A Dose of Inspiration

Inspiration is what many people need right now - a push, a cheer, a word of encouragement to dream and to make it real.

I would like to share with you another inspiring video entitled Leading Out Loud. I trust that you and your students will find a great dose of inspiration from this one. Watch, enjoy and be moved to lead out loud!

LIFE HANDBOOK

A colleague of mine, Alice, shared with me this handout entitled Life Handbook. Let me share with you an excerpt from this handout. You may want to share this with your students. Most of what's in the list are things we already know, but are worth reviewing.

HEALTH

1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less foods that are manufactured.
3. Make time for prayer.
4. Sleep for 7 hours.
5. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a beggar.

PERSONALITY

1. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
2. Dream more while you are awake.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't compare your life to others. You don't have an idea what their journey is all about.
5. Smile and laugh more.

SOCIETY

1. Each day give something good to others.
2. Spend more people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.
3. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
4. What others think of you is none of your business.
5. Your job won't take care of you when you get sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch.

LIFE

1. Do the right thing...always!
2. Always think, "The best is yet to come."
3. When you wake up in the morning, thank GOD for it.
4. Get rid of anything that isn't joyful, beautiful or joyful.
5. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that will be solved eventually.

LASTLY

• Always remember, GOD LOVES YOU!

Science Teachers, Take Note!

To all Chemistry teachers out there, read this news article from Yahoo! News and Reuters about the new element that will soon be added to the periodic table.

Here goes the article...

New, Superheavy Element to Enter Periodic Table

Thu Jun 11, 9:36 am ET
BERLIN (Reuters) – A new, superheavy chemical element numbered 112 will soon be officially included in the periodic table, German researchers said.

A team in the southwest German city of Darmstadt first produced 112 in 1996 by firing charged zinc atoms through a 120-meter-long particle accelerator to hit a lead target.

"The new element is approximately 277 times heavier than hydrogen, making it the heaviest element in the periodic table," the scientists at the GSI Helmholtz Center for Heavy Ion Research said in a statement late on Wednesday.

The zinc and lead nuclei were fused to form the nucleus of the new element, also known as Ununbium, Latin for 112.

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), confirmed the discovery of 112 by the team led by Sigurd Hofmann at the Helmholtz Center. IUPAC has asked for an official name for the element to be submitted.

John Jost, executive director of IUPAC in North Carolina, told Reuters that creating new elements helped researchers to understand how nuclear power plants and atomic bombs function.

The atomic number 112 refers to the sum of the atomic numbers of zinc, which has 30, and lead, which has 82. Atomic numbers denote how many protons are found in the atom's nucleus.

Scientists at the Helmholtz Center have discovered six chemical elements, numbered 107-112, since 1981. The remaining five elements have already been recognized and named.

In 1925, scientists discovered the last naturally occurring element on the periodic table. Since then researchers have sought to create new, heavier elements.

Proving the existence of atoms with such a high mass, the so-called superheavy elements, is a complex procedure because they exist for only tiny fractions of a second and then decay radioactively into other elements.

(Reporting by Jacob Comenetz, editing by Philippa Fletcher; periodic table image from scs.une.edu.au )

Creative Opening and Powerful Ending

Motivation and synthesis are two familiar terms among us, teachers. However, not many of us realize the true value of having an effective motivation and synthesis to every lesson.

The opening and ending are considered positions of power in any presentation, be it a lesson or business presentation. By this, we mean, we can maximize the opening and the ending to make our lessons truly meaningful and memorable to our students.

The opening is governed by a rule in Psychology known as the Rule of Primacy, which states "first things heard and first things seen are considered very important; thus well-remembered by any audience."

It is, therefore, a must that we start our lesson with a very good motivational activity, a very good opening. Below are some guidelines that you should consider when thinking of a lesson opening.

• Open creatively. Use Games, Anecdotes or Stories, Quotations, Rhetorical Questions, Demonstrations, Video or Audio Clips, Pictures or Sketches, Songs, Poems, etc. to introduce the topic or the lesson. This should involve everyone in the class to become truly effective.
• Transition from the creative opening to the lesson smoothly. The students should be able to see the connection of the game, picture, or the video to the topic of the day. This will make the students better appreciate the motivational activity and see it as truly relevant.
• Include part of the opening the objectives for the day's lesson. This way, students would know what needs to be accomplished for the day and how they would contribute to achieving these objectives.

The closure, known as synthesis, is also governed by a rule in Psychology, known as the Rule of Recency. This states that "Last things heard, last things seen are best remembered." Often we get victimized by the syndrome known as LSS or Last Song Syndrome. We keep on singing the entire day the last song we heard before alighting from our car early that day. This, indeed, a proof to such a rule.

This should also hold true for our lesson. Therefore, you also have to maximize it. Observe the following guidelines.

• Inform your students that you are about to end the lesson. Literally tell them, "Let me end the day's lesson..." or "As a way to conclude today's discussion..." This would wake our students up and have them pay more attention. If ever, their attention is with something else, you are able to get it back on track.
• Include a summary, a list or an enumeration of the most important parts of the lesson. This will make the students see what they have learned, recall certain items they missed and have a greater sense of fulfillment knowing they have accomplished a lot. Also, for those who didn't listen during the discussion, at least you can have them bring with them when they get out of the room the most significant parts of the day's activity.
• Leave the students with an idea to remember or something to look forward to. You may want to give them an enrichment activity to be done at home and/or a preview of tomorrow's lesson to get them excited to be in your next class. This will formally synthesize and conclude the day for them.

As teachers, we need to find ways and means to make our lessons truly fun, exciting and full of learning for our student's better understanding, retention and appreciation. So, don't forget to plan for that truly creative opening and powerful ending in your next lesson.

The Secret: Be Empowered

"Thoughts become things."

"You have the power to create the kind of life you dream to have."

"The law of attraction is always at work for you: like attracts like."

These and many more are the beautiful ideas shared to us by the book, "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne. This has been one of my preoccupations lately. I have been into experimenting how to apply these principles in making my every day truly abundant and rich with blessings from the universe (from God!). I'm just starting to really be serious with this and I know that wonderful things are coming my way really soon. This I can feel and this I believe with faith and gratitude!

Wouldn't you want to share the same kind of motivation to your students? Wouldn't this uplift their spirits and empower them to be the best of who they can be? Help them do this by sharing with them the book or the movie (if that format will interest them more).

You can start by letting them watch the short video clip I have below, and let your students feel and unleash the power they have within to creating the life they dream of having.

Enjoy and be empowered!

Linguistic Equation: An IQ Test

I'm back this week with a new set of brain teasers for you. This was passed on to me by my husband (Well, he wanted to find out if I'll do better than him), and later I learned from one site that this is actually an IQ test called "Linguistic Equation".

And same as in the previous entry, Brain Teaser For You and Your Students to Try (which I know many have liked!), this one is as interesting and as useful in the classroom. You may use it as a motivational activity to a related topic, as a group game, as an energizer to sustain attention, or simply as bonus questions for extra points.

All you have to do is to come up with the common phrase that is being referred to by the initials given in each item. Let me give you an example:

• 24 H in a D = 24 Hours in a Day

No time limit but no cheating as well. Use your common sense. It's that simple. If you get all 25, then I must say, you're a genius! Wow! Ready to show how much of a genius you are? Well, what are you waiting for? Ready, set, go...

1. 7 D a W
2. 12 M in a Y
3. 2 W of a B
4. 9 L of a C
5. 3 H of a C
6. 7 D S
7. 9 M of P
8. 8 T of an O
9. 7 C of the W
10. 10 Y in a D
11. 28 D in F
12. 6 S of a H
13. 10 C in a M
14. 7 W of the W
15. 5 T in a F
16. 366 D in a L Y
17. 7 C in a R
18. 60 S in a M
19. 26 L of the A
20. 4 C of a S
21. 2 S of a C
22. 4 H of the A
23. 3 W M
24. 12 I in a F
25. 1001 T of the A N

You've reached the end of this test. Are you now ready now to find out how well you've fared in this test?

1. 7 Days in a Week 2.12 Months in a Year 3. 2 Wheels of a Bicycle 4. 9 Lives of a Cat 5. 3 Hands of a Clock 6. 7 Deadly Sins 7. 9 Months of Pregnancy 8. Tentacles of an Octopus 9. 7 Continents of the World 10. 10 Years in a Decade 11. 28 Days in February 12. 6 Sides of a Hexagon 13. 10 Centuries in a Millennium 14. 7 Wonders of the World 15. 5 Toes in a Foot 16. 366 Days in a Leap Year 17. 7 Colors in a Rainbow 18. 60 Seconds in a Minute 19. 26 letters of the Alphabet 20. 4 Corners of a Square 21. 2 Sides of a Coin 22. 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse 23. 3 Wise Men 24. 12 Inches in a Foot 25. 1001 Tales of the Arabian Nights

Thank You, Teacher!

"Teaching is a vocation; not a profession." Often we hear this from teachers, like us, and sometimes those who get to hear us never really understand what we mean.

It is only when we get to be teachers that we realize the truth to this assertion. Yes, being a teacher does not only entail great talent and skills but great patience and understanding; does not only demand much of our time but much of our love; does not only require us to simply teach concepts but to educate for life.

And always remember, if you are seeking personal gain and happiness as a teacher, you may never find it until you get to focus on those little achievements your students are having and those sparkling eyes telling you of the happiness they are experiencing.

The following video clip entitled "Thank You, Teacher" is meant to inspire all of us, teachers, so that in moments we get frustrated and think of giving up, we just remember how blessed we are to have been given the chance to touch someone else's life... and make the world a better place!