I believe it is so important that you as the teacher maintain your health in as
good condition as possible. Teaching requires a good amount of energy and
vitality to be sharp and on your toes. If you are feeling under par all the time it's
difficult to keep you energy level up and deliver a winning entertaining class.
As a teacher you are a servant to the students. You can give your best service
only if your physical and mental health is not a liability but an asset.
So staying in shape or getting in shape, if you are not already there, eating
mostly nourishing healthy foods (OK there will be times when you'll want to
indulge in some questionable foods), getting the right amount of exercise and
enough sleep is very important.
This is true especially if you are going to a foreign country. It pays to stay as
healthy as possible. Why bother with all the rigmarole of doctors and hospitals
when just a little preventive medicine will keep you well.
So here are my Seven Secrets to Optimal Health. (I may soon be writing an
eBook with this title.) The following is just an outline and the complete
discussion would be too extensive to go into an eBook such as this.
1. Elimination
Make sure you are eliminating at least once a day. Improper bowel function has
been linked to scores of diseases including cancer and heart disease. This is
ancient wisdom your great grandma knew but has been lost in our modern
"scientific" medicine. Vegetables, some fruit and whole grains and fermented
foods like yogurt, cheese and sauerkraut are necessary daily to help maintain
good regularity.
2. Hydration
This means water and teas, maybe a little fresh fruit and vegetable juice. Not
Coke and sugary soft drinks or lots of canned fruit juice. Read Your Body’s
Many Cried For Water by Dr. Batmanghelidj, M.D. to find out about the new
research being done on how dehydration can cause all kinds of disease.
3. Oxygenation
See that you are breathing deeply enough on a regular basis from the gut
rather than short breaths from the chest. Daily walks and exercise and
breathing exercises are all beneficial to help maintain health and a positive
outlook. Get some info about special breathing exercises that has origins in
India called Pranayama. A quick search on the Internet will show you the many
sites about this ancient practice.
4. Nutrition / Supplementation
Eat right, eat whole foods. Chicken, fish, meat and eggs some cheese, yogurt
and natural fats and oils (not hydrogenated oils), all good for you. Multivitamin
and minerals should be a standard everyday thing to make sure you get
everything you need.
5. Recreation/Relaxation
Daily exercise, at least 15-30 minutes of walking or floor exercises, Yoga, all
that. Mix it up. Don't stick to the same boring routine. Get enough sleep. Set
aside time for the day to relax and be lazy. Other times just get away from it all
and retire to some quiet place to recharge your batteries.
6. Meditation / Prayer
It doesn't matter what religion you are or even if you are an atheist. It's been
scientifically proven that those who have some kind of meditation and/or
prayer routine are healthier, happier, more relaxed and open-minded. Start with
20 minutes a day, then do that twice a day, then extend it to maybe even 45
minutes to an hour. It's especially beneficial in the evening before bed.
7. Education
Educate yourself about health. For me it's been a lifelong process of reading
and studying and trying things and discovering what works best for me. New
information is always coming out, new things being discovered.
Nourishing Traditions by Susan Fallon is one of the best books I've read on
overall nutrition. It's also a cookbook with great recipes. I would also get
Patient Heal Thyself and The Maker's Diet by Jordan Rubin.
Showing posts with label Key. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Key. Show all posts
Teaching Success key/be Flexible
Be Flexible
Sometimes, depending on the mood of the class for that day, I'll completely
throw out my lesson plan and do something different. Sometimes I can tell the
class is just not in the mood to do what I've planned.
So in my commitment to keep the class interesting and not bore the students I
shift gears and just do something else. It's a kind of flying-by-the-seat-of-your
pants thing just to see where you land.
Sometimes the students want to know more about me so I let them ask me
questions. When that peters out I start on something else
I believe it's important to be flexible in all areas of life. Things are less stressful
that way. As you already know, things don't always go the way you planned or
expected.
So I think it's a good practice to accept things as they come along. Change the
things that can be changed, accept and work with the things that can't.
Wisdom is in knowing the difference. (That's from one of those proverbs. I
worded it a little differently.)
Living in a foreign country requires you to take on a certain amount of flexibility
and is key to survival and enjoying a different culture.
Now this might sound a little crazy but one of the best ways to be flexible in
mind is to be flexible in body. If your body is rigid and stiff chances are so will
be your thinking.
Take some Yoga classes or get a book on Yoga. Have some kind of regular
regimen so you can maintain a healthy flexible body. This will help you maintain
calmness and serenity through some of the slings and arrows life throws at
you.
And I believe will help you be a more balanced and vigorous teacher.
Sometimes, depending on the mood of the class for that day, I'll completely
throw out my lesson plan and do something different. Sometimes I can tell the
class is just not in the mood to do what I've planned.
So in my commitment to keep the class interesting and not bore the students I
shift gears and just do something else. It's a kind of flying-by-the-seat-of-your
pants thing just to see where you land.
Sometimes the students want to know more about me so I let them ask me
questions. When that peters out I start on something else
I believe it's important to be flexible in all areas of life. Things are less stressful
that way. As you already know, things don't always go the way you planned or
expected.
So I think it's a good practice to accept things as they come along. Change the
things that can be changed, accept and work with the things that can't.
Wisdom is in knowing the difference. (That's from one of those proverbs. I
worded it a little differently.)
Living in a foreign country requires you to take on a certain amount of flexibility
and is key to survival and enjoying a different culture.
Now this might sound a little crazy but one of the best ways to be flexible in
mind is to be flexible in body. If your body is rigid and stiff chances are so will
be your thinking.
Take some Yoga classes or get a book on Yoga. Have some kind of regular
regimen so you can maintain a healthy flexible body. This will help you maintain
calmness and serenity through some of the slings and arrows life throws at
you.
And I believe will help you be a more balanced and vigorous teacher.
Put Together a Winning Lesson Plan for Success
Some schools make it easy for you. They already have everything figured out
about how and what to teach the students. The system is already set up and
you just plug right into it and go.
That's why, as we previously discussed, it's important before you go into any
teaching situation to find out what's expected of you.
But even if the school has the whole thing laid out for you it's good to not go
into class empty-handed. In other words, come in with your own ideas about
what and how to get through to your students.
I've been fortunate in that all of my teaching situations I have had to rely on my
own skills and creativity to come up my own lesson plans.
What I do...
I usually start each of my classes with a few minutes of conversation just to
get them warmed up and settled down after the break. Our classes are small
so I try to get everyone to say something.
The important thing is you gotta keep the class interesting, you gotta keep it
moving.
I've found that the best thing is to go into class with many different things to
do. I may not get to all of them, usually don't.
And sometimes an interesting topic for conversation might come up at the
beginning of class that might segue in something deeper or into other topics.
And I wind up not even getting to any of the material I'd planned! (This is where
it's important to be flexible which we'll discuss later.)
Now the above was for intermediate to advanced. Obviously, in beginner level
you're mainly working on grammar and pronunciation and basic vocabulary so
you may be limited in your opportunity to have any kind of deep conversation.
I teach three levels: beginner to advanced. I have what I call my bag of ESL
tricks that I reach into to plan my lessons.
They include:
• conversation,
• grammar,
• idiomatic expressions,
• reading and discussing short articles or stories,
• vocabulary building,
• dictation,
• practice TOEFL tests and discussion,
• essay writing,
• playing games (even for adults),
• watching movies,
• studying poetry.
Having a variety of and ready resources to choose from will never leave you
feeling stranded and wondering “what the heck do I do now.”
Keep your eyes and ears open. The great things about teaching English is that
there are infinite resources everywhere and more is added to the vast ESL
“databank” each day.
about how and what to teach the students. The system is already set up and
you just plug right into it and go.
That's why, as we previously discussed, it's important before you go into any
teaching situation to find out what's expected of you.
But even if the school has the whole thing laid out for you it's good to not go
into class empty-handed. In other words, come in with your own ideas about
what and how to get through to your students.
I've been fortunate in that all of my teaching situations I have had to rely on my
own skills and creativity to come up my own lesson plans.
What I do...
I usually start each of my classes with a few minutes of conversation just to
get them warmed up and settled down after the break. Our classes are small
so I try to get everyone to say something.
The important thing is you gotta keep the class interesting, you gotta keep it
moving.
I've found that the best thing is to go into class with many different things to
do. I may not get to all of them, usually don't.
And sometimes an interesting topic for conversation might come up at the
beginning of class that might segue in something deeper or into other topics.
And I wind up not even getting to any of the material I'd planned! (This is where
it's important to be flexible which we'll discuss later.)
Now the above was for intermediate to advanced. Obviously, in beginner level
you're mainly working on grammar and pronunciation and basic vocabulary so
you may be limited in your opportunity to have any kind of deep conversation.
I teach three levels: beginner to advanced. I have what I call my bag of ESL
tricks that I reach into to plan my lessons.
They include:
• conversation,
• grammar,
• idiomatic expressions,
• reading and discussing short articles or stories,
• vocabulary building,
• dictation,
• practice TOEFL tests and discussion,
• essay writing,
• playing games (even for adults),
• watching movies,
• studying poetry.
Having a variety of and ready resources to choose from will never leave you
feeling stranded and wondering “what the heck do I do now.”
Keep your eyes and ears open. The great things about teaching English is that
there are infinite resources everywhere and more is added to the vast ESL
“databank” each day.
Keys to Success Keep a Journal
2. Keep a Journal
I've heard it said, "If your life is worth living it's worth recording." I've kept a
journal for many years and I go through spurts when I write in it almost
everyday to times when I may write only once or twice a month.
Off the top of your head...
The trick is to write spontaneously without stopping and thinking about it. (I
recommend The Artists's Way by Julie Cameron to get great instruction on
this.)
But recently I started doing something that I am going to recommend to you.
You see I keep more than one journal. I keep my personal journal in which I
record my thoughts feelings ideas brainstorms and dreams and goals. I also
keep a separate journal in the classroom.
After each class (and sometimes during) I write in ideas, comments, questions,
ways to improve as a teacher, what we worked on in that lesson, things I can
do to help the students, etc.
This has proven to be invaluable for me and has added a unique dimension
to my teaching.
I've heard it said, "If your life is worth living it's worth recording." I've kept a
journal for many years and I go through spurts when I write in it almost
everyday to times when I may write only once or twice a month.
Off the top of your head...
The trick is to write spontaneously without stopping and thinking about it. (I
recommend The Artists's Way by Julie Cameron to get great instruction on
this.)
But recently I started doing something that I am going to recommend to you.
You see I keep more than one journal. I keep my personal journal in which I
record my thoughts feelings ideas brainstorms and dreams and goals. I also
keep a separate journal in the classroom.
After each class (and sometimes during) I write in ideas, comments, questions,
ways to improve as a teacher, what we worked on in that lesson, things I can
do to help the students, etc.
This has proven to be invaluable for me and has added a unique dimension
to my teaching.
Eight Different ways to shutdown Your pc
1. The standard approach – click the Start Button with your mouse, then select the Turn Off menu and finally click the Turn Off icon on the Turn Off computer dialog.
2. Press Ctrl+Esc key or the Win key and press u two times – the fastest approach.
3. Get the Shutdown utility from Download.com – it add the shut down shortcuts for you. Else create them yourself using approach 4.
4. Create a shutdown shortcut on your desktop. Right click on the desktop, choose New Shortcut and type shutdown -s -t 00 in the area where you are asked to specify the location of the program file. Now you can just double click this icon to turn off the computer. The best location would be your quick launch bar.
5. Press the Win key + R key to open the run window. Type shutdown -s -t 00. [s means shutdown while t means the duration after which you want to initiate the shutdown process].
If some open processes or application won’t let you turn off, append a -f switch to force a shut down by closing all active processes.
6. Win+M to minimize all windows and then Alt+F4 to bring the Turn Off computer dialog.
7. Open Windows Task manager (by right clicking the Windows Task bar or Alt+Ctrl+Del) and choose Shut down from the menu. Useful when the Windows are not responding.
8. open task manager—>click on shutdown—>hold the ctrl key and click on Turn off::::::: pc will be turned off in 3 secs.. fastest method other than hard shutdown
2. Press Ctrl+Esc key or the Win key and press u two times – the fastest approach.
3. Get the Shutdown utility from Download.com – it add the shut down shortcuts for you. Else create them yourself using approach 4.
4. Create a shutdown shortcut on your desktop. Right click on the desktop, choose New Shortcut and type shutdown -s -t 00 in the area where you are asked to specify the location of the program file. Now you can just double click this icon to turn off the computer. The best location would be your quick launch bar.
5. Press the Win key + R key to open the run window. Type shutdown -s -t 00. [s means shutdown while t means the duration after which you want to initiate the shutdown process].
If some open processes or application won’t let you turn off, append a -f switch to force a shut down by closing all active processes.
6. Win+M to minimize all windows and then Alt+F4 to bring the Turn Off computer dialog.
7. Open Windows Task manager (by right clicking the Windows Task bar or Alt+Ctrl+Del) and choose Shut down from the menu. Useful when the Windows are not responding.
8. open task manager—>click on shutdown—>hold the ctrl key and click on Turn off::::::: pc will be turned off in 3 secs.. fastest method other than hard shutdown
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