Every Child Can Succeed

2011 Class Schedule is Out!

2010-10-15T17:29:00.002+08:00

We have been receiving enquiries on our 2011 schedule. Thank you for your patience. Click 2011 Schedule for the details. We look forward to hearing from you.

2010 Holiday Schedule is out!

2010-10-15T16:19:00.005+08:00

4 x 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 x 4
Without using a calculator, what is the number for the ones digit of the answer?

Can your child derive the answer in 1 minute? Yes he can, provided he possesses strong logical and effective problem solving skills. Strengthen your child’s problem solving skills by joining us this school holiday for an exciting and enriching learning journey. Our programmes include fun and interactive activities such that your child can learn to appreciate and enjoy math, in addition to encouraging your child to use effective techniques to conquer challenging and non-routine problems from top schools. Come join us!
2010 Holiday Schedule

"When you like your work every day is a holiday." ~ Frank Tyger

2010 PSLE Math Solutions

2010-10-07T23:12:00.009+08:00

2010 PSLE SOLUTIONS fresh from the oven (7 Oct 2010)

These few questions were texted to our mobiles by our students. The following solutions for all to check if they got them right. Our solutions are correct according to the questions provided by our students based on pure memory (the questions were accurate as we have double-checked with other sources). Hope you have done Exceptional well!

(Paper 2, Q18)
There are 2 tanks A and B. Tank A is 60 x 10 x 40 cm and Tank B is 50 x 20 x 36 cm. Tank B is 1/3 filled with water. Two similar taps are turned on to fill both tanks at 1.2 litres per minute. How long does it take for the height of water in both tanks to be the same?

Solution:

A base area = 60 x 10 = 600 cm2
B base area = 50 x 20 = 1000 cm2

When water flows in at 1.2 ℓ per minute the height will rise differently for both tanks.

Tank A’s height per minute = 1200/600 = 2 cm / min

Tank B’s height per minute = 1200/1000 = 1.2 cm / min

Let time be m when height of water in both tanks become the same;

2 x m = 1.2 x m + 12 cm (1/3 filled at first)

2m = 1.2m + 12
0.8m = 12
m = 15 mins

(Paper 2, Q5)
Gary and Fadzil were in a race. When Gary finished the race, Fadzil had completed 5/8of the race. Gary’s speed is 75m/min faster than Fadzil’s. If their speeds were not changed throughout the race, what is Fadzil’s speed?

.........G F
Dist...8u 5u
Speed 8u 5u

Speed diff = 3u = 75m/min
1u = 25m/min

So, F speed = 5u = 5 x 25 = 125m/min

(Paper 2, Q11)
There are 320 marbles and they are placed into box A, B, C, D. A has the most number of marbles while D has the least number of marbles. The difference of A and the other boxes are 8,13 and 19. How many marbles are there in box D?

A = A; B = A – 8; C = A – 13; D = A – 19

Total = 4A – 40 = 320
4A = 360
A = 90

D = 90 – 19 = 71

(Paper 2, Q16)
Nurul and Peili have $60 altogether. They went shopping and Nurul spent twice as many as Peili. The amount of money Peili left was $7 more than the amount she spent. In the end, Peili had twice as much money as Nurul.
a) How much money did Peili spent?
b) How much money did Nurul had at first?

Model:<----left-----> <------ spent----->
N -> ........[0.5x+3.5][ x ][ x ]
P -> [<---x +7----> ][ x ]

N = 0.5x + 3.5 + 2x
P = 2x + 7

Total = 4.5 x + 10.5 = 60
4.5 x = 49.50
x = 11

a) P spent = $11

b) N at first = 2.5x + 3.50
= 2.5 x 11 + 3.5
= $31

CYBER-BULLIED ON CHILDREN’S DAY 2010

2010-10-07T19:20:00.012+08:00

1 October is Children’s Day. It was supposed to be a happy day but we were not happy. As we gave out Children Day gifts, someone threw us a stinkbomb on KiasuParents.com’s forum, a popular parenting website. The vicious comments were subsequently embargoed by the site’s administrator as it was considered a personal vendetta by a disgruntled customer.

We need to set the record straight as some members of the public have seen the bad-mouthing by the suspect.

We suspect the post by a “Goldman” in the Kiasuparents forum was made by a disgruntled and highly agitated parent whom we refused his child's admission to our programme. This is because we found the potential customer to be unduly demanding and irrational. A parent who called us (rudely) at least 5 times just to get the address right and asked "difficult" questions that left us dumbfounded.

We were uncomfortable with his demeanor. There are concerns that we may not be able to meet up to his possible unusual requests and expectations, that may interfere with the way we run our classes. Based on experience, it is better not to accept such customers in the first place.

We feel that it is our responsibility to provide a conducive and happy environment for our existing students. We did the unthinkable. We rejected him.

Customer is king. We suppose it may be a case of inability of handling the truth and the suspected customer probably went berserk and went all out to bad mouth with the aim to destroy us.

On 30 September, we had a last conversation to reject this potential customer. And immediately on 1 Oct (Children’s Day), we discovered from Kiasuparents.com that we had been flamed under all references to us, viz Scharff and VIP learning. We suspect that "Goldman" is the same parent that we had rejected on 30 September. If so, we feel sorry for the child as the child didn’t get to attend a single lesson?!

We quote the late Mrs Lee Kuan Yew: “Sometimes without doing bad things, people will say bad things about you.”

We impressed on our students the importance of responsibility. Each and everyone of them can succeed when they hold themselves responsible for their learning.

As educators, we are responsible to ensure that they learn in a conducive, enjoyable and effective environment, on top of imparting proper techniques and approaches to problem solving in Mathematics. We partner with their parents to ensure continuity in the learning process at home. We value the strong relationships we established with the parents as they play the crucial role in tightening possible slack in the technique mastery process.

We hold ourselves responsible in providing a conducive and happy environment to our existing students and their parents. In very rare situation, we reserve the right to refuse entry to any potential customers that display irrational behaviour and present unreasonable demands that may disrupt the progress of the class.

We cannot allow our name to be wrongly tarnished by "Goldman". As such, we filed a police report on 3 October, 8 pm at Chong Pang Neighbourhood Police Post. This is to register the truth with the Authority and should the suspect continue his irrational behaviour, we will consider taking legal actions.

May the good prevail!

PSLE Guide - Effective Problem Solving

2010-07-05T16:09:00.012+08:00

Effective Problem Solving - PSLE Guide

Dr Goh Keng Swee's Perseverance

2010-05-19T20:17:00.005+08:00

15 May 2010, In a tribute to the late Dr Goh Keng Swee, Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim hoped the young would pick up this wonderful value of perseverance from Dr Goh:

“One thing young people should learn from him is to never give up. Persevere. That’s the most important thing. If not, we wouldn’t be here today. His legacy will be very, very long – from national service to education to finance. He was an amazing man.”

What has this to do with learning, you may ask. Lots of it! If a student faces a difficult math problem in school or a tough challenge in life, which will serve him better? Give up or persevere? Obviously, it is better to persevere. But, which is the easier way out? Some students take the easier way out because they do not have the confidence or the proper values called determination and diligence.

When boiling water, you do not turn off the gas before it reaches 100 degree, right? In learning, one should not quit before all effort has been put in responsibly. REMEMBER: Winners never quit, and quitters never win!

Giftedness and Hard Work

2010-04-26T16:33:00.003+08:00

Terence Tao, a Mathematics Professor in UCLA, obtained his Phd in Mathematics at the age of 21. He is well-known for his works in Mathematics.

From young, he loves numbers and patterns. He finds that this love sharpens his thinking. At nine, Tao attended Flinders University reading Mathematics. In 1986, when asked how he compared himself to the older students, he replied he is in the 80s to 90s. He is near perfect. We like his humility. He become smart because he (at 05:45 of the Tao video interview) is sure that “being smart is not really enough, you also have to work pretty hard.”

Math is also about being creative, and Tao won many honours for the stunning work he had created. From the videos, you hear from Terence how useful and the potential uses of Math in our daily life. Imagination and vision apply.

Perfect Score vs Excellence

2010-04-12T19:03:00.003+08:00

How important is it that our children score 100 marks in school?

Perfect score is a good goal to set. However, no one can be always perfect. The key is continuing to persist and strive for excellence.

One of our frequently asked questions to parents "What is your child's score?". So is Scharff VIP obsessed about scores? Definitely not! The child's score is just a general gauge. We will request a copy of the child's latest assessment papers to review his strength and weaknesses.

We do not select students based on grade or score. However we do reject students for unacceptable learning attitude. The students must be aware that the onus of learning lies with them, no matter what.

"Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing."

~ Harriet Braiker

Guarantee

2010-04-10T19:55:00.001+08:00

It is important that students understand the value of hard work and commitment.

FAQ

When can I see improvement if my child attend lesson at your centre?

So any guarantee if my child attend your lesson?

In the investment industry, investment companies are not allowed to provide guarantee on returns. Simply because there is no guarantee in all kind of investments.

In learning, similarly no learning centre can provide guarantee. The child's success depends the combined effort of the learning centre, the support of the parents and most importantly, the child's good habits, such as learning continuously, persistence and striving for excellence.

“There's only one thing that can guarantee our failure, and that's if we quit.”

Take Tuition Classes for the Right Reasons

2010-03-25T20:10:00.003+08:00

We refer to the Straits Times' article “Take tuition classes for the right reasons” written by Eisen Teo on 22 March 2010, we couldn’t agree more for what Mr Teo said. From experience, we feel that the soft skills which Mr Teo referred to are actually more important than the content in which the children needed help.

Without the proper values like correct learning attitude, it is akin to fetching water with a basket. Can anyone really fetch water with a basket? Can anyone really learn without the proper attitude?

In learning attitude, we inculcate and demand that students hold themselves responsible in their learning. They must get the idea at the outset that they have to pay attention, seek clarification and do the required practice in order to attain effective learning. Without this, all effort will be futile.

In an interesting scene from the reality TV show "Buzzing Cashier", which is about helping struggling hawkers, the disciple asked the master chef if there is a simple, fast and effortless way to cook a delicious dish, the master chef angrily retorted “There is no such thing in the world.” Similarly, in learning little effort equates to little achievements. If a student does not practice what he learns, then he has not learnt.

In the 2009 PSLE Math paper where students and parents complained that there were too many “killer” questions, about half of my student’s classmates gave up during that exam. It is a clear indication that many students lack will power and that caused students to give up when faced with difficult situation. This does not augur well for the future of our nation.

From experience, when a student possesses effective values, he will go far. Conversely, if a student does not wish to embrace effective values & habits, his future and achievement is limited.

Often Parents demand to see tangible benefit when they send students to tuition centres, within a short time-frame. Parents must realise that a child can start to experience improvement only when proper values are in place. There are Parents who fail to recognise this important aspect of learning. Without proper values, would engaging a Professor make any difference in the child's learning progress?

We strongly believe that Students and Parents must make appropriate mindset change in order to effect positive and sustainable change over time. There is simply no short cut to learning.
"Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere." ~ Chinese Proverb

Work Smart : Connecting the Clues - 2005 PSLE Math Question

2010-03-25T17:44:00.002+08:00

It is important to make use of the clues to problem solve logically.

Homework

2010-03-25T14:02:00.002+08:00

It is interesting to know that parents are uncomfortable with enrichment centres that do not assign a lot of homework. It is even more interesting to know that some parents view the amount of homework assigned as a sign of substance that the centre is capable of imparting to their students.

First and foremost, we do not believe in assigning a lot of homework. The objective of our homework is to ensure LEARNING CONTINUITY and MASTERY OF the CONCEPTS and TECHNIQUES taught in class. We value-add to our students' learning by sharing smart techniques to handle challenging questions. These smart techniques require practise to master, just like swimming or any other activities-be it sports, games, baking, driving, etc.

We all know that the more we practise, the better we become. From most enrichment centres' perspective, the more homework assigned, the better the student would be. However, there are many demands in a student's life other than that certain subject. The focus should be on quality, not quantity, bearing in mind that we are not living in the ideal world with no time constraints and infinite energy.

Given the minimal homework assigned, we are very serious about our student's ability to complete the homework. When any of our students failed to complete the homework, we found out that most of the time it is due to either

1. pure laziness-bad attitude, or

2. the student do not know how to solve the problem.

Root Causes

1. Lack responsibility. Being not responsible has its advantage, i.e. one can always blame someone else. Being Responsible is an important Habit.

2. The student's failure to problem solve is because he/she did not listen attentively in class and raised questions when in doubt. As we always emphasize, our students are responsible for their own learning. They must take the initiative in learning. Listen Attentively and Raising Questions are important Habits of the Mind.

Actions

1. Communicate to the parents and student.

2. Student to understand consequence of his unacceptable habit and to start take ownership of his learning

3. Parents and trainer to monitor progress

It will take time for the child to develop good habits. There is no quick fixes.

Often we have been reminded that if parents view the amount of homework with such high regard, it seems silly to not follow the masses. We believe that there are parents who would understand and appreciate our holistic approach.

"Take your life in your own hands, and what happens?

A terrible thing: no one to blame." ~ Erica Jong

Every Child Can Succeed, Given the Right Opportunities

2010-03-05T16:47:00.000+08:00

In order for lower income families to break free of the poverty trap, Ms Indranee Rajah made a proposal requesting for infant, child and student care facilities and tuition centres within the precincts of rental homes. Ms Indranee highlighted the importance of preschool and primary education and observed that "because if they do level up by Primary 6, then in many cases it will already be too late."

Ms Indranee is spot on to note that if a child does not improve by Primary 6, it will be late. This is what we have been advocating. Building a strong foundation at the primary level is key to success. We support Ms Indranee's initiative.

Values and Habits

2010-03-05T14:53:00.000+08:00

One of the frequently asked question : -

"Why is it that there are only primary level programmes at this centre?"

The answer is that primary level is the most critical stage in a person's development. Parents and teachers play a strong role in the child's development at preschool and primary stage.

We believe that when a child develop good learning habits, he is on the right path towards excellent performance. As the child acquire the proper values, such as discipline, determination, perseverance, which he repeatedly do and become a habit, parents can rest assured that the child will succeed in what they set their mind to. We work with parents to help the child develop these good learning habits.

”The chains of habit are generally too small to be felt until they are too strong to be broken." ~Samuel Johnson

Value - Responsibility

2010-03-02T16:53:00.000+08:00

Knowing past trends MAY help us predict the future. Based on the feedback from PSLE students over the years, the level of difficulty seemed higher in the 2005, 2007 and 2009 PSLE Math papers. If the past trend is anything that we can trust by, this year's student will be spared. Really?!

Truth or Fallacy? The best bet is to having our students continue to be responsible towards their own learning and maintain the mindset of "Being Prepared". You cannot but agree with our Senior Minister Mr Goh Chok Tong that these values are timeless.

Work Smart : Logical Reasoning - Smart Guess and Check

2010-03-02T16:05:00.002+08:00

Guess and Check the smart way. Imagine our students sitting for the PSLE paper fussing around with numbers over a Guess and Check question, totally not cool. We recommend a 3-step approach to derive the answer. Yes 3-step only and logically.

Reduce Careless Mistakes in Examinations

2010-01-10T15:50:00.001+08:00

To improve performance in assessments and examinations, we encourage students to take note of the pointers highlighted by John Yong in the attached article.

Work Smart : Approaches to 2009 PSLE Math Question 18

2009-11-09T16:23:00.002+08:00

Ratio-Cross Multiply Approach

Model Approach

NOW OPEN! Our Thinking Toolkit Store

2009-11-06T20:55:00.001+08:00

We are happy to announce that our online shop is now open!

We have selected some beautifully-crafted educational resources that are suitable for teachers, parents and children to add variety and fun to their learning journey.

"Production is not the application of tools to materials, but logic to work."

We will talk about the logic to learning of the educational tools that we are introducing in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.

Scharff - VIP Holiday Class Schedule Out

2009-11-04T01:01:00.000+08:00

Our latest update on Holiday Class schedule is out today , please check it out at:

http://www.scharffsystem.com/

Bilingualism at Fault?

2009-11-04T00:55:00.007+08:00

Read with interest (3Nov'09)today’s article which reported that MM Lee discovered that intelligence does not equate to language ability. I was happy that he voiced out.

There are many facets to intelligence. According to Harvard Don Howard Gardner, there are seven types of intelligences. They are Linguistic, Logical-mathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, musical, interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence.

Current intelligence tests only take into account the logical-mathematical portion of intelligence. A high IQ person simply means that person did well in the logical-mathematical type of intelligence. He may be poor linguistically or musically. Conversely, a musically talented prodigy may be poor at reciting multiplication tables.

I am not surprised at all that the bilingual policy made students suffer when students are taught by the direct method, using only Mandarin. Of course the English speaking children will feel demoralized and lose interest because they simply do not understand the lesson. Who wouldn't? I think this happens because the school system and the teachers may not understand their target audience. A cardinal rule in communication is you must understand your audience. To the English speaking students, the way to teach should be something they can understand, something they can relate to and most importantly, something interesting and fun. In addition, Dr John Medina’s book “Brain rules” says our brains cannot and do not pay attention to boring things. How true. That is communication 101, commonsense, right?

John Yong

Giving Up

2009-10-19T20:16:00.006+08:00

One my students told me that more than half of his classmates began to lay their heads on the table with a full half an hour to go during the recent PSLE math exam. In fact, students started to sleep with 45 minutes left in the exam.

“They did what? I don’t get it? They went ahead to rest and not doing any checking during an important exam? And with more than 30 minutes remaining??”

“Yes, they went ahead to “sleep”.” My student replied.

I was exasperated! “You mean they had finished the paper and then went on to “sleep”?”

“No, they didn’t finish the paper.”

“That means they have given up?”

“Exactly.”

I was speechless. This is an important exam. This represents their future. How could they give up?

What happened? Was the exam so tough that more than half of the classmates gave up? Was it that our students are too soft who give up easily? Is our education system working well when a large percentage of a class (my student's class) give up when faced with difficulty? And we kept telling others we have a world-class education system? Something is not right. What do parents think and feel if they see that their child give up during an important exam?

If my students or my child gives up during an important exam, my heart will bleed. I am glad they didn't.

Everyone needs to wake up! Students, teachers and parents, and including MOE!

I have a suggestion that may just solve one problem, that of lack of mental toughness. In sport, psychology was practised so that athletes can perform at their peak without succumbing to pressure and stress. Otherwise, all the effort and time spent on training will go to complete waste if the athlete could not perform on the competition day.

I recalled that even our table tennis team did not have a sport psychologist coaching them during 2008 Olympic games in Beijing, according to Li Jia Wei, our top player. And that might explain why one male player crashed out crying when left without a coach by his side. Could he be a bit soft on the mental side? I wonder.

What about providing some psychological support for our young students so that they have a tool to manage the stress during exams? Perhaps schools could work into the curriculum a component on stress management based on sound psychological principles.

How do I know if it works? I have coached (using Hypnotherapy) my students to use it when the stress get to them for the past 3 years. Even Tiger Woods uses it, why not us?

John Yong

Test Your Answer

2009-10-19T20:01:00.001+08:00

From previous discussion on how do we know if the answer is correct, we can perform a simple test to see if the answer follow the clues given:

Number of sweets Ken bought = 2 x (1u + 12)
= 2 x (22 + 12)
= 68

TEST: This step is not necessary but a great way to prove/confirm the answer is correct. Help student gain confidence throughout the exam/test)
1u = 22, so sweet = 34, choco = 7 u = 154

When we insert the answer into the structure, the resultant ratio fit exactly to the clues given (1:7) & (1:4).
That means our answer is correct. This simple step can be performed quickly using a calculator, and will boost students confidence tremendously as they knew they nail the question.

It is a great valuable trick that can be performed quickly yet give tremendous benefits. Try it on more questions and see how powerful it really is.

Cheers!

John Yong

Analyzing 2009 PSLE Killer Math Question 18

2009-10-11T00:05:00.001+08:00

Yes, it is the time of the year where tears spill over tough / killer PSLE math questions again.

From anecdotal evidence and discussions with parents of my students, maybe it is safe to conclude that the wave of PSLE Math killer questions occur in alternate years. Such killer questions always manage to draw out some precious tears from our precocious students. It is the same teary situation on 8 Oct 2009. The main culprit was said to be Question 18.

Let's have a glimpse of what this monster question is all about:

Q18 PSLE 2009 (5 m)
Jim bought some chocolates and gave half to Ken. Ken bought some sweets and gave half to Jim. When Jim ate 12 sweets while Ken ate 18 chocolates, the ratio of Jim's number of sweet to number of chocolate is 1: 7 while the ratio of Ken's number of sweets to number of chocolate is 1: 4. How many sweets did Ken buy?

Let's try to understand what made this question a killer. Most students find this question challenging due to Three main reasons:

1) Most students have not been exposed to logical-connect technique to make sense of two separate sets of clues.

2) Most students will be caught off guard as there is a "twist" embedded in the question, which required higher order crititcal thinking from students.

3) Lack of mental toughness

We will discuss in details in future blog on how to develop the above skills that most students lack so that such killer questions can be slayed effectively.

Without further ado, Here it is. Hope you enjoy the solution and experience a relief that such Killer question can be slayed after all.

SOLUTION: uMOLOCO FRAMEWORK

Understand & model

Logical connect

Using ratio given, we work backward to get the original unit of sweets and chocolate:
At first, 1 s = 1u +12 (add back); 1 c = 7u

Using cross multiply on Ken's numbers:
(1u + 12) x 4 = (7u -18) x 1
4u + 48 = 7u - 18
66 = 3u
22 = 1u

Number of sweets Ken bought = 2 x (1u + 12)
= 2 x (22 + 12)
= 68

But how do we know if our answer is correct? In tackling a tough question, it can be unnerving to arrive at a solution but unsure if it is correct or if all hard work end up in vain. Fear not, in our next update we will show you an effective way to confirm if the answer is correct.

John Yong

2009 June Holiday Break Programmes

2009-05-21T03:38:00.000+08:00

Please feel free to contact us on our holiday programmes for this June school break. The schedule can be found in this link http://www.scharffsystem.com/2009%20June%20Holiday%20Programmes.pdf

VIP Learning Centre

2009-05-21T00:46:00.000+08:00

We are excited to announce that our subsidary centre, VIP Learning Centre in Yishun will be ready to receive her first batch of students, starting 1 June 2009.

Why VIP? V, I and P represents values, intelligence and psychology ie mindset respectively, which constitute to our V-I-P Success model. http://www.scharffsystem.com/oursystem.html We take it as our duty to encourage our young learners to understand and adopt the good values and habits of the mind; and the Art of Socratic questioning to reason out logical conclusion independently; and develop the right mindset to take on challenges.

Let's see how VIP being apply in reality...TV ;) As a case for discussion, take the winner of Survivor Tocantins, James "JT" Thomas; from the results show, JT mentioned that his mother has been telling him for the past 3 years that he could win the game if he were to take part in the show.

Parents : Please pay attention to your child and actively encourage him. He may not know he can be a winner yet. Your motivating words and moral support can do amazing things!

To outwit, outplay and outlast in Survivor is by no means a small feat, even so when JT won by unanimous vote . The harsh conditions, the strangers to befriend quickly, watching and protecting own back, the challenges to win, the different alliances to make, .... JT has a strong mindset. Physically strong and jungle smart, he made the good decision and moves that allowed him to survive in the game. He displayed good work ethics and well-liked. In Survivor, rarely is it that the good guy win the game. JT appeared to be one of that rare good guy. Success can be achieved in many ways, and success achieved with good values leaves you with a good name that others sing about.

We look forward to partnering with parents of the young learners at our centre, to foster winners using the V-I-P Success model as a guide in their journey to success.

"Success doesn't come to you...you go to it." ~ Marva Collins

WELCOME

2009-03-19T18:58:00.000+08:00

Welcome to Scharff's blog! This blog serves as a platform for knowledge sharing and discussion on issues pertaining to thinking and learning in the sea of change in today's educational environment and updates on our centre. This blog is part of our initiative, together with the launch of our website www.scharffsystem.com fresh look, to share our approach to a larger community. Our next step is to start forums for active exchange of information and knowledge.

We are pleased to announced that in addition to our Orchard centre, a new and bigger centre will be opening in May 2009 to service the learning community in the North. We would like thank the schools and parents that have supported us. We will continue to work towards providing the best enrichment programmes, to the young people that we most value.

Our Mission

To achieve a positive difference in the child’s learning journey by opening his minds, igniting his passion in learning, heightening his sense of awareness and developing his mental toughness to conquer challenges in today’s dynamic environment.

We welcome your comments.

“Thoughts lead on to purpose, purpose leads on to actions, actions form habits, habits decide character, and character fixes our destiny” ~ Tryon Edwards (American Theologian, 1809-1894)