OUTSMARTED!

Mid January - three continuous holidays -
No early rising - No shaving - No writing reports -
On the third day of the holidays I wanted to
be a little extra naughty to my children. I called my 12-year
old daughter Asha and gave an instant emery treatment on
her soft arm with my unshaven face. She grew pretty wild
and punched me black and blue. “This is unfair, Madam, be
fair, I said. Here is my hand; give me an emery treatment, in return”.
She stood erect; pulled my mush out. I nearly screamed
in pain. “Be fair; Sir, don’t scream; pull my mush
out” was her cool retort. K. Mathew Thomas

A TEACHER’S PRAYER

Enable me to teach with
Wisdom,
for I help to shape the
mind,
Equip me to teach with
Truth,
for I help to shape the
conscience...
Encourage me to teach with
Vision,
for I help to shape the
future...
Empower me to teach with
Love,
for I help to shape the
World.


WHAT GREAT MEN SAY – LET US THINK OVER

Ø He, who is over-cautious will accomplish little. — ‘John Schiller’
Ø · Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. – ‘John Heywood’
Ø · Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. – ‘Ralph Waldo Emerson’
Ø · Time is life. It can neither be borrowed nor bought. Misspent time is life wasted. – ‘Zarathushtra’
Ø · A mind that is all negation grows barren and dries up. – ‘Ivan Turgenev’
Ø · There are only two ways of getting on in the world, by one’s own industry or by the stupidity of others. – ‘Jean De-La Bruyere’
Ø · He who has injured you was either stronger or weaker. If weaker spare him. If stronger spare yourself. – ‘Seneca’
Ø · In life, as in chess, forethought wins. – ‘Buxton’
Ø · He that waits upon fortune, is never sure of a dinner. – ‘Benjamin Franklin’
Ø · Positive anything is better than negative nothing. – ‘Elbert Hubbard’
Ø · Confidence of success often induces real success. – ‘Sigmund Freud’
Ø · The happiness and misery of men depend no less on temper than on fortune. – ‘La Rochefoucauld’
Ø · Fortune soon tires of carrying anyone long on her shoulder. – ‘Gracian’
Ø A mind that is all negation grows barren and dries up - Turgenev’
Ø I am a citizen not of athens or greece, but of the world – Socrates

LIFE RULES

Rule 1: Life is not fair; get used to it.
Rule 2: The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3: You will NOT make 40 thousand dollars a year right out of high school. You won’t be a vice president with a car phone until you earn both.
Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. He doesn’t have to worry about tenure.
Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping; they called it opportunity.
Rule 6: If you screw up, it’s not your parents’ fault, so don’t whine about your mistakes. Learn from them.
Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes, and listening to you talk about how cool you are. So before you save the rain forest from the blood-sucking parasites of your parents’ generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades; they’ll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This, of course, doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off, and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.
Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.

SALUTE THIS

GREAT TEACHER

Jean Thompson stood in front of her fifth-grade class on the very first day of school in the Fall and told the children a lie. Like most teachers, she looked at her pupils and said that she loved each of them the same, that she would treat them all alike.And that was impossible because there in front of her, slumped in his seat on the third row, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard. Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed he didn’t play well with the other children, that his clothes were unkempt and that he constantly needed a bath. And Teddy was unpleasant. It got to the point during the first few months that she would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X’s and then highlighting the “F” at the top of the paper biggest of all.Because Teddy was a sullen little boy, no one else seemed to enjoy him, either. At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child’s records and delay Teddy’s until last. When she opened his file, she found a surprise.His first-grade teacher had written, “Teddy is a bright, inquisitive child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners. He is a joy to be around.”His second-grade teacher had penned, “Teddy is an excellent student, well-liked by all his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle. ”His third-grade teacher had noted, “Teddy continues to work hard but his mother’s death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best but his father doesn’t show much interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren’t taken.

”Teddy’s fourth-grade teacher had commented, “Teddy is withdrawn and doesn’t show much interest in school. He doesn’t have many friends and often falls asleep in class. He is tardy and could become a more serious problem. ”By now Mrs. Thompson realized the extent of the problem, but Christmas was coming fast. It was all she could do, with the school play and all, until the day before the holidays began and she was suddenly forced to focus again on Teddy Stoddard. Her children brought her presents, all in beautiful ribbon and bright paper, except Teddy’s, which was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper of a scissored grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one-quarter full of cologne. She stifled the children’s laughter while she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume behind the other wrist. Teddy Stoddard stayed behind after class just long enough to say, “Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my mom used to. ”After the children left, she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, and writing, and speaking. Instead, she began to teach children. Jean Thompson paid particular attention to one they all called “Teddy.” As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. On those days when there would be an important test, Mrs. Thompson would remember that cologne. By the end of the year he had become one of the highest achieving children in the class and, well, he had also somewhat become the “pet” of that teacher who had once vowed to love all of her children exactly the same. A year later she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that of all the teachers he’d had in elementary school, she was his favorite.

Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still his favorite teacher of all time. Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he’d stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson she was still his favorite teacher. Four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor’s degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still his favorite teacher but that now his name was a little longer. The letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, M.D.

The story doesn’t end there. You see, there was yet another letter that Spring. Teddy said he’d met this girl and was to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit in the pew usually reserved for the mother of the groom. And on that day, she wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. And on that special day, Jean Thompson smelled just like the way Teddy remembered his mother smelling on their last Christmas together.

THE MORAL: You never can tell what type of impact you may make on another’s life by your actions or lack of action. Consider this fact in your venture through life.— Redick Gregory

CONCENTRATION AND
MEMORY TIPS FOR STUDENTS

Concentration:

Make a study schedule, but keep it flexible.

Try to study for 50 minutes, followed by a 10 minute break.

Get used to studying in one or two fixed locations which are as free from distractions as possible.

When general thoughts and worries about your personal and social life intrude on your studying, try to externalize these distracting thoughts by jotting them down for future reference. This will help to get them out of your system.

Daydreaming is a great time-waster. Try to catch yourself at the earliest possible moment and work out a routine for dealing with it.


Memory:

Make your own summary notes (point-form) from lectures and textbooks. The notes should organize the information into logical chunks.

Because memory loss is most rapid immediately after the material has been received, it is important to rehearse the material as soon as possible after first reading or hearing it. The more rehearsals, the greater the chance of recalling the material.

Anticipate and formulate possible exam questions, then plan or even write answers to them.

Vary your approaches to the material to be learned. Read it aloud, make notes, draw charts, maps, diagrams, make up lists, categories, etc.

Mnemonics (eg. “Thirty days has September”) are often useful for short and crucial lists of key facts.

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. William Arthur Ward