THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR: HOW PARENTS CAN HELP THEIR CHILDREN

It’s been an interesting holiday- a wonderful time for both parents and students to unwind. The year 2017 just rolled away quickly. However, it is time to examine the academic landscape of your children. How was their performance in the previous year? Absolutely good or below expectation? As a teacher for over 10 years I have discovered the areas students have recurring challenges and how parents can  help.

Nigeria: Glaring Teachers' Incompetence--the World Reacts

Recently in Kaduna state, Nigeria, teachers were subjected to competency test based on primary four questions. Unfortunately, 21,780 teachers failed woefully. Now, they are about to be sacked. What could be responsible for this gross incompetence of the so-called custodians of knowledge? See how teachers around the world reacted vehemently to this saga and the kind of image Nigeria has. Click here

CHALLENGES IN CLASS: RUDE STUDENT

SIGNS OF RUDENESS
Disobeying orders,

Raising of voice,

Disrespectful look or  arrogant  stare.

How would you handle this situation as a teacher? Well, hear what experienced teachers around the world have to say  on this  issue. Click  here

SUPPORT “TEACHERS CAN BE WEALTHY” CAMPAIGN

ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN

The novel campaign(view campaign here) is aimed at improving the financial well-being of teachers by exposing them to different avenues they can significantly boost their income, thus placing them in the same earning rank as doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc.

HOW TO ACHIEVE IT

We are publishing the book “22 Secrets of Wealthy Teachers,Vol.1. In the course of writing the book, we spotted a number of wealthy teachers (in the real sense). Some own big and flourishing schools. We were quite amazed at their successes. Interestingly, they started small. Others have other thriving businesses they run. We did a careful work to distill their wisdom and business acumen into the "22 Secrets of Wealthy Teachers, Vol.1"so that other teachers can replicate their system and become as successful too. The book is a product of intensive and extensive research carried out within a period of 4 years. A preview of the book is found below. We are also launching ‘Wealthy Teachers Institute,’ dedicated to the empowerment of teachers and capacity development.

YOUR  SUPPORT

With your support, we will be able to publish and mass produce the book(and future series) to distribute to teachers.  

HOW TO SUPPORT

1. On the campaign page( view campaign here ), we have PERKS on the right hand side. The PERKS' value varies from $5 to $300. This refers to the various amounts you can contribute. Click BACK IT button.

2. SHARE the message with the social media icons on the campaign page

 

YOUR BENEFITS

1.      Different rewards are attached to different perks if you contribute.

2.      Contributing gives you a chance to pre-order the book

3.      You are noted for your generosity and effort in touching lives

PREVIEW OF 22 SECRETS OF WEALTHY TEACHERS

For the first time, the secrets of wealthy teachers have been revealed. This book, 22 Secrets of Wealthy Teachers (Vol. 1), contains a lot of interviews of teachers around the world who are raking in so much money from the seemingly despised teaching profession. Included in the book are:

1.      A former poor school teacher becomes a billionaire

2.      A teacher's experience with real estate business

3.      The rich blogger's strategies

4.      14 freelance jobs for teachers

5.      How a  teacher makes money from a multilevel marketing business

6.      Reasons some teachers retire poor and steps to avoid this situation

7.      Retirement plans for teachers, etc.
View campaign here

CAUSES OF FRUSTRATION FOR THE CLASSROOM TEACHER

A classroom teacher has a huge task before him. He has to juggle a lot of activities and strike a balance and still live up to expectation. The foremost source of frustration for the teacher is dealing with a large classroom . In this situation, there are a lot of issues to contend with.

The students come from varied backgrounds and with different learning abilities. Some have short attention span, and cannot sit still for long. Such students easily disrupt the peace of the class. In fact, they generate noise and distract other students who are determined to learn. The teacher should do well to keep the class under control. 

Also, how do you help slow learners to get along with others and avoid spending more than the scheduled time for the lesson? These are challenges the teacher faces. His ability to master these situations effectively makes him a proficient teacher. Have you identified other causes of frustration? Please share it with us. Drop your comment below.

READING CHALLENGES IN STUDENTS

Ability to read fluently is an art that is learnt consciously over a period of time. However, it is not fun for some students who struggle greatly with the entire process. In this regard, effort has been made to identify some of these challenges and how to tackle them.  They are:

1.      Phonological  and phonemic awareness: Phonological awareness involves identifying and manipulating units of oral language- parts such as words, syllables, etc. Here, a student is able to identify and make oral rhymes, point out the number of syllables in a word, and can recognize words with the same initial sounds like “money” and “mother”. On the other hand, phonemic awareness refers to the specific ability to focus on and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. Phonemes combine to form syllables and words. For example, the word ‘mat’ has three phonemes: /m/, /a/, /t/. There are 44 phonemic sounds in English. Acquiring phonemic awareness is important because it is the foundation for spelling and word recognition skills.

2.      Decoding of words and phonics: Decoding is the ability to apply your knowledge of letter-sound relationships, including knowledge of letter patterns, to correctly pronounce written words. This helps students to recognize familiar words quickly and to figure out words they haven’t  seen before. Phonics is one approach to reading instruction that teaches students the principles of letter-sound relationships, how to sound out words, and exceptions to the principles.

3.      Vocabulary: There are four types of vocabulary, namely: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Vocabulary plays a very important role in the reading process, and contributes greatly to a  reader’s comprehension. A reader cannot understand a text without knowing what most of the words mean. You can build your vocabulary in different ways. Find books to read on your own. The more you read, the more new words you will see. Keep a list of key vocabulary and transition words.

4.      Fluency: This is the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and proper expression. Students that have difficulty in this area  hardly enjoy reading. They sound awkward and may also have difficulty with decoding skills or they may just need more practice with speed and smoothness in reading.

5.      Comprehension:  This means  correct understanding and interpretation of what is read. Any challenge in this area will go a long way to affect the student’s ability to read smoothly. The solution: students should be able to decode what they read, make connections between what they read and what they already know and think deeply about what they have read.

RAPID READING STRATEGIES I USE FOR MY STUDENTS

                 

Teaching a student to read is one of those difficult tasks a teacher will have to deal with. With over 10 years experience in teaching I have come to realize methods that work best and promotes rapid learning. They are: