TRAIN THEIR BRAIN

TRAIN THEIR BRAIN

You can make a difference in your child’s life by training your child’s brain so that your child will successfully function on social, emotional, and academic levels. Here is how:

1. Don’t be afraid to set the limits. Kids need limits to grow happy and healthy!!

Make a schedule for meal times, sleep times, technology time
Think of what is GOOD for them- not what they WANT/DON’T WANT. They are going to thank you for that later on in life. Parenting is a hard job. You need to be creative to make them do what is good for them because, most of the time, that is the exact opposite of what they want.
Kids need breakfast and nutritious food. They need to spend time outdoor and go to bed at a consistent time in order to come to school available for learning the next day!
Convert things that they don’t like doing/trying into fun, emotionally stimulating games

2. LIMIT TECHNOLOGY, AND RE-CONNECT WITH YOUR KIDS EMOTIONALLY
Surprise them with flowers, share a smile, tickle them, put a love note in their backpack or under their pillow, surprise them by taking them out for lunch on a school day, dance together, crawl together, have pillow fights.
Have family dinners, board game nights (see the list of my favorite board games), go biking, go to outdoor walks with a flashlight in the evening.

3. TRAIN DELAYED GRATIFICATION
Make them wait!!! It is ok to have “I am bored“ time – this is the first step to creativity
Gradually increase the waiting time between “I want” and “I get”
Avoid technology use in cars and restaurants, and instead teach them waiting while talking and playing games
Limit constant snacking

4. TEACH YOUR CHILD TO DO MONOTONOUS WORK FROM EARLY YEARS AS IT IS THE FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE “WORKABILITY”
Folding laundry, tidying up toys, hanging clothes, unpacking groceries, setting the table, making lunch, unpacking their lunch box, making their bed
Be creative. Initially make it stimulating and fun so that their brain associates it with something positive.

5. TEACH SOCIAL SKILLS
Teach them turn taking, sharing, losing/winning, compromising, complimenting others , using “please and thank you”

From my experience as an occupational therapist, the kids changes the moment parents change their perspective on parenting. Help your kids succeed in life by training and strengthening their brain sooner rather than later!

Why children do not have any motivation in their life and remain dull?

Why children do not have any motivation in their life and remain dull?

Kids today are in a devastating emotional state! Most come to school emotionally unavailable for learning. There are many factors in our modern lifestyle that contribute to this.”

In her practice, my friend Victoria Prooday, OT is seeing something so widespread and alarming that I asked if I could share her thoughts. Due to the overwhelming interest and conversation on this topic, I am re-sharing her post.

I encourage every parent who cares about the future of his/her children to read it. I know that many would choose not to hear what she says in the article, but your children needs you to hear this message.

Victoria writes:

I am an occupational therapist with years of experience working with children, parents, and teachers. I completely agree with this teacher’s message that our children are getting worse and worse in many aspects.

I hear the same consistent message from every teacher I meet. Clearly, throughout my time as an Occupational Therapist, I have seen and continue to see a decline in children’s social, emotional, and academic functioning, as well as a sharp increase in learning disabilities and other diagnoses.

As we know, the brain is malleable. Through environment, we can make the brain “stronger” or make it “weaker”. I truly believe that, despite all our greatest intentions, we unfortunately remold our children’s brains in the wrong direction.

Here is why:

1. KIDS GET EVERYTHING THEY WANT WHEN THEY WANT IT

“I am Hungry!!” “In a sec I will stop at the drive thru” “I am Thirsty!” “Here is a vending machine.” “I am bored!” “Use my phone!”  The ability to delay gratification is one of the key factors for future success. We have the best intentions — to make our child happy — but unfortunately, we make them happy at the moment but miserable in the long term.  To be able to delay gratification means to be able to function under stress. Our children are gradually becoming less equipped to deal with even minor stressors, which eventually become huge obstacles to their success in life.

The inability to delay gratification is often seen in classrooms, malls, restaurants, and toy stores the moment the child hears “No” because parents have taught their child’s brain to get what it wants right away.

2. LIMITED SOCIAL INTERACTION
We are all busy, so we give our children digital gadgets and make them “busy” too. Kids used to play outside, where, in unstructured natural environments, they learned and practiced their social skills.  Unfortunately, technology replaced the outdoor time.  Also, technology made the parents less available to socially interact with their child. Obviously, our kids fall behind… the babysitting gadget is not equipped to help kids develop social skills. Most successful people have great social skills. This is the priority!

The brain is just like a muscle that is trainable and re-trainable. If you want your child to be able to bike, you teach him biking skills. If you want your child to be able to wait, you need to teach that child patience.  If you want your child to be able to socialize, you need to teach him social skills. The same applies to all the other skills. There is no difference!

3. ENDLESS FUN
We have created an artificial fun world for our children. There are no dull moments. The moment it becomes quiet, we run to entertain them again, because otherwise, we feel that we are not doing our parenting duty. We live in two separate worlds. They have their “fun“ world, and we have our “work” world. Why aren’t children helping us in the kitchen or with laundry? Why don’t they tidy up their toys? This is basic monotonous work that trains the brain to be workable and function under “boredom,” which is the same “muscle” that is required to be eventually teachable at school.  When they come to school and it is time for handwriting their answer is “I can’t. It is too hard. Too boring.” Why? Because the workable “muscle” is not getting trained through endless fun. It gets trained through work.

4. TECHNOLOGY
Using technology as a “Free babysitting service” is, in fact, not free at all. The payment is waiting for you just around the corner.  We pay with our kids’ nervous systems, with their attention, and with their ability for delayed gratification. Compared to virtual reality, everyday life is boring. When kids come to the classroom, they are exposed to human voices and adequate visual stimulation as opposed to being bombarded with the graphic explosions and special effects that they are used to seeing on the screens. After hours of virtual reality, processing information in a classroom becomes increasingly challenging for our kids because their brains are getting used to the high levels of stimulation that video games provide. The inability to process lower levels of stimulation leaves kids vulnerable to academic challenges. Technology also disconnects us emotionally from our children and our families. Parental emotional availability is the main nutrient for child’s brain. Unfortunately, we are gradually depriving our children of that nutrient.

5. KIDS RULE THE WORLD
“My son doesn’t like vegetables.” “She doesn’t like going to bed early.” “He doesn’t like to eat breakfast.” “She doesn’t like toys, but she is very good at her iPad” “He doesn’t want to get dressed on his own.” “She is too lazy to eat on her own.” This is what I hear from parents all the time. Since when do children dictate to us how to parent them? If we leave it all up to them, all they are going to do is eat macaroni and cheese and bagels with cream cheese, watch TV, play on their tablets, and never go to bed.

What good are we doing them by giving them what they WANT when we know that it is not GOOD for them? Without proper nutrition and a good night’s sleep, our kids come to school irritable, anxious, and inattentive.  In addition, we send them the wrong message.  They learn they can do what they want and not do what they don’t want.

The concept of “need to do” is absent. Unfortunately, in order to achieve our goals in our lives, we have to do what’s necessary, which may not always be what we want to do.  For example, if a child wants to be an A student, he needs to study hard. If he wants to be a successful soccer player, he needs to practice every day. Our children know very well what they want, but have a very hard time doing what is necessary to achieve that goal. This results in unattainable goals and leaves the kids disappointed.

Role of Education in 21st century

Our world is changing, and in order to prepare our children for this new world we need to change the way we educate them. In the 21st century educators must create a curriculum that will help students connect with the world and understand the issues that our world faces.

Schools in the 21st century will become nerve centres, a place for teachers and students to connect with those around them and their community. Teachers in this new environment will become fewer instructors and more orchestrators of information, giving children the ability to turn knowledge into wisdom.

In order to educate in the 21st century, teachers and administrators need to cultivate and maintain the student's interest in the material by showing how this knowledge applies in the real world. They must also try to increase their student's curiosity, which will help them become lifelong learners. Next they should be flexible with how they teach and give learners the resources to continue learning outside of school.
There are many skills that children will need in order to be successful in the 21st century.

The few 21st century skills are

1. Ability to collaborate, work in teams
2. Critical thinking skills
3. Oral presentation skills
4. Written communication skills
5. Ability to use technology
6. Willingness to examine civic and global issues
7. Ability to conduct research to learn about issues and concepts
8. Chance to learn about new career opportunities

In the ideal 21st century classroom, kids are actually excited about going to school, and there are little or no discipline problems because everyone is eager to learn. In this type of classroom activities and lessons are related to the community, whether local or global. Students collaborate with people from different schools and different countries to learn about issues that affect us all, as well as how we can solve them today and in the future.

The curriculum in the classroom is designed to incorporate many skills and intelligence levels, and makes use of technology and multimedia. The lessons are not based on textbooks, instead they are project based. Skills and content are learned through their research and projects, and textbooks are provided as one of many possible resources.

A new addition to 21st century curriculum is the study of green education and environmental issues. Kids are taught awareness of their world and real experts such as scientist and politicians are brought in to answer student's questions.
New schools in the 21st century will be bright and spacious, and kids will have room for group projects and individual assignments. Walls will be hung with student work, and there will be places for students to put on performances for their parents and members of the community. Students have full access to technology and, if possible, every student will have a laptop.

Within the school there will be labs and learning centres, as well as studios for art, music, theatre, and so on. Each classroom will be equipped with a television so that all students can watch school productions and other school presentations.

While it may take some time before schools and teachers are equipped to properly educate in the 21st century once they are the results will be dramatic. Children will be engaged and eager to learn.

In fact, they will carry on learning at home and over holidays, and they will have the resources they need to keep learning no matter where they are. This ability to foster a love of learning is truly the role of education in the 21st century.

From Volunteering to Transforming Lives.

When I decided to be a part of UN volunteer group, I just looked back at all the qualities I possessed to be a volunteer.

Is it the helping nature I possess? Is it ability to teach without expectation? Is it the experiences of life which readily made me accept or is it the glamour of the tag United Nations ?

It’s a mix of all , In short, volunteering really can have a transformative impact on people’s lives.

Well, when we look at the dictionary definition it says “a person who does something, especially helping other people, willingly and without being forced or paid to do it ”

While discussing with my fellow friends, I realised people volunteer because it makes them happy, because it is fun, because they do not want others in the world to go through what they have been, because they want to help the community, because they want to use their skills expand their knowledge, and many other reasons.

So, going by above points, every one of us should try to volunteer as it expands and helps us to be more knowledgeable. Research also proves that people who volunteer are healthier both physically and mentally and are more understanding and caring.

My take as an educator is that we must teach the upcoming generation to volunteer which is materialistically grounded. We must expose them to fun of discovering themselves.

How do we do that?
1. Sharing ideas: provide opportunities to communicate with peers what they think about volunteering. Ask what they think and then we get people who think similar and may be better.
2. Sharing experiences: Make students realise that the knowledge we possess is nothing without the experience we have in life. And experience makes us amazing volunteers.
3. Sharing skill sets: With experience, add the skills and while we give, we also learn.
And once we have skills, we can take them where ever we go in life, no matter what we do. Help students gain skills and then encourage them to share.
4. Sharing passion: Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes on focusing on what you decide to volunteer on. And this will take you to higher level because this sparks excitement and this will create new opportunities. Let’s translate our passion of teaching to their passion of learning.

So, friends helping others is a noble activity. It feels good, gives you a sense of accomplishment, pride, boosts your self-esteem. It gives us a chance to bring out the best part of ourselves. So, I believe the act of volunteering is life changing . Let’s make Volunteering a part of our identity. Let’s talk about it and make if contagious.

Keep talking of the stories of the people you've helped, keep tapping into that passion show what it felt like to volunteer keep bringing out your best self and then let's see how much better things
can get.

A friendly reminder to all those who are reading, that you will only get a limited time on this Earth. Today is a good day to do something great, lets transform lives by volunteering!

Assessment of Creativity

Developing creativity is one of the goals of our school education.For this we need to identify the creative talent and encourage it in our children.Hence,assessment of creativity is very important .

Creativity is multifaceted.It consists of a number of abilities ,qualities and skills.Fluency ,flexibility,originality and elaboration are the four main criteria of creativity.It refers to something new/novel which has usefulness also for the society.

Since creativity is multifaceted, its assessment also has to be multi-dimensional as no single method of assessment can provide all the information. There are a number of assessment techniques informal  as well as formal. The informal techniques make use of observation,ratings, check lists, anecdotal records,general school activities etc. Formal assessment involves the use of standardized tests, prominent among which are Torrance Test of Creative Thinking,Bacquer Mehdi Test of Creativity ,Passi-Usha Test of Creativity.

The main feature of creativity tests is that they are open ended.They allow the respondent to answer in a variety of ways . The creativity tests assess the divergent thinking, the ability to see relationships between two unrelated things/objects,put things in a new context and guess consequences. In contrast ,intelligence  tests assess convergent thinking. It assesses such abilities as memory,logical reasoning and clear thinking.There is a right or wrong answer in intelligence tests whereas there is no right or wrong answer.

A proper conducive environment is essential for the assessment and expression  of creativity. Assessment of creativity will enable the counselor to provide proper guidance to the students to actualize their potential .Assessment data will also help the teachers in planning their lessons and providing different types of curricular and non curricular experiences to enhance their creative potential.Creativity is there in each and every individual. It is a matter of providing the right opportunity ,encouraging and rewarding the child for the expression of creativity. 

Language acquisition

Language acquisition is the process by which humans acquire the capacity to perceive and comprehend language, as well as to produce and use words and sentences to communicate. Language acquisition usually refers to first-language acquisition, which studies infants' acquisition of their native language. This is distinguished from second-language acquisition, which deals with the acquisition (in both children and adults) of additional languages.

The capacity to successfully use language requires one to acquire a range of tools including phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and an extensive vocabulary. Language might be vocalized as speech or manual as in sign. The human language capacity is represented in the brain. Even though the human language capacity is finite, one can say and understand an infinite number of sentences, which is based on a syntactic principle called Recursion. Evidence suggests that every individual has three recursive mechanisms that allow sentences to go indeterminately. These three mechanisms are: relativization, complementation and coordination.

The capacity to acquire and use language is a key aspect that distinguishes humans from other beings. Although it is difficult to pin down what aspects of language are uniquely human, there are a few design features that can be found in all known forms of human language, but that are missing from forms of animal communication. For example, many animals are able to communicate with each other by signaling to the things around them, but this kind of communication lacks the arbitrariness of human vernaculars (in that there is nothing about the sound of the word "dog" that would hint at its meaning). Other forms of animal communication may utilize arbitrary sounds, but are unable to combine those sounds in different ways to create completely novel messages that can then be automatically understood by another. Hockett called this design feature of human language "productivity".

It is crucial to the understanding of human language acquisition that we are not limited to a finite set of words, but, rather, must be able to understand and utilize a complex system that allows for an infinite number of possible messages. So, while many forms of animal communication exist, they differ from human languages, in that they have a limited range of non-syntactically structured vocabulary tokens that lack cross cultural variation between groups.

A major question in understanding language acquisition is how these capacities are picked up by infants from the linguistic input. Input in the linguistic context is defined as "All words, contexts, and other forms of language to which a learner is exposed, relative to acquired proficiency in first or second languages". Nativists find it difficult to believe, considering the hugely complex nature of human languages, and the relatively limited cognitive abilities of an infant, that infants are able to acquire most aspects of language without being explicitly taught. Children, within a few years of birth, understand the grammatical rules of their native language without being explicitly taught, as one learns grammar in school. A range of theories of language acquisition have been proposed in order to explain this apparent problem. These theories, championed by the likes of Noam Chomsky and others, include innatism and Psychological nativism, in which a child is born prepared in some manner with these capacities, as opposed to other theories in which language is simply learned as other cognitive skills, including such mundane motor skills as learning to ride a bike.
The conflict between the theories assuming humans are born with syntactic knowledge and those that claim all such knowledge is the product of learning from one's environment is often referred to as the "Nature vs. Nurture" debate. Some think that there are some qualities of language acquisition that the human brain is automatically wired for (a "nature" component) and some that are shaped by the particular language environment in which a person is raised (a "nurture" component).

Others, especially evolutionary biologists, strongly object to assuming syntactic knowledge is genetically encoded and provided by automatic wiring of the brain.

Neuropsychological basis of learning and memory

Learning, memory and perception are the main functions of the brain, and these functions are intimately related to one another. For example, learning also results in changes in memory and perception. What we perceive and remember is a function of what we have learned to expect in a particular situation. The ability of a pre-school or school-aged child to learn a designated task, whether it is a social interaction or an academic skill, depends mainly on two things:

⦁ the child's past history of learning and the changes to brain structure and function that this has produced
⦁ aspects of brain function and structure that are genetically determined

The relative importance of these two factors depends on the type of learning being considered. For example, studies of twins show that about 75 percent of the variation between children in their ability to learn to read is determined by genetic factors. But in other types of learning, such as social skills, genetic factors play a much smaller part.
What is important, is that the barriers to efficient learning resulting from the joint operation of genetic and environmental factors, may be eliminated by the use of carefully designed instructional programs.
Learning involves experience that results in a change in performance, memory and emotional state. All these aspects are represented in particular areas and pathways in the brain that, in general, are different according to the type of task being learned.
The changes in the brain that represent the learning that has taken place in the past are different for different people, because people differ both in their genes and experiences. This is why children differ in how they approach a given learning task and why some will be more effective than others in how they deal with the task.
Learning is a function of the nervous system. Memory is simply the representation of learning by neurochemical changes in brain structure at the molecular level. Both learning and memory can be made more efficient by the use of research-based instructional techniques.
Decades of research on children's learning, much of it done with children with learning disabilities, has identified certain aspects of children's learning that critically affect the level of success that a child will have as a learner. These aspects can be represented either by the child's learning strategies or by the brain functions that serve these strategies. In some instances both can be altered directly by the use of properly designed and focused training programs or by medication or other physical treatment. This is called direct remediation.
Unfortunately, direct remediation is not always possible. Nevertheless, learning problems may be prevented or minimized by the use of training programs that circumvent the basic problem. This can be done by structuring the task to be learned in such away that the impaired learning processes are not involved or are compensated for. This is called indirect remediation. An obvious example is the use of a sound amplifier or visual signs when teaching a child with a hearing impairment. The successful use of both direct and indirect remediation requires both skilled analysis of the child's learning processes and skilled construction and implementation of an appropriate remedial approach.

Speech Disorders

Speech disorders or speech impediments are a type of communication disorders where 'normal' speech is disrupted. This can mean stuttering, lisps, etc. Someone who is unable to speak due to a speech disorder is considered mute.

Classification:
Classifying speech into normal and disordered is more problematic than it first seems. By a strict classification, only 5% to 10% of the population has a completely normal manner of speaking (with respect to all parameters) and healthy voice; all others suffer from one disorder or another.
Stuttering affects approximately 1% of the adult population.
Cluttering, a speech disorder that has similarities to stuttering.

Dysprosody is the rarest neurological speech disorder. It is characterized by alterations in intensity, in the timing of utterance segments, and in rhythm, cadence, and intonation of words. The changes to the duration, the ⦁ fundamental frequency, and the intensity of tonic and atonic syllables of the sentences spoken, deprive an individual's particular speech of its characteristics. The cause of dysprosody is usually associated with neurological pathologies such as ⦁ brain vascular accidents, ⦁ cranioencephalic traumatisms, and ⦁ brain tumors.
Muteness is complete inability to speak
Speech sound disorders involve difficulty in producing specific speech sounds (most often certain consonants, such as /s/ or /r/), and are subdivided into ⦁ articulation disorders (also called phonetic disorders) and ⦁ phonemic disorders. Articulation disorders are characterized by difficulty learning to produce sounds physically. Phonemic disorders are characterized by difficulty in learning the sound distinctions of a language, so that one sound may be used in place of many. However, it is not uncommon for a single person to have a mixed speech sound disorder with both phonemic and phonetic components.
Voice disorders are impairments, often physical, that involve the function of the ⦁ larynx or vocal resonance.
Dysarthria is a weakness or paralysis of speech muscles caused by damage to the nerves and/or brain. Dysarthria is often caused by
strokes,
parkinsons disease,
ALS, head or neck injuries, surgical accident, or
cerebral palsy.
Apraxia of speech may result from stroke or be developmental, and involves inconsistent production of speech sounds and rearranging of sounds in a word ("potato" may become "topato" and next "totapo"). Production of words becomes more difficult with effort, but common phrases may sometimes be spoken spontaneously without effort. It is now considered unlikely that childhood apraxia of speech and acquired apraxia of speech are the same thing, though they share many characteristics.
There are three different levels of classification when determining the magnitude and type of a speech disorder and the proper treatment or therapy:
Sounds the patient can produce
Phonemic- can be produced easily; used meaningfully and contrastively
Phonetic- produced only upon request; not used consistently, meaningfully, or contrastively; not used in connected speech
⦁ Stimulable sounds
⦁ Easily stimulable
⦁ Stimulable after demonstration and probing (i.e. with a tongue depressor)
⦁ Cannot produce the sound
⦁ Cannot be produced voluntarily
⦁ No production ever observed
Causes
In many cases the cause is unknown. However, there are various known causes of speech impediments, such as "hearing loss, neurological disorders, brain injury, mental retardation, drug abuse, physical impairments such as Cleft lip and palate, and vocal abuse or misuse." Child abuse may also be a cause in some cases.
Treatment
Many of these types of disorders can be treated by speech therapy, but others require medical attention by a doctor in phoniatrics. Other treatments include correction of organic conditions and psychotherapy.
In the United States, school-age children with a speech disorder are often placed in special education programs. Children who struggle to learn to talk often experience persistent communication difficulties in addition to academic struggles. More than 700,000 of the students served in the public schools’ special education programs in the 2000-2001 school year were categorized as having a speech or language impediment. This estimate does not include children who have speech and language impairments secondary to other conditions such as deafness". Many school districts provide the students with speech therapy during school hours, although extended day and summer services may be appropriate under certain circumstances.
Patients will be treated in teams, depending on the type of disorder they have. A team can include SLPs, specialists, family doctors, teachers,and family members.
Social effects
Suffering from a speech disorder can have negative social effects, especially among young children. Those with a speech disorder can be targets of bullying because of their disorder. The bullying can result in decreased self-esteem. Later in life, bullying is experienced less by a general population, as people become more understanding as they age.
Language disorders
Language disorders are usually considered distinct from speech disorders, even though they are often used synonymously.
Speech disorders refer to problems in producing the sounds of speech or with the quality of voice, where language disorders are usually an impairment of either understanding words or being able to use words and does not have to do with speech production

Teacher - The creator

Successful Educators Teaching Strategies

I. What makes a successful teacher?
If you were to ask any observer you may hear things like, the teacher kept the students engaged via unique teaching strategies, and the classroom basically ran by itself. But, if you were to ask a student, you’d probably hear a different response along the lines of “they make learning fun” or “they never give up on me.”

To be honest, there are countless teaching strategies you can use to achieve success in the classroom, but no matter the teaching style, the most effective teachers have one thing in common—they know how to reach their students in a long-lasting, positive manner.

Great is the transition that classroom teachers experience moving into the academy as teacher educators, considering the change in professional identity and the subsequent alignment of situational and substantial selves.he academic role is complex and the road from classroom teacher to teacher educator can be described as rocky but Splendid.

One of the ultimate goals of teaching is to help students become independent learners. Learners who are knowledgeable about a variety of strategies for learning and who are aware of how and when to use those strategies are on their way to becoming successful learners on their own. Some children are strategic learners by nature; others can become strategic with a few hints and prompts. However, many students need adaptive instruction and additional support to make the strategies part of their ongoing learning repertoire..

Here are the divine qualities that contribute to a successful and happy teaching career:
1. Successful teachers hold high expectations of their students.
The most effective teachers expect their students to succeed, they believe in them, and motivate them to keep trying until they reach their goal. As a result, they set the bar high and create an environment where students can push themselves beyond their comfort zone to reach their goals, but also have a safety net to catch them if they fail.
2. Successful teachers have a sense of humor.
If you ask a student who their favorite teacher is, they are more than likely to tell you about the teacher that makes them laugh. They aren’t afraid to be silly and can laugh at their own mistakes. Humor helps create that lasting impression.
3. Successful teachers are knowledgeable in their field.
The best teachers are masters in their subject area. They know their craft and never stop learning. They are curious, confident, and do not need a textbook to teach their students. They stay abreast of their subject and transfer their love of knowledge to their students.
4. Successful teachers use teaching strategies that cause them to think outside of the box.
Productive teachers think creatively and try and make classroom experiences exciting for students. They identify ways to leap outside of the educational norms and create experiences that are unexpected, unique, and ultimately more memorable.
5. Successful teachers take risks.
A popular saying is, “If there is no risk, there is no reward.” Successful teachers know that risk-taking is a part of being successful. Children learn by observing, and when they see you try new things (and watch how you handle success and failure) they too will know how to handle similar situations.
6. Successful teachers are consistent.
Successful teachers are consistent in ALL that they do. Do what you say you’re going to do and stick with it. This applies to enforcing class rules, a consistent grading system, and the expectations for all your students. Do not play favorites or make special exceptions.
7. Successful teachers communicate with parents and students.
Effective teachers know that communication is the key to student success. They create an open path of communication between parents and students, and recognize that a united front between both groups lowers the chance that children will get left behind.
8. Successful teachers are up-to-date with the latest in technology.
Great teachers take the time to explore new tools and stay up-to-date with latest technology. They are not afraid of what technology holds for education in the future, and are willing to learn and incorporate the new trends into their classroom.
9. Successful teachers make learning fun.
This goes hand in hand with having a sense of humor, but making learning fun doesn’t mean you have to put on a comedy show. Find ways to mix up your lesson plans based upon your students’ interests. When they see you putting in effort to get to know them and mold your teachings around their lives, the more successful you will become.

10. Successful teachers can empathize with students.

The best teachers are patient with students, and understand when they are under stress or have problems with material. They do whatever is necessary to get their students back on track, and are able to recognize that everybody has bad days.

If you’re looking to take the next step in your teaching career, you can learn a lot from what successful teachers do differently. Although it can be quite intimidating to think of all of the things we must do in order to reach our students, it is possible to master these skills one day at a time.

Positive expectations

Positive expectations are a self-fulfilling prophecy- Stay in positive expectation irrespective of your present situation!!!

Expectations are extremely influential. ...  Positive expectations can lead to a more  positive life. Research has shown that optimists with  positive expectations live longer than pessimists. They have less illness, and when they get sick, they recover faster.

The power of positive expectation
We all know that positive thinking has power. If we believe it’s possible to achieve a goal or perform particularly well, we’re more likely to overcome obstacles and persevere until we achieve our goal. But what if someone else believes in us – can that make a difference, even if they don’t tell us so directly?

It seems that it can. This is best illustrated by what’s become known as the “Pygmalion Effect Study”. In 1966, Harvard professor Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson, a primary school principal in California, contacted teachers in a primary school and asked if they could administer an IQ test to all students.

The teachers, probably without even realising it, had begun to behave more positively to the “promising” students
Afterwards, although they didn’t share the test scores with teachers, they mentioned that some of the students appeared to be “intellectual bloomers” who might well start to outperform their classmates. The teachers were given the names of these supposedly promising students, who in truth had been selected at random by the researchers.

Eight months later, Rosenthal and Jacobson returned to the school and retested all the students. The results? Those they’d pointed out as “intellectual bloomers” had made larger IQ gains than had the other children. Rosenthal and Jacobson speculated that the teachers, probably without even realising it, had begun to behave more positively to the “promising” students, paying them more attention and praising their success more often. Their expectations became, in effect, a self-fulfilling prophesy. Focus on the positive, glass-half-full side of life, says Blair CREDIT:

There have been some quibbles about the methodology used in this study, but a number of other publications that followed upheld Rosenthal and Jacobson’s overall findings. It seems that what we believe about others can make a difference to the ways they behave and think. This has profound implications for all of us – as family members, in our professional capacity, and as friends.

Everyone you know will have both desirable and undesirable characteristics. However, it’s up to you which of those characteristics you choose as your focus.

If you concentrate on what you don’t like about someone, you’re likely to feel irritated when you’re around them, and to avoid them whenever you can. As a result, they’ll feel rejected and less good about themselves. This situation is likely only to get worse unless somehow, they manage to figure out whatever it is you dislike about them.

If you choose to focus on the positive qualities you find in others, then everyone wins. If on the other hand, you decide to focus on those qualities you like about that same individual, they’re likely to repeat the behaviours that gained your approval. As a result, they’ll behave more and more often in ways that please you. Furthermore, they’ll feel better about themselves because of your positive attention. As a bonus, they’ll also have less time available to devote to unappealing behaviours.
The lesson? If you choose to focus on the positive qualities you find in others, then everyone wins. You’ll have more enjoyable social experiences, and those around you are more likely to behave in ways that will enhance their attractiveness to you and, as a result, they’ll feel more likeable and self-confident.

The Power of Positive Expectation
The way I define “positive expectation” is when you are not clinging to any particular result/outcome but are trusting life’s intelligence to bring forth the most congruent and positive reality, knowing that your life force has the bigger picture. You are not imposing narrow expectations on any situation, or a person, but are open to allowing the most positive reality to come forth for you. When you are coming from this attitude you never feel “let down” because you are not hinging your expectation on anything/anyone specifically rather your expectation is for an overall positivity through trust in your life-stream’s intelligence to deliver it. This “positive expectation” from life should surpass all your mind created expectations, this way you will not be gulled by your mind into believing that something is wrong when in truth it’s just a part of the path towards the manifestation of your desired reality.
The mind can never know why an event took place, it cannot know the overall context of why something happened. When you set narrow expectations, if your expectation was for a particular outcome, and you see something completely opposite happening, it makes you feel “let down” or anxious. On the other hand, if you allow yourself to stay in a place of an open positive expectation, not creating any negative conclusion about a particular happening, you stay resistance-free and thus allow your life-stream to bring forth the reality that’s far better than what your mind had anticipated. Sometimes what seems negative to the mind is part of the unfolding process towards a more positive reality. So the attitude to have is to avoid negative conclusions and stay in a place of positive expectation under all situations – this is the most powerful way to allow well-being to constantly flow into your reality.

Avoid rigid expectations
When you stay in a place of rigid expectations, you are not vibrationally aligned with allowing your life-stream the freedom to bring forth the best possible reality for you. Your rigid expectations not only create a sense of anxiety and helplessness in you, but they also set you up for negative interpretations of what’s happening. Also, rigid expectations always come from a place of neediness/lack where you are deluded into believing that you can only feel whole if a certain outcome were to happen. Remember that your human mind does not have the big picture, and all its rigid expectations come from a place of limited perceptions.

Your life-stream is always moving in the direction of your well-being and it has the bigger picture because it’s connected with the totality. To trust in the intelligence of your life-stream to move you into a positive reality is what I call a truly positive expectation. Once you understand that the very movement of your life-stream is generated from your desires there will be no doubt in your mind that, if you don’t stand in resistance, your life force will constantly bring forth positive manifestations in the direction of your desired realities.

Some common examples of how the mind creates rigid expectations, and feels anxious and needy as a result, are as below

– Placing your expectation on “someone” to constantly behave in a manner that’s pleasing to you. This is a rigid expectation because now you are a prisoner to their behavior, and are also placing the burden of your expectations on them (causing them to feel suffocated in your presence).
– Expecting life to bring forth your desired reality only in a manner that you’ve planned out in your mind. Your mind is limited in its intelligence and hence it can never really know the actual path to your desired reality. It’s fine to plan and follow your inspirations, but don’t create any rigid expectations about how your desired reality will manifest. Allow life to surprise you.
– Placing some extra-ordinary expectations on a desired reality/experience. Life is inherently ordinary and even the most exciting experiences are fleeting/temporary, and thus, to have some extra-ordinary expectation from any desire keeps you alienated from the reality of life. A mature mind is rooted in reality, understanding that ordinariness that’s inherent to life, and finding a sense of beauty in it.

It’s natural for the mind to have expectations, and this is part of its design (these expectations are also a subset of its desires), so don’t try to resist or suppress this natural movement in the mind. However, allow yourself the space to stay open to trusting the intelligence of your life-stream to deliver an overall positive reality, without being totally identified/focused on the specific expectations of the mind (which come from its limited perceptions).

Stay in positive expectation irrespective of your present situation
It may be challenging for the mind to stay in a place of positive expectation when it finds itself in a “perceived” negative life situation. The mind being a survival machine is bound to come to some negative projection/assumptions about the situation. This is where it’s important to have a depth in your being that allows you to stay allowing of the mind’s movements without being totally identified with it. This space keeps your vibration from being totally influenced by the negativity of the mind and thus ensures the opening for your life-force to bring forth the solutions that you desire.

Don’t get into a pattern of reinforcing the negative assumptions of your mind and allow yourself the openness to stay in a place of positive expectation trusting your life-stream. The best attitude to have is to never come to a negative conclusion about any happening, rather just see everything as a step towards a more positive reality. This place of open positive expectation is a powerful state of being that keeps you in alignment with your life-stream, allowing for a swift manifestation of solutions and desired realities.

Positive expectations bring good things into my life. They are like a giant magnet that attracts a positive future. They help me live longer and better. Medical research has shown that optimists with positive expectations live longer than pessimists. They have less illness, and when they get sick, they recover faster.

Positive expectations are a self-fulfilling prophecy. When I have positive expectations, I anticipate that good things will happen. I start to think positive thoughts and take positive actions that lead to a positive life.

Negative expectations are also a self-fulfilling prophecy. They are the script for a negative future. When I have negative expectations, I anticipate that bad things will happen. I start thinking negative thoughts and taking negative actions that result in a negative life.

I don't get what I want in life; I get what I expect. Jesus said, "Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened." I am to ask expectantly, seek expectantly, and knock expectantly. When Jesus healed people he said, "As you have believed, so it shall be done unto you." Jesus came to change our expectations. He taught that positive expectations are the foundation for a positive life.You can tell when people have positive expectations. They live as if their dreams are possible and work each day to make them happen.

Until recently, I never understood what it meant to have positive expectations. For much of my life, I regarded positive expectations as a form of internal hype where I psyched myself up into believing that my dreams were possible. Using this approach, I got on A for effort, and it did work to a certain degree. Nevertheless, I have to confess that much of the time, my positive expectations had a hollow sound as they echoed in the corridors of my mind. Eventually, I figured out that positive expectations are much more than a belief that my dreams are possible.  Positive expectations are a way of life.

Maybe it sounds like I am splitting hairs over the meaning of positive expectations, but I don't think so. Here's why. Here's what positive expectations mean to me. When I have positive expectations, I live as if my dreams are possible and work each day to make them happen. I am totally engaged in making my dreams come true. 

I spent thousands of hours working on Exit Only as we sailed around the world because I had positive expectations. I believed that if I kept her in good condition, we would have a safe and enjoyable trip.

I spent hundreds of hours getting my Extra Class ham radio license because I had positive expectations. I believed that if I had my amateur radio license, I would be able to maintain communications with family and friends while I sailed offshore.

I have Exit Only hauled out of the water and stored on dry land because I have positive expectations. I believe that before long, I will sail once again on the ocean of my dreams. I am working as a flying doctor because I have positive expectations. I know that my growing stash of freedom chips will finance my next adventure.

This list has grown very long, but I made it long on purpose. I wanted to show you that when you have positive expectations, you live as if your dreams are possible and work each day to make them happen.
Positive expectations aren't daydreaming or wishful thinking. They are all the things you do each day to make your dreams come true. They are a way of life.

People who have positive expectations are Unstoppable, Consistently Positive, Endlessly Persistent, Doers of Dreams.

Importance of Parent - Child interaction in everyday life

Positive family involvement contributes to a child’s academic success. Parent-child interactions are the foundation of a child’s social development and when you are able to provide your child with reasons for your rules and values, they will be more likely to be socially active and open-minded. Take time to talk to your child about their feelings, beliefs and concerns, and share your values. Raising children is one of the most rewarding and difficult things that parents are likely to do in their lives.
In preschool and kindergarten, your child is discovering new ways of acting and socializing, and your child learns how to make friends, cooperate, and share with others by seeing your interactions. Through social interactions, children begin to have a sense of “self” and to learn what parents want them to do. Parents are child’s first teacher and your child is developing social skills through interactions with you and other family members and friends. When interacting with a parent, children learn social skills, such as sharing, cooperating, and respecting things of others. In addition, young children also learn to communicate and develop motor skills.
Here are some easy ways to interact with your child in a positive manner on daily basis:
•“Catch” your child in a positive behavior and praise them
•Limit words such as ‘don’t’ or ‘no’
•Teach positive behaviors, instead of telling your child what not to do
•Set limits and expectations
•Teach the behavior you would like to see your child exhibit
•Play with your child as much as your time permits, since play is important in a child’s development
•Ask open ended questions and listen to your child by making eye contact
•Don’t be afraid to get down on the child’s level
•Use your patience and don’t take your anger out on the child
•Use the outdoors as a classroom, because there is so much to see and do
You can also give simple examples of how you approach the different social interactions in your life to help them better-understand how to apply these concepts to their own life and relationships. Give them time to do what you ask, and provide them with positive feedback after they complete the task, this will make them to approach you with confidence. Remember to give clear and simple directions to help them understand exactly what they need to do.
Have a happy and worthy parenting!

The Make-up of an MBA Course

Undeniably, the most popular business qualification in the world, the MBA ( Master of Business Administration) is much sought after by ambitious men and women these days.

Inputs:
An MBA programme can help one make a major break in one's career path with a concomittant leap in income. Using an MBA to switch career path, say from Engineering to Marketing or Finance, is a typical strategy.
Accountancy, economics, finance, human resource management, information management, marketing, organisational behaviour and quantitative methods form the core of an MBA program.
In the second year, optional or elective courses  can be selected on the basis of their future career plans.
These are usually grouped into specialisations such as finance, marketing, operations, research, systems and human resource management.
One of the most important contributions of any reputed MBA program is its ability to find its graduates a rewarding job. But, at the same time, it is a hard balancing act because the MBA program cost 5 -20 lacs depending upon the institute.
Alternatives:
Part time distance education programs are ideal options for those employed in a managerial capacity since it allows immediate application of what is taught. The major advantage is the flexibility and comfort of carrying on with the regular employment. Self -discipline and time-management are required due to conflicting demands of job and studies.
Selection Factors:
Students willing to get admission to MBA course should focus on time management skills in the areas of verbal, analytical and mathematical ability for the written entrance test. They should practice secondary school mathematics from school text books, should enhance their vocabulary, also practice reading fast, scanning for the theme of passages, working on data-interpretation, exercises from competitive magazines/MBA guides, some tutorial material etc.
So, one has to  keep working on these lines but  has also remember to pep up time budgeting skills with mock tests. The group discussion and interview which follow the written test, require one to widen his  awareness of national as well as global current affairs and corporate news.
Salaries: They are generally influenced by the reputation of the institutions and the industries and the local conditions.
Certain industries tend to pay higher wages, usually linked to their profitability and the salaries tend to be higher in the areas with higher living costs and lower where it is cheaper to live.

Slow Learners Improvement Programme. SLIP

The best way to teach slowlearners 

“A good teacher inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning” by Brad Henry

Educators should use different teaching methods to teach and guide slow learners for enhanced development.
A slow learner is not a diagnostic category, it is a term people use to describe a student who has the ability to learn necessary academic skills, but at rate and depth below average same age peers. In order to grasp new concepts, a slow learner needs more time, more repetition, and often more resources from teachers to be successful. Reasoning skills are typically delayed, which makes new concepts difficult to learn. A slow learner has traditionally been identified as anyone with a Full Scale IQ one standard deviation below the mean but not as low as two standard deviations below the mean. If a cognitive assessment (IQ test) has a mean (average) of 100, we expect most students will fall within one standard deviation of 100. That means that most students have an IQ of 85 to 115. Those who fall two standard deviations below the mean are often identified as having an Intellectual Disability (IQ below 70). A slow learner does not meet criteria for an Intellectual Disability (previously called mental retardation). However, she learns slower than average students and will need additional help to succeed.

The educational challenges for struggling:
Typically, a slow learner has difficulty with higher order thinking or reasoning skills. This suggests that it will be more challenging to learn new concepts. New skills need to be based upon already mastered concepts. This can be difficult when the majority of the class has already mastered a concept and is moving on, while the slow learner needs more time. This can lead to gaps in knowledge and basic skills. The more gaps in a content area, the more challenging it is for anyone to learn new concepts. Its also important to recognize that these students are typically keenly aware they are struggling and self confidence can be an issue. They are prone to anxiety, low self image, and eventually may be quick to give up. They often feel stupid and start hating school. They spend all day doing something that is difficult for them, it can be very draining. Finding other activities that the student can be successful in is very important. There should be emphasis on strengths as well.

Some of the classroom recommendations:
1. Encourage other activities in which the child can experience success and keep them connected.
2. Differentiated Instruction Tutoring- This helps fill in gaps in basic skills and it helps a student stay caught up.
3. Teach study skills to help a student become more efficient in studying
4. Teach the most important concepts and leave out some of the less important details.
5. Peer tutoring
6. Daily reading

Slow Learners and standardized assessments:

Whether you support the No Child Left Behind act and the additional testing that comes with it, is not going to be argued here. I see positive outcomes and negative outcomes.

However, being in the schools, it is my perception that the one group who hands down benefits from these assessments are the slow learners. These students have to take these tests and the teachers are responsible for helping them pass the assessments.

Years ago, many teachers would teach to the majority of the class and the slow learners were often left behind. Teachers are now being forced to find a way to teach the slow learners.

Parents of slow learners tend to hate these tests, because their children have such difficulties with the assessments, they generate anxiety, and then sometimes still do not do well. While those are valid concerns, consider that globally these laws and assessments are actually positive for the overall outcomes of slow learners. More remedial programs have been created to help these children pass the assessments.

How are habits created

How to Create Good Habits (And Stick With Them)

We all have our habits. Positive and negative. Habits are like compound interest. They can be our best friend or our worst enemy.

How Habits Are Created
If you have enough good habits, you won’t have time for bad habits. Bad habits get in your way. They steal your time and trample your goals. All habits, good and bad, are created the same way. They start small. Think about it. You know that’s how it happens with bad habits…
·  The alcoholic started with one drink
·  The smoker started with one cigarette
·  The gambler started with one game
 You get the idea. You can learn from this and use this technique to create positive habits. One small step at a time. But how exactly do you do that?

How to Create New Habits

Start small. And make small progress. And keep going.

Leo Babauta says “Make it so easy you can’t say no”. That’s exactly what a new habit should be. Want to start exercising? Start by running or walking one minute every day.

Want to make a habit of reading a good finance book every day? Start by reading one page per day. It takes just a minute, but you are building the habit.

Identify yourself with the habit. You’re becoming “someone who works out” or “someone who reads daily”.
And you have to believe that you are exactly that. Prove it to yourself.

James Clear calls this “identity-based habits.“ The key is doing the habit each day, even if you can only do part of it.
Make small increases every day. Add a minute to your run. Add a page to your reading. If it becomes difficult to do, you’re adding too much too quick. The goal is to keep is easy.

How to Stay on Track Add new habits gradually.

One at a time. If you have several habits that you want to add, add a new habit each week. This is a slow, but effective way to build the discipline.

Remember this: If you stumble, start where you left off, but keep going.
 What happens if you miss a day? Or a week? Or several weeks? You pick right back up. You keep going. You’re not a failure for missing one time. You only fail when you decide to quit entirely
.
To summarize, here is how you create a new habit, in 5 steps:
1. Start small
2. Increase each day
3. Increase by small intervals
 4. Continue building until you’re satisfied
5. Repeat the process with another new habit
 It almost seems too easy, because it is easy. Really easy. But it works.

 Remember, while it’s easy to do, it’s just as easy not to do. You can always create a new habit. You just have to start small enough.

Boundaries and compassion

Boundaries and Compassion

One of the greatest (and least discussed) barriers to compassion practice is the fear of setting boundaries and holding people accountable. I know it sounds strange, but I believe that understanding the connection between boundaries, accountability, acceptance, and compassion has made me a kinder person. Before the breakdown, I was sweeter—judgmental, resentful, and angry on the inside—but sweeter on the outside. Today, I think I’m genuinely more compassionate, less judgmental and resentful, and way more serious about boundaries. I have no idea what this combination looks like on the outside,but it feels pretty powerful on the inside.
Before this research, I knew a lot about each one of these concepts, but I didn’t understand how they fit together. During the interviews, it blew my mind when I realized that many of the truly committed
compassion practitioners were also the most boundary-conscious people in the study. Compassionate people are boundaried people.

 The heart of compassion is really acceptance.The better we are at accepting ourselves and others, the more compassionate we become. Well, it’s difficult to accept people when they are hurting us or taking advantage of us or walking all over us. This research has taught me that if we really want to practice compassion, we have to start by setting boundaries and holding people accountable for their behaviour.

We live in a blame culture—we want to know whose fault it is and how they’re going to pay. In our personal, social, and political worlds, we do a lot of screaming and finger-pointing, but we rarely hold people accountable. How could we? We’re so exhausted from ranting and raving that we don’t have the energy to develop meaningful consequences and enforce them. From our workplace  to our own schools and homes, I think this rage-blame-too-tired-and-busy-to-followthrough mind-set is why we’re so heavy on self-righteous anger and so low on compassion.
Wouldn’t it be better if we could be kinder, but firmer?
How would our lives be different if there were less anger and more accountability? What would our work and home lives look like if we
blamed less but had more respect for boundaries?
I was recently brought in to talk with a group of leaders who were trying to manage a difficult reorganization in their workplace.One of the project managers told me that, after listening to me talk about the dangers of using shame as a management tool, he was worried that he shamed his team members. He told me that when he gets really frustrated, he singles people out and criticizes their work in team meetings.
He explained, “I’m so frustrated. I have two employees who just don’t listen. I explain every single detail of the project, I check to make sure they understand, and they still do it their way. I’m out of
options. I feel backed into a corner and angry, so I take them down in front of their colleagues.” When I asked him how he was holding these two employees accountable for not following the
project protocol, he replied, “What do you mean by accountable?”
I explained,“After you check with them to make sure they understand your expectations and the objectives, how do you explain the consequences of not following the plan or not meeting the
objectives?”
He said, “I don’t talk about the consequences. They know they’re supposed to follow the protocol.”
I gave him an example, “Okay. What would happen if you told them that you were going to write them up or give them an official warning the next time they violated protocol and that if it continues, they’re going to lose their jobs?”
He shook his head and said, “Oh, no. That’s pretty serious. I’d have to get the human resources people involved. That becomes a big hassle.”
Setting boundaries and holding people accountable is a lot more work than shaming and blaming.
But it’s also much more effective. Shaming and blaming without accountability is toxic to couples,families, organizations, and communities. First, when we shame and blame, it moves the focus from the original behavior in question to our own behavior. By the time this boss is finished shaming and humiliating his employees in front of their colleagues, the only behavior in question is his.

Additionally,if we don’t follow through with appropriate consequences, people learn to dismiss our requests—even if they sound like threats or ultimatums.If we ask our kids to keep their clothes off the floor and they know that the only consequence of not doing it is a few minutes of yelling, it’s fair for them to believe that it’s really not that important to us.
It’s hard for us to understand that we can be compassionate and accepting while we hold people accountable for their behaviors. We can, and, in fact, it’s the best way to do it.We can confront someone about their behaviour, or fire someone, or fail a student, or discipline a child without berating them or putting them down.The key is to separate people from their behaviors—to address what they’re doing, not who they are. It’s also important that we can lean into the discomfort that comes with straddling compassion and boundaries. We have to stay away from convincing ourselves that we hate someone or that they deserve to feel bad so that we can feel better about holding them accountable.That’s where we get into trouble. When we talk ourselves into disliking someone so we’re more comfortable holding them accountable,we’re priming ourselves for the shame and blame game.

When we fail to set boundaries and hold people accountable, we feel used and mistreated. This is why we sometimes attack who they are,which is far more hurtful than addressing a behavior or a choice. For our own sake, we need to understand that it’s dangerous to our relationships and our well being to get mired in shame and blame,or to be full of self-righteous anger. It’s also impossible to practice compassion from a place of resentment. If we’re going to practice acceptance and compassion, we need boundaries and accountability.

VISION-Product of goals and habits

Do you have goals? Like real, written, actionable goals? Most people don’t have. But I’m sure you do. Because you want to get the most out of your life. But what if I told you that goals aren’t as important as every self-help book says they are? What if I told you that habits are the foundation to success? Goals and habits actually work together, but goals are nothing without habits.

Goals

We’ve all heard that we need goals. If we want to achieve anything in life, we need goals. Right? Zig Ziglar says “if you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” And he uses that to explain why you must set goals.

Practically every popular productivity author talks about goals.

Most speak of SMART goals:

1. Specific: Exactly and specifically what you what to accomplish.

2. Measurable: A way to know when the goal is accomplished.

3. Attainable: The goal must be something you can actually reach.

4. Realistic: Be honest with yourself about your capabilities, but aim high!

5. Time-Bound: There must be a date. A  deadline.

Here’s the truth: Goals are important, but they aren’t the most important thing. Let’s talk about habits, and then tie them together. But I want you to know right now, goals are nothing without habits, and habits are much more important than goals.

Habits

Goals are only necessary to help form habits. Habits are what gets you to your goal. Habits are action. In other words, it’s important to have goals and habits, but if you had to pick one, habits would be the best choice. Why? Because even actionable goals don’t directly prompt you to do anything. Sure, they’re a good starting place, but a goal in itself doesn’t specify action, only outcome. So what about these habits? How do they work and how do they relate to goals?

Here’s the process:
1. Set your goal. Make it SMART and write it down.

2. Find your action habit(s). This is what will get you to your goal.

3. Break it down. Figure out what you need to do each day to achieve your goal.

4. Build your habit(s). Take smalls steps towards your goal, and increase the steps regularly

Build your habit(s):
“I will start by running 0.25 miles 3x per week, and increase this by 0.25 each week until I get to two miles. I will diet 1 day per week and increase this by one day each week until I am dieting 6 days per week.” It looks like Mr. Example would have a much better chance of achieving his goal with these last three steps added. You can’t just set a goal and walk away; there must be action habits to follow. In fact, let me explain why you don’t even need written goals, if you stick to your habits. But the “if you stick to your habits” part is much easier said than done.

Goals Aren’t Necessary If You Stick to Habits:

I set goals. Personally, I think everyone should, because they show you where you’re going, but it’s true that you don’t absolutely need goals. Habits are enough on their own. Before you unsubscribe and never come back to this blog again, let me explain:
In the example above, the action habits will most likely get Mr. Example to his goal, but even if he doesn’t hit the “October 16” goal, he will lose the 20 pounds shortly after, if he sticks to his habits. It’s all about habits.

If you decided you wanted to write a book, and you came up with an idea, decide which option would better serve you:

1. You write down a goal to write a book by January, 2019.

2. You implement the habit of writing 1,000 words per day.

You got it, the second one. Obviously these will work best together, but the problem is that goal setting can be hard, because you always either feel like the goal is too lofty, or not lofty enough, and this often leads people to forget their goals entirely. But it’s easy to start writing 100 words per day, and increase it by 100 each week, until you reach 1,000 words per day.

In  summary, goals and habits work best when formed together, but if you had to pick one, pick habits, every time.

A Word on “Visions”

I mentioned earlier that I set goals and build habits, but I also set a vision for every area of my life, and I feel like this is important, but don’t take this step until you’ve consistently set goals and built habits. Here’s how visions work, they’re actually above goals and habits. Now for the process and examples:

1. Set a vision. “I will be a serious student of life. I will be a life learner.”
2. Set a goal. “I will read 100 books by my 30th birthday”
3. Set action habits. “Reading”
4. Break it down. “I will read 10 books per year” 5. Build the habit. “I will read for 5 minutes per day, increasing by 5 minutes per week, until I read for 1 hour per day.”

Why do you set the vision? Wouldn’t the goal and the habits cover everything?
Kind of, but here’s the deal: you set a vision to keep you on track. You want to remember the whole reason you set the goal and built the habits in the first place, right? So set visions.

It’s easy to set a goal, hit it and then set another goal, but once you’ve done that several times, you may realize that you’re moving away from your vision. The take away here is this: remember why you set goal (s) in the first place by using a vision statement.

I believe the ideal scenario is to take one area at a time, set a vision, create a goal out of your vision, and build habits based on your goal. It's a process that runs like a powerful machine once you get it down.

Impact of Early years of childhood on the holistic development of the children…

Early years of childhood play an important and significant role in the holistic and all round development of the children.

Undoubtedly, the genes are the determining factor for their personality development, but environment can’t be ignored.

The genes we inherit from our parents are limited whereas the brain’s ability to develip billions of new connections between the cells it is born with, is infinite
Education, knowledge, learning and experience, greatly influence the number of these connections.

The same will become much clearer if we study the life history of some of the world famous personalities very closely, to name a few, Mozart and Leonardo da Vinci.
1. Mozart: His father, a court musician in Australia, recognised his talent at a very early age, supported, guided and provided him a platform to interact with the renowned musicians of the days and the result; child Mozart started enjoying the fame.
2. Leonardo da Vinci: His parents could also recognise his immense talent at a very early stage, motivated and helped him join the studio of a renowned artist as an apprentice and soon he developed his artistic skiils and talents and went on to become an artist par excellence.

It takes two to make a genius.
One of the greatest myths about genius is that they are born, instantly recognised and that’s all.

But, that’s not the case. It takes two to make a genius. A person born with some talent or gift needs someone from the society not only to see it, but also to believe in it, recognise and then help it groom to the fullest.

In order to ensure the holistic development of the children,
1. Talents/gifts amongst the children need to be identified.
2. All kinds of opportunities and exposure should be provided to them to nurture and groom the talent so identified to the fullest.
3. Parental support is a must.
4. Due recogntion and appreciation have to be rendered to the children from time to time by the school, teachers and the parents so as to keep their morale high.

http://iuef5.blogspot.com/2018/10/asha-mittal-iuef-senator-for-pooma.html?m=1

Effective schooling with limited resources

AZEEZ, The UNV with Mrs. Bindu Gupta, The UNV.

Resources are unlimited. But materials are limited.

Let's see what are the resources required to run a school.

A. Economy in Use of Paper/Envelope

Use blank side of used paper for drafting.

Print on both sides of paper.

Use recycled paper.

Minimize photocopies.

Reuse envelopes or use transit envelopes.

Do not use envelopes for unclassified documents.

Communicate within and outside school by e-mail (including exchange of information, issue of invitation letters).

Use the format of electronic files to keep and release school information.

Urge staff to use their own cups instead of paper Cups.

Use plain paper fax machines.

Check the settings before photocopying or printing.

Use photocopiers and printers equipped with double-sided printing function.

Avoid using fax leader pages.

Use old letter heads to print incoming fax messagesInstall "green tray" in LAN laser printers, photocopiers, fax machines and classrooms so as to use blank side of used paper.

Use old sets of documents for re-circulation.

Use blank side of used paper to make note pads.

Encourage students to keep their old exercise books for paper recycling.

B. Economy in Use of Electricity

  1. Lighting Installation

Use T5 fluorescent tubes, light emitting diode (LED) lamps or compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) where practicable.

Use task light to minimize general lighting.

Procure CFL with Grade 1 energy label under the Mandatory Energy Efficiency Labelling Scheme (MEELS) upon replacement of old equipment.

Modify group lighting switches to individual switches.

Avoid excessive levels of illumination.

Consider replacing electromagnetic ballasts of fluorescent lamps to electronic ballasts.

Consider replacing conventional Exit signs to LED exit signsKeep all windows, light bulbs and light fittings clean to maintain optimum lighting performance.

Maintain only those lighting which are essential for safety, security or other specific purposes in areas that are infrequently occupied.

Maximize daylight usage.

 
2. Air-conditioning (A/C) and Ventilation Installations

Set and maintain an average room temperature between 24-26°C during the summer months from June to September. For the other months, set the A/C system to the most energy-efficient operational mode and adjust A/C temperature set-point to achieve comfort conditions, if necessary. 

Choose the model of air-conditioners with the cooling capacity most suitable for the size of the room and with Grade 1 energy label under the MEELS.

Clean the dust filters and fan coil units regularly; remove obstructions at air inlets and outlets of the A/C and ventilation.

Keep all the windows and doors closed when air-conditioner is running.

Turn on air-conditioner no sooner than one uses a room (i.e. no earlier than 15 minutes), and the last one out to turn it off upon leaving.

Use high fan mode instead of lowering the temperature of air-conditioner Lower and completely close.

Venetian blinds when direct sunlight is penetrating a window in the summer season, even if additional artificial lighting is required to compensate for the reduction in daylight.

Use ventilation or fans instead of A/C as far as possible during cool seasons

 3. Other energy areas

Extend the application of renewable energy to buildings undergoing major renovation and retrofitting wherever practicable.

Consider using more energy-efficient electrical appliances, e.g. refrigerator with Grade 1 energy label under the MEELS and procure energy efficient office equipment and peripherals with energy saving labels under the Voluntary Efficiency Labelling Scheme upon replacement of old equipment

4. “Bulk Tariff” / “Maximum Demand Tariff” on Electricity

 For schools that have consistently high electricity consumption despite attempts to reduce the use of electricity.

Therefore schools can opt Bulk tariff.

C. Economy in Use of Water

Teach students not to play with water in the toilet.

Avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily.

Irrigate plants in the morning or in the evening to avoid rapid evaporation under the mid day’s scorching sun.
Arrange for prompt repair to any dripping tap or leaking water main found

D. Other Good Housekeeping Practices

Appoint a designated staff member to follow up on the implementation of the energy saving measures in school premises.

Monitor the usage of electricity, water and paper.

Conduct routine checks to ensure unnecessary lighting/air-conditioners, communal facilities (e.g. photocopiers) are switched off outside school/office hours.

During recesses, lunch breaks and after classes are finished, switch off the lights and air-conditioners in the classrooms once nobody is in the rooms.

Remind the last one to leave the classroom/office to switch off all electrical appliances.

Switch on computers, printers and projectors only when needed.

Shorten operation hours of lifts.

Attach notices to all switches and exits to remind staff to turn off lights, air-conditioners and other appliances.

Remind staff and students on regular basis of the need to save resources.

E. Others

Make appropriate green lunch arrangements and follow the principles of reducing waste, e.g. use reusable food containers and cutlery; facilitate students to bring and use reusable cutlery given to them; implement on-site food portioning; portion out food in a flexible manner; and encourage students to bring their own lunches.

Adopt a green purchasing policy.

Reduce number of greeting cards by sending electronic cardsRe-use decorative materials.

Cut down on gift wrapping paper.

Reduce number of wreaths and flower-baskets.