x.x asked:


I want to be an art teacher of some sort. (theater, creative writing, general arts, photography)

I’m a senior in high school, and I’ve heard that teachers are highly in demand in some places and that if you say you’ll teach in that area for a certain amount of time or whatever, they’ll help pay for your schooling.

Could anyone give me some extra insight on this? Thanks.

FIDEL

Abhishek Agarwal asked:


In general, after some years of teaching and gaining experience the teachers would intent to go for a career change. They are sometimes forced to do this in order to avoid the so far experienced face to face method of teaching. The job of teaching is appreciated for many and they are rewarded for the same. The teachers are satisfied with their job of interacting with the students. But there are some who feel that the work causes stress. This drives to search a new job in the next few years.
Opting for a different field may be the career change teachers look for. There are some options for teachers allowing the career change in the field they wish, without actually allowing a change in their present occupation itself. These options may bear the work for distance education, working with the courses and publishing training books. It is a better choice to go for the behind scenes work for creating the syllabus and contents when the teacher feels awkward with the face to face training method.

On the other hand, if the teachers wish for change in career that is completely out of line from teaching then they might go for an area that best uses their unique skills. A teacher is well composed of various talents which can be used to find different jobs. Good communication skills, administration skills, research skills and people skills are the key factors for them in finding a good job in a new area.

Sometimes the teachers find their skills growing blunt. In this case they might join some course that would help them in grooming their skills which are must in finding new jobs in various domains. Their hopes are raised to high levels under such training.

Teachers can move to field where there is lot more attention in interacting with elders or the public rather than the students and this may be the change they were looking for. Careers in making and developing things may of some interest too who aren’t satisfied in training minds. Teachers interested on these can have a bright future ahead when they for opt for areas like horticulture, writing, woodwork and art. The teachers are able to easily find an alternate job because of their imbibed skills. It is known that training is an essential part of every organization when it comes to recruitments. The employer of any such companies is well benefited from the self-possessed skills of a teacher who had landed to this job as a result of the wish for a change in his/her career. The teachers help in training the new recruits.

Teachers hoping for a change in their career can land on jobs where there is less or no stress. Neither their skills nor their enormous knowledge that is gained years of teaching is scrapped in their new workplace. The option to go for change in career for a teacher is good only if they trained before appointed as a teacher. In this case it helps them to sit in a high position in their new workplace without any real stress.



ANDREA

Brian Stocker asked:


Communication between parents and teachers is essential to the success of the students. Often, the only time communication takes place is at parent-teacher conferences. For that reason, it is essential that teachers learn to effectively manage parent-teacher conferences in order to obtain the most benefit from the communication that occurs.

The following tips allow teachers to take a proactive approach to parent-teacher conferences, helping to create effective communication during the conference:

Prepare - Preparing for a parent-teacher conference means knowing exactly what goals have been established for the class, and each individual student, and being ready to show parents how their student is performing toward those goals. For each student, be prepared to show work samples and test scores. In addition, be ready to share behavioral anecdotes for that child. A story can help convey behavioral issues without stating them explicitly, helping to keep parents from becoming defensive. While showing the grade book is an option, it must be done in a way that prevents parents from viewing the grades of other students.

Environment - Create an environment that is comfortable for the parents. Placing parents in smaller chairs than the teacher, or facing the teacher across the teacher’s desk, places the teacher in a controlling position that can cause parents to feel intimidated or defensive. Instead, place them in equal seating, perhaps across a table, to establish a sense of equality. Ensure privacy for the conference so parents do not feel as though others can hear what is being said about their child. Organize paperwork so it is easily accessible but out of the way during the conference.

Professionalism - Preparation and proper environment are two aspects of professionalism. Dress and manner of speech fall into this category also. Parents judge a teacher’s competence by the amount of professionalism, or lack thereof, that they see displayed. Teachers who want to be viewed as competent professionals should project that image throughout the parent-teacher conference.

Rapport - Teachers should begin the parent-teacher conference by attempting to establish a connection with the parents. Greeting parents warmly, welcoming them to the classroom, and engaging in brief small talk all help to establish rapport. Teachers should also encourage parents to discuss their views and/or concerns about their children. Doing so demonstrates genuine concern for the child, which helps get parents more involved in their child’s education.

Communication - Not only should communication at the parent-teacher conference be positive, it should also be clear and specific. When discussing behavior issues, teachers should focus on specific actions, including duration and frequency, rather than offering general comments. Teachers should communicate clearly about all positives and negatives of the student’s behavior and performance. Clear, specific statements leave less room for interpretation, which leaves less room for argument by the parents. Communication should also include positive statements, making it clear that the student is a person of value, rather than including only the negatives about the child’s behavior and performance in class. Even the negatives can be phrased in such a way that the statement is positive and does not create the need to place blame.

There are other techniques for managing parent-teacher conferences, but this list is an excellent starting point. By creating a professional, positive atmosphere, teachers can effectively manage the parent-teacher conference and make the most of the communication that takes place.



BRADFORD

Deborah Rummelhart asked:


Yoga provides great stress relief and other health benefits. The Mayo Clinic recommends yoga for stress management and relaxation, and medical journal articles have proven yoga’s effectiveness in treating serious medical conditions such as arthritis, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, depression and multiple sclerosis.

How do you make sure that you get the great stress relief and other benefits of yoga? Easy! Ask any yoga teacher the questions listed below. If the teacher’s answers closely match the ideal answers, you have found a great teacher.

QUESTION 1: DO YOU PRACTICE YOGA NOW?

IDEAL ANSWER 1: YES, I PRACTICE YOGA EVERY DAY.

If you wanted to learn to ride a bicycle, would you take lessons from someone who wrote a book about bicycles but had never actually ridden a bike? Only if you wanted to find the quickest way to fall off the bicycle! No amount of reading or theoretical knowledge will enable you to understand how to ride a bicycle. Sooner or later you have to get on the bike. The same is true of yoga. Only someone who is currently practicing yoga can safely and effectively teach you how to do yoga.

QUESTION 2: ARE YOU CURRENTLY TAKING LESSONS WITH A YOGA TEACHER?

IDEAL ANSWER: YES, I STUDY WITH A QUALIFIED TEACHER IN A RECOGNIZED YOGA TEACHING STYLE.

Even your yoga teacher needs a yoga teacher. Why? Yoga is a process, and there is always more to learn. Everyone learns more about yoga by getting feedback from a great teacher. You want your yoga teacher to be aware of the latest discoveries on how to teach yoga. The best way for your teacher to do this is to take lessons with another yoga teacher.

QUESTION 3: WHAT TYPE OF YOGA DO YOU TEACH, AND HOW DID THAT STYLE OF TEACHING YOGA DEVELOP?

IDEAL ANSWER: I TEACH “Y” STYLE OF YOGA WHICH HAS EXISTED FOR AT LEAST 10 YEARS.

If a yoga teaching style has existed for at least 10 years, the teachers in that system know the best ways to teach and the pitfalls to be avoided. In addition, if a situation comes up that your teacher does not know how to handle, your teacher will be able to ask a more experienced teacher in that teaching style for advice.

QUESTION 4: WHAT TYPE OF YOGA TEACHER TRAINING HAVE YOU HAD?

IDEAL ANSWER: I HAVE COMPLETED (OR AM CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN) A 500 HOUR TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM WHICH INCLUDES CLASSES, EXAMS, AND APPRENTICE TEACHING.

Suppose a pipe burst in your house and sent a fountain of water gushing through your kitchen. Uh-oh, you need a plumber! There are two plumbers in your neighborhood: Plumber Smith and Plumber Jones. Plumber Smith used to be an electrician but took a one weekend plumber certification course and is now a plumber. Plumber Jones enrolled in a year long plumbing certification course at a special plumber training school, passed the plumbing certification exam, and apprenticed for one year under a master plumber. Which plumber would you choose?

Since yoga can have an enormous impact on your health, shouldn’t you take as much care in choosing a yoga teacher as you would in choosing a plumber? Your yoga teacher should be enrolled in or have completed a yoga teacher training course that lasts at least one year, and includes classes on how to do yoga, classes on how to teach yoga, apprentice teaching under a certified and experienced teacher, and certification exams.

One of the most comprehensive yoga teacher training programs in existence is the Iyengar Yoga Teacher Certification Program. If you are new to yoga, or suffer from a disease or injury, I strongly recommend that you seek out a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher.

QUESTION 5: DOES YOUR YOGA TEACHER HAVE A KIND AND EMPATHETIC HEART?

IDEAL ANSWER: YES.

Only you can determine if the answer to this question is yes.

A kind yoga teacher really cares about his or her students.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that a teacher is quiet or a pushover. A teacher may speak loudly because your attention has wandered off and he or she is trying to get your attention back. A kind yoga teacher will carefully watch what you are doing, and guide you into doing yoga more correctly. Find a great yoga teacher, follow his or her instructions, and the health and stress relief benefits of yoga will be yours!



BRET

AP asked:


Teachers use many metaphors to describe what they do . Sometimes they say they are like father , mother , judge , salesman , technician , librarian , actors , and more within the role . Dictionaries also give a variety of information about teaching . According to the ‘Cambridge International Dictionary of English ’ teaching means ‘ to give (someone ) knowledge or to instruct or train (someone )’ whereas the ‘Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English ‘ suggests that it means to ‘ show somebody how to do something ‘ or to ‘change somebody‘s ideas ‘ .

According to Hill and Dobbyn (1982 :30) ‘ some people are born teachers , who have the desire and the ability to pass knowledge and skills on successfully . But even a person who is not a born teacher can improve a lot by learning to smile , to be enthusiastic and patient , and to be constantly looking for new ways of getting his message across to his pupils ‘.

To be a good teacher we can not forget about the values of teaching . As an individual we may value sympathy more highly than the ability to make money .Our social group or peer group value trust more highly than intelligence . There are various ways that make you to be a good teacher and understand or intensify the values of teaching. Teachers should address their students by first names . They should not show anger in front of another people . A teacher must love his job . If he really enjoys his job that will make the lesson more interesting . Teachers should have lots of knowledge not only of their subjects . We must not criticize each other in public . We should respect another’s privacy and another’s person opinion on an issue . We should always attempt to do our best . The teacher’s job is to give knowledge and the learner’s job is to absorb the knowledge teachers give them .Successful and valuable teachers are those people who can identify with the hopes , aspirations , and difficulties of their students that they are teaching . Values are factors that influence teacher’s identity.

Within the classroom , our role and identity may change from one activity to another .

The teacher plays the role of controller when he is totally in charge of the class . When teachers act as controllers they take the roll , tell students things , organize exercises , read aloud .

The teacher is also an organizer . He organizes classroom activities , sets up learning tasks and assists the learners in doing these activities .

One of the things that students expect from their teachers is an indication of whether or not they are getting their English right . This is where we have to act as an assessor , offering feedback and correction and grading students in various ways . Teacher can play the role of resource . He is a resource of knowledge about the subject and also how to acquire it .

Teachers also adopt some kind of a ‘prompting’ role in which we are keen to encourage the students to think creatively rather than have them hang on our every word . When we prompt we need to do it sensitively and encouragingly but with discretion .

What is more , there are also times when we might want to join in an activity not as a teacher , but also as a participant in our own right . When it goes well , students enjoy having the teacher with them and for the teacher , participating is often more instantly enjoyable than acting as a resource .

Teachers can also observe what students do in order to judge the success of the different materials and activities that they take into lessons so that they can , if necessary , make changes in the future .

One feature of social groups is that they hold beliefs and attitudes in common . They all tend to believe in roughly the same things and to value the same things positively or negatively . All people have strong desires to belong to a group . They need to identify themselves with others , to feel the same way about things as they do .

Feeling like a teacher means performing many roles , understanding our own identity , exploring our own attitudes and values .

We act like actors because ‘ we are always on the stage ‘ . Thus we can identify with different roles . Every role involve human contact , but of differing type .

Moreover , we should remember the values of teaching . Teachers can not forget about their main aim which is giving knowledge to their students and motivating the students in their work with the subject .

Only in this way a teacher can feel like a ‘successful teacher ‘ with real values .

Anna Piekarczyk

www.anglobiznes.pl



ARTHUR

karl_popper_fan asked:


Let’s say you have 2 teachers in the same high school: Teacher A teaches Gifted and Talented English, has 60 students a day and Teacher B teaches general English and has 150 students a day.

Now will teacher A get more pay if her students score better than teacher B’s students on state testing?

TIMOTHY

samlitcher asked:


I was wondering if a teacher would have to take a year off to have her baby if she failed to plan it to happen during the summer. Our school system doesn’t have maturnity leave for teachers and I was just wondering (I want to have kids and I have trouble getting pregnant) what teachers do.
If you sign a contract to teach for a year and don’t sign for the next year so you can have a baby, will you still have a job? It would work out if I could take off a year, but then again, will I be able to work at the same place.

GIOVANNI

Peter Gitundu asked:


One of the most challenging professions today is teaching and this is mainly because the teachers are in a  position of too much responsibility where they are responsible for the actions of every young and unpredictable group of people of almost the same age group. Many people have not been attracted to this profession but, more and more young people continue to express their desire to join teaching. The truth is, we often do not understand how a person can decide to serve in one of the most noble careers while others do not. It all depends on the passion and drive in a person to go ahead with certain jobs. Teaching has been known to be a profession with many rewards and with this rewards comes challenges which are topped by stress. You therefore must have a vocation or a zeal to undertake teaching very effectively.

Teacher stress is categorized as a serious working hazard which has the power to bring a crisis on the teacher. Many teachers and former teachers have expressed their concerns about stress associated with the job. Many have stated that at first, new teachers are naive and are filled with optimism and go through the first months with confidence just to realize that they are being put down by students everyday. There are several factors that cause teacher stress and they include time pressures. A teacher is constantly changing classes and keeping time just to realize that they are being pressured for time. They give so much to students who might not be keen to show appreciation.

Another cause of teacher stress is their low status. One thing we can be sure of is that teachers do not teach for the money. They have therefore associated this with low status. This makes teachers look down upon themselves and some regret why they ever got into the trade. Another cause for teacher stress include pupil indiscipline. You can be sure that pupils will always find some way of making you unhappy and leave you wondering how you are going to deal with the situation. If you are the kind of teacher who is quick to anger, you have very frustrating future ahead. Feelings of dislike might be harbored inside a teacher but, the ideal thing is to come up with a solution that will enable the child to realize their problem and hopefully make them improve.

The working conditions for teachers have not been known to be great. This is another source of frustration and this problem becomes worse in the poorer countries. Another factor that will bring teachers stress is the lack of motivation in the students. It is very hard to develop motivation in pupils because they must be willing to lean. Conflicts with colleagues will cause teacher stress and the best thing is to avoid confrontation and show a better example to the pupils. Having said all these, many people in the world have taught for a very long time and continue to do so for the love of teaching.



GIOVANNI

•Amber• asked:


I am currently in year 13 at my high school (6th form) and am about to leave - my class is putting in some money together to get the 6 teachers that have help us over the 2 years a present
does anyone have any ideas on what presents we could get the teachers?
not think like a bear with ‘best teacher’ on it because all of the can’t be best teachers!
thanks in advance x

OTTO