A NOTE TO TEACHERS

Before you call that child a slow learner, dyslexic, stubborn, unintelligent or whatever tag you have at the back of your tongue, have you checked your teaching methods?

Have you checked and updated your knowledge of child psychology, child development, classroom management or even your subject content?

Have you taken time to really study that child: to know his likes, strengths, fears, and dislikes? Do you know what makes him happy? Or did you not know your concern should go beyond cognitive development? Did you not know that his effective and psychomotor domains affect his ability to understand and retain this information you so need him to remember?

I hope I did not lose you when I mentioned affective and psychomotor? I hope you know what they mean and their relevance in education?

My dear teacher,

Have you identified that child’s learning style? What materials and techniques have you used to drive home this learning? Or did you solely rely on your explanation: hoping that at the end of a 45 minutes ‘lecture’ and note writing, this child would miraculously get you?

Oh dear teacher, put away the labels ‘’stubborn, dyslexic, slow learner, unintelligent, special’’.

Every child can learn. This child will learn if only you look within yourself and see that the solution is in your hands. Step out of your comfort zone and be ready to learn. For to teach is to first learn.

With love for all teachers.

May God crown our efforts

 

BACK TO SCHOOL TIPS

Back-to-schooltime is filled with anxiety and anticipation, and in order to start the school year off right, it takes a lot of patience and preparation.

Luckily, when it comes to planning ahead, teachers usually have it down pat. We are well known for our organizational skills, which help to ensure that every moment in the classroom is dedicated to keeping students engaged. The secret to back to school success is to not just to plan, but to overplan—you can never have enough lessons or activities ready. Here are a few strategies you can use to help prepare for a strong start this year.

  1. Create a Back to School Pre-Planning Checklist

This will help you identify all of your classroom responsibilities and think about all the major details involved ahead of time. It helps to divide the checklist into areas of importance—such as essential and instructional jobs. As you go through the checklist, be sure to mark off each task as you complete it.

  1. Obtain All Classroom Supplies and Materials

If you’re a new teacher (or if you changed grade levels), it’s a good idea to contact your school to find out which materials and supplies you’ll be given. Take advantage of everything that you can get for free, and then create a list of all of the other items you may need to get you throughout the year. Additional items may include pencils, pens, paper, folders, staples, dry easer markers, and other essential classroom necessities. This is also a good time to make your hall passes, attendance forms, and seating chart.

  1. Create Your Classroom Policies and Procedures

This is key to establishing a well-managed classroom. But rather than just dictate a set of rules the first day, encourage your students to collectively come up with a list of rules as well. Research has shown that when students share in the rulemaking they tend to follow them and hopefully, a lot of the rules that they brainstorm will mirror your own.

 

  1. Create a Class Webpage

Create a user-friendly webpage (i.e. WordPress, Blogspot) to help communicate information to students and parents. Keep the design simple and include the following: telephone numbers, homework assignments, project dates, rules and procedures, classroom schedule, and pictures.

 

  1. Make Morning Work Packets and Learning Center Games

Having a daily, morning routine will help kick off the first week smoothly. The best way to do this is to prepare seatwork for students to do as they come through the door. Creating learning center games beforehand will also ensure that every minute in class will be spent on fully engaged instructional time.

  1. Review First Day and Week Lesson Plans

The first day of school is filled with jitters and excitement. Make sure you review your icebreakers so students may feel safe and comfortable in their new classroom quickly. In addition to that, review your first week’s lesson plans and be sure to create extras just in case. The first few days will let you gauge your classroom’s pace and overall makeup—you may get swamped or finish early, and it’s best to be prepared for those unexpected moments in either case.

  1. Create and Send Home a Back-to-School Student Welcome Letter

This will help you start on the right foot with students and their parents. Mail the letter a few weeks before school starts and include: Information about yourself, the supplies needed, what kids can expect the first day of school, school policies, classroom rules, curriculum overview, how parents can communicate you, as well as adult volunteer opportunities.

  1. Establish a Communication System with Parents

It’s crucial to provide parents both a clear channel and open-armed approach to their children’s classroom. In doing so, it also helps to give parents a variety of options (text message, email, newsletter, website, phone) to help cater to different communication styles. This will help you establish a rapport and build a solid partnership for the year.

  1. Prepare Bulletin Boards

Bulletin boards are a proud classroom place to display student work, provide an easy reference for classroom assignments, or just act as a daily calendar. Dress up your board with fabric or construction paper and add visual elements like a title and graphics. Make it a place where students and parents alike look forward to visiting.

  1. Set Up the Classroom

Classroom furniture should be arranged according to your teaching style—desks can be arranged into traditional rows, cooperative clusters, or a horseshoe shape. Once you’ve decided that, place your desk strategically where you can see everyone clearly. Dedicate the last available space to a class library filled with a variety of books and possibly a comfy chair or small couch.

Your classroom will be your home away from home for the majority of the next year. And just as you’d plan to decorate your actual house, planning ahead for your school-based residence can be quite beneficial in its own right. Remember, the secret to a successful start of the new school year is in the details. Have a great year!

Teachers, how do you prepare for the school year? Do you have any tips that you would like to share? Feel free to comment in the section below. We would love to hear your ideas.

 

LAMENTATIONS OF A CONCERNED NIGERIAN

EDUCATION BUDGET OF AFRICAN COUNTRIES

  1. Ghana —————— 31.0%
  2. Coted’ivore ————-30%
  3. Uganda —————– 27%
  4. Morocco —————- 26.4%
  5. South Africa ———– 25.8%
  6. Swaziland ————– 24.6%
  7. Kenya ——————- 23.0%
  8. Botswana ————– 19%
  9. Tunisia ——————17%
  10. Lestotho ————–17.0%
  11. Burkina Faso ——–16.8%
  12. Nigeria —————-7% (2018 Budget)

The standard stipulation for budgetary provision for education by UNESCO for a country is at least 26 per cent. Just Ghana, Ivory Coast, Uganda,

Morocco and closely South Africa are meeting the target as the list here present.

If you value development in Africa now,  you will discover that holistically, those countries are at the top. This is because as you are developing education, you are developing other sectors. Every sector of a nation economically, politically and socially is governed by educational skills.

The quality of a government and good governance is determined by educational skills that are technology and character based. If standard is maintained without compromise, the same will reflect in the sociopolitical and economic system in the nearest future.

Israel was only 65 resident population when the league of nations,  now UN created it,  decades ago. Now they have turned into a superpower because they regard education as the software needed for turning a desert into arable agricultural landscape from which chemical and others

related industries will emerge. Through education, they have been able to develop the best libraries and laboratories to research and solve national problems.

The power and protection they enjoy under tensed and volatile neighborhood is based on the quality of citizens they produce from their quality educational institutes.  The same is applicable to Japan troubled by natural disasters recording about 1000 earthquakes in a year. Still they are stronger than those grooving oil resources and awoof arable land.

For a country aspiring for sustainable development, education must be that “let there be light” thing that needs to be encouraged before picking up the merchant, pen, hoes, hammer and other tools. Without that, you will only be working in a dark room without vision.

That is why the former British PM once said: “my number one agenda for Britain is education:

  1. Education
  2. Education
  3. Education”

On these lies the power of life in all areas. Education is Light to the education sector, light to mining, light to electric power, light to agriculture, light to finance and labour, light to petroleum, light to transport and others,  above all,  light to leadership, capacity and system building.

Nigeria is the only country in the world where quality education is fought and good governance is expected to emerge. The only country where peanut is provided for education and expect economic boom and social development to happen. The only country where incompetence is encouraged by a cut-off mark that is not uniform nationwide yet is not corruption. The only country where children should hawk during school hours and nothing is wrong with it.

A country where a spiritual man has right to kill a Solomon and yet nothing happens because he’s above God.

The treachery that hinders development is in the education budget and its adequate management. You have your Bible and Qur’an as Holy Books and the most precious gift to you because God wants to educate you first before any assignment.

Do you know more than God who has given you a book as the most precious….. and calls Himself ‘the Word”?

What does a ? book symbolize? Education of course…

It’s a pity the lowest paid job in Nigeria is teaching….. and I don’t see that hope for Nigeria except they screw for the better.   The most respected person in the Jewish community is a Rabbi, which means teacher. The mentor to a president, governors, senators, ministers, captains of industries/agencies, civil servants, artisans and others.

A senator earns N29m but a teacher who mentored him is struggling with N18000 minimum wage while those in the mushroom private schools leap for joy if they even get up that amount.

Nice corruption war!