Teaching is an art, a skill and a challenge that can sometimes be more difficult than aiming in archery. In this article we discuss on the various benefits of teaching English in a foreign country.

A lot of teachers prefer working abroad for different reasons. Some common reasons behind teaching abroad are learning the new culture and the language, gaining professional success, earning and a lot of other opportunities as well. Many teachers who prefer to go abroad are English teachers as the language (English) commands a very high respect demand all over the world. In countries where English education is compulsory, one expects teachers to have advanced degrees and to be a native English speaker.

The Political Effect on the language
A lot of non-English-speaking countries that want to maintain relations with the US or the UK or countries that are in dispute with the two nations prefer to learn English for their communications. Hence there are no limits as to where a person can teach English.

Almost all of these countries have schools that teach English for both adults and young children.

The Needs
People abroad learn English for various reasons. While children may learn English as a part of their subject or for college purposes, adults may learn English for their business purposes or their relations with countries like the US and the UK. Some computer-related works demand a compulsory English knowledge although today, a lot of software have undergone translations in different languages.

The Time Frame Advantage
Different countries across the world have different time zones. Schools and colleges have different schedules of commencing classes. Hiring Adults for teaching in private sectors happens throughout the year. Hence these factors ensure that job openings exist throughout the year and that makes one more good reason for abroad teaching.

Requirements
Most countries require a native English teacher from UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and many other countries. But some Asian countries need a bachelor’s degree in order to be eligible while other countries may require a teaching certificate. Some of the popular English teaching certificates are TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults).

The Earnings Factor
Migrating to a foreign country is also because of the high payments offered. For example Asian countries like Japan and Vietnam usually pays very high salaries to its English teachers. On the other hand there are lots of other benefits offered like perks, travel tickets, insurance and other benefits in some of the countries. Few other countries like Russia, just pays a meagre salary to its teachers. In such circumstances, teachers often take up a part time job in order to improve their standard of living.

Great care should be taken as many schools abroad may not be recognized by the country’s embassy or the government. These schools may not live up to what they promise to be. Hence it will not be a bad idea to study the place and its reputation before
taking up on them.

Author Bio
Sanjay Bojan writes on a variety of topics for PS Discounts, public sector cash back site. He also writes articles and discounts for public sector staff including, Police, Forces, Fire

service and Teachers discounts.

Many musicians fall into the incorrect assumption that the only way to make money in music is to be a famous performing artist. There are many other lucrative careers which can be pursued in the music industry. These should not be taken for granted.

1. Music Production
   Music producers are responsible for coordinating all elements in a recording session. They listen to the musicians and point out any mistakes that need correcting. Music producers also work with the recording engineers and often are in charge of mixing the final product after the recording session is finished. They occasionally have to rearrange parts of songs to make the recording smoother. Since music producers are involved in a large amount of specialized tasks, most attend some form of online music production schools.. This school trains in recording technology, music performance, music theory, and mixing and editing.
2. Recording Engineering
   Recording engineers use technology, generally digital technology, to record, mix, and edit performances and studio sessions. These engineers also set microphones to their proper location and recording levels. Most recording engineers obtain bachelor’s degrees. These can be a Bachelor’s of Science in Audio Production or a Bachelor of Music in Music Engineering Technology. Though this training is extremely beneficial, not all recording engineers have formal training.
3. Studio Musician
   Studio musicians are performers who record with famous soloists or for film soundtracks. They are not generally well known, but have the opportunity to perform a vast amount of music and get paid for it. Studio musicians must be able to sight read parts with an extremely high level of accuracy. Most studio musicians choose to live in Los Angeles since this is where most recordings are made. Many have degrees in music performance, though some do not.
4. Songwriter
   Songwriters are often hired by music publishers, though some work independently and publish their own songs. Songwriters write both the lyrics and the music to a song. If a song is recorded, the songwriter will receive royalties for the sale of the recordings. Songwriters are often artists as well and sometimes perform the music they write. Songwriters must possess a basic knowledge of music theory In order to compose the music required for songs and language skills for the lyrics.
5. Music Teacher
   The possibilities for music educators are numerous. Music teachers can specialize in an instrument and/or an age level. Some music teachers teach beginning piano only while others focus on private lessons for those preparing for music in college. Music teachers can teach in the elementary school classroom or direct a middle or high school band, orchestra, or choir. Some larger high schools also offer music theory classes. Music teacher can teach music appreciation, theory, aural skills, jazz, lessons on an individual instrument, music education techniques, and numerous other music subjects if they choose to teach at the university level.
6. Composition
   When many people hear of a composer, they think of somebody who writes orchestral symphonies, string quartets, movie soundtracks, or something similar. We rarely think of the composer who writes for advertisements, but that composer gets paid as well. Demand for advertisement composers tends to be higher than that for other types of composers. Composers must attend college and get at least a bachelor’s degree in composition, though many choose to pursue a master’s or doctoral degree.
7. Instrument Technician
   Instrument technicians are responsible for repairing, designing, and building musical instruments. These technicians gain basic understanding of music and acoustics with an undergraduate degree in music. Some also pursue study in engineering. After college, instrument technicians must undergo further extensive training from their employers.
8. Music Therapy
   Music therapists work with patents using music to promote wellness and healing. This is able to help patients both physically and emotionally. Music therapy is often used in rehabilitation clinics and elderly communities. It does require a degree in music therapy from an accredited university by the American Music Therapy Association as well as an internship and state certification.
9. Music Critic
   Music critics write about performance, new works, conferences, or other aspects of music. They are published in scholarly journals, newspapers, the Internet, and various other s sources. To be a music critic, one must be an expert in the field. This often involved performance experience, experience as an educator, or journalism experience with an interest in music.
10. Music Librarian
    Music librarians are responsible for organizing and maintaining music collections for public libraries, universities, or other music associations. This often includes scores, periodicals, biographies, and other written resources on music, CDs, records, cassettes, digital music files, and other forms of media. Music librarians often have college training in either music or library science. If the training is in library science, they generally have to have a solid understanding of music.

About The Writer: Taylor Forcier is from Massachusetts. She lives with her husband, John, and two kids Ashley and Brianna. She is a writer for several online schools web sites and enjoys running and cycling in her spare time.

The principal at the middle school where I used to work emailed us a link to a great website. It doesn’t really apply to band or music education, but there are a TON of topics covered on this site. So what is it?

The Khan Academy is an organization on a mission. We’re a not-for-profit with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education to anyone

anywhere.

All of the the site’s resources are available to anyone. It doesn’t matter if you are a student, teacher, home-schooler, principal, adult returning to the classroom after 20 years, or a friendly alien just trying to get a leg up in earthly biology. The Khan Academy’s materials and resources are available to you completely free of charge.

Check these videos out, then go visit and bookmark the Khan Academy Website.

The good news: Texas is ranked #1 in the country as far as education spending goes.

The bad news: Many school districts are on the brink of cutting numerous jobs to keep their budgets in line.
* Additional bad news: Texas is #50 as far as Medicaid spending goes.

The worse news: Not all of you are fortunate enough to live in Texas.

I see news articles posted on Facebook every week about the impending job cuts that are in the plans for next year in the Dallas and San Antonio areas. I’m sure this is a pretty universal thing this year. I know the budget shortfalls have been a big problem in recent years, but I guess I have been more or less insulated by the fact that I live in Texas and my school district is one of the fortunate few that saw this problem from a long way off and has been preparing.

So when I saw that Bill Gates had recently spoken on this topic, I was interested to see what he said. And it was great. In a lot of ways, it’s along the same lines as the Planet Money Podcast I wrote about earlier this week (The Value of a Great Teacher). Watch the video below. In the course of the video, he mentions his State Budgets Website.

Back in January, NPR’s Planet Money podcast ran an episode entitled How Much Is A Good Teacher Worth? On the episode, they argue that the difference between the best teachers and the worst teachers is huge in terms of earning potential of the students over the course of their careers.

While some of the findings may be questionable as far as correlating grades and test scores with future success, as a general rule, I think the concepts do hold true and definitely worth a listen.

On today’s podcast, we consider a plan to dramatically grow the U.S. economy. The plan has nothing to do with banks, stimulus, tax cuts or the Federal Reserve. Instead, the plan focuses entirely on — public school teachers.

Economist Eric Hanushek has been researching education and the economy for four decades. In a recent study, he tried to put a monetary value on good teaching.

Hanushek says a good teacher’s contribution to the economy could be as much as a half a million dollars per year.

If it works, you’ll be able to listen to the episode in its entirety below:

This guest post is by Jennifer Wilson, who is in her second year as a 2nd grade teacher. She blogs sporadically at her blog Annecdotes.

My mom went back to school full-time when I started college, and we both graduated last year with degrees in Elementary Education.

Despite having 5 years of experience as a special needs paraprofessional and a teaching degree with a high GPA, my mom was stuck substitute teaching last fall. She then switched to a paraprofessional position before finally getting a maternity leave spot. Unfortunately, she’ll be on the job hunt again for this fall.

Meanwhile, I found a teaching position as an Interventionist. I was still compensated as a teacher, but I helped to run a Lead Teacher’s classroom and taught a lot of small groups. In some ways, it has been wonderful, but in other ways I feel as though I am stuck on the bench while someone else gets a chance to really play.

Both my mom and I were lucky to have jobs, but it’s still unsettling to finish student teaching wanting to be a real teacher and then feel like you aren’t given the chance.

And as I watch and read the news, I can’t help but feel sorry for new graduates in education. The economy makes now a challenging time to graduate in any field, but state budget cuts have caused rampant loss of teaching jobs. The few available jobs are swarmed with applicants who have experience but were RIF’ed. New graduates are fighting a tough market, and I imagine that the chances of finding a teaching job, particularly if you are tied to a particular geographical area, are not good.

I am here to tell you that it’s okay to sit “on the sidelines” for a year, like my mom and me. If you do get into an alternate position like substitute teaching, working as a paraprofessional, or taking over a maternity leave, there are ways to make it work for you.

Collect extra copies of everything
This is honestly excellent advice for student teaching, as well. If you are making copies (and are allowed), make one extra and slide it into a file or basket. You can file it away in the correct place later- just collect as much as you can! If someone leaves excellent sub plans, ask if the office would make you a copy! I didn’t do this enough in student teaching, and it would have really paid off.

Have a notebook for “My Classroom” ideas
When I see rules that work, procedures that don’t, or really, anything- I write it in a notebook. One notebook keeps my ideas together, and I start pages with broad topics like Rules, Discipline, Centers, Supplies, Classroom Setup, Classroom Management, Homework, Units/ Themes, Classroom Helpers, Books I Want… anything that I see I need, and I usually leave a few pages blank after each one. That way, I can write down any ideas I have, and sort through them later to pick my favorites. This also helps me keep track of things like organizational styles that might not work for everyone, but do for me.

Keep looking for classroom supplies!
Library book sales, back-to-school sales, and garage sales can be treasure troves for a new teacher, and the more you spread out the buying, the better you’ll be. Sometimes you don’t know what you’ll need (a kindergarten classroom is drastically different than a fifth grade one), but chances are, every class could use a set of folders in the same color, or gluesticks, paper trays, or informational books. Also keep an eye out in the schools where you are. One of my colleagues was cleaning out her closets this summer and found a stack of posters that she didn’t need anymore, and gave them to me for nothing!

Be sociable and friendly
Many teachers recommend steering clear of the teachers’ lounge, but I don’t always agree. The teachers’ lounge is not necessarily an evil place, and usually there are at least a few good apples in with the bad. Meeting teachers and asking questions can be a great way to not only learn more, but also to establish yourself in a school system. I know some substitutes ensure they work more days at schools they like by doing this, and it also helps them to get “in the door” at that school for future positions. If nothing else, chat with other teachers while you wait for the kids after recess, and SMILE!

Make it clear that you are certified
At my school this year, some interventionists were certified teachers, and others were not. When a job opening came up, I asked the principal about it in part as a reminder that I DID have my license. I just said something along the lines of, “I heard there is a third-grade job opening, and I just wanted to let you know that I would love to be considered!” When another position opened, our principal talked first to the other teachers on that grade level to see if they had any suggestions- so it’s not a bad idea to casually (without bragging) let your closest co-workers know, too. Mentioning student teaching might be a way to do this.

Be prepared
As a substitute, my mom always had a bag with a few essentials, like a couple of engaging read-alouds that would work for older or younger kids, a copied word search that kids could do in a pinch, a beanbag that could be tossed to make answering questions more fun, lots of stickers, and a bag of candy, for just a few ideas. It’s also good as a sub to leave a note for the teacher saying what you did and didn’t get done, who was and wasn’t trying their best, and that you enjoyed subbing for their class. For any job, if you come in unprepared, it looks unprofessional. Even if you are a sub and the teacher should have done the preparation.

Work well with others
Most of these positions require an incredible amount of flexibility. You never know what might be flown your way but it’s best to handle it with grace. (Being prepared helps!) Always treat everyone in the building kindly and with respect, especially the secretary and custodians, and do what you’re asked (even if sometimes it’s above and beyond the job description) without a lot of complaining. Ask how you can help, or volunteer to help out, even after school. As a para, my mom would be asked to fill in as a sub sometimes- not her job, but it put her in prime position for a maternity leave slot! Besides making your work life easier and more pleasant, cooperation can also earn you a letter of recommendation or an unofficial mentor.

Be punctual and positive
This of course applies to you coming in each morning, but you should also try to keep the class or kids you work with on time. Make sure they will get to lunch, or out the door, on time- it looks good, and makes sure that no one misses the bus or important classroom instruction. If you do visit the teachers’ lounge, keep your tone positive and don’t be afraid to humbly mention successes you have had. Most teachers will celebrate them with you and it makes you look good, too!

When you feel stressed, take the time to remember how stressed out you might be if you were in your own classroom
Some days, you will feel down on yourself for not being a “real” teacher yet. You’ll wish you had control of your own room. But keep in mind that subs, paras, and assistants often don’t have to spend as much money getting a classroom ready or as much time getting everything done. Plus, I learned so much this year and improved as a teacher. As a result, I think my “first year”- a phrase that makes many veterans shudder- won’t be nearly as miserable!

For those of you who have just graduated, good luck and stay positive. You will have a classroom someday. If that doesn’t pan out this year, an alternative education position can give you precious experience and an edge for when a position comes up later.

Courtney Bishop is a lover of all things creative. She likes to write, and has an obsession with crossword puzzles. She’s recently started blogging, and you can follow her on Twitter @cbishopBG.

Kids and Parents are Both Human
The first thing that many people forget in regards to children is that they are miniature but complete human beings. They read people very well and are particularly keen when they know that something is being intentionally kept from them. In sensing both intuitively and by astutely observing the behavioral cues from the adults around them that something is awry, they are likely to feel a lack of control and a resulting sense of fear when the issue is continually kept from them. It is best to give yourself a bit of time to gain clarity on how to best approach the subject with them. Then, talk to them when it appears there is a situation that is materializing that will need to be dealt with.

Filter What is Relevant
With that said, children do not need to be exposed to every insecurity or fear as though it is already fact. Getting a routine biopsy is not the same as receiving a serious diagnosis. Having an argument with a spouse over the price of your new car should not involve mutterings of divorce. It is not in the best interest of the child to be told that every situation in life isn’t going to turn into a life-altering event. It is, however, important to discuss changes that may take place in a family’s life – such as a parent returning to school or a new addition of the family on the way.

When Kids Ambush You
When children approach you with a question that you know will be a sticky conversation, try to be calm and relaxed. Often children require very short, simplistic answers without too much detail. If they catch you off guard and you are not ready to have the conversation without some contemplation and preparation, tell them that you will have the conversation at another appropriate time. Make an appointment and honor it. Try to be casual when you tell them that you will discuss it at your appointment. Do not make them unnecessarily alarmed.

Remember:

• In order to care for them, take care of yourself. Give yourself time and space to calm down and figure out the best way to direct the conversation you want to have with your children before having a discussion that involves a difficult and current situation.
• Do not expect perfection from yourself. You may not handle the situation perfectly, but going in with a plan will help you stay on point and focused. Doing your best in any given situation is the most you can ever ask of yourself.
• Respect kids as human beings. They need filters for the level of age appropriateness that is right for them. But, when something is going on, they will likely sense it and make it worse in their own minds if adults don’t communicate what is happening around them.

Focus on Healing
The point to keep in mind and to communicate to your child is that no matter what situation you’re in, you can always find your way to a happier life. There are people who have been in places bleaker and more desperate than you can probably imagine who have learned to make joy their predominant priority and experience.

On this post, Karen comments:

I need help. I’ve been teaching in NYC alternative high school for 9 years. I can’t get my act together. I can’t plan lessons, it just seems like such torture. my mentor(thank you UFT) keeps telling me to keep the objective in mind…well, I can’t seem to do it, am I in the Dip or am i just a dip? I don’t know where I would go if I didnt teach, but how can I get 20 lesson plans written each sunday? I can’t keep it straight, any suggestions?

Before I respond, I think you are in the Dip and need to press in a little bit further. You’ve made it through the tough part. Just a little bit more and the light at the end of the tunnel will appear!

I think the primary question here is How can I get 20 lesson plans written each Sunday? Now I don’t know what most people out there do regarding lesson planning, but here’s the basic process I would work on refining to your own situation:

1. Come up with one main objective to learn this week
   The more focused my lessons are, the more retention the students will have. I know a lot of people preach the value of being able to multitask and I admit the ability to do it is helpful; but at the same time, multitasking is one of the quickest ways to dilute our effectiveness.
2. Determine which skills are required to complete the main objective
   Throughout the course of the week, I will gear each class period toward mastery (or being closer than before) of the main objective. I may adapt my classroom warmup activities to correlate with the direction we’re heading. For my band class, this may mean we play all of our exercises in the same key or all the music features the same rhythm.
3. If possible, relate the objectives in all of the classes you teach
   If you have different level classes in the same grade, see if you can teach the same concept on different levels. For instance a social studies teacher might be able to teach about the cultural impact that World War II had on Germany at the same time as another class is learning about the culture of the U.S. during the American Revolution. If you teach different subjects, as much as possible interrelate the subjects to align with your main objective.
4. Sometimes you will have to teach things that are different, but find similarities
   The human brain finds patterns even when we don’t realize it. See if you can work to weave a few seemingly unrelated concepts together and have them move toward one main objective.
5. Make a game out of the lesson planning
   Challenge the students to find the common thread through your lessons. This will require you to get more and more creative, but it will also make it more fun for you as you try to focus on one objective while making it more difficult for the students to figure out what your goal is.

I’m no lesson-planning expert by any means, but this is more or less how I interpret the advice you’re telling me you’ve been given.

Another thing, don’t wait to do all of your lesson planning on Sundays. I would do it throughout the week, which means you’ll probably need to work to reduce paperwork and work only at work and as much as possible, don’t take work home.

So what kinds of things do other “real teachers” do with their lesson planning? Would this routine even work in a “real classroom?” Ha. Comment below…

I have had countless discussions lately with some of the newer teachers around me about some general concepts. This is just a random list of a few of the suggestions I have passed along to some of them that might be helpful to you or someone you know in some way. And it comes you way free of charge.

1. Choose your battles
2. Bite your tongue
3. When someone offers you unsolicited advice, give them the impression that you are listening
4. When someone offers you unsolicited advice, listen to them and apply the advice as quickly as possible
5. Most unsolicited teaching advice is given because of a perceived urgent deficiency in your teaching
6. When talking with students about negative behaviors, don’t chase other adults away, they could be used to validate your side of the story if the student or students gang up on you
7. Talk less
8. Only fix one problem at a time
9. Keep students engaged as much as possible
10. Think before you speak
11. Think twice before you discipline
12. Establish a consistent routine and stick with it
13. Finding faults without providing solutions is complaining; and nobody likes a constant complainer
14. Just because something is in black and white doesn’t mean it is going to stay that way
15. Just because someone is in your email inbox doesn’t mean it is going to stay that way
16. Just because someone overheard someone say it doesn’t mean it is going to stay that way
17. You need to teach fundamental technique before you can presume to teach musicality
18. Keep reviewing the fundamentals
19. Most performance problems kids have stem from fundamental problems
20. Control your classroom
21. Practice “the look”
22. Practice getting a classroom silent armed only with “the look”
23. Shut up and teach
24. Many problems can be ironed out with more repetition
25. Prioritize your time
26. Turn the ringer off
27. Kill your cell phone while you are teaching — completely
28. Get out of debt as fast as possible
29. Spend less than you make
30. Don’t save for retirement at 8% compounded annually when you are still borrowing money at 20% compounded daily (credit)
31. Don’t save for retirement at 8% compounded annually when you are still borrowing money at 5.5% compounded monthly (loans)
32. Use cash
33. Pay your bills on time (nothing says “good morning” quite like a 6:30am gym shower)
34. Set multiple alarm clocks
35. Don’t check your email first thing in the morning
36. Don’t check your email right before you leave school
37. Be friendly to office staff
38. Say or wave hello to your principal every day if possible
39. Don’t gossip about students
40. Don’t gossip about teachers
41. Don’t gossip about administrators
42. Ask for help
43. Get to know the parents of your students
44. Communicate better
45. Videotape yourself teaching and watch it with an unbiased eye
46. Don’t try to be friends with the students
47. Don’t try to be enemies with the students
48. Relate with the students as you would with any other person — respectfully
49. Establish systems and routines for repetitive paperwork tasks (assign a student to take attendance each day, etc.)
50. Don’t do anything simply because you think other people expect it or because you don’t want to let them down

Courtney Bishop is a lover of all things creative. She likes to write, and has an obsession with crossword puzzles. She’s recently started blogging, and you can follow her on Twitter @cbishopBG.

There are many indisputable opinions from people who feel that great teachers are born, not made. Teaching is certainly something that most anyone can do; but teaching effectively and creating a thirst for knowledge in students is undoubtedly a gift that few people possess.

Early childhood education is a breeding ground for sparking enthusiasm and creativity in the minds of youngsters. The teacher is likely the one who initially exposes the child to new concepts and makes ideas clearer and brighter to their young minds. This is why there are adults who can immediately recall their kindergarten teacher’s name because they left such a lasting and long-reaching impression on their life and in their minds. Many adults testify that their career choices have been sparked from the influence of a teacher from their youth.

Great teachers are those who have instilled a passion for learning, discovering or creating something using imagination and skills. These teachers imbibe an energy into their students that make them want to learn and grow. They get excited about learning new things!

Great teachers are made by:

1. Understanding what sparks their students
   They know how to motivate them and what makes them hungry for knowledge.
2. Forming genuine bonds with their students
   This is important for the teacher as they establish trust with the student and interest in their learning abilities. This makes the student more apt to learn more and be open to new ideas.
3. Instilling a desire to continue to learn
   This is what happens outside of the classroom and is evidence that the teacher is making an impact. The student who learns from the teacher who makes it fun will find applicable situations to use his or her new-found knowledge outside of the classroom.
4. Explaining concepts in an understandable fashion
   Whether it’s basic fundamental concepts or complicated theories, the effective teacher can explain them in a way that the student can easily grasp and apply them. In early childhood education, this characteristic is very important because it is the time for instilling basic foundational learning concepts in the child that makes it easy for them to grasp.
5. Being organized and prepared
   Good teachers treat organization as a priority. It helps them to attend to the needs and requirements of each of their students if there is structure present. Teachers thrive on organization and are good examples to their students.
6. Making expectations clear
   Teachers use aids, resources, verbal and written cues to help their students understand what is expected from them. A good teacher will take the necessary time to make sure the student understands their objective and will even check periodically to make sure they’re on task.

Great teachers are also not concerned about being famous or getting rich. They are moved by the opportunity to impart something into the lives of their students and seeing their students come alive with awareness. For them, this is the ultimate return in exchange for their commitment as an educator.