Wednesday, November 18, 2009

I want to be Fat

If I tell myself that I want to be fat, I won’t feel bad about being the person with the most filled plate at the teacher’s luncheon today. If I tell myself that I want to be fat, I won’t feel guilty about eating not two, not four, but six miniature candy bars and a cookie after piling on the most food at the luncheon. I will also not worry about eating at least half a pie crust of leftover pieces after making miniature pumpkin pies, and having one, in kindergarten today. The snack time cupcake for a child’s birthday will not deter me from dinner. It won’t bother me to have a sandwich, a bag of chips, an apple, a piece of candy bar, skittles and whoppers for dinner. The above is in addition to sausage and toast at 6:30 am.
The truth is, I don’t want to be fat, but I’m sick of the remorse that I feel after having a chow down day, especially when I have a passion for doing it again tomorrow, at the school Thanksgiving meal and the Kindergarten Thanksgiving feast. I love to eat.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Teaching: A Dream Job?

As a fairly consistent substitute teacher, I've seen the daily rigors of a teacher in elementary and middle school. Recently, however, I took on the job of a kindergarten teacher for two weeks straight. When I substitute, all the lessons are laid out and the sub can show up at 7:30, review the plans, teach the plans, take an hour for conference time and leave at 3:30. It seems that the teacher's job must be just as simple. It's not.
For one thing, With the responsibility of 12-26 children (in elementary school), the teacher is accountable for those children's future learning. With this responsibility comes excellent lesson plans, good teaching style and a compassionate disposition. This is not including the intelligence to impart what is important to future generations, organization and a passion for the information passed on.
Besides lesson plans, teachers are in charge of developing relationships with the kids and dealing with the student's parents, caretakers and other interested parties. Plus, the teacher must work with other instructors, the principal, counselors and the school district personnel.
Before school, a teacher must prepare for the day, and steel him or herself for any unruly children or unhappy parents. Plans must be in order, and specific duties should be in order for the day to run smoothly. This means that after school, preparation must take place in building the curriculum. Ideas must be researched, plans produced, copies made and supplies obtained. Other after school duties include grading papers and entering grades, setting up the classroom, and meetings with other teachers. Teachers work long hours when you include organizing and attending extracurricular activities that occasionally take place on evenings and weekends. Overtime is not unusual for a teacher.
I admire any person who wants to be a teacher full time, and thank all of those who dedicate themselves to our future citizens. I especially admire the teachers at Spicewood Elementary in Spicewood, Texas.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Social Media Marketing - Part III

Getting started on social media marketing is the stumbling block that is in the way of many entrepreneurs who want to put their information on the internet for review and commentary. A good way to do this would be to set aside a couple of hours to dedicate yourself to establishing your presence. You most probably have a few of the tools in place, such as an email account, a Facebook account, and/or a website.

Once you have a blog, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter and other accounts set up, block time on your calendar to monitor and update on a weekly basis at the minimum. An hour a day is most desireable, but if you can't do this, make sure your readers are aware that they could wait a few days for answers to any questions posted.

Making social media a priority will enhance your business and will help you learn more in the process. And don't make it difficult or drudgery. Enjoy yourself!

VI. Starting your Social Media Marketing

A. Your website – add a blogspace and monitor
B. Facebook – Business application – research what is out there and post timely info. You can also list events that relate to your business, sales made and short but interesting experiences.
C. LinkedIn – professional version of Facebook
D. Blogger website – Blogspot.com, Squidoo Lens, HubPages, many others. Just Google "blogging sites."
E. YouTube - People love watching video. If it is a dynamic posting that relates to your business it is possible to make a name for yourself overnight!
F . Monitoring your success – do your efforts have goals, ie: 2 orders/mo, 5 calls/mo, 10 posts/mo? Be humble at first, but constant updates and review will establish you on the web. People are reading about you and talking about you, but when you don’t participate they can’t either.
1. List (for yourself) channels that you’re using – CHANNELS are methods or media forms through which social media is made available to social media participants. Keep a handy list and check off your progress.
2. For each channel, what is the success value? The failure value?
3. What is the current value?
4. What did you have to do to justify it’s use? When will it be reviewed?