Category Archives for "School"

0 How to treat friends who aren’t telling you everything

fourcats asks: I sent you a question about ignorance from friends, and I did what you told me, but they say there is no reason for their distance. I am scared that I will fall in trouble for a thing that I haven’t done. I saw those friends talking with our teacher about a problem, and I think that might be the reason for their behavior. How can I know whether this is my mistake or a misunderstanding about me? And how can I be friends with them again?

Hi four cats –

I am only a dog.  I have no way of knowing what your friends are thinking or feeling, or what anyone said to your teacher.

But here’s the funny thing.  At least for right now, neither do you.

Yep, that’s what I said.  You have no idea of what’s going on.  Maybe your friends are blaming you for something horrible that someone else did.  Or maybe not.  Maybe you’re in huge trouble with the teacher.  Or maybe not.  Maybe your friends have actively decided to ignore you because they are furious with you.

Or maybe not.

So here’s the weird thing about situations like this:  You can Continue reading

2 How to build confidence after almost failing an exam

teejay 96 asks: Lately I’ve been feeling really down. I barely passed this important exam I took a few months back. I’m supposed to be preparing for the next exam in line, but I’m so demoralized. I tried so hard for the last exam and thought I would pass really well. But, that didn’t happen. I’ve lost interest in reading and I really don’t know what to do. Nobody understands and they all think I’m fine. HELP!

Hi teejay 96 –

This is a really fascinating situation!  I have to confess, we dogs have the exact opposite point of view.  If I walk outdoors and a squirrel is standing by me and I grab it, I don’t feel any particular pride.  But if I see a squirrel a hundred feet away, and I run after it and it runs fast and turns tight corners that I have to try really hard to take, and it runs up a tree and I leap and just barely grab it by the tail, and it falls off the tree but is able to run away from me and I chase it and just barely grab it before it gets under the fence…  I feel great!  That’s the most exciting part of my day, and I feel more confident of my abilities as a hunter than I did before.

You, on the other hand, seem to have been discouraged by having not passed that exam more easily.

And what’s worse, instead of the exam being so hard making you study harder for the next one, you’ve lost the spark that made you a Continue reading

0 How to prepare for final exams

pumpkin asks: I have my board exams soon and I’m not prepared for them at all. Please give me any ideas how I should manage my syllabus so I can have it done on time.

Hi pumpkin –

To be able to tell you exactly what to study when would require a lot more knowledge than I have – both about your courses and about you.  But I can throw a few recommendations your way.

Let’s assume you have exactly four weeks to prepare for the start of six exams.  And then they will stretch out over three weeks.

First of all, spend the next three weeks working very hard, maybe as hard as you’ve ever worked, to create study lists for every class you have.  In other words, I want you to put all the time you need into making sure that you’ve read all the material, that you’ve worked to understand anything you didn’t grasp (which might include asking questions of other students or teachers), and that you’ve written out everything you’ll need to know for the tests.

Did you note that I said, “written out?”  That’s not the same thing as Continue reading

0 Why are exams necessary?

Pakshi asks: Can you tell me why are exams important?

Hi Pakshi –

I don’t like being tested!  When I get trained for sitting, coming, staying, heeling, and all that, I enjoy the learning, but then I feel ready to go play.  But every trainer (even Handsome) insists on testing me.  “Why?!” I think.  “Why do they have to do this?  I know whether I know it or not!”

But the truth is, Pakshi, they don’t know whether I Continue reading

0 Is it best to have a birthday party at school or home?

fatima asks: I want to celebrate my birthday, but I am confused whether it’s best to celebrate it at home or at school.

Hi fatima –

It sure makes sense to me that you’d want to have the best, most fun, party you can.  And that you’d wonder whether that party would most likely be at school or at home.

The first question I have is whether your school allows parties there.  Most schools don’t want to spend time on things like that, since the teachers need the time they have to get the kids all the education they need.

But if the school is okay with them, then my next question would be whether most Continue reading

0 What to do if someone gets a crush on you

789decision789 asks: What do you do as a teenage facilitator, when your student is madly in love with you?

Hi 789decision789 –

I’m going to assume that the student you describe is younger than you.  My answer would be the same even if they weren’t, but it sure makes it easier if they are.

Given that I am about as adorable a dog as has ever sniffed a tree, I face this problem all the time.  And while it’s nice to be lovable to the world, and it’s great to be really attractive to someone you’re interested in, it really puts you in a tough position when someone you don’t want any romance with (or legally/morally can’t have one with!) lets you know they’re completely smitten with you.

But the reason it’s tough is that you don’t want to Continue reading

0 Is it wrong to be a “goody-goody” at school?

adriannaar asks: My friends are calling me a goody-goody and a teacher’s pet, just because I respect the teachers and help them and the office staff out. What should I do?

Hi adriannaar –

You know, we dogs get this all the time.  Other animals, whether the nobly independent wolves we’re descended from, or the snooty cats we like to chase, love to get on our cases.  “You do whatever your humans tell you!  You have no self-respect at all!  You hunt, pull sleds, find drugs, chase bad guys and foxes, protect homes, and then jump on your enslavers and give them kisses all the time!  You make us Continue reading

0 How to create an interest in artistic creativity

zeni asks: How can I develop interest in artistic creativity in students?

Hi zeni –

It’s a funny thing, but we dogs have absolutely no artistic creativity at all.  We enjoy pretty music and such, but our brains literally cannot create art in the way humans do.  In fact, no one can, except humans.  When a spider spins its gorgeous, intricate web, it has no idea how beautiful it is; it’s only doing what it knows how to do to catch flies.  And when a flower opens, revealing its incredible bright colors to the world, all it knows is that those hues tend to attract bees, which it needs in order to create new flowers.

So in a way, what you’re asking is how to engage your students in becoming human, in the most essential way.

So, how to do that?  Continue reading

1 How to teach children creative writing

tarika34 asks: My daughter has very poor creative writing skills; what can I do to get her to improve?

Hi tarika34 –

I’m really honored that you consider me a good-enough writer to give advice on this (most dogs aren’t known for their writing skills!).

Of course, just going to school should help your daughter a lot in her writing.  Hopefully she has smart, inspiring teachers, who will help her with the really tough stuff, like organizing her thoughts into clear sentences and paragraphs, and building her vocabulary (and, of course, the always-annoying disciplines of grammar!).

But when it comes to creative writing, what she really needs to develop are Continue reading

0 How to create an inspirational book

Christel asks: Hi! Our project is to make an inspirational book about family problems, love problems, friend problems, etc. that must include an advice for each of them. But I’m not a writer. I don’t know how to start a book, specifically, an inspirational book. I don’t even know what to write. Please help me.

Hi Christel –

I would like to create some books someday, but as of now, I haven’t ever done one.  So truly, if you look at my website, you’re seeing all I know about it!

Now I’m guessing that your assignment isn’t to publish a book (which is extremely difficult, especially these days), but rather to just create one.  There are lots of ways to do that, from old-school methods like stapling pages together or putting it all in a binder, to newer methods where the book is professionally bound.

But if you’re asking about how to Continue reading