My Worst Year of Teaching!

We hosted our first "Ask the Author" phone sessions at the beginning of this month and I really enjoyed speaking with several teachers and parents. One call, however, resonated very deeply with me. It was with a teacher from Minnesota who originally had a specific product question. As she explained her situation, however, she made a striking comment. "I am trying my best, but many parents want to blame everything on me!" Her voice cracked as she said it. I felt her pain. I've been there before!

The summer after I married, I moved to a new part of town and began looking for a new job. I quickly learned that finding a job is all about who you know. Being new to town, I knew no one. September had come and gone with no luck and I was very discouraged. One day, I made a bold networking move (which is another story for another day) and connected with a principal who needed a teacher for her fifth grade classroom.

While waiting in her office for an interview, three different people popped in, each advising me to get out of there. Interestingly, each of them described the group as, "The class from (and then they sank into a whisper) H-E-L-L!"

For better or worse, I was offered the job and I poured my heart and soul into it. But the months that followed were the longest of my life! The classroom was a disaster. Mouse droppings poured out of the storage cabinets, interlaced with throngs of clutter left by the previous teacher. There were no textbooks or established curriculum of any kind. There were no teachers with whom I could team because the school only had one fifth-grade classroom. I had to create all materials from scratch.

For a few months, I did not leave that building before 9 PM. I got the classroom in order. I developed curriculum materials for math, language arts, science, and social studies. I had things humming.

But, it was not long before the vultures dove in. The Nasty Parents.

Every day quickly became a battle. This specific group of parents challenged every decision I made, every assignment I created, and every routine I put in place. "What took you so long to start teaching here?" they asked. (As if I voluntarily opted out of a job for six weeks.) "Why is it taking you two weeks to grade their work?" (Did I mention I had to create EVERYTHING from scratch?) They were undermining discipline in the classroom. (If the parents did not respect me, why would their children?) As the months went on, things escalated. Eventually, they approached the superintendent to complain and petition to have me fired.

The superintendent came to visit me and assure me that everything was okay. "I kept asking them why they were upset," she said. "I asked what you were specifically doing that they didn't like, but they couldn't come up with anything. The most specific complaint they had is that you make them write sentences with their spelling words!"

She went on to explain that this group of parents had a history of causing problems. Their children had all been in the same class since kindergarten and the parents had been trouble-makers for years. Not only did these parents have a bad reputation, but their anger was escalating because the school was scheduled to be closed at the end of the year. I basically stepped into a No-Possible-Chance-of-a-Win situation.

Thankfully, prior to arriving at that school, I had two years of successful teaching experience under my belt. Without that prior, POSITIVE experience, I would FOR SURE have left the profession thinking I was an utter failure. There are no words to properly convey what it feels like to pour yourself into something, only to have it routinely, systematically, and heartlessly squashed by others. I felt like I was going crazy!

Many people asked why I didn't leave. There were a few reasons: First and foremost, I needed an income. Secondly, I did not have a "Plan B." Third, I wasn't about to let them get the best of me!

But, they were getting the best of me. My health quickly deteriorated. I have lupus and rheumatoid arthritis; that year caused my worst flare-up! Every morning, my hands and legs were so stiff I could not grasp anything and could barely walk. My husband would start shower water for me, then walk me to the bathroom. We had only been married for a few months and his formerly vibrant and reasonably healthy wife was now walking worse than his 90 year-old grandmother!

I couldn't squeeze shampoo bottles, so he would patiently wait outside of the shower and pour shampoo into my gnarled hands when I was ready. After a long, hot shower, I could eventually flex my fingers and walk normal. The only sign to the outside world that I was struggling was rapid weight loss. Generally, that is a welcomed side-effect, but not at this expense.

The director of human resources for my school district was willing to grant me a medical leave. In fact, she was the one who noticed the weight loss more than anyone. "Every time I see you, you've disappeared more," she once said.

I was eager to get out, but reluctant to give up. Every time I hit a point where I didn't think I could take any more, we reached a scheduled break...Christmas, winter break, and spring break. The short reprieves were just enough to get me through.

Eventually, one fateful day, a student in my class brought a cap gun to school. (Again, another story for another day.) But, that episode turned the Nasty Parents' attention off of me and on to our principal. I felt bad for her, but it gave me a reprieve from their wrath!

The end of the school year turned out to be a great success. With cooperation from my class, we implemented a "Mini City" economic initiative that integrated all subjects together. It was fun for the students and a bit hit in the community. (The attention drawn from said "cap gun" incident.) I also received a few "thank you" notes from parents who witnessed my struggles from a distance. (Apparently, the Nasty Parents were successful at intimidating more than just me.) The following year, I was able to secure a job in a new school district, where I was able to resume my career under better circumstances.

There were a couple other positive things that came from that embattled year. Most significantly, that was the point when I realized, at a visceral level, that I needed to make a SOAR a reality. As my world felt like it was caving in around me, my work with study skills was a constant beacon of hope!

But, what do I say to this teacher from Minnesota? My fellow colleague who is putting the best she has into something and getting blamed for things she cannot control? At best, this situation is demoralizing. At worst, well...it could cripple her sense of value for years, or even a lifetime. The sadness and frustration in her voice have been nagging at me for weeks.

I don't know if I have any specific words of encouragement other than to share my story and acknowledge that she is NOT crazy. I imagine many teachers reading this might have experienced something similar, whether it was a one-time situation or something more long-term. Either way, teachers are often isolated and do not realize that others have faced similar challenges. I hope it helps her to know that she is not alone.

I have a Leadership Bible sitting next to me. I have been sitting here trying to find a passage that might offer words of encouragement to my fellow teacher. I figure, regardless of anyone's faith background, if a situation is described in the Bible, you have to know you are not alone; at the very least, the same struggle was fought a couple thousand years before you! I flipped through several pages when I realized that this is the very same story of the key figure in the New Testament...that there is at least one Teacher who has come before us, with nothing but positive intentions. He was persecuted more than any of us.

He changed the world.

I hope my fellow teacher can maintain her convictions and change the world, too.

Susan Kruger is the author of SOAR Study Skills; A Simple and Efficient System for Earning Better Grades in Less Time. Get Susan's FREE Homework Rx Toolkit, featuring 25 Ways to Make Homework Easier...Tonight!, at her website: http://soarstudyskills.com/.

Corporate Training Increases Overall Productivity

Corporate training is a vast term which refers to all types of training that are required to increase the overall productivity of an organization. It is normally conducted within the corporate environment. These types of training differ in every organization depending upon the requirements and strategies.

For example: An organization may require customer service training whereas other corporation may need technology training to improve the efficiency of their employees.

However, there are certain crucial and basic trainings that may be required for every corporation. IT training is one of the most important aspects of every organization these days.

There are various types of programs which are designed to provide IT training to the corporate employees. They provide certification on completion of the training. The company bears the expenses incurred for such type of employee training.

What is Certification?

Certification basically means a credential earned by an individual on completion of course. It is given only when you pass the examination. It is widely used for mastering the new technological products in the corporate world. The products could be mastering the new information system, software development, database management, server administration etc.

These IT certifications are always an added advantage when you apply for a new job. It also helps for the personal and professional growth of an individual in the corporate world. Hence, corporate employees nowadays actively get involved in such certification courses.

Outsource Corporate Training

Nowadays, corporate training responsibilities are also outsourced to third party companies. This could be also due to the unavailability of the expertise among the existing resources.
The organizations which provide training service are the specialists in their respective fields. The clients either opt for consultation or try out online leaning from these organizations which provide training. Every organization wants to be well equipped with the latest technology prevailing in the market.
IT certification courses are also available for a short period of time like a week long or for ten days. They are more like workshops held by the companies. The main aim of an organization is to increase the efficiency and productivity.

Corporate IT training is by far the most valuable and cost effective trainings that the companies are investing in. It allows an organization to compete with others in the market.

It is important to cope up with the ever-changing technologies. Each day there is something new being introduced in the market and it is extremely crucial to gain all the knowledge and updates about it.
Most of the times, the employees are sent for programs which are irrelevant. It is always wise to use other resources strictly according to the company requirements.

Sometimes the independent training companies also sign up a contract for stationing their trainer inside the outsourcing company for a certain period of time. The training companies conduct research and design a training module depending upon their client requirements.

Apart from the training on IT, the companies also outsource their training responsibilities on various other fields like team building training, leadership training, organizational training etc.

There are management training programs also available which are aimed at enhancing the time management skills, managerial skills etc. These programs create a positive effect in the corporate offices ultimately increasing the productivity.

It has been observed that the corporate education budget for training an individual employee increases as the company size grows. Hence, big corporate offices do not hesitate to send their employees for special training programs.

Only by providing sufficient training to the employees, the corporations can delegate more on new responsibilities. Professional education is an integral part of every organization.

karROX India is a pioneer in software training, networking training, IT security training, Soft Skills, MS Dynamics and certification training.

How Choose the Right Tutoring Service for SAT Prep

Overall the right tutoring service should be local, affordable, and personalized in their approach to tutoring students. They should be able to show a track record of raising student scores as well as having satisfied students and parents. Likewise those who do it right, tutor students individually, perfecting strategies that really work because they care about the student's success.

Here are the 5 major points to consider when looking for a SAT Test Prep company:
They Have Expert Instructors - Some test prep companies offer a variety of test prep programs look for one that specializes in SAT Prep. Make sure the instructors are trained and certified in SAT Prep by a reputable company and preferably by the tutoring service itself.

They Use Proven Strategies - Be assured that the test taking and score-raising strategies have been developed from actual SATs which make the training the most accurate that is available. The best companies offering SAT test prep use tried, tested, and proven formulas that work and succeed in raising student's scores by hundreds of points on average. Be leery if there is no guarantee of raising your student's score.
They Only Provide 1-on-1 Tutoring - Private, personalized, one-on-one tutoring is what works the best. The distractions of larger classrooms or student settings are eliminated with one-on-one private tutoring and provide the most individualized student learning environment possible.

They Offer Flexible Hours for Tutoring - The program should offer a range of hours with a minimum of 12 hrs. as a requirement and up to a maximum of 18 hrs. total so that all areas of the test can be thoroughly covered over a 4 to 5 week timeframe. Math and Verbal should be the major focus of the sessions taking approximately 9 to 15 hrs. while the minor focus on Writing could be accomplished in about 3 hrs. of instruction as this is the way the actual exam is graded.

They Have Low Prices - A price range of somewhere between $500 - $800 depending on the hours specifically chosen or needed for your tutoring, is a reasonably priced program. Some are much higher simply because you are paying for the Name of the Company rather than their expertise in SAT Test Prep. In the end look for the program that provides the most personalized instruction at a reasonable cost to you.
As always, when comparing, work with the tutoring company that has the best quality, service, and cost.

The Advantages of Online Training for IT Professionals

Many companies providing corporate training also offer IT Training through online classrooms, which is a wonderful synchronous environment with a leader moderating the activities of the participants in multiple locations that interact with one another at the same time, similarly to a physical classroom.

IT project management training reduces travel expenses, keeping employees and customers up to date. Software training is usually provided to complement the online learning experience, in addition to different online tools to increase productivity in their work place.

On average, typical IT management, training is divided in 60 to 90 minute modules with a different number of lessons according to the specific subject of the training. In most cases, students can schedule their own sessions based on their own learning needs, or a professional designated by the company can set the items for IT Training.

IT Training, IT management training, and IT project management training, are usually presented as 2 different types of content: one aimed to update previous knowledge, and the other intended to teach the required skills to novices. The length of a typical class varies in accordance to the topics' complexity.

Corporate training usually follows a model where participant's sign up for a chosen course and then participate in a series of different modules over the course's content during the next 2 to 5 days. Corporate courses generally require more commitment from both the student and the trainer.

Software training, computer training and online training are usually designed in a self-study format, being affordable and convenient for students, scheduling their own learning time. Many of them offer support via email or telephone 24 hours per day.

However, online training for IT Professionals will always be the best option because of the easy accessibility to the different courses, hands-on through practices, exercises and the valuable help of true professionals on each subject. IT project management training is provided by a large number of online and land-based entities.

Some of these facilities include the University of Phoenix, California UC, Aspen University in Colorado, as well as other entities and organizations such as The Official Learning and Development Site for the U.S. Federal Government Office of Personnel Management, Florida Business Processes Inc. Kansas Center for Business and Technology, etc.

A large number of private institutions nationwide provide different degrees of training, as well as computer-based programs, including software training. Because remaining competitive is a priority today, IT project management training, corporate training and software training are among the essentials that any enterprise must plan to succeed and stay in the business world.

Corporate Solutions Through eLearning

To any respectable organization, its people are its biggest and most precious asset. This is why nurturing educated, visionary and passionate people is critical to organizations today. This makes corporate training a very important aspect of investments that corporations make. In fact, today corporations are the largest users of e-learning models to train their staff with new processes, services, applications, soft skills and customer relations.

Benefits to corporations:

In industries such as health care, financial services, entertainment, education and government, e-learning efficient business practices, information and communication which have several big and long term benefits.

When training courses must be delivered by corporations to their staff, e-learning can prove effective in these situations:

    * When the company is multi-locational with large numbers of staff
    * When the courses offered are universal in nature
    * When a corporate client needs to discuss with learners in a confidential setting
    * When managers want to track and log the progress of each learner
    * When it can prove cost- and time-efficient

However, in recent times, corporate training has given way to what is termed blended learning which an amalgam of different learning methods.

Blended learning in corporate training:

Unfortunately, the focus of corporate training programs is more on improving revenue, enhancing teamwork and reducing company costs rather than developing human capital or people. However, blended learning helps employees enhance their effectiveness at the job rather than become repositories of knowledge.

Benefits of blended learning:

    * Learners with varying speeds of understanding and different delivery methods can benefit from this greatly with its various learning techniques where each learning experience is a step which he climbs as he progresses from one stage to another. This ladder-like approach helps learners climb the tree of knowledge, as it were, from a basic information level to a level of expertise within a set timeframe and fixed costs.
    * With a blended learning model, a learner can combine elements from one level or complete levels to reach a particular learning solution. A company may choose any blend depending on its needs and can choose from a variety of factors such as needs, time, costs and ready content.
    * You can tailor your content to suit the unique needs of your organization and employees.
    * It blends the need for computers in classroom situations where they are needed with providing classroom experiences when computers could not teach the subject well enough.

Corporate Computer Training

Many companies endeavor to move ahead consistently, with their competitive contemporaries. They consider investing in computer training as one of the fastest ways to make their workforce more effective and economical. The development in technology, over the past decade, has made computer training a necessity for most companies.

There are colleges and institutes that offer corporate computer training courses.

They recognize the growing needs of quality computer training, critical to the productivity of business. They design courses, acknowledging the fact that each organization is unique and therefore has unique training needs.

Many organizational heads, consultants, board members and volunteers, state categorically, that their organizations could be more effective with a computer-trained staff back up. It is necessary for employees to know at least the basics of computer operation and word processing, to carry on routine operations.

The most effective corporate computer training is customized for different operations, conducted in various enterprises. There are many corporate companies that encourage their employees to indulge in the latest training in computer software. They need to analyze the kind of training that their personnel need, to eventually contribute to the company's growth.

The custom designed program of computer training is suitable to train employees of different organizations. There is computer software training provided in basic Microsoft Office applications, like MS Project 2000, introductory Windows computer education and contact management software such as Act 2000.

While most workers have commendable computer skills, there are many who do not even know the basics. There is low-cost, highly effective basic computer corporate training that makes them suitable for the corporate world. They are taught to use e-mail, spreadsheets and word processors and operate programs, specific to the company. A practical approach is an effective way of meeting training needs and ensures a comprehensive training and development program.

Corporate Management Programs

 Corporations are large companies having numerous divisions and which produce services and goods. Because work in these companies is done in a large scale, they appoint a group of directors, or managers, also called boards. The board of directors includes the CEO, Vice President, COO, The CFO, and others. Under these officers there are other staff members working on a daily basis for the company's optimum performance. Hence, it can be understood very easily that running a corporation is not a joking matter, and there are several complex issues to be addressed by them, the individuals willing to take corporate management as their career, need to have proper training and education on the various aspects of decision making in these companies. And for this, various institutions around the globe have come up with Corporate Management Programs, in order to make it a smooth ride for the aspirants. These types of programs are also designed for marketing firms which help in developing a practical application of marketing techniques.

To survive in business, corporations must be competitive. With technology advancing everyday and new tools surfacing in the market, the corporations are opting for more and more qualified and trained employees for a fine work result. They are focusing on Corporate Management Programs to train their staffs and employees, and aiming at improving their productivity and strategies. For an effective corporate training, it is very important for a staff to about the methods and inner running system of a company. The Corporate Management Programs help the marketing managers how to implement and execute certain tasks the right way and at the right time, so that the department runs smoothly. They also help in training the managers decide what types of projects should be assigned to which team in order for the goal to be achieved.

The marketing manager is always responsible for appointing the best teams and staffs for the completion of each project no matter what type of project it is: marketing strategy development, implementation planning, processing products or product management jobs, or analysis and marketing research. A marketing management program puts emphasis in training a manager in all aspects of the company, market research being the most important one. It teaches the manager to make fact based decisions, and formulate cost effective programs which are effective, and gives a clear understanding of the business and type of market they operate in. When a company has a clear understanding about consumer trends, marketing managers are able to develop strategies that boost long term profitability and ultimately the overall profits. The main objectives of the corporate management programs are preparing the employees for working towards revenue growth and increased market share.

But sometimes it's tough for the companies to provide this type of training because of time and other financial matters. That's not to worry about. Several training houses has come forward with affordable rates for the training, and has tailored the training so that an individual can have a solid grasp of corporate management in the shortest possible time.