Paying students for good grades is a controversial practice, and many would argue that it cheapens the learning experience (pun intended). However, it appears that sometimes monetary incentives can be a positive motivation for struggling students if they are applied wisely. I'll go through some scientific findings on the success of incentive programs in schools and then give you ideas for how you can responsibly implement a reward policy for your student.  

Most often, your first sense of a book is your reaction to its title. The best titles make novels sound mysterious, exciting, or interesting, attracting readers. Well-chosen titles also give readers a sense of what they can expect to find within the pages of the book.

At the same time, a title is usually an author’s way of declaring what is and isn’t important in the book. A title can reflect a work’s theme or focus, pointing out the right frame of mind for reading.

So how does the title of The Great Gatsby work? What is it showing us about the book that we are about to read - and how does our understanding of the title shift as we make our way through the story? Is Gatsby really great?

In this article, I’ll dissect the different meanings of this title and explain the other titles that Fitzgerald was considering when he was writing the book.

Have you heard of online high schools and are wondering if they're a good option for you? Are you unsure whether they're a flexible way to get a high school diploma or just an internet scam?

Read this guide to learn what an online high school is, what the pros and cons of attending one are, and how to decide if enrolling in a virtual high school is the right decision for you.

Is there a particular subject you'd like to study, but your high school doesn't offer it? You may be able to take an independent study!

Independent studies can be a great way to take a class your school doesn't offer but you'd still like to take, whether to strengthen your college applications, prepare for future jobs, or just out of personal interest.

Read on to learn about independent studies, what their benefits are, and how you can take one yourself.

Many states use high school exit exams as a means of maintaining graduation standards across public high schools. In these states, exit exams are required for all public school students, and you must pass them to earn your high school diploma. It may sound scary, but they're really not all that bad. In this article, I'll go into detail on what exit exams are, what they're like, and how to make sure you pass!  

The Great Gatsby takes place during a time that's now known as the Jazz Age or the Roaring 20s. Wondering what the world was like when Jay Gatsby struck it rich in bootlegging? Curious to see how much Daisy and Myrtle's struggle for more echoes the lives of real women? Interested in the other ways that The Great Gatsby era matters to the plot of the novel? 

This article will guide you through the historical, economic, and social movements of the 1920's as they relate to events, themes, and characters in The Great Gatsby.

High school grades are very important in the college application process, but they may not always be the most accurate reflection of a student’s abilities. Grade inflation is a problem in many high schools, and it can result in issues down the line in terms of college performance and admissions chances.

In this article, I’ll go through what grade inflation is and how it affects you as a high school student.

Most students are faced at some point with deciding which foreign language to pursue. Some high schools offer many options while some offer only a few. Whatever the situation at your particular high school, the decision can feel very weighty: you're going to commit years of your life to learning a new form of communication, after all.

In this article, we'll explain how to determine the best foreign language to learn for you, such as your motivation and goals, along with some basic information on a few of the more common languages to learn.

Are you looking into online high schools and wondering if they're legitimate? Have you come across the word "accredited" and want to know what it means? Online high schools have been exploding in popularity in recent years, and, as more are created, it can be difficult to tell which are legitimate schools and which are little more than diploma mills.

Read this guide to learn more about online high schools, what it means for a school to be accredited, where to get an accredited high school diploma online, and how to ensure that you are choosing the best school for you.

In your sophomore year, you may start to feel anxiety about college, or you may believe that you don't have to think about college yet. While I'm not a proponent of intense worrying and don't think stress is healthy, you should start planning for college in 10th grade.

In this article, I'll walk you through the steps you should be taking in 10th grade to maximize your college options and reach your college goals. Also, I'll let you know which aspects of the college process you don't have to worry about yet.

Part of being a high school student is making a lot of decisions about which classes to take. While your foreign language courses may not be as critical to colleges as, say, which math classes you took, they are still something colleges look at and use to determine if you'd be a good fit for their school.

Also, if you play your cards right, the language you choose to study in high school could have a big impact on your future. I chose to study French and with my language skills I have been able to participate in an exchange with French high school students, get a job improving African schools, and spend a year in France teaching English.

I'll go over what colleges look for in foreign language study as well as the steps you need to follow in order to choose the best language for you.

If your grades have been on the lower side in high school, you might be wondering what steps you can take to improve your situation before you appy to college. With a C average, you may run into some trouble in the application process, so you should start taking measures to mitigate these problems now.

In this article, I'll go over what a C average means for you and how you can make smart changes to your academic strategies to end up with better prospects for college.

Because The Great Gatsby is nine chapters long, getting to Chapter 5 means that we’ve arrived in the exact middle of the story. Thus, it makes sense that this chapter takes a single event - Daisy and Gatsby’s perfectly romantic reunion - and uses it to both tie together everything that has been set up so far, and also to create such a delicate balance of safety and happiness that it’s clear that everything will soon crumble.

But before the bubble of love pops, enjoy the world’s most magical, most carefully planned “accidental” date.

There's a reason why magazines regularly put together lists of the greatest first lines in all of literature: book openings make a huge impression on readers. How a book starts helps us orient in the world that the book is creating.

First, it gives us our first idea of the narrator, and the type of narration we're going to encounter. Will it be a breathy first-person confession? Or a cool and detached third-person observation?

Second, it introduces the setting, letting us know where and when the story takes place - which is very important for modulating reader expectations. What we think about two people kissing in prim and proper Victorian England will be very different than what we think about the same couple in modern day Canada.

So what does the beginning of The Great Gatsby reveal? Read on for the meaning of this work's epigraph, its opening line, and its beginning paragraphs.

Act 2 of The Crucible takes us to the Proctor household, where we learn just how crazy things have gotten in Salem after the initial flood of accusations. We'll also find out the extent to which John Proctor's relationship with Elizabeth has suffered after his affair. By the end of Act 2, characters who were thought to be beyond reproach will find themselves in mortal peril as a result of unchecked hysteria.