SAT Time Again! Thoughts, Helps, and Ponderings

Last Saturday marked the first SAT testing date for the 2009-2010 school year. Students, mostly juniors and seniors numbering in the thousands, took the test. Some were confident. Some discouraged. Hopefully each student looked beyond the test and saw the gifts, talents, and unique personal qualities he or she has been given. Let's face it, the SAT will not be the first or the last challenge in the lives of our students. Success in life is not bound up in a test, and yet, the test for some, is an important tool. So how do we as parents find balance in this issue and then pass that balance on to our children? That is a question we all must ask and answer for ourselves. No matter what our answers, we can offer our students support, encouragement, resources, time, and a listening ear!

If you have a student working through the SAT process, walk along side. Here are a few helpful resources:

• The Official SAT Study Guide, The College Board

• 11 Practice Tests for the SAT and PSAT, The Princeton Review

• 10 Real SAT's, Third Edition, The College Board

• Vocabulary Cartoons: SAT Word Power, Sam Burchers

This listing is limited to print resources. On-line resources, including classes, are numerous. Check local resources (virtual schools, colleges, libraries) as well. Our sons completed an on-line class (Critical Thinking and Study Skills) through Florida Virtual School which was very beneficial. An out-of-state friend of mine attended a workshop on writing the SAT essay. You never know what helps are offered in your area, some free of charge. Ask trusted mentors in your circle of friends, they may be able to point you in the direction of tried-and-true resources.

Recently I picked up SAT Perfect Score: 7 Secrets to Raise Your Score by Tom Fischgrund, Ph.D. What an interesting read! I have not had a "perfect score student" and I am not sure I will, but I found the research thought-provoking. The author shares the results of his extensive study of "perfect score" students as well as what it took to ace the SAT. The results may surprise you. I blogged about it a few days ago at http://www.cherylbastian.blogspot.com/.

For those who have students preparing for the SAT, keep in mind the deadline for the December sitting is just around the corner, October 31. Register at http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/reg.html

Information about test dates and deadlines can be found at http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/calenfees.html.

"To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the approbation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To give of one's self;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;
To have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived —
This is to have succeeded."
Ralph Waldo Emerson