teacher's sacrifice

teacher's sacrifice
Teachers make sacrifices. Right? We give of ourselves, of our time, and of our resources. It seems to be a job requirement that we teachers commit every part of our being to our jobs. And sometimes it does feel like we surrender all. But is that surrender a sacrifice?

A sacrifice is something one gives that costs them greatly but returns something even better. Ancients would sacrifice animals to their gods in return for a strong rain, healthy harvest, or protection from a host of hostile elements. Sometimes it worked. Christians are required to give 10% of their income as a tithe, any more is considered a sacrifice. Most who sacrifice do it willingly in exchange for some thing or some situation they believe will improve their lives.

So too do teachers sacrifice for their students. Teachers give of themselves to improve the quality of life for their students. Whether its through imparting some knowledge, or facilitating a hard lesson in character, teachers give to the students' benefit. But is that a sacrifice on the part of the teacher? What saturating rain, or bountiful harvest or guarantee of protection do teachers get for their personal and costly sacrifice? Better put, what's in it for the teacher? Not much you say? How about those painfully long days without adult interaction? What about the great pay? And don't forget test scores. Well there are those long summers off. That's pretty cool.

Maybe it's not a sacrifice. Since we do not do what we do for the greater personal return on our investment, then maybe what we do do is not a sacrifice at all. Stay with me here. Perhaps what we are really doing is building the future. Think about it. Who else in the global village (I hate that term) is saddled with the responsibility or churning out well-behaved, disciplined, moral, value-filled, hard-working, freedom loving young adults ready to take on the responsibilities of leading the free world and not blowing the place up? Certainly not television producers, alcohol and cigarette sales people, or movie, sports, and musical talents. No. Charles Barkley said so himself.

It's up to the teachers. We are held to a higher standard. I once used the word "bitchen" in class to describe a dance that one of my sixth grade students choreographed and shared with me. She went home and shared my enthusiasm with her parents and grandparents. At a parent conference I sat across from a pair of leather-clad parents who explained that it wasn't that they didn't use the word in their own home, but that I was a teacher, and I had to hold the higher ground. It was my first year.

So do we sacrifice? Well, not for our personal gain. So, no, we don't sacrifice. I hope that doesn't upset you. I know that martyr is on the list of synonyms for teacher (not really). Here is the list from thesaurus. com : abecedary, advisor, assistant, babysitter, coach, disciplinarian, docent, don, educator, faculty member, governess, grind, guide, guru, instructor, lecturer, maestro, master, mentor, mistress, pedagogue, preceptor, prof, professor, pundit, scholar, schoolman, schoolmaster, schoolmistress, schoolteacher, slave driver, supervisor, swami, teach, trainer, tutor. I think my favorite from that list is "slave driver."
So that settles it. We don't sacrifice when we spend hours after school helping kids with make up work for classes that they missed during the day because they slept in late and Mom and Dad couldn't get them to school on time, or at all. We don't sacrifice when we give up our weekends to grade essays written by other people's children trying to help them understand the difference between a noun and pronoun. We don't sacrifice when we can't afford to buy our families they vehicle they need when the students we teach drive to school in BMWs and Porsches. No, that' not sacrifice, that's building the future.

The real way to stop eating fast food?

“How could you eat that junk? It’s so bad for you!” (nag, nag). “Don’t you know those fries will give you a heart attack?” (nag, nag). “” (nag, nag). Your friends nag you, your family nags you, your doctor nags you, the health newsletters, websites and magazines - they all nag you, and of course, your personal trainer nags the heck out of you, to stop eating all those BAD FAST FOODS. But does all that nagging you and bad-mouthing the fast food industry really help anyone stop?

It doesn’t look that way. The fast food industry is thriving, even in the bad economy. The Chicago Tribune recently said that McDonalds is “recession proof.”

As one of only two companies to turn a major profit over the last year (the other being Wal Mart), McDonald’s is laughing its way to the bank. In fact, McDonalds plans to open 1,000 new stores this year.

I was driving down Route 95 a few weeks ago and pulled over to use the rest room at Mcdonalds on a Saturday morning (there’s a McDonalds conveniently located immediately off almost every exit up and down the full length of Interstate 95).

The parking lot was full, it was standing-room only inside and the lines snaked around into the seating area! You’d think Brad and Angelina were there signing autographs or something. Nope. Just a regular weekend at breakfast-time.

I was shopping in Wal Mart the same week and I almost passed out when I saw (smelled, actually) a McDonalds… INSIDE THE WAL- MART! Also, with lines.

Yep. It looks like your friends and family’s nagging you to stop eating fast food, and all the messages of the health and fitness industry to get people eating more “health food” are not working!

a118974-wany

Think positive

THE global situation may look gloomy but I choose to take a positive point of view.
To me, it is an indication that if we fail to look at ourselves, nature will create conditions to compel us to do so. This is exactly what is happening now.
Today we are compelled to face problems such as pollution, deforestation and open burning.
The first word "positive" is a symbol of growth. It is something which elevates, enriches, expands and grows.
After all, one is a part of the whole and can survive only as long as the whole survives. One gives only to receive, maybe in a different form, because he understands that when you look at the big picture, there is no difference between giving and receiving, only a matter of exchange. Thus, such an approach is always growth-oriented.
The second word "thinking" is also equally important. Just the art of thinking positive can keep us constantly happy.

Learning out of the box

Many parents feel that school is the place where children learn. And to a certain extent that is true. We hand over our children for such a large portion of their lives to qualified teachers who plan programmes that teach them what they are supposed to know.Homework also plays a part in adding to the learning process. However, for some children, this is not enough. Very often, ­homework needs to be measured by the teacher in some way and as such, it is not work that would engage the child’s brain and help him to develop strong ­reasoning and ­creative skills. At times, the work given does not meet the needs of the individual child.Parents can still do a lot at home to aid in their children’s learning process and it’s not as scary and as involved as you may think.If you want your child to be a little more challenged, or to ­develop new skills in areas that may not fall within the conventional areas that school and homework teaches, try these ideas:
- Play time

Research has proven that children who are given more free time to do what they like, develop higher creative thinking skills than those in structured programmes all the time. So, encourage a range of out-of-school activities, although not a different one every day.

- Homework expectations

Each school has slightly different ­expectations of homework and so does each teacher. Homework should be ­something your child can carry out ­relatively unaided. If you need to help them for hours every night, then the expectation is set at too high a level and needs to be lowered.

- Provide helpful materials

For young learners, having materials can help make their learning easier. This may include counters, alphabet charts and word books. Allow them to help measure out ingredients when cooking, and spend time reading notices and signs when you are out and about.

Learn how to swim

Do you want to learn how to swim but can't afford the lessons, or are scared of water?
Here are some easy steps to get started.

Steps:
1. Get rid of your fear of water - Gently move into the shallow end of the pool. Paddle around until you feel safe.
2. Practice the arm movements - Practise simple arm movements and correct your strokes as you go along.
3. Use the side of the pool to practice kicking - Hold onto the side of the pool and practice kicking correctly to develop confidence.
4. Lift your feet off in the middle of the shallow end - Learn to tread water to develop buoyancy.
5. Swim short distances - Use simple strokes, which you are comfortable with to cover short distances, up to the width of the pool. Get support if not confident.
6. Try different strokes - Swim the width of the pool with different strokes like front-crawl, back-crawl, breaststroke, and any other easy-to hard stroke you can think of.
7. Take the first step into the deep end - You may start slowly and go a bit further each time, holding onto the side of the pool.
8. Swim into the deep end - Once you feel confident and secure, learn to swim to the deep end on your own.

Swimming for fitness

Swimming is one the best forms of exercise which has been a proven fact for a long time, and as it stands, nothing will change this fact in the near future. Amongst the health benefits include building lean muscle mass and promoting cardiovascular health.
The first benefit of swimming is that it is a low impact form of exercise, which means any from of ligament injury, pain in the knees, muscle tear, joint pain are drastically minimised due to its ature.
The movements are also natural and do not require increased exertion.
Because of this, even the aged and infants can take advantage of swimming as a form of regular exercise.
Those who wish to develop a much learner body, swimming provides a total exercise solution in building lean muscle mass for every aspect of the body as its uses all the major muscle group.
Whatever stroke you emply, the arms are used in full effect to steer and help you move along the water, and when you use your arms, your back, your chest, and entire upper body are also involved in the process.
Your legs are the propulsion system which helps work out your entire upper and lower limbs, giving them complete muscle mass development. Because of its constant movement through water, one can build high levels of endurance and strength by swimming.
It burns just as much calories and fat as running or any other high impact exercise such as climbing, step aerobics and running, so there is no excuse for anyone not or turn to swimming to lose weight.
With no more than 30 to 45 minutes a day in the pool, you can accelerate your metabolic rate and burn enough fat within a short time. If you are swimming to lose weight, you have found the right environment for it.
Normally people get tired due to many reasons, including heat of the day, high impact exercises and exertion as the body produces lactic acid which signals you to stop and take a breather.
When you are swimming, you are in the tactile environment which is cooling and soothing , and you do not feel lethargic after the exercise, and you can go for longer compared to running.
That is why more and more people turn to swimming when they are unable to run anymore - but do not wait until that happens. Swim, and build the body you have always wanted for yourself.
Everyone should learn to how swim.

AVOID EXAM STRESS AND TENSION

Now is the time of exams season in UKM.....It is very stressful and difficult. Some students find that the exam time is so bad and they become ill, because:


-They are afraid of failing.
-They are afraid of letting their parents and family down.
-The hard work of study and revising* damages their health.



(*learning again from your notes and books - going back over what you have studied)


If exams are really making you ill, worried, or depressed, don't hide your feelings. Talk to someone about it. In some cultures, people think it is wrong to share their feelings and worries with others. But this is the only way to get help!
A problem shared is a problem halved. So you must find someone to talk to about these problems. Maybe you can speak to a friend, or someone in your family. Or teachers at your place of study. Or a doctor. If one person doesn't help you, ask someone else.