Gyms are pretty deserted at Christmas. Everyone is so busy with preparations, parties, and people visiting that it’s hard to adjust to getting there, changing, and following a routine as regularly as you would the rest of the year.

But don’t stop exercising altogether; you’ll find it much harder to get back into the swing of things if you do. Make exercise part of the fun and stay active until it’s time to hit the gym again in January. Maybe you enjoy the alternatives so much that you will never go back!

1. Do less

Just do ten minutes if that’s all you can handle. Ten minutes of anything, walking around the house, climbing stairs, skipping or hopping, anything that suits your fitness level and the equipment you have available at home. You can do it in the morning before taking a shower and it will give you energy for everything you have to do. If you can get in 10 minutes later too, all the better. You’ll maintain your fitness levels and use up some calories that you can probably use this time of year.

2. Take a class at home

Exercise videos are great if you don’t have a lot of time. You don’t have to go to the gym: you have everything you need at home. You can pick them up for next to nothing at charity shops or treat yourself to one or two for Christmas. And it doesn’t matter if you don’t know the moves or don’t have the latest fitness equipment, no one is looking!

3. Clean

No doubt you have to prepare your home for visiting friends and family anyway, so exercise. Put a lot of energy into it! Clear away all that clutter, and then wipe, vacuum, and polish everything to a shine. You’ll be ready for guests, maintaining your fitness levels, and using up some calories at the same time.

4. Active fun

If you have a lot of guests and can’t get your usual dose of exercise, organize some active fun for everyone. They could all go bowling or rollerblading. Or try a game of charades or Twister. If it snows, you can go sledding or have a snowman building contest. At least take them all out for a walk every day regardless of the weather. There will surely be some lights to go see or a local carol service to attend.

5. Dance the night away

Don’t be a wallflower. Take every opportunity to dance at parties (it will also keep you away from the buffet table) or just ask your partner to dance during the holidays. You will have fun, you will get closer and it will be a great exercise. Dancing consumes between 270 and 540 calories per hour depending on the speed.

6. Offer a helping hand

Stay active by volunteering your services in your community. You can help serve lunch at a homeless shelter or nursing home. Or just help your neighbors run errands and shovel snow. You’ll get a warm glow from both the helping out and the exercise, and you’ll feel so much better than after sitting all afternoon watching “White Christmas” reruns.

7. Escape

And if all else fails, next year book a ski vacation for your Christmas vacation instead of staying at home. There’s a whole year to save (and to beat the lines when you tell your family you’re leaving next year!) Skiing is fantastic exercise and you’ll come back fit, invigorated and without those extra pounds so many seem to pack on at Christmas .

Copyright 2005, Janice Elizabeth Small

During a marital crisis, you may feel like your whole world is falling apart and all your dreams are shattered. Hearing the words “I don’t love you anymore,” “I want to get a divorce,” or “I don’t know if I want to stay married” can leave you in shock.

Many feelings arise after the initial numb reaction: anger, fear, anxiety, confusion, resentment, bitterness, despair, and depression. It all seems hazy and a bit unreal, like this is really happening to someone else, not you. But, incredibly, it’s happening to you.

This is when you have to use every ounce of courage and strength that you possess and much that you didn’t know you had until now. Immediately, you need to create a space for some private time so that you can take care of yourself, regroup and create a plan of action.

You may need to take a day off from work, spend some time talking with a close friend, buy a notebook and start writing down your feelings and thoughts, or go for a long walk in the park. Another option is to call and schedule a counseling appointment as soon as possible.

Next, spend some time thinking about how you will handle the situation. His goal is to buy time so his spouse doesn’t run out the door early. You want to slow things down so your spouse can have time to reconsider and, if possible, agree to go to counseling with you.

During this time of crisis, you will have to be the “keeper of the flame of marriage.” It will be up to you to keep hope and love alive so that the fire does not go out. You can complain that it’s not fair and that it shouldn’t be that way.

But the bottom line is that if you want to save your marriage and your partner wants to break up, it’s up to you to take positive action. During the crisis, you’ll need to be willing to go above and beyond to keep your marriage alive.

And that means that despite your fear and anxiety, it’s up to you to keep hope alive, hope that your marriage will make it, hope that your partner will change their minds, hope that your marriage can survive this and be even better than ever.

Here are some tips on how to keep hope alive and cope with this time:

1. Do not give up on your marriage no matter what your spouse has said. People often change their minds. No situation is hopeless if at least one of the spouses is willing to do whatever it takes to preserve the marriage. There is always hope that your marriage can be transformed by loving energy. Many spouses reconsider their initial impulse to leave and decide that they have invested too much time and energy to simply throw their marriage away without at least trying marriage counseling.

2. Don’t take everything your spouse says personally. People often say extreme things when they are upset or trying to justify what they are doing. A partner who feels guilty about telling you they want to get a divorce can get very angry. A spouse who has never expressed her true feelings about things may eventually explode with a long list of her faults over the years.

3. Really anchor in your mind that how you react to the situation will have a huge impact on how things go from now on. If you keep bugging a spouse who wants some emotional space, you’re giving them the perfect excuse to go ahead and walk away. You can’t control what your spouse chooses to do or not do, but you can control how you choose to handle the situation.

4. Allow yourself to be “confused.” If your spouse asks what you’re going to do next, simply tell them that you’re confused and need time to think, that you don’t want to make hasty decisions. Being “confused” can deny a spouse who is just waiting to fight. It also buys you some time.

5. Honor your spouse’s request for emotional space, if that’s a problem. Step back and take some time to regroup, stabilize, and take the focus off your partner for the time being. You have a lot to lose if you let your anxiety get the best of you and demand immediate answers to difficult questions.

6. Make a list of all the things you can do to ground yourself and be more emotionally and physically balanced. Include things like working out at the gym, getting a massage, walking or hiking, letting close friends support you, listening to inspirational tapes on the way to work, reading books about people who have survived tough times, being empowered by your spiritual roots and connections, attend services at your church, temple or mosque, or start individual counseling sessions. Then make plans to implement the ones you think will help the most.

7. Decide that no matter what happens in your marriage, it’s important to you to know that you did your best and tried everything you knew how to do. So instead of constantly trying to figure out what the odds are that your marriage will survive, put your energy into doing what you can in a helpful way every day. Be proactive and take positive action.

8. Start expanding your life to include new interests and activities. Don’t wait until everything is settled about your marriage before you start enjoying your life as much as you can. Your marital situation may not be resolved, but that doesn’t mean you should brood and obsess over it all the time. Stretch to widen your world. When you have fun participating in activities that interest you, you become more interesting to others, including your spouse.

9. Make a conscious choice to stay positive and expect that something good and helpful will come out of this experience in the long run. Your expectation will affect what happens. If you have doubts, the energy of doubt will permeate your efforts. Tell yourself that there is always a creative solution to any problem. Trust your ability to be creative, flexible and resilient.

affecting the throat

Acidic juices that are pushed into the esophagus from the stomach cause acid reflux in the throat. The affected throat is irritated by the presence of acid contained in partially digested food regurgitated from the stomach. Persistent acid reflux can cause symptoms in the back of the throat or pharynx leading to sore throat and voice problems. These laryngopharyngeal symptoms, unlike the typical heartburn associated with GERD with which a person can easily identify, can catch the sufferer off guard and are therefore known as silent or atypical reflux.

Symptoms

Symptoms of acid reflux in the throat include excessive accumulation of phlegm or mucus in the throat, causing frequent throat clearing resulting in hoarseness or sore throat, a lump in the throat, choking sensation, and wheezing. A nagging feeling remains in the throat of a stuck coating or food. The problem is particularly pronounced in the morning. The voice does not remain natural and sounds slow. For people severely affected by acid reflux from the throat, there may be cases of pneumonia or laryngeal ulcer. This results as a consequence of an injury to the esophagus caused by the partially digested acidic juice. If reflux goes untreated for a long time, it can even lead to cancer of the esophagus or throat. The longer the disease persists, the greater the scarring of the vocal cords. Crying and irritable children can indicate that they suffer from acid reflux in the throat that causes respiratory problems, swallowing difficulties, choking, pneumonia and asthma.

things to avoid

Heartburn affected throat and vocal cords require ongoing treatment to heal. Symptoms of acid reflux in the throat are aggravated by throat lozenges and cough drops that contain eucalyptus oil and menthol, since in addition to causing irritation in the throat, they stimulate the stomach to secrete more acid. Other things that can aggravate the situation are mouthwashes, breath fresheners, chewing gum and hard candy.

I love baked chicken breasts, but I don’t like to fry them. It’s because the pieces are sometimes big and I usually fry just chicken thighs, drumsticks and wings. I find white meat better baked or marinated in a sauce. Here is a simple recipe you can try for baked chicken breasts.

I don’t eat Thousand Island dressing on salads. For me, it’s too heavy, and I like a light dressing or vinaigrette to top my lettuce. I had a bottle of Thousand Island dressing in the fridge and I didn’t want to waste it and didn’t know what to do with it. Since I had some chicken breasts, I decided to use the seasoning to marinate the meat for the best flavor. You can’t go wrong with this recipe, and the result is delicious flavor.

Ingredients

3 to 4 chicken breasts (I used bone-in)
1 cup light Thousand Island dressing
1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

Turn on the oven and set it to 350 degrees. Wash the chicken and pat dry. I’m not a fan of salt, and I didn’t actually use salt for this recipe as the dressing is high in sodium, but if you like salt then more power to you. I used cajun seasoning for the chicken making sure to season both sides. Place the breasts in a saucepan meat side up and pour the dressing over the chicken. Pepper sauce and chicken good. Be sure to use enough sauce to completely cover the meat. You can put it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour or put it directly in the oven. I marinate the chicken for about an hour before placing it in the oven. Remove from the fridge and pour a little of the sauce from the chicken breasts. If you put them directly into the oven, you can skip that step since the meat would cook in all of the sauce. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven to check for doneness, and sometimes I flip the chicken over in the pan. These chicken breasts will come out juicy and flavorful, and all you really need is the dressing to make them taste good. I also like to marinate the chicken fillets in the dressing, then dredge them in flour and fry them. Serve with steamed cabbage and rolls.

Most people have seen Disney’s animated movie “The Little Mermaid.” But there are several others that are absolutely excellent: classics. Are here:

1. My first choice for a mermaid movie is “Splash”. Not only is it fun and the plot is wonderful, but there are quite a few stunning shots of Daryl Hannah playing a mermaid in the ocean. We can’t get enough of that! Please note that this is not a children’s movie. It was made in the 80’s and for the most part it’s okay for the family to see. But there is a bit of nudity (as the mermaid walks into New York out of the ocean with nothing but her long hair to cover her) and there is some implication of what she and Tom Hanks’ character are doing in the elevator, though it’s not clear. shows nothing. The movie is wonderful, with a great story and incredible footage of mermaids and lots of laughs, as well as great romance.

2. My second top pick is “The Secret of Roan Inish.” This is a safe and calm movie that the whole family can enjoy. It was made in Ireland and as such is slower and quieter than most American movies. It is about a little Irish girl who moves to live with her grandparents. While she is there, she unknowingly stumbles upon the mystery surrounding the island the family used to live on, called “Roan Inish” (Seal Island). As she slowly solves the mystery, she brings healing and unity back to the family. In this movie the mythical creature is a selkie, not a mermaid. The selkie lives in the form of a seal. On occasion, she climbs onto a rock and removes her sealskin, revealing a beautiful woman. So this movie is a little bit different, and you’ll never look at a seal the same way again.

3. My third favorite mermaid movie is “Aquamarine”. This one is aimed at the teen crowd. It has nothing out of the blue, so the whole family can enjoy it. It’s a delightfully different take on the classic Little Mermaid story, with a wonderful surprise ending. The mermaid in this movie is different, more like a normal teenager. There are several good shots of her in the water. The messages in this film are of great quality, such as loyalty, friendship, self-confidence, selflessness and courage. And it’s also a lot of fun.

4. The fourth of my best mermaid movies is an old black and white classic called “Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid.” It will be a challenge to find this movie to watch, but VHS versions are available for sale on Amazon.com. All of the underwater footage was shot at the famous Weeki Wachee Springs in Weeki Wachee, Florida, just one year after this underwater theater opened. Made in 1948, this film is about a married couple who go on vacation to the Caribbean. The man is nearly 50 years old and going through a midlife crisis. While he’s on vacation, he accidentally catches a live mermaid from the sea! Ann Blyth plays the enchanting mermaid and you will love this wonderful movie. The only objections a parent could have is the extramarital flirtation theme and some funny scenes with a guy trying to quit smoking.

5. One that is a bit different, and that came out recently, is a Japanese anime movie by Miyazaki called “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea”, or simply “Ponyo”. In this one, the fish girl is depicted as a goldfish with a human face, which is quite strange. But in an unusual twist, this five-year-old fish-girl has to make the little five-year-old human boy love her faithfully, or she will turn to sea foam and be no more. It’s such a sweet performance, these little kids learning to love and trust each other in such an innocent way. It is a story of wonder and courage and should not be missed.

6. My pick for number six is ​​Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.” It was the movie that brought Disney back into the popular movie business in the 1980s. The music and story are delightful. I remember how delighted I was when it came out: it’s a delightful mermaid movie, fun for the whole family.

7. Number seven for me is the Russian adaptation of “The Little Mermaid”. This 1976 film shows many wonderful images of mermaids under the sea. Back then, swimmers only had small fins, so they had to flap their legs in a very fast motion to move. The underwater scenes are only at the beginning of the movie, but they are wonderful! (I can’t understand how those swimmers could be in the water with all those jellyfish!). You can find this movie to rent on Netflix and it is directed by Vladimir Bychkov. Again, this version of Anderson’s famous story is a bit different, almost a completely new story. Note that there is nudity in one scene and depictions of a witch performing magic. Other than those, the whole family will enjoy this one.

8. “Barbie Mermaidia” is a movie for young children, but the plot is good and the scenes are beautiful. I particularly enjoyed the unusual design of Barbie’s mermaid tail. In this story, the main character has to make a big sacrifice and learns some good lessons. I like this one better than the last Barbie mermaid movie because of its great message.

9. There was a lot of excitement this year for the new “Barbie in a Mermaid Tail” release. This one has wonderfully funny surf scenes. The mermaid world of Oceana was a bit strange, basically an imitation of our materialistic society. This made it fun, but the mystery and magic of the legendary sirens is lost in this setting. This is what I call a “fluff” movie: nothing deep, just funny visuals and a nice little story.

10. My least favorite mermaid movie is a children’s movie called “Roxy Hunter and the Myth of the Mermaid.” It’s about a young small-town journalist named Roxy who slowly discovers that her new homeless friend of hers (a beautiful blonde) is actually a mermaid. The movie is okay, but throughout the entire movie there are no underwater scenes or scenes with a mermaid on the tail, none, until after the end. Then finally you see about 10 seconds of the blonde mermaid swimming underwater with a beautiful tail. However, the story is interesting enough and kids will surely enjoy this movie.

Have you heard of Be Young essential oil? It’s the new company of world-renowned petroleum expert Dana Clay Young, and the company was founded by taking the health and wellness market by storm.

Dana Clay Young, PhD, a world-renowned essential oil expert and formulator, is one of the few people in the world who has been involved in every step of the process of growing and manufacturing therapeutic oils, from seed selection to the very end. . through the distillation process.

Dana has traveled the world studying with renowned scientists, doctors, and other specialists, and continues to learn about the chemistry of essential oils and their health benefits. She has been lecturing on oils and formulating oil blends for over a decade.

Standing with nature, Dana made a lifelong commitment to always have the purest, unadulterated essential oils she could provide. For years, Dana Young’s EOBBD Certified Therapeutic Oils have been renowned for improving people’s health and quality of life, because their goal is to produce the highest quality oils and blends available on the market today!

And now, those who have watched and worked with Dana Clay Young for years are excited that she has formed her own company: Be Young Essential Oil. If you’ve been using their oils, you’ll be glad to know that you can still find the oils Dana Young is famous for, such as Spice Trader (known today as Spice For Life), Algebra (Chiro Touch), TLC (Physical Touch), and Peace and Calming (Quiet Scent).

Dana also created the PAT (Physical Aromatic Touch Program TM) and the EAT (Emotional Aromatic Touch Program TM) to help people understand body language and how these oils can create a healing environment within the body.

People are loving some of the new inspired oils and oil blends that Dana has created, such as Ravensara, Brain Gem, Eye Vision, Eye Vision, Di-Gest, Guardian, E-Motion, Romance, and Gergelim Baru Carrier Oil.

Be Young Essential Oil not only has the best quality therapeutic grade oils, but this new company has been taking the market by storm by introducing even more exciting and unique cutting edge health products to help support your life and lifestyle! healthier!

Products like Masaji – a powerful live, raw food liquid supplement with maqui berries, that not only has the highest combined ORAC value (over 250,000) of any supplement on the market, but includes more concentrated marine phytoplankton than any other drink supplement on the market!

Working in partnership with Be Young, Dr. Jerry Tennant has an incredible line of EER program specialty oils and whole meal replacement drinks for weight loss. Be Young also has an exciting skin care line for healthy living. And then there are the amazing and powerful vegetable oils from the Brazilian Amazon that Dr. Young is working with Dr. Guilherme Oberlaender, MD, to introduce to the world.

And now, if you want, you can live healthier, help others live healthier, and earn money too by joining Be Young Essential Oil as a shared partner. And for a limited time you can join Be Young Essential Oil for FREE!

So whether you just want to buy the highest quality essential oils at wholesale prices, or you want to turn it into a home business by sharing these amazing essential oils with others, now is the time to start getting the most out of life. — Live the Be Young way!

Are you trying to reach your weight loss goals? Did you know that you can make small changes to your diet and still lose weight? Let me show you how to lose weight at home.

The following 7 steps will help you achieve your goals:

1.Breakfast

Do not skip breakfast. Skipping breakfast could cause your body to store fat, increasing your cravings for junk food. Doing this will also kill your mid-morning cravings.

A great day starts with a great breakfast. Make it great by adding protein and vegetables, this will also help you kill your cravings.

2. Drink more water

Experts talk a lot about drinking water. The problem is when you are not drinking enough water, because it causes hunger and not thirst.

Drink a large glass of water 30 minutes before each meal, it will reduce your hunger.

On the other hand, it will also help you burn fat. When you burn fat, you are sending all the toxins into your system; the water you drink will help you flush out those toxins

3. The 20 minute rule

If you chew more slowly, you will be eating less food. It takes about 20 minutes for her brain to receive the signal.

Take your time and really enjoy your food.

4.Add Vegetables

Would you like to know how to instantly prepare a healthier meal?

Add vegetables to every meal, it doesn’t matter if it’s a pizza; you can create a healthier meal by simply adding vegetables.

Do this and your body will better process what you eat, which in turn will help you lose the extra pounds.

3 more things to lose weight at home:

5. Avoid sweeteners

Experts say that some artificial sweeteners could increase your cravings. Instead, you can try using other types of substitutes, such as Xylitol Prayed Seville.

6. Fatty acids.

Increase your intake of Omega 3 fatty acids. You will burn fat by helping your body become more sensitive to insulin. Increasing your insulin sensitivity is vital if you want to be successful.

You can find it in chia seeds and flax seeds.

7. Multivitamins

If you don’t take in enough nutrients every day, your body will starve.

If your body goes into starvation mode, you will have a hard time losing weight.

Losing weight at home is easier than you think. Just start including these tips step by step and you will see amazing results.

Many people use an indoor potty for their dogs for some time. Testimony to this is the fact that the pet supply market is now awash with many varieties of indoor dog potties to choose from. To name just a few: Simple Solution Jump Start Pads, Patio Park, Porch Potty, Penthouse Dog Potty, PetaPotty, WizDog, Pet Zoom Pet Park, Ugo Dog, Potty Patch, Pup Head, Pee Wee Portable Potty, and Pet Loo.

Some of these products are developed for people who want a dog that is permanently taught to relieve itself in a designated spot indoors. But, the vast majority of people use an indoor potty for only a couple of months, until a young pup has developed the necessary bladder and bowel muscle control to “hold it” for periods of time between walks. Prior to that, a long-term confinement area, such as a bathroom that is locked or an exercise pen, can be used when you need to leave your puppy for longer than you know he can “hold” in his crate. In this enclosure, the puppy has access to an indoor potty.

Most people faced with the task of making the transition from indoor to outdoor potty training are those with puppies. In this case, the goal is usually for the puppy to go from using the temporary indoor potty to relieving herself exclusively outside. However, we certainly hear from people facing a more daunting challenge; Teaching your small dog who has been potty trained indoors to now also go outdoors or, even more difficult, to stop using an indoor potty altogether and instead only relieve himself when take a walk

When I meet with people for puppy lessons, I often start by asking them what their home training goals are. Those with medium or large sized dogs are usually quite light. They want their dogs to be potty trained quickly when properly walked and not to relieve themselves indoors. People with small breed puppies are often not so sure about their house training goals.

In a perfect world of dog training, people would carefully plan their long-term goals for their dogs before they even bring them home. In the case of choosing a potty spot, they would consider that even if having a small dog in an indoor bathroom seems convenient, it may not be wise to have this as a dog’s exclusive potty area, as in the something could change in your life in the future that makes it preferable for the dog to go to the bathroom outside. This could be (among many reasons) bringing another dog into your family or having a new partner who wants the dog to potty outside. Plus, going for a walk can be such an enriching part of a dog’s life (both physically and mentally) that it’s a shame it’s not part of her daily routine. So while one of the many reasons some people choose a small dog is because of the assumption that it will be easier in some way, it is generally recommended that small dogs be house trained outside, even if they are also teaches them to use an indoor potty for added convenience.

In addition to socialization, building reliable home training skills is a top priority. The good news is that once you help your dog develop a strong habit of pottying in a specific place, he tends to be particular about going to that place. But that also means that once you’ve helped your dog develop the habit of pottying her in a specific spot, it can be a little harder to change that habit once it’s become deeply ingrained.

Teaching your dog (whether a puppy or small adult dog) to relieve himself outdoors instead of or in addition to using an indoor potty will require diligent scheduling and time management on your part. Your main focus should be on giving your dog as few opportunities as possible to be indoors with access to the indoor potty when he needs to relieve himself. Instead, when he knows they need to go, he should take them (it is recommended to take them for the first few weeks, so there are no accidents when going out) outside to an area about 10 feet wide and walk. back and forth for five minutes without speaking to them.

If he doesn’t relieve himself during that time, pick him up and take him back where you’ll hold him for five to ten minutes on your lap before trying again. Make sure you don’t put your dog on the floor as he can relieve himself indoors and this will create a behavior pattern where your dog learns to go outside, sniff and then go back inside to relieve himself. In most cases, this in and out routine requires no more than a few repetitions before outdoor home workout success. However, it is advisable that if this is your first attempt at potty training your dog outdoors, you should probably spend a week or two walking your dog on a leash to his indoor bathroom before beginning the transition outside. This will give your dog a chance to become familiar and comfortable with leash elimination, something many dogs that have been potty trained indoors have not done before.

During this transition period, also be careful not to allow your dog to roam freely in your home, even when you are home. Each time you do this, the dog can continue to practice eliminating indoor pottying, which decreases the chances of a successful outdoor potty break. Instead, when you can’t give your dog your full attention, have your dog on a leash tied securely nearby or resting in his crate, either provide a couple of attractive and safe toys.

If you’re trying to eliminate the indoor potty spot, then be more diligent about it. Once you remove the indoor potty area, your dog may be so conditioned to go indoors that he will seek out other areas and surfaces that are similar to the old indoor potty. These can be doormats or bathroom rugs or newspapers lying on the floor.

It’s also vital not to punish your dog if he makes a mistake indoors. This is unlikely to teach your dog much more than to avoid relieving himself in front of you (the big bad pee-and-poop police!). In this case, your dog will surely hold you as long as possible when he leads you outside on the leash while he is standing nearby.

As you focus your energy on being a diligent manager of dog time in an effort to help your dog learn to relieve himself on a new surface (grass or concrete), in a new and potentially very upsetting environment (outdoors, free), remember that it may take your dog some time to develop a strong new habit. Your dog is counting on you to help him understand the benefit of going to this new place (by offering quiet praise and other rewards), and to help keep him from going to other places you’d rather not.

I remember anxiously waiting for the letter to arrive announcing the teacher my son would have for next year. So many times, it seemed like I didn’t get the best option. Now, as a teacher, it’s interesting to sit across the desk and wonder how many of my students’ parents think they could have done better.

In truth, most of the time I was disappointed with my son’s placement, I was proven wrong. Once given the opportunity, the teacher reached out and gave my son an excellent education. It is very easy to get caught up in rumors and speculation and believe that your child MUST have a particular teacher or they will be doomed. However, there are many factors that go into creating a cohesive classroom and they are generally considered to be in your child’s best interests.

For example, would your child be better educated by a teacher who will push them to work harder, or is a gentle approach better? Will the other children in the class form a complementary unit or are there children who are more disruptive? In the end, it’s part teacher, part students, and part how it all works together that makes a class a success.

Where I teach, we go to great lengths to create the most effective classes, getting input from the child’s previous teacher, the preschool director, and sometimes the parent themselves. If we think that two students are preventing each other from being more successful, we work to separate them. If we think a child is better served in a smaller class, we make sure he is placed there. If there are children who need additional support, we place them in a class with an additional teacher.

In other words, it’s not just the teacher who has to please you or not when they receive your child’s homework. Give it a shot even if you don’t get your first choice. Maybe her son got the best option for her instead.

And, in the worst case, even a not-so-great teacher is a learning experience for the child. One year, my daughter had a really bad teacher. I think she caused my son to have more doubts about her abilities. While I wish she hadn’t experienced that, she did force our family to work harder to instill confidence in our son. She taught him that sometimes you have to make a bad situation work, which is an important life lesson at any age.

So when you open your letter, stay positive. Have faith that your child will have a wonderful year.