c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD
6 :
1. you don't just get citizenship. Not even by marriage. 2. A law firm can sponsor her, but if she leaves the firm, then her work permit would be immediately revoked, as her reason to be in the US would no longer exist. 3. a travel visa EXCLUDES working in the country that issued the visa. 4. in order to work, she would need a social security number and that is separated from the immigration process

Monday, May 7, 2012

American Indian Peru protection beads

American Indian Peru protection beads?
My friend has recently been getting in touch with his spiritual and religious side. He's a Catholic. Anyway, today at work an elderly lady wearing an American Indian poncho came up to him with a bracelet made from beads and shells... she insisted that he wear it and say it was made by American Indians in Peru and it would be protection for him. She kept insisting and making it clear that it would be protection for him. Does anyone know anything about American Indians in Peru and what this bracelet could mean? Why would she choose him randomly out of all the people in the shopping mall?
Mythology & Folklore - 2 Answers
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1 :
Beads are/were used for hunting power, spiritual meaning, beauty, wealth, personal identity and protection. She may just have been a natural "seer" one who can sense attributes in people and he was just one that caught her attention. or she was there with hundreds of them and was hoping to get some money for it. either way the beads are pretty and she may have cast a protection spell on them so tell him not to look a gift horse in the mouth.
2 :
For hundreds of years Native Peruvians believed in the energy that certain beads have to protect the person who is wearing them from disease, bad spirits and envy from other people. I can't really tell what the beads that the old lady gave you can do, because different beads have different effects on you. The most well known one is the huayruro, which protects you from other people's envy (bringing negative energies and bad luck to your life). By the way, I always carry two huayruros in my wallet. It doesn't hurt to try.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

How do I keep a tropical plant alive outside during the winter months in north carolina

How do I keep a tropical plant alive outside during the winter months in north carolina?
I am tring to grow a bunch of tropical plants(most are native to Peru) in north carolina and was wondering if I could use a lot of mulch to protect the roots in hope it would go dormant each winter and return to normal growth in spring. I have had success with Angels trumpets like thisand am wondering if it would work with a tropical liana.
Garden & Landscape - 3 Answers
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1 :
All I can say is try it and see what happens. Heavy mulching is recommended for things like rose bushes in colder areas, so the root systems don't freeze and die. But, the problem with tropicals is that they expect good growing conditions year round, like they would experience in the tropics. I know something like a banana tree can easily be killed off completely during a cold snap, even in moderate climates like Southern California. Specifically what liana variety are you trying to grow? I've had success with clematis vines that would die off in the winter and sprout again in the spring (which actually surprised me - I thought I killed it).
2 :
I have lived in NC all my life. Now I live at the beach & it is impossible to keep tropical plants alive during the winter here. Winters here are nothing like the climates of Peru. You must bring tropical plants here if you want to keep them alive. Tonight the temperatures are in the 20's with wind chills in the teens. They just cannot survive outside in these temps. The only plant that has survived this cold winter are the hens & chicks. Since we have such mild falls here I keep my plants outside until about Thanksgiving. Then I bring them in until late March. Hope this helps to answer your questions. Good Luck!!
3 :
Charlotte here... and I built a greenhouse specifically to house my tropicals for the winter... no more room for them in the house!!!..... there's a few that make it here, but so few it's sad.... banana plants, the musa basjoo will make it... elephant ears make it if mulched... but everything else, from palms to dracaena to esperanza, bouganvillia, mandevilla, etc, all need protection from cold here.....the Montana clematis grows well here and survives winter nicely.... it would go up a tree where there was plenty of sunlight... http://www.malby.info/flowers/flowersbig/clematis_montana_rubens_170.jpg http://www.srgc.org.uk/discus/messages/283/32355.jpg but a vine that couldn't take the cold would have to resprout from the roots yearly and that's a lot of stress for a plant that would usually not face that struggle.....