Positive Mantra

Ours is a democratic set up where constant interaction with people is necessary. School meetings for teachers is necessary. The management, teachers and parents are all part of the educational framework and obviously, at some point of time teachers would be interfacing with them over some issue or the other. As such a teacher must be equipped to set the agenda, prepare, conduct and file minutes of meetings, whenever called upon.

Preparing for the meeting
Nothing in this world has ever been achieved without careful preparation. The purpose of the meeting should be outlined, and the agenda set. The purpose, date and time should be put down on a notice, to be sent to parents, fellow teachers or the student body. The venue, capacity of the hall and facilities available must be checked. Tea or snacks required should be ordered well in advance. Sufficient time should be given and, if possible, all invitees must be spoken to and participation confirmed, lest you be facing empty chairs on the day of the meeting. Notes, minutes of the previous meeting, report cards or other material should be at hand during the meeting.

After opening the meeting, you should briefly read the minutes of the last meeting, and later set the agenda for the current one. This done you should invite the chairman to take over the proceedings. All important resolutions, policy decisions and financial implications must be recorded and verified in the end. Every subject taken up for discussion must be forwarded by someone and seconded by another, before being debated and discussed at the meeting.

If voting needs to be undertaken, it can be done in three ways:
1. Standing voting, where members stand up for yeses and nos and be counted.
2. Recorded voting, where each member’s consent or dissent is noted individually.
3. Secret ballot, where voting slips are supplied and members drop them into a ballot box.

Recording the minutes
Either you or a deputy should record key aspects of the meeting. Apart from the date, place, time, purpose and names of the presiding offices and the panel, all subjects discussed and resolutions passed should be recorded. At the end of the meeting it should be read out and confirmed once again. At the end of the meeting, you should briefly cover subjects discussed and agreements made, thank all members for co-operating before closing the meeting.

Note:
1. There will always be dissenting voices at every meeting.
2. Be tactful in handling an explosive situation.
3. Give chance to everyone who has an opinion, whenever possible.
4. Be diplomatic in cutting short talkative members.
5. Keep it short and lively to sustain member’s interests.

Posted by JayRaj at 06:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Money is kind of a base subject. Like water, food, air and housing, it affects everything yet for some reason the world of academics thinks it's a subject below their social standing.

Do today what you want for your tomorrows

It is not how much you make that counts but how much money you keep.

The only difference between a rich person and poor person is how they use their time.

Your future is created by what you do today, not tomorrow.

The most life-destroying word of all is the word tomorrow.

Education is the foundation of success. Just as scholastic skills are vitally important, so are financial skills and communication skills.

The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way.

Robert Kiyosaki

Posted by JayRaj at 09:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Teens is a very turbulent phase, a period of stress, intense feeling and endless doubts. But with a little understanding you can foster a wonderful relationship with your teen son or daughter.

Your child could turen rebellious, non-conformist or get into a shell. The child is undergoing physical and psychological changes, much of which he can't comprehend. Its at these times that parents must be patient, helpful, understanding emphathetic and friendly.

Don't criticize all the time

Parents, generally think they 'know it all'. They seem to be perfectionists, often forgetting their own teens. "Don't be silly". "That not the way to do it. Its highly unbecoming of you". One hardly realizes the damage being done to a teen's psychology. The "I know better" policy isn't always right. Give you child the chance to grow up, with all his faults. He'll overcome them soon, with the confidence you place in him. Accept him with all his 'pimples.' He'll make you proud one day. Don't be judgemental about everything, warn psychologists.

Respect his privacy

Suddenly when your daughter moves into her teens, she'll demand a cupboard, table, bed and even a bedroom for herself. She's just behaving like a normal adolescent. Many children complain about parents eavesdropping on their calls, checking out their hangouts, tapping phone calls, prying on their room in their absence or reading their diary. All this is a violation of your child's privacy. And you must respect it. Breach of trust only leads to widening gap between the two.

Treat them well in the presence of their friends

Anything negative you say tends to hurt your child's self-esteem, more so when his friends are around. How often do you hear a parent say 'Let your friends come I'll tell them what a lazy fellow you are'. It's a great embarassment which lowers his/ her prestige in the eyes of his/ her peers. The intention to correct him is right, but this approach is loaded with failure driving him do just the opposite.

Smoking, drinking and drugs

Parents of teenagers don't sleep well. Fears of all kind haunt them. Many parents feel strongly about smoking and drinking and drugs. Adolescents smoke, drink and puff cocaine because it symbolizes escape, freedom, defying authority and signifying transition to adulthood.

Don't bring the roof down if he comes home drunk. Take it easy. Don't sermonize. Help him keep to his limits. Encourage him to inform you when and with whom he's going for a drink. And when he he'll be home. Ask him to avoid driving, if he isn't steady.

On handling teenagers...

When someone tells you that your son was seen smoking by the canteen, do you?

a. Call up his pals to enquire.
b. Invade his bedroom looking for evidence.
c. Discuss with him as a friend.

When your daughter is on the phone for sometime do you?

a. Eavesdrop to investigate what she's upto
b. Ask her mater of factly "who's that dear."
c. Tell her she's been too long on the phone and she better put it down.

Do you...

a. Keep in touch with his friends
b. Prefer you son meeting them outside
c. Ask your son to keep indoors.

Have you ever discussed the pangs of growing up?

a. No
b. Yes
c. Why should I?

How do you handle his negative traits?

a. Criticise
b. Complain to his dad
c. Build his self-esteem step by step

Answers are...

1.c 2.b 3.a 4.b 5.c

Posted by JayRaj at 02:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)