Making a class directory for your child’s school can be a fun project, and the finished product is something that other parents will greatly appreciate. Here are a few tips on how to put together a great class directory.

1. Get Permission. If you are a parent who has decided to put together a class directory for your child’s school or class, it is important that you get the permission of school authorities before you begin compiling your information. Chances are, if no one at the school has taken on that task yet, they will likely be very grateful that someone is doing it, and will help you in any way they can. This will not only make the job much easier, it will make it a lot more fun as well.

2. Decide on The Scope. Are you going to create a directory for the whole school? The whole grade? Just the classes your child or children are in? You will have to decide on this, of course, as well as whatever other information you would like to include. It might be fun to have teachers and staff provide short bios, or to have other interesting information like trivia tidbits about the school’s history or a list of famous people who attended the school in years past.

3. Gather Your Info. One easy way to do this is to give teachers sheets of paper to hand out, and for the students to take home, asking for names, numbers, birthdays, and whatever other information you would like to have included. It is important to realize from the outset that you are not going to get 100% participation from parents in this regard, and that you must respect the wishes of those who do not want their contact information listed. In these cases, find out if it is all right to simply list the student’s name.

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Named after the Zambezi River Zambia is celebrated for its vast array of lakes and waterfalls. One of the most famous of which is Victoria Falls, shared with Zimbabwe but a source of no less pride to the Zambians, it is known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya, which means ‘the smoke that thunders’, which might have something to do with it’s impressive drop of 330ft into a narrow chasm at a rate of 550 million litres every minute, with a spray that can be seen 20 miles away! Zambia also has plenty of scenic views to offer, with almost a third of the country dedicated to national parks including; Kafue National Park, the second largest national park in the world, Kafue River, Mwaleshi river, Kasanka National Park, Luwombwa lake, Mindolo Dam Makwera Falls and Lake, Sumbu National Park, South Luangwa National Park and Lochinvar National Park on the southern edge of the Kafue Flats.

With such varied scenery and so many rivers throughout the country Zambia is a land full of opportunities for adventure! From bungee jumping off the 364ft bridge between Zambia and Zimbabwe across the River Zambezi to abseiling or high-wiring down and across the gorge, there are more than enough activities to get your heart racing! Experience white-water rafting as never before on the Zambezi River itself where rapids are so turbulent they’re classed grade 5 and one of the best rafting experiences in the world. For those looking for something even more challenging there’s also the option of river boarding; which means surfing down the river with just your board, fins and a helmet! The falls also provide year round rainfall for the tropical rainforest in the Zambian gorge, which makes it a naturally diverse and wonderful sight for trekkers. Travellers who want to see wildlife as well as waterfalls will be able to find an abundance of different Safari tours in one of the countries many national parks and game reserves.

Zambia’s natural beauty is not, however, the only reason to travel in this varied country. With 60,000 years of history and 82 tribal groups living side by side, Zambians live peacefully and are proud of their cultural heritage. The central tribes are the Lozi, the Bemba, the Ngoni, the Tonga, the Luvale and the Kaonde, combining a mixture of traditions and the influences of several Africans countries. Despite a mixture of so many different nationalities, present-day Zambians believe in the importance unification. Experiencing so many different cultures is a unique experience and there’s no better way to enhance it than by living and working amongst the Zambians, travelling across the regions and learning a few dialects for yourself won’t do your language repertoire any harm either!

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What is Realia?

If you’re thinking the word ‘realia’ sounds vaguely Latin, then you’d be correct. In the TEFL classroom, the word realia means using real items found in everyday life as an aid to teaching English. Using realia helps to make English lessons memorable by creating a link between the objects and the word or phrase they represent. So how and why should teachers use realia in the classroom?

The Advantages of Using Realia

As English teachers, the use of realia is only limited by your imagination. It is possible to use realia to teach almost any subject. Using realia stimulates the mind, and is one way of encouraging creativity by involving the senses. Realia saves time, as recognition of an object is immediate and so cuts out the need for lengthy explanations and drawing funny pictures on the board. Elicitation becomes much easier and holding up the object with a raised eyebrow will usually result in the desired word being spoken.

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It’s possible to teach English to every age group, from preschoolers through to adults. The chances are that if you join a language school, you may not have much choice and will probably get a mixture of abilities and ages. However, decide to teach at a state school or kindergarten and you’ll be teaching a specific age group. If this is your first shot at teaching, the chances are you’ll have had little, if any experience of different age groups. You may have strong ideas or feel unsure about the age groups you wish to teach; so getting a little experience will pay dividends.

Try ringing up your local school and volunteering your services as a classroom assistant. Interaction with pupils and observation of a qualified teacher should give you a much better idea of children’s capabilities in your chosen age group. If you can’t find a friendly school, try and contact local youth groups in your area, or contact the local scout/brownie group leader. This experience should give you more confidence, as well as impressing prospective employers.

Teaching preschoolers This is for the very active, and teachers who prefer kinaesthetic methods of teaching English. You need to have a sense of fun for this role, not to mention boundless energy! If you are employed full time at a nursery school or kindergarten, bear in mind that you’ll probably be expected to multitask. Working as part psychologist, part nurse, part dinner lady, not to mention part language teacher, are all integrated into the role of a kindergarten teacher! It is a hugely rewarding but demanding role, and not for the faint hearted!

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Jetting off to Europe may not sound like the most exciting of things to do but it’s all too easy to ignore the treasures on your doorstep! The Eiffel tower, the Vatican, the Saint Sophia Cathedral, the Sagrada Familia, the Brandenburg Gate and the Red Square to name a few, Europe is full to bursting with plenty of wonders and new experiences that will make living and teaching here an enriching experience!

The names may be familiar, but the sights themselves are startlingly beautiful, and with 48 countries (49 if you count the Vatican) there’s no shortage of diversity and cultural difference around every corner. Living and working in Europe’s cosmopolitan cities will give you a unique perspective and an insider’s knowledge that a package trip never could.

Europe’s teaching market is so broad that it’s best if we use a little geography to divide it up, so here we go…

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As an educator, you will likely need to hone your communication skills in order to effectively communicate with your students as well as other educators, administrators, and parents during the course of your career. Most people are not “born communicators”, but rather learn their communications skills from their environment, upbringing, and of course, through studying communication and practicing various communications techniques. Assertive communication is ideal for teachers and educators because it allows them to convey their thoughts in a respectful manner while listening to the thoughts and opinions of others.

Assertive communication is not to be confused with aggressive communication which is a forceful communications style that is mainly used to get one’s way or to “divide and conquer”. Are you an assertive communicator? Do you bring the style of communication to the classroom, or to the parent conference, that conveys your thoughts in an assertive, yet understanding manner? Let’s look at some way that you can improve your assertiveness when communicating with students, teachers, and others.

Techniques for Enhancing Assertive Communication

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I have tried over the course of my life, which now is in its fourth generation, to be a continuous learner. Over these many years I have learned that it pays benefits many times beyond the time and energy one often needs to apply to learning new knowledge and skills. That viewpoint is one with which my children and grandchildren have become quite aware, and now I’m passing it along to my great-grandchildren!

However, I’m also very much aware that each generation has presented more difficulty for me to successfully communicate that opinion and get the listeners to accept it. I point to the increased conveniences that each generation has had and enjoyed over the previous as the main reason for this. After all, when I reflect on the process of learning as I’ve grown up with it, it does involve a certain commitment of time and mental energy applied toward such tasks as research, reading, thinking, writing, memorizing, demonstrating understanding and competency, and so on. In other words, there is some “work” associated with learning. And as the conveniences that define, assist, automate and fulfill our daily lives increase and evolve, the gap that prevails between work and pleasure grows wider and wider.

So what does the preceding diatribe have to do with the notion of instant speed learning? Well, recently I had an encounter with Tony McKenzie, author and creator of innovative learning systems, including the “Instant Speed Learning” system being reviewed here, and I was able to obtain some insights I’d like to pass along here.

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Many families are being forced to change their way of life because of many social and economic influences of modern life. Mothers who usually stayed at home to take care of their kids are now finding it necessary to seek employment outside their homes to supplement their husbands’ income. In addition, the high rate of divorce in the country also contributes to the situation wherein mothers are forced to take jobs to feed her children. These scenarios and more make daycare centers a necessity for children of pre-school age who will otherwise be left without anybody who will take care of them at home. Older children may also be included when they are not in school. They still need to have summer school activities or before- and after-school programs.

Industry experts believe that this demand for daycares will most likely increase as the country continue to experience economic difficulties and major social changes that affect the family. They say that opening a daycare business will be a profitable venture for years to come as more and more parents, especially mothers, find it necessary to earn by having a regular job.

You can start your own profitable daycare center and take advantage of the growing demand for trustworthy and reliable daycare centers. Social scientists have discovered what mothers already knew: a child between the age of one and six is in the most important years of his or her development as an individual. The child’s exposures and experiences where he or she lives, the habits he or she develops and the teachings the child receives are factors that will affect the child’s capacity to adjust his or her behavior and learn new things that the child will need in the future. For this reason, it is important that daycare centers offer more than baby-sitting services. You can set up your daycare center so it offers a proper learning environment for children under your care. It is a very rewarding business since you will be helping children to grow and learn important new skills. Many of those who have been working with children will testify to the fact that they often benefited a lot too as they have improved their own communication and learning skills.

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Kokichi Mikimoto is definitely seen as the father of modern day pearls as the creator of the beautiful Akoya pearl. His Akoya pearls, farmed exclusively off the coasts of Japan, are among the most beautiful and high quality pearls in the world. They have a gorgeous luster and are the perfect pearls for stringing long strands together. Akoya pearls are known all over the world, as is Mikimoto.

Mikimoto spent years perfecting the growth and harvesting of the Akoya pearls. He loved his pearls and had a passion for creating beautiful jewelry. Over a period of ten years, Mikimoto hand picked some of the best pearls that came through his farms. With these pearls, he designed a graduated pearl necklace that is of the utmost beauty. The necklace consists of 49 pearls, graduated in size with the center pearl 14mm in diameter. All of the pearls on this necklace are shiny, pearly white and almost perfectly round. His creation was given the nickname of the “Boss’s String of Pearls”. This necklace is on display to this day at the Mikimoto Memorial Hall in Toba, Japan.

Designing beautiful jewelry was almost as big of a passion for Mikimoto as the pearls themselves. As his Akoya pearls began to make a name for themselves around the world, Mikimoto began to share his treasure with aristocrats everywhere. It wasn’t until after a member of the Imperial household however took pearls as gifts to the Count of St. James that Mikimoto really began to focus on his jewelry designs. In 1906, he opened the first jewelry store that specialized in pearls. His store and designs quickly gained worldwide attention.

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There are many wonderful stories associated with gems and jewels – pearls in particular. We have accounts of pearls that dated back to ancient time, pearls that belonged to Katherine the Great, and pearls that belonged to Elizabeth I. A more modern tale is just as interesting.

The name Calvin Klein is one of the most famous names in fashion to this day. He has created cutting edge fashions for the everyday consumer and has built a fashion empire. With his fashion empire comes certain perks like a set of diamond and pearl jewelry that was put up for auction at Sotheby’s in New York in 2007. They offered up three gorgeous and historically significant pieces of jewelry at the auction and they were predicted to fetch an astronomical sum.

The first piece in the auction was a single strand of natural pearls and diamonds. This piece, along with the other two in the auction were purchased by Kelly and Calvin Klein back in 1987 when Sotheby’s had their legendary auction of The Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor. The necklace is a single strand of 28 graduated white pearls ranging in diameter from 9.2mm to 16.8mm.The oval clasp is set with 2 emerald cut diamonds accented with other smaller diamonds totaling about 3 carats. The Duchess of Windsor loved this necklace and was often photographed wearing it. The single strand necklace was estimated to bring in about $1.5 to $2 million.

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