Friday, March 31, 2017
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Budget Time and Reduce Stress
Teachers are usually very organized. They have to be in
order to do the job. At home, they may budget their finances, but frequently fail to budget their time. They allow their teaching workload to fill all waking hours. There is no work life
balance. In order to keep this from happening to me, I learned a simple way to
budget my time.
Each year, I purchased a lesson plan book from a
teacher supply store. I then laid out a plan for the year. I didn’t go into
detail, but did organize the work I needed to cover in the months allotted. I
wrote in holidays and state or district mandated testing. I also recorded the
dates I intended to give major unit tests throughout the year.
Each Thursday during the school year, I created my detailed
lesson plans for the coming week. I did this for each subject I taught (being a
foreign language teacher, there were often several). Once technology and the
school district where I worked gave us a website to use as a tool, I also began listing homework assignments on my website on Thursday.
This allowed students the flexibility to do homework according to their busy schedules. It also removed the excuse of “forgetting” to write it down. The amount and quality of homework being completed increased. This reduced stress for all of us.
This allowed students the flexibility to do homework according to their busy schedules. It also removed the excuse of “forgetting” to write it down. The amount and quality of homework being completed increased. This reduced stress for all of us.
Doing my planning on Thursdays, not only helped my
students, but freed up time for me on the weekend. The only thing I took home Fridays
was essays. I graded them Sunday, in the early evening. The rest of the weekend
was mine. Budget time wisely to avoid burn out.
You are reading from the blog: http://www.roadtofreecollege.com
Photo Credit: Google Images
Monday, March 27, 2017
Friday, March 24, 2017
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
Why is College Tuition so High?
The general public and politicians may believe colleges are flush with cash, but this is not the case. Although the cost of
tuition is almost five times as high as it was thirty years ago, college
professors are paid far less than they were in the past (when adjusted for inflation). So
why is tuition so high?
The answer is simple. Public universities are now receiving
far less money from state governments. State funding had dropped over 37% in
the last two decades. Although colleges now receive more money from the federal government
than the state, the overall amount is much less than in the past. Much of the
federal money is in the form of grants to students. It passes from the federal treasury to state institutions and then back to the college through student grants.
We all know every time money changes hands, some
of it is used moving it from place to place (employees, computers, building,
etc.). Wouldn’t it make more sense if public education covered students from
Pre-K through College or Trade Schools? It would be a more efficient way to
educate our young, release more cash for actually educating students and unburden
families. It would also put more cash into the nation’s economy.
Since this doesn’t look like it’s going to happen in
the next decade, families need to find another way to pay for educating children after high school. Scholarships and grants are the only solutions
until politicians start thinking long term.
After realizing all my students
were not only going to college, but also receiving scholarships and/or grants,
I did a study to learn which strategies worked best. My new book, Free College Awareness, explains what
parents and grandparents can do to help their children become ideal college
scholarship and grant applicants. No one should be in debt for the rest of
their lives in order to earn a college degree. Although I don’t have the
authority to make college tuition free, by writing my book, I hope to help students graduate from college debt free.
You are reading from the blog: http://www.roadtofreecollege.com
Photo Credit: Pixabay
Monday, March 20, 2017
Friday, March 17, 2017
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Lower Stress, Higher Grades = More Scholarship $, Pt. 3
Stress is really tough on learning and memory. If students
are able to reduce stress, they may end up with higher grades and more
scholarship money for college. There are three simple things which students can
do to reduce stress in their lives.
The third activity which helps is laughter. We’ve
all heard proverbs and sayings about the benefits of laughing. They’re all true.
It is the best medicine, and it does soothe the savage beast. Best of all, it
not only reduces stress, it’s fun.
There are several places to find laughter. My favorite
author is Janet Evanovich. I love her books, but I can’t read them in public. I
laugh out loud and people look at me funny. My favorite comedian is Robin Williams
(miss him desperately). An example of his comic genius is when he appeared on Inside
the Actor’s Studio. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U48KpK1srx4
I also used Whose Line is it Anyway as an anecdote to
work related stress. I recorded all of their episodes and watched them whenever
I experienced a tough day. On the worst days, I watched three in a row, laughed
out loud and relieved my stress.
A student introduced me to Rémi Gaillard’s YouTube
videos. He's a comic genius of a different sort. Watch “The Spider” with a
friend and be prepared to laugh so hard your sides hurt. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpwZt7uMIPU.
These are mine. Find yours. Use them to relieve stress,
improve grades and receive more free cash for college.
You are reading from the blog: http://www.roadtofreecollege.com
Photo Credit: Google Images
Monday, March 13, 2017
Friday, March 10, 2017
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Stop. Don’t Be a Bag Lady
I often see ads for large tote bags. Some of them are
quite pretty and well made. Earlier this school year, I even saw an article
entitled, “Best Totes for Teachers”. What they ignore, however, is the damage
that can be done by repeatedly carrying heavy bags. They are often full of papers
to grade, and other necessary “stuff”. The bags may not seem heavy or create a
problem the first year or two of schlepping them from classroom to home and
back. Over time, however, real damage can be done.
There are smarter products on the market. Rolling
carts, crates or even small rolling suitcases provide the same function without
the effort or danger of injury. Their prices vary, just like with the totes. The
totes I saw in an article ran from $35 to $119.99. The carts I saw online cost between $22 and $76.99. In either
case, I’m sure you get what you pay for. A durable bag may last years, but could cause physical problems in the future. A durable cart will also work for years, but
will protect the user from muscle, tendon or bone issues later in life.
It took me years of pain to learn this lesson. Even
so, I didn’t learn it by myself. I was scolded by a doctor who sternly ordered,
“Don’t carry anything!” Okay, doc. I used a pull cart from Staples the last ten
years of my teaching career. I should have bought one years earlier.
You are reading from the blog: http://www.roadtofreecollege.com
Photo Credit: Google Images
Monday, March 6, 2017
Pre-Spring Break Classroom Management Activity
The day before a holiday, Thanksgiving, Christmas
Break, Easter Break, even a pseudo-holiday like Halloween, is usually just this
side of insane. Students don’t want to work. There’s candy everywhere. Gifts are
being given. Focus is lost. Just keeping the lid on seems overwhelming. Unless you
have an educationally sound, kid-approved lesson that keeps them interested,
occupied and engaged. Decades ago I created such a lesson. Kids loved it. I
loved it. It‘s easy, academic and fun! The bonus of this lesson, it helped with
student retention in foreign language classes.
Here are the steps to follow:
1. Completely erase the entire white board. You will
want the space.
2. Number the entire board from 1 to 35. Place holiday
appropriate symbols, like pumpkins or bunnies, around each number.
3. Put a large assortment of dry erase pens at the
front of the room. The more color variety the better.
4. After school, the day before a holiday, have each
student in your most advanced class go to the board and draw a culturally
appropriate picture next to a number. If your class is smaller than 35, they
will need to draw more than one. Be sure to explain to the class the night
before they need to come up with three or four ideas for their drawings. Most
students are eager, although the shy need some encouragement. After this has
become a tradition in your classes, you will overhear students commenting they
look forward to being in the class that gets to draw the pictures. Never let an
underclassman participate in putting the pictures on the board.
5. Check each picture as they finish drawing. A few may
need a little help so their drawings are clear, and some can be too obscure.
You may need to edit, as students can be a bit gross at time. One Thanksgiving
students drew a very vivid picture of a turkey being beheaded. I erased that
one. Remember, all day students are going to see these pictures. You want to
understand them, so you can give hints if necessary. My favorite was The
Twilight Zone Marathon. It became a tradition in my program which was passed
down each year from class to class.
6. Before the first class arrives the next morning,
place a stack of German (French, Spanish, Chinese)/English dictionaries on the
first desk of each row. I always had enough dictionaries that students could
work in groups of two. Three does not work. Working alone is tough.
7. Students should look up what they see on the board,
and write the German (French, etc.) on their own papers. Don’t let them put two
student names on one paper. This never works. Trust me on this.
8. They must write the definite article and the noun.
If there is an adjective, like in a drawing of black cat, they must include the
adjective, with the correct ending. This allows you to preview grammar not yet
taught. Students are very receptive to this, and ask for help. It’s a contest.
They want to win.
9. Buy a small
bag of individually wrapped candy and give a piece to each member of the first
team finished. Be sure to check the work. Sometimes they make errors, of
course. Don’t be too picky. Perfection is not the goal.
10. After the
first group finishes, and as each group finishes, they will help their
classmates. You’ll find they don’t give them the answers, but give them hints
instead, especially in grammar.
11. Collect work as it’s finished and the rest at the
end of the period. Grading is subjective. First year classes typically have a
few students who finish by the end of the class period. Most, however, finish
about half of the pictures. Second year will complete more. The majority
complete about two-thirds of the pictures. Most third year students finish them
all, as do AP/IB/fourth year students.
12. There are several goals in this lesson. Students
learn the correct way to use the dictionary. They learn the symbols and
abbreviations. It removes the mind-numbing boredom a dictionary lesson will
create, and replaces it with fun. Students learn vocabulary that’s both
meaningful, and is usually more advanced than where they are in the curriculum.
This they do without complaint. You are able to foreshadow grammar, so when it
arrives later in the school year, you’re able to point back to what they
discovered at Halloween or Thanksgiving.
Finally, it keeps students focused,
doing an academic lesson without arguing at a time where students are going
nuts in other classes. I had four decades of happy “day before’s” while
colleagues were losing their minds.
If you don’t teach a foreign language class, adapt this
lesson to your curriculum. Remember to keep it fun and entertaining, but
academic.
You are reading from the blog: http://www.roadtofreecollege.com
Photo Credit: Pixabay
Friday, March 3, 2017
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Lower Stress, Higher Grades = More Scholarship $, Pt. 2
Stress trashes learning and memory. If stress is
reduced, students may end up with higher grades and more scholarship money for
college. There are three simple things which students can do to reduce the
stress in their lives.
This is the second tip. Students can exercise at least thirty minutes
every day. According to experts, the easiest and best way to exercise is to
walk. It’s silly that we have to be told to walk. It’s a natural thing to do,
but with all the modern conveniences we enjoy, walking isn’t as necessary as it
used to be.
In order to reduce stress and improve grades (and increase the
possibility of more free cash for college), students should build walking into
their daily routines. When I was teaching, I still found time (scratch that…I
made time) to walk. I decided to
start my commute early and walk the halls for ten minutes every morning before
class started.
Students can accomplish the same thing by walking to
school. If this isn’t feasible, they can be dropped off ten minutes away from
campus, and walk the remainder of the route. During my lunch break, I walked the
halls another ten minutes. Students can get exercise by taking a P.E. class
instead (or they too could walk during the lunch break).
After school, students can walk the entire route home,
be dropped off ten minutes away from home, or take a ten minute walk before or
after dinner. Adding this to walking before and during school hours, this will add
up to walking thirty minutes each day.
If students are not enrolled in P.E., or do not
participate in sports or dance, they can pick up an inexpensive pair of free
weights or ankle weights and work out for twenty minutes or so three times
each week. Weight training in addition to cardio (walking) is great for stress
reduction and health.
Physical activity is a simple way for students to reduce stress,
increase their GPA and increase the chance of earning more free cash for college.
You are reading from the blog: http://www.roadtofreecollege.com
Photo Credit: Elizabeth Wallace
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