EDUCATION IN THE WORLD

Teacher Interview Questions

2007-11-27T14:18:00.000-08:00

By: Adam Waxler

The following is a list of possible teacher interview questions. I have broken up these teacher interview questions into several different categories to make it easier for you to prepare for your next teacher interview.

*Background Information*
Most teacher interviews begin with a handful of questions pertaining to your background. Don't forget...the interviewers obviously want to hire the best teacher, but they also want to hire a teacher that they will be able to work with for a long time to come. These background interview questions are important as they let your potential employer know who you are as a person...so don't hold back.

1. What are your hobbies and interests?
2. What is a recent book you have read?
3. Why did you choose to become a teacher?
4. Tell me about the three people who have most influenced your life..
5. What contributions can you make to our school outside of teaching in the classroom?

*Teacher Relationships With Students*
When answering this teacher interview question remember to stress the importance of the student-teacher relationship. This interpersonal relationship is one of the most important factors in having and maintaining an effective classroom. It is also one of the most underestimated factors in being an effective teacher.

1. What kind of students do you like to work with?
2. What do you do when you must teach students that are reluctant learners?
3. What do you do when a student ridicules an assignment, saying it doesn't make sense?
4. How do you help students experience success?
5. What are some of the ways you get to know your students personally?
6. How would you challenge the slow learner and the advanced learner within the same class?
7. Are you friends with your students?
8. How would your students describe you?

*Teacher Relationships With Colleagues*
Again, during a teacher interview, your potential employer is not just looking for the best teacher, but he is also looking for the best colleague...someone he can trust and work with for a long time.

1. What kind of teachers would you prefer to work with? Why?
2. Do you prefer working alone or as a team?
3. What extra curricular activities would you like to get involved with at our school?
4. What qualities do you have that would enhance our teaching staff?
5. What are some personality characteristics you find desirable or undesirable in people that you work with?
6. What needs and/or expectations do you have of other teachers and the school administration?

*Teacher Relationships With Parents*
During any teacher interview you will have to express the importance of not only the teacher-parent relationship, but also specific strategies you plan to use to increase and improve that teacher-parent relationship.

1. Why is the parent-teacher relationship so important?
2. What are some effective ways to communicate with parents?
3. How would go about increasing parent involvement?
4. What do you do about parents who do not speak the same language as you?
5. What are some of the reasons why you would contact parents?
6. What would you include in your Open House presentation to parents?

*Teaching Strategies*
When push comes to shove this is the most important category of any teacher interview. You absolutely must convey to the interviewers that you are well versed in the most effective teaching strategies...Anything else is simply unacceptable.

1. How would you integrate technology into the curriculum you teach?
2. Describe some innovative projects or hands-on activities you have been involved with.
3. Give an example of how you have used cooperative learning in your classroom.
4. What teaching strategies do you use to motivate students to learn?
5. How do you integrate curriculum across subject/content areas?
6. How do you handle classroom management issues?
7. What are your classroom rules and classroom procedures?
8. What teaching strategies do you use to address the different learning styles of the students in your classes?

Energy Is Electrical and Magnetic

2007-11-27T14:16:00.000-08:00

By: Jan Engels Smith

An energy field surrounds everything. Energy pulses out from objects, interacting with and absorbing other energies. A person's energy field, commonly called an aura, is generated inside the body and extends outward to surround it. Understanding the electrical and magnetic nature of energy is important to understanding healing.

The energy field you generate is created by your beliefs and thoughts. Like a radio tower, you send out concentric pulses of energy that broaden and weaken as they move farther away. An electromagnetic charge exists immediately around your body. This magnetism impacts all it comes in contact with and, by extension, influences the entire universe. Like a strong magnet, your field of energy draws other energies to it and absorbs the power of them. The energies you attract and the ways they are absorbed are influenced by your belief systems. Your beliefs filter and alter other energies as they enter your power source and, in turn, become part of the energy that emanates from you.

This magnetic power draws to you the situations, people, and events that will reinforce whatever it is you believe. If you believe you are a victim, that people constantly exploit you and that you are unlovable, your electromagnetic field will be charged with those beliefs and will draw to you circumstances that reinforce this. If you believe you are a divine being, that all doors of opportunity are open to you, that you are loved by yourself and others, and that good things always come your way, then your magnetic energy will draw to you positive life conditions, which reinforce your positive energy.

Take a moment to think about what you really believe and notice what you are drawing into your life. What do you believe about yourself, about God, about money, about your job, about your family, about your friends, and about life in general? Review your beliefs to understand which energies you attract. If you impart negative thoughts to your energy field, you will attract events and people that manifest negative beliefs. Negative energy begets negative experience, which reinforces negative beliefs. Conversely, if you radiate positive beliefs and thoughts, you will draw the situations to you that confirm your beliefs and reinforce your positive life experience.

The advantage of positive thoughts is that they are electrically charged at a higher frequency than negative thoughts. They also extend out farther and with greater strength into the universe. They leave you with a feeling of expansiveness, growth, and lightness. Negative thoughts are dense and heavy, whereas positive thoughts are light and high in vibration. Observe people's body posture and you can get a sense of how these frequencies affect them physically. People who are self-confident usually hold themselves tall and upright, as though they could lift right off the ground. Their breathing is full and expands the lungs, chest, and abdomen. People with heavy and dense negative energy look as though they are carrying a heavy backpack at all times. Their shoulders are often rounded, their head tilts down, and their breathing is shallow as if there just is not any room for breath in their lungs. They often feel tightness and stress in the upper back and shoulders. The density of negative energy causes the body to collapse inwardly. Healing is the art and science of managing not only these energy fields, but also their root cause.

It is possible to feel the different nature of energies in another person. Try this experiment: Have the person think intense negative thoughts of self-loathing and poor self-worth. Place your hands above their head and try to feel the energy radiating out. You will have the impression of a collapsing, dense aura. Next, help the same person think strong positive thoughts of their importance and self-worth. You can literally feel the difference in the energy as it expands outward with lightness and happiness. When working with someone in this activity, remember to finish on the positive note.

Energy changes with intention, instantaneously and powerfully. Changing your electromagnetic field of energy is not difficult, nor does it take years of study or practice. It is immediate. You can understand this by simply changing your thoughts and noticing the instant shift in the energy within and around you. Through practice, you can better manage, moment to moment, the energy that surrounds you. Your work in self-discovery, digging deeply into your belief system and scrutinizing your core beliefs, will allow you to permanently intensify the positive energy you radiate and attract. You can project energies that contribute meaningfully to a better universe and a better life for all people.

All objects possess an energy field and radiate and attract energy. Energy can transfer and be shared between objects, creating a bond or magnetism. This energy exchange explains the phenomenon of dowsing rods, which have been used for thousands of years to locate sources of water. They are still used today by power companies, which employ them to locate water mains. This shared transfer and bonding of energy is also what psychics use to find missing objects or people. In the case of a missing person, an article of clothing or jewelry provides an energy source, which connects to the missing person and allows the psychic to determine location. I have done many readings for people by holding a piece of their jewelry and intuitively reading their energy. I have received amazing information about their current condition, past experiences, health, and emotional problems.

7 Mysterious Ways of Women And How To Understand Her

2007-11-27T14:15:00.000-08:00

By: Cucan Pemo

There are a lot of men who mistake some of the ways that their girlfriend or wife will conduct themselves. It's hard to understand both sexes because they don't think alike. Women think more with their heart and feelings, while men tend to think about logic and reality. After you read this, you will be able to better understand your mate and you will be able to have better and stronger relationship.

1) The Confusing Silence

Men assume that if women are not talking then they must be mad, however that is not always the case. The silent treatment is given a lot after arguments; however, it does not always mean that silence is a key tip that she is mad. First, sometimes women just need some time where they can just relax. After you have a hard day at work, all you want to do is read a book, watch some TV, or just sit in silence. That does not mean that she is mad. It may mean things like she is tired, she wants to relax, she wants to be by herself, but it is not always about the people around her.

2) Obsessive cleaning

You will notice that your girlfriend or wife is cleaning and really scrubbing the dishes, however, it may seem like she is mad or frustrated. Some women do obsessively clean when they are frustrated, but there are many women who just like to be clean. Cleaning to women has nothing to do with relationships or how they see you. Not all women feel the need to clean up because their mate won't or that their mate is messy. Sometimes a woman will just get in the mood to clean.

3) Fighting

Have you ever come home with a seemingly happy day and just end up getting yelled at by your lady. You may think that she is really unhappy with you, but the truth is that you're not the problem. You will find that things in her day will make her feel awful and with you seeming happy would be when the saying "misery loves company" comes into play. The next time she jumps you before you even kick off your shoes, maybe you should take a moment to ask her what it really is about.

4) Her confusing behavior of crying

Women have so much emotion in them; they have to cry every now and then and do not take it personally. Something that you do or do not do may set them off, but it is usually not about you. It can be a lot things all balled up inside her. You may come home to your wife or girlfriend sitting in the dark crying, however, it is not always about anything. Women just need to cry. Some have a schedule where they watch sad movies and they have a good cry. It is usually nothing personal; just ask her if there is anything you can do or not do and make her a cup of tea.

5) Nagging

You may think that your woman is always on your case all day long, however, there is something underneath the obvious that is bothering her. The first thing that you are going to want to ask her is what this fit is really about. Ask her about her day, ask her about her mother, ask her about anything that might have set her of to release some anguish on you. Nagging is more from frustrations and if you ask her what it is that she would like you do, like chores (which both partners should have); you'll be able to reduce the nagging.

6) Half of smile

You may think that you just did the best thing for her in the world and then you get the half of smile. This sometimes is overlooked because the man is so happy about the accomplishments that he has achieved, however, the half of smile is not happiness. The half of smile means that she isn't going to let it go in the future, but right now will appreciate your thoughtfulness. Later on, her true feelings will come out and there will be a fight. If you ever notice the half of smile, then you may want to ask her and assure her that it doesn't that much to you, but you just want them to be as happy as possible. As long as they are happy, you will be happy, and that means sometimes taking back the things that you put some thought into.

7) Finally, the behavior to have things coordinate

This is often confused by men to be controlling. However, women just to have things match and look good because they are under a lot of pressure to dress well decorate the house well, and to make everything in their lives look perfect. Society puts a lot of pressure on women to be the ultimate homemaker and woman. If you just allow her to do her thing and not put up too much of a fight, you will find she will feel complete and you will be happy with a happy woman.

These seven behaviors are mistaken everyday and now that you have seen things from the other side, you will be able to make your home a happy one. You will also find that your days will be filled with less arguments and more laughs. As a man, you'll find that the nagging will stop and your woman will feel a lot better about the relationship, because you'll seem to understand her more.

The Student-Teacher Relationship

2007-11-27T14:03:00.000-08:00

By: Adam Waxler

Being a teacher who has moved from New York to Florida I am often asked to compare the two…actually I find myself comparing the New York school system to the Florida school system even if I'm not asked .

The truth is though, the two systems are so different it is difficult to draw any concrete conclusions…as my dad would say, "It's like comparing apples and oranges".

However, recently I did get a taste of what I really miss about teaching in New York…small class sizes.

Due to a school trip over 40 of my students were absent from school last week. Normally on days like this I just show a movie and write it up to a lost day of teaching. However, this day I decided to teach the lesson as planned and had the absent students simply make up the missing assignments. This made for some very small classes that day and made teaching an absolute delight. In fact, the students themselves said the same thing. I couldn't help but think back to my days teaching in New York.

I guess I should not make generalizations…there may be many New York schools that have large classes, I just happened to be lucky enough to teach at a school with small classes. Just to give you an example, my last year teaching in New York I had 80 students spread out over 5 classes for an average of 16 students per class. This year, teaching in Florida, I have 132 students spread out over 6 classes for an average of 22 students per class.

Now, of course, 22 students is not really something to complain about, but remember, they are spread out over SIX classes.

When my current school district decided to have all their middle school teachers teach six classes instead of the five we taught the previous year, the middle schools in the county were able to reduce their class sizes…which is good. However, my overall number of students actually increased from 112 the previous year to 132 this school year…not good.

What I think so many people don't understand about the importance of class size is that it is not just the individual class numbers that are important, but it also the overall numbers that are important. An increase in the overall number of students forces the teacher to spend more time on grading essays, tests, homework etc. and less time creating and developing effective lessons.

However, whether we are talking about a teacher's overall number of students or individual class size numbers, the fact of the matter is, large numbers are bad for both the student and the teacher.

You see, one of the most important factors governing student learning is the student-teacher relationship. However, not only is the student-teacher relationship one of the most important factors, but it is also one of the most overlooked factors.

No one should underestimate the impact that the student-teacher relationship has on student learning.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, the biggest problem with having large classes is not the added amount of grading and administrative tasks, it is not the added classroom management problems….the biggest problem with large classes is simply that it deteriorates the student-teacher relationship.

Loving Yourself: 10 Steps To A Happier You

2007-11-27T14:01:00.000-08:00

By: Cucan Pemo

Do you know that you are the most important thing in the world? You have to know that you have to love yourself before you are able to love someone else and totally be happy in your life. You need to let go and relax.

Find a way to get in control of your life and then you will see that you can have a great life that is full of enjoyment and happiness. When you are willing to take a few different steps to happiness, you will find it to be a big help in the process.

1) Do not criticize

You do not have to criticize yourself all the time. Criticism is not the answer and never changes anything. You do not need to put all the blame on yourself. Accept yourself for who you are and what you are in life.

Everyone makes mistakes and the sooner that you realize that you are going to make them; the faster you will be able to move on. Do not be negative and think about the positive that you can do. When you are not critizing yourself, you are going to see that you will feel more relaxed and motivated to move on.

2) Do not be scared

Do not dwell on the bad things in life. You have to stop think about the bad thought and fill your head with good ones. Having pleasures in life is the one way to feel good about you. When you are able to let go of the scary thoughts, you will see that you can have a more enjoyable and easier time finding love for yourself.

3) Be patient

One of the most valuable lessons in life is to be patient. You have to give yourself time to learn new things. Treat yourself as you would anyone else that you really loved. Give yourself a break and realize that you will get there and have what you need. Do not rush yourself to do something. Patience is a great thing to have and when you learn it you will have a less stressful life and you will find more love in your heart.

4) Give yourself praise

Make sure that you believe in what you do. Praise yourself every chance that you get. You need to put some positive thoughts into your head so that you are able to have the good outlook on life that you deserve. Give yourself support and find ways to create more support for yourself. Lean on your friends and loved ones. They are there to help you as well and by doing this; you will feel better about who you are and what you have accomplished in life.

5) Love your body

Remember that your body is very important to your happiness. If you are not happy with the way that you look, you have to do something about it. You will never really be happy unless you get healthy and turn into the person that you want to become.

You have to eat right and do the proper amount of exercise. You need to put these things into your life so that you are able to motivate your body into doing the things that you want it to. Learn what you can about the different exercises that are good for you. Giving your body energy is one way to feel good inside and this will help you start to love yourself for who you are inside and out.

6) Find your inner strength

Giving yourself the support that you need from the inside out is important. You may want to search and do some digging to find out what your inner being is all about and who you want to become. You have to have some kind of power from deep within helping you through your journey. You need to be strong and think about what you want to have in your life. Think about how much you deserve to be happy and what you should be doing to get there. Pull this from your inner being.

7) Be spiritual

You do not have to be someone that goes to church all the time to be spiritual. You do however have to find the one thing that makes you happy. The one thing that makes you feel good about how you life your life and what your purpose is. Once you have this, you will start to see that you are finding love in yourself and feeling good about what you are doing.

8) Respect yourself

Giving respect is something that you have to learn. You also have to learn to give yourself respect. This is something that is very important and without it you will have nothing. You need to know that you are worth respect and that you are someone that can overcome anything because you know that you are someone that can do it. Respecting yourself will come with time and along with respect, you will soon start to love yourself as well.

9) Having goals

Goals are so important to have at anytime. You need to make long term and short-term goals for yourself. You can make these goals for later on down the road and for today and tomorrow. As long as you have goals to work for, you will have the will to go on. As you accomplish your goals, you will fee the love form inside you. You will have found the purpose in your life and know that you can achieve what you put your mind to.

10) Be proud of who you are

There is no way to hide from who you are and what you want. You are who you are and you should be proud of it. Giving yourself pride is something that will help you love yourself so you need to do things that make you feel good inside. Knowing that you have worked hard for something and that you deserve it is very important.

Loving yourself is very important. You have to do this before you can love anyone else and with some work, you can achieve a great love for who you are and what you do in life.

How To Attract Women

2007-11-27T13:58:00.000-08:00

By: Seth Lewis
When it comes to an inability to attract women in general it has more to do with a man's perceptions or distortions with reality. When it comes to men who are successful with women you the three most successful type of men are going to be those who seduce women, attract women, and the most successful all those who do both. When it comes to attracting women and your opportunities to attract women you need to always be in the "Right State" to Attract Women.

When it comes to attracting women many times getting a man simply to understand that understanding how to attract women is not enough to know how to attract women, causes a big enough change in his reality where he now seeks out knowledge of the truth about attracting women by using the techniques to gain that knowledge. Now it is important to understand that every man has the ability to attract and seduce women it simply is a matter of how much he wants to work on his abilities of attracting women that determines how successful he becomes. Usually he will respond by telling me that he knows all about how his inner game is the most important part in attracting women and that he knows all the techniques used to attract women.

If given a choice, most men would want to be the guy who knows how to attract women and has no success in bars and clubs because he isn't comfortable in that type of atmosphere and chooses not to go there. So the guy that knows how to attract women might approach 50 women a week and actually end up making a connection with 5 or 6, of course 3 or 4 of the other women he could've made a connection with but for whatever reason they weren't his type. When you add and compare the numbers its plain to see that the guy who knows how to attract women approaches more women in a week than the guy who doesn't in a whole year.

If you are a guy that has no problem talking to women but don't know how to create the feeling of attraction in her, your pace is going to be a whole lot different than the guy who gets nervous just being around women. What happens a lot of times is that men either don't know how to create attraction in women and simply pick an arbitrary moment in the comfort stage to move in for the kiss or they know how to create attraction in women but for whatever reason choose to skip the entire comfort building process. Many times when a man says he has no success in attracting women what he really means is he doesn't attempt to talk to women in a way that can create attraction because he already knows the outcome.

For men who are using the Four Agreements to attract women what this means is, that when you approach a woman you really shouldn't be concerned with the outcome. What it also means is that as you first begin your journey to attract women using the Four Agreements there will be times when you aren't impeccable with your word, take something personally, or make assumptions. Yet when you begin to follow agreement #3 in don Miguel Ruiz's book "The Four Agreements" which is Don't Make Assumptions you will find yourself attracting more women.

However what we have begun to see recently with men teaching men how to attract women, are ways in which you can get that 80 percent of women that don't like or dislike you. However once out of the club atmosphere becomes uncomfortable with women and no longer can maintain the attraction because he actually doesn't know how to attract women. Instead what you want to do is create a clear picture of all the qualities that you want in a woman or women and send those thoughts into the world so that the Law of Attraction can attract her or them to you.

If so what would it take for you to give 90 days of doing exactly what I say it takes in order to attract women without questioning any of it if the results are you then have the ability to attract women whenever and wherever you want rather that doing what you do now and getting what you get. One of the best things about using power words to magnetically attract women is that the more use them the more powerful and easier they become to use. Remember that it was the power of your words and those you chose to believe that has led to your beliefs about attracting women.

In fact I would recommend that any man who hasn't noticed success with attracting women after 30 days, to consider hiring a Dating coach who can help you deal with all of the issues that are getting in the way of your success.

How to make a living doing what you love

2007-11-27T13:57:00.000-08:00

By: Ogo Ogbata

Work is an essential part of life. For starters we are judged by our careers. Go to a party sometime and the first thing people ask after an introduction is ‘so what do you do?' If your job is prestigious they admire you, if it's lucrative they resent you and if it's satisfying they respect you a lot. We sometimes hate to get out of bed on a Monday morning but deep down inside we are grateful. Work pays the bills, keeps us busy and gives us a sense of security. Sometimes a false sense of security…

Our ancestors worked hard. Civilisations have been built by bare hardworking hands. Work shouldn't define us and yet it tells a part of the story. It's what grown-ups do; what respectable individuals should aspire to. However, nowadays more and more people crave to make a living doing what they genuinely enjoy. It's not the preserve of singers and dancers only. It's a birthright. As loving relationships satisfy our desire to be loved, fulfilling work meets the need we all have- the need to express ourselves; to make a difference.

If you're fed up with meaningless routine, you have the right to forge a different path. For instance, ‘movie stars' did not really exist until after 1910. Centuries ago actors were one of the most poorly paid professionals on the face of the earth. An actor was the equivalent of a clown, not the sort of person you could take very seriously. A lot of these talented people lived in debt, worked without pay and endured ridicule. Gradually a handful of pioneers began to change our perception of the industry. Although many actors still struggle today, a good number are extremely wealthy. Some have even gone on to become political leaders and entrepreneurs. They influence what we wear, what we eat, how we live.

I'm going to share with you 5 steps to making a living doing work that doesn't seem like work for the most part. You can take the word ‘starving' out of starving artist, you can turn any hobby, habit, skill or craft into a decent livelihood. Bored with your day job? You can change that. Perhaps you've got children and want flexible work that allows you to be the best parent you can be? Create it. Want some extra income on the side? Go for it. There's no better motivator than satisfying work. With a bit of courage and these 5 steps, you can have the best of both worlds.

1. Find what makes you tick- On a sheet of paper list your talents, hobbies, unique life experiences, educational background and practical skills. What does your dream career look like? What sort of work would make you truly happy? How can your life experiences, education and practical skills contribute toward creating your desired lifestyle? Thoughtfully write down the answers to these questions. If you require further insight, get some feedback from family and friends as well. Work with what you've got. For instance, if you love gardening, consider setting up shop as a florist. If you are a lover of the outdoors and don't like the idea of being stuck behind the counter, you can do without a shop altogether. How? Invest in land, seeds, gardening equipment and a decent website. Do some marketing- perhaps positioning yourself as an organic farmer who supplies flora straight from the source. When you receive orders via cyberspace, ship the plants off. With proper planning and execution, anything can be achieved.

2. Get refined- When crude oil is drilled out of the earth's crust is it supplied to gas stations right away? No one shells out their hard earned money to amateurs. Work on your skills so that you can compete with other professionals. Better still, aim to offer the best value to your customers. For instance, if you dream of making a living as a fashion designer, learn from the best in the industry. At the very least, go on a refresher course or practice devotedly.

3. Find a need- Sometimes people assume that there is an instant market for the products and services they offer. Okay, so you really enjoy folk singing or writing poetry. Is there a sizeable demand or at least growing appetite for your craft? If you have faith in your work, press on by all means. The world needs pioneers alright but be prepared to make a lot of sacrifices and accept the fact that change may come in another era. Vincent Van Gogh's paintings are worth a fortune today but he died a pauper in the year 1890. On the contrary, Picasso lived a life of affluence- perhaps walking a path paved by prior artists. If you plan to pay your mortgage in the mean time, be willing to think outside the box. For instance, greeting card companies are always on the look out for verse; consider supplying lyrics to bespoke card makers whilst you write your literary masterpiece. Are you an aspiring musician? TV and movie studios are always in need of royalty free intro music. Consider catering to such hungry markets whilst you put finishing touches to your debut album.

4. Sell to that need- Take time to study trends and assess potential markets. You don't want to invest precious time and money crafting a product, only to find out that demand isn't steady. You want the need (for whatever you plan to sell) to be as regular as your utility bill. One can't go wrong in the food industry for instance because whatever happens people have to eat. In order to serve their customers, cooks have to buy crockery from the manufacturing industry. People who eat also have to defecate at some point and that's where toilet roll production comes in. Think strategically. Seek to meet a genuinely pressing need or at least have the ability to convince your target audience that they can't do without your offering. Again, determine the need and sell to it.

5. Stay focused- Always remember that your primary objective was to ‘make a living doing what you love'. Don't get so caught up in red tape or profit making that you forget to enjoy yourself. Of course running a business of your own will never be all fun and games but if you are in the right line of work, you should feel passion and fulfilment despite the hassle. Having said that, life is a journey. People grow; circumstances and needs change. Time may come when you have to move on to yet another challenge. We live in the age of diversity and opportunity, don't be afraid of trying something new but strive for excellence in all that you do.

So that's it- 5 steps to making your dreams come true. But whilst self help articles make for excellent reading, it's extremely vital that you ‘take action right away'. Good things no longer come to those who wait around.

The Secret “Why” For Writing

2007-11-27T13:52:00.000-08:00

By: Gary Crow

"The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation; those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it. If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error." -- John Stuart Mill

When to write? Where to write? What to write? How to write? These four simple questions prompt enough complexity in their answers to fill articles and magazines, books and libraries. They stimulate enough interest and mental energy to fuel casual discussions and writers' groups, conferences and university courses. They hint at profound mysteries and hidden wisdom, secrets known only by the literary elite, the potential for sudden insight and heretofore elusive discoveries.

We think about these questions. We dream about them. We talk about them. We listen. We read. We ponder and then we try to push the questions away so we can focus on the hundred more important things we absolutely have to do. We try and then there we go again. We think about these questions. We dream about them. We….

Is this behavior normal? Is our preoccupation with when, where, what, and how within the acceptable range so we don't have to guard against others learning our little secret? Sad but true. It's definitely not normal and is so unimportant that it falls far outside any range of interest to most people so it doesn't even make it on the scale where acceptable and unacceptable issues are considered.

I randomly stopped twelve people and posed the questions to them. When should one write? Where should one write? What should one write? How should one write? Three just stared, shook their heads, and walked away. Four didn't bother to shake their heads. That left five, two of whom asked, "What are you talking about?" Of the remaining three, two said, "Whatever," and the one still seeming interested thought for a few seconds and said, "It would be easier to just leave a voice mail. Why do you want to write anything?"

Why? Why do I want to write anything? Here I am worrying, nigh obsessing, about when, where, what, and how and then the one person in a dozen asks why. How frustrating is that? What do I say to someone who thinks that leaving a voice mail is preferable to writing? It might work if I can write the message and then read it onto the voice mail, but maybe not.

It's tempting to dismiss the why question as the query of an idiot but, of course, it is much more fun to write about it and certainly we all know about the attraction of fun. Let's take another pass at those four questions and add the why question to the list just for fun.

I'll take a few editorial liberties with the questions since it's my piece and we all know about editors and their taking liberties. I'll start with what to write. The best advice as measured by how many times I have read it is to write about what you know. An alternative thought worth considering measured by my experience is to write about what I don't know but really want to know. When I have done enough research and have given it enough thought so I can clearly explain it to me, writing about it is fun.

Sure, I know. You got me there. When I write about it, it's writing about what I then know. Those writing gurus, they always seem to get the last word.

Maybe the going will go a tad easier with the where question. Measuring by how often I have read it, the best advice is to have a quiet place where I won't be interrupted and everything I need is at hand. -- Not in my lifetime. -- Do you realize how organized I would have to be to pull that one off? Suffice it to say that, if I wait until I achieve that level of environmental control and self-discipline, writing would be merely one of those "wish I had" laments. I'll have to be satisfied with wherever the keyboard is and hope for the best. Maybe I will find the piece and quiet somewhere inside me.

When to write? The writing gurus strongly recommend a regular daily schedule. That's just fine so long as they don't mean every day at the same time for the same amount of time or even most days at about the same time for nearly the same amount of time. You don't suppose they mean that, do you? Sad but true. That's exactly what they mean and they are very serious about it. It's sort of like responsible drinking. Only have one or two drinks, always after 5:00, and then doing it most days should work out okay.

Unfortunately, I happen to be one of those binge writers. I can go for weeks without so much as a complete sentence and then there is a day or a week or a month where I can hardly stop writing long enough to get anything else done. Sure, I come staggering back to reality sooner or later but the binge has to run its course. Is it an addiction? Is it a compulsion? Is it an obsession? I don't have a clue but know that it's way too much fun to stop or to want to stop. I'll just keep bingeing.

That brings us to the how question. This may be the most guru-answered of the four questions. The obvious advice is to decide what you want to say and then say it, in writing. Perhaps the next most obvious advice is to write what you think you want to say and then read it. It probably isn't quite what you had in mind so write it again. Maybe by the third or tenth or twenty-fifth pass at it, you will read what you want to say. There you go. You're a writer. It's sure fun, isn't it?

That does it for the what, where, when, and how questions. Nothing to do now but take a crack at that why question. Here we go. It's not profound and I already let that cat out of the bag. I'm a binge writer, am having too much fun to stop, and way too much fun to wonder why. One of the twelve people in my survey came up to me later and asked, "You spend a lot of time writing but what else do you do?" I didn't hesitate, "I write and then everything else is research!"

Do You Want to Build Your Emotional Strength?

2007-11-27T13:51:00.000-08:00

By: Maurine Patten
Frequently, I hear people say this or that isn't "fair." Unfortunately, life is not always fair. It can be hard to know who and what to trust. We live in an imperfect world. If there is a need of proof of living in an imperfect world, you can look at corporate and institutional scandals as well as fabricated stories by politicians, editors and journalists.

According to the University of Chicago National Opinion Research Center, 53 percent of Americans believed most people could be trusted in 1964. Pew Research compiled an index of public trust released in early 2007. Individuals responded to the question, "Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted, or that you can't be too careful in dealing with people?"

• 45% believed most people are trustworthy.
• 35% of all adults fell into the "high social trust" category.
• 38% fell into the "low trust" category.
• 27% were in the middle range.

How do you answer the question, "Can most people be trusted?" If your answer is "no", does it affect your general attitude about life? The latest research coming out of Positive Psychology indicates pessimism is harmful to your health:

• Intellectually
• Emotionally and
• Physically.

During times like this, one thing you can do is build your emotional strength. On a daily basis, you make an important choice to be pessimistic or optimistic about the world you live in, who you are, and what you can accomplish.

When you are pessimistic, you are less alert intellectually. It takes longer to come up with answers to problems. When you have a negative view about people, events and yourself, you are more likely to be irritable and to hold on to anger. This negatively affects your relationships. In addition, your immune system is weakened which makes you more vulnerable to illness.

Fortunately, there are things you can do to build your emotional strength and immune system. Even when you cannot control a situation or influence those who do, you can choose to manage yourself.

You have a choice about how to live in an imperfect world. It is possible to build your emotional strength by following these tips:

• Identify your top three to five values. These are things that are important to you, i.e. honesty, humor, independence, and creativity. Choose to find ways to include them in your life daily. Live your values.
• Choose to make a plan to achieve something that is important to you each day. Even if you only work on it for 15 minutes, it is valuable in building your self-esteem.
• Choose to accept what cannot be changed in your life.
• Choose to seek out what is good in yourself, in others, in things, and in situations as opposed to what is negative.
• Choose to focus on things you are grateful for and appreciate. By doing this, you can change your thought patterns from hopeless to hopeful.
• Choose to believe you are not a victim if bad things have happened to you. Victims stay stuck.
• Choose to see yourself as a problem solver by seeking solutions.
• Choose to be consistent in what you say and do. This is critical in building trust with others.
• Choose to seek out positive alternatives to reduce stress in your life. Having fun is recharging even if it is for a short time.

Life is rarely the way it is suppose to be. Instead, life is the way it is. The way you choose to cope with what cannot be changed makes the difference. It is possible to build your emotional strength and live an engaging and meaningful life. Look for ways to start your day well, and choose to be optimistic about its outcome.

A beginners Guide to Painting Walls

2007-11-27T13:50:00.000-08:00

By: Katie Brown

Here are the key steps to preparing a room for a new coat of paint or paper. Whatever type of surface you're going to tackle it must be clean, dry and smooth for the best results - preparation is the secret of a good-looking finish.

Time to complete job: Preparing a room for a new coat of paint or paper will take at least half a day, including filling and smoothing old plaster.

Approximate budget: The basic tools and materials should cost less than £20 for most rooms.

You will need:
Sugar soap
Bucket and sponge
Rubber gloves
Interior plaster filler
Decorator's sealant
Filling knife
Sanding block or electric sander
Dust sheets
Step ladder
Dust mask

Tip: Before to begin, always protect yourself by using a dust mask and your floor by laying down dust sheets.

Step 1: Ensure that the surface is smooth. Using a sanding block, or cork block with sanding paper attached and a flexible filling knife where necessary, remove all debris such as paint flakes. For more tips on stripping back paint, see Paint Stripping. If there is wallpaper on the walls this will need removing. For tips on doing this, see Stripping Wallpaper.

Step 2: Repairing damaged plaster Sometimes patches of old plaster become loose or cracked. Pick out the loose areas with your filling knife and repair the areas with plaster filler. Work methodically over the whole room to make sure you have treated all the damaged areas. When the filler is dry, use an electric sander or sanding block to smooth any rough areas of plaster and blend in the new repairs. Very powdery plasterwork or new bare plaster should be coated with a coat of plaster sealer. Depending on the size that requires repairing, you may need to patch it up. Patching up plaster is beyond the scope of this article but detail of how to do this can be found on the UKTV website. Tip: In order to ensure as nice a finish around the door frames and skirting boards as possible ensure that no cracks are present. Ensure that you remove any debris such as flaking pain and anything else that does not belong and then seal the gaps by carefully applying the decorators sealant.

Step 3: Cleaning Wash off any black mould with a solution of household bleach and leave to dry. Stains left by mould or tobacco use can quite easily be masked with anti damp paint or watered down unibond which are available at all hardware stores. Tip: It's essential to treat the cause of mould and damp patches before redecorating.

Step 4: Make a judgement call as to whether the esposed walls need to be covered with lining paper. If the walls have large repair patches or lots of tiny hairline cracks, covering with plain lining paper will provide a smooth base for paint or wallpaper. Hand this paper in the same that that you would hand regular wallpaper and then allow this paper to dry thoroughly over night. For more tips, see Wallpapering. And last but by no means leas, ensure that the surface is dirt and grease free by wiping down with sugar soap or hot water and washing up liquid. Don't forget to wash the ceiling as well if it's going to be decorated.