Q: While standards for childhood development exist, you may need to tailor the objectives to your particular students. For instance, in general students from lower income backgrounds tend to require more intensive interventions early on, while students from higher income backgrounds have benefited from more access to books, one-on-one time with adults, and supplemental enrichment activities throughout their early childhoods and have a head start entering preschool. The same is true for students who come from English speaking homes versus students for whom English is a second language. Remember that the primary function of preschool is kindergarten readiness, so work with local kindergarten teachers to determine the most vital areas for focus. In general, these include:  Expressive and receptive language: Students should be able to speak in complete sentences most of the time, understand and follow directions with more than one step, understand vocabulary related to position, size, and comparison (such as like/different, top/bottom, in/out), and make simple predictions about a story.  Cognitive/learning readiness: Students should be able to match similar pictures; classify objects by physical features such as color, size, and shape; recognize pattern sequences; sequence up to three story pictures; retell a simple story; complete a simple puzzle; and identify five or more colors.  Phonological awareness and print recognition: Students should be able to recognize own name in print, point to and identify letters in name, attempt to write name, demonstrates book awareness (such as reading books from left to right and words read from top to bottom, even if they are unable to read), identify rhyming words, match at least 3 letters with their sound, use symbols or drawings to express ideas.  Mathematics: Students should be able to count up to five objects, match numerals 0-5 with that number of grouped objects, arrange numbers in order, identify at least three shapes, count to ten, and understand the concept of more or less.  Social/emotional preparedness: Students should be able to identify self by name, age, and gender; interact with other students; make needs known to peers and teacher; demonstrate independence by washing hands, using bathroom, eating, and dressing; and demonstrate ability to separate from parents.  Motor development: Students should be able to use pencils, crayons, and scissors with control; copy a line, circle, and X; hop, jump, run, catch a ball.
A: Create a list of developmentally appropriate learning objectives for your students.

Q: Resting for too long can actually make back pain worse, so limit your rest time. If your back acts up, only rest for 1 or 2 days. After that, try to do some light physical activity to prevent your back from tightening up.  While you’re resting, lay back on the couch with a pillow under your feet. This takes pressure off of your back. When you get back into physical activity, do some light walking and easy house work. Don’t lift anything heavy or do any activities that put a lot of stress on your back. For chronic pain, heating pads or hot water bottles are better than cold. Rest on the couch or a chair with a heating pad on the painful area. Keep the heat on for 15-20 minutes. Repeat this treatment 3 times per day while the pain lasts.  Heat is better for chronic pain, but if your back pain came from an injury, then use a cold pack instead. Switch to heat after the injury is 48 hours old.  If your chronic pain is sharp and focused in one spot, then cold may work better for you instead. Poor posture could cause chronic back pain or make it worse. Always sit and stand in a way that maintains the natural curve of your spine. When you stand, pull your shoulders back so your spine doesn’t slouch forward. Sit with your shoulders against the chair so your aren’t leaning forward and stressing your back.  You can maintain good sitting posture by rolling up a small towel and putting it in between your lower back and the chair, just where your back starts curving. You could also get a chair designed to keep your back straight. These chairs maintain the natural curvature of your back so you don't slouch and put pressure on your joints. Shop for products like these or ask your doctor for a recommendation. Side-sleeping is the most common sleeping position, and pressing your knees and hips together can be hard on your back. Fix this problem by pulling your knees up towards your chest and placing a pillow between them. This extra support helps prevent back pain.  Sleeping on your back is an uncommon position, but it’s even better for your back. If you sleep like this, put a pillow under your knees for extra support. Sleeping on your stomach puts a lot of strain on your back. Try to avoid sleeping like this if you have chronic pain. If this is your normal sleeping position, do your best to sleep on your side or back instead. If you suffer from chronic pain and your mattress is old and uncomfortable, this could be causing your problem. Go to a mattress store and lay on a few different products to see if they’re more comfortable than your current mattress. This could provide your back with more support and alleviate the pain.  Mattresses usually last around 10 years before they need replacing. However, if your mattress is still comfortable and in good shape, then it could last longer. Mattresses are a matter of personal preference, but in general, a very soft mattress isn’t ideal for back pain. Your back will sink into the mattress and fall out of its proper alignment. Always lay on a mattress for a few minutes before buying it to make sure it’s comfortable. Most mattress stores offer a warranty or comfort guarantee period when you can return the mattress if it isn’t comfortable. Being overweight puts extra strain on your back and could make chronic pain worse. Speak with your doctor to find an ideal body weight for yourself. Then adjust your diet and get more exercise to bring your body weight down to a healthy level.  Some extra physical activity while you’re losing weight is also good for your back. It keeps your muscles loose and ready for activity. Cut out as many processed foods as you can. Replace them with fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins like poultry and fish, and whole wheat products.
A: Rest for a day if your back is bothering you. Apply heating pads to loosen sore muscles. Practice good sitting and standing posture. Place a pillow between your legs if you sleep on your side. Get a new mattress to support your back better. Maintain a healthy body weight to take pressure off your back.

Q: After you’ve figured out exactly why you want dreads, gather your thoughts and put them to paper. Then, you’ll be prepared to effectively make your case to your parents. You may be surprised that your parents don’t really know much about dreadlocks.  Tell them how dreadlocks are created. Let them know whether you expect to style them yourself or go to a salon. Saying something like, “I’ve found this great hair shop that will style dreadlocks for a reasonable price,” lets your parents know you are serious and have done your research. If your parents are unfamiliar with the style, they may not know how easy they are to care for once you have them.  Bring a list of salons or hair shops in your area that specialize in dreadlocks. Your parents may be reassured knowing that your hair will be cared for properly. Show them samples of shampoos or other styling products (wax) that you plan to use with your dreads. If your parents are really opposed to your dreadlocks, it will be easy to stray from that discussion and just argue with them.  Your argument will be strengthened if you only talk about your desire for dreadlocks, rather than focusing on other differences you may have with your parents. Gently nudge your parents back to the topic if they stray away from it. It will be challenging not to get frustrated or upset if the discussion does not go well. However, if you remain as calm as possible, you will be perceived as more persuasive.  If the discussion becomes heated, suggest taking a 5-minute break. You could go for a short walk to calm down during this time. A good strategy for calming your parents could be to thank them during this time for taking the time to discuss this with you.
A:
Write down your thoughts. Educate your parents. Tell them how you expect to care for your dreads. Stick to the topic. Keep your emotions in check.