Wednesday, November 27, 2019

A Full-Time Income on Part-Time Hours

A Full-Time Income on Part-Time Hours A couple of years ago, after Id returned form maternity leave and decided that I quite enjoyed spending time with my son, I went part-time as a writer. Yet, despite having cut down my hours, I was able to maintain my yearly income. Wait, thats not true. I increased it. If youre a writer with a day job or a work-at-home parent in charge of noisy kids looking to make a nice income on part-time hours, you need to maximize the work you can do in those limited hours. How? Read on. 1. Take on only high-paying work. I only worked 20 hours a week during that first year as a writing parent, and so I knew that I no longer had time for $50 blog posts or articles that paid $100 for 1,000 words. Instead, I focused exclusively on $1-a-word markets and $100-per-hour projects. That meant that even if I did actual write for only 10 hours a week (the rest of the time devoted to marketing and admin), I could, in the weeks that I filled up those hours, be making $1,000 a week. Not bad! 2. Take on easier work. Before motherhood, my biggest joy was being a journalist, going out and finding untold stories from places no one had ever looked. I wrote about the environment, womens issues, politics, and business from my home in India. I won awards for my work. But this was difficult, time-consuming work, and once the ba 3. Make the most of every bit of research. I have a rule for myself: Every interview I do should lead to at least two more ideas for stories. So when I interviewed a well-known food scientist for a story about genetic modification, I ended our conversation 4. Come up with ideas in multiples of three. I rarely come up with a single idea. I come up with the idea in multiples of three. Thats because I take the initial spark of an idea and try to transform it into something that would fit into a number of different publications. So my query on how busy women can keep fit wont just be sent to a womans magazine but a magazine for working women (The Five-Minute Fitness Program for Executives), a parenting magazine (Fitness Tips for the Time-Crunched Mummy) and maybe even a general interest publication (Fitness on a Stopwatch). 5. Have a goal for every hour. Its so easy to open up your computer in the morning and waste two hours on Twitter. This happens when you dont have a plan of action. Make a to-do list for the week and then each day before bed, take the top three things you know you must do tomorrow and put them on a separate list. When you sit down to work in the morning (or during afternoon nap time), you know exactly what you need to get done. The more productive you are in the hours that youre actually working, the more youll be able to earn. Finally, remember, when people work 80 hours a week, theyre not actually working those 80 hours. Theyre working a productive 20, a not-so-productive 20, and a completely wasteful 40. So maximize your own productivity for your first 20 hours and youll be earning a full-time income in no time.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Student Welcome Letter

Student Welcome Letter A student welcome letter is a great way to greet and introduce yourself to your new students and their parents. Its purpose is to welcome students and give parents an insight into what you expect as well as what students need to do throughout the school year. This is the first contact between the teacher and home, so include all essential elements to give a great first impression and set the tone for the rest of the school year. Elements of a Welcome Letter A student welcome letter should include the following: Personal informationContact informationA description of your classroom behavior planA brief description of your classroom environmentHomework policyA classroom supply listA brief statement of your teaching philosophy Sample Welcome Letter Below is an example of a welcome letter for a first-grade classroom. It contains all of the elements listed above. September 2019 Dear Parents and Students: My name is Samantha Smith, and Id like to welcome your children, and you, to my first-grade class. Your children have all just completed a busy and productive year of kindergarten, and Id like to assure you that their education will continue as we work to meet their individual and collective learning goals. First, a little about myself: I have been a first-grade teacher for 25 years, including the last 10 here at Spencer V. Williams Elementary School. I believe in student-centered approach to learning. That is, I feel its important that I get to know every student individually and develop individual education goals for each that tie into our classroom learning. I also believe that its important that we- your child, you the parent, and I- work together as a team to help your children succeed. This year, we will be focusing on district and state first-grade learning standards, which include: Math: Problem-solving, operations, and number senseReading: Basic sight-word recognition, first-grade reading, phonemic awareness with more complicated sounds like blends and digraphsWriting: Formal work on handwriting skills in addition to creative writing tasksVisual Arts: Identification of lines, colors, shapes, forms, and textures as elements  Other Areas: Including basic science concepts, social studies, and social skills These are, of course, only some of the academic areas we will explore and learn this year as a class. I will inform you soon of our back-to-school night date and details, as well as dates for parent-teacher conferences. But please dont limit your contact to those. I am happy to talk or meet with parents any afternoon after school or early mornings. I have attached a copy of my classroom behavior plan, homework policy (I assign homework every weeknight except for Fridays), and classroom supply list. Please retain those for your records. Also, please feel free to call or email me with any questions, thoughts, and even concerns. Sincerely, Samantha Smith First-Grade Teacher Spencer V. William Elementary (555) 555-5555 smithsvwilliams.net Importance of the Letter The letter will be slightly different depending on the grade level. For middle school or high school, for example, or even for upper elementary school years, youll need to emphasize different curriculum requirements. But the letters structure can be similar regardless of the grade you are teaching because it sends a clear and open invitation to parents to work with you and their child as a team. Sending out this kind of letter to parents at the start of the school will make your job as a teacher much easier and open up a dialogue with parents, an important step in helping each child succeed in your class.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Role, Purpose and Value of Design and Technology in the School Essay

The Role, Purpose and Value of Design and Technology in the School Curriculum - Essay Example Education should be made equally accessible to everyone despite of the race, ethnic or social class to which a person belongs; this would not only create a more equitable society but also create a harmony among the people living in the society. One of the fundamental reasons for the striking income disparity between people of the same society in this capitalist world lies in unequal access to education for everyone which eventually puts people belonging to lower income classes at disadvantaged and hence they never get out of their poverty trap (Matheson, 2008). Furthermore, the purpose of education is to make children aware of what they want to do with their lives, what opportunities lay ahead, what are the possible fields they can progress into etc. Above everything else, education helps the individuals to secure their future not only for themselves but for their families as well, as education is positively related to higher incomes. Studies have consistently proven over time that i ndividuals with a higher college or university degree end up earning more as compared to their counterparts with less education (Owen-Jackson, 2007). Moreover, another crucial facet of education is the chance of upward social mobility it provides to individuals who seek higher education. In this fast paced world where competition has become severe and only survival of the fittest is possible, education should not be restricted to bookish and theoretical text only but it must also incorporate informal education and knowledge of skills that would entail an individual to live a better and prosperous life (Posner, 2003). Importance of education has become more pivotal than ever before as the world has transformed into a global village where information technology now plays an unprecedented role in our lives; economies which once used to be agricultural centers have changed to service and manufacturing economies where education and skills are imperative for the survival (Posner, 2003). A part from the monetary and financial gains of education, another purpose central to education is to create a civilized society where everyone is given equal rights and where ethics and morals are given due importance for a higher standard of living so that everyone can live peacefully in a secured environment. Education inculcates an ability to differentiate what is right or wrong in life. It helps individuals to distinguish between the acceptable and unacceptable values. It makes people politically and socially aware of their responsibilities as a citizen of the state. In other words, education can be attributed as a fundamental on which a society with higher economic, political and social growth is formed; as a major role of education is to integrate people in order to keep social setup stable and smooth (Sleeter, 2005). Lastly, in a nut shell education is an investment for lifetime which provides more freedom to live a better life and the benefits of which are not only restricted to individuals but it contributes to the society in which the person resides. It is the role of government to make sure that every individual is getting an equal and an unbiased opportunity to access education in order to form an equitable and just society. Importance of Curriculum with a focus on UK Education System: Education is crucial for the development of a civilized socie