Work life is often worse still for student teachers.  A cursory glance around forums such aswww.tes.co.uk highlights the many issues student teachers face.  Violent threats from both pupils and their guardians to sexual advances from over confident teenagers, the list is sadly both lengthy and varied.

Yet with all the responsibility of educating our nation’s youth and the sometimes difficult tasks that involves, the pay is still relatively low in comparison to the time it takes to qualify and become a competent teacher.

Bearing this in mind it probably highlights why there have been a number of newly qualified and student teachers meeting in Chester Coffee Shops comparing notes on their recent experiences.  This time to relax no doubt allows the teachers to let off steam, but also encourages them to share techniques / experiences which have allowed them to deal with specific issues.

These type of meetings should be encouraged throughout the teaching profession in order to educate our young as best we can.

How about cruelty to animals? As children we gained happiness and enjoyment just from watching animals. Most of us were also fed animals by our parents. This was the normal way of life for most people living in the U.S. The question I would ask is, does eating animals mean that we are being cruel to them? My suggested answer is that yes, it does.

We have enslaved all kinds of animals such as chickens, pigs, cows through to marine animals that we “grow” as food. The way we treat these animals is that they serve no purpose other than to become food on our table.

Human massacres are condemned, rightly. But where is our compassion when it comes to the massacre of animals? Do they too not have a right to life?

I’ll admit, meat tastes good. In fact, I stopped eating meat, not for ethical reasons but on health grounds. What I then discovered was the massive trail of suffering that we inflict upon the animals we consume. My contention is that it’s wrong. This is something that I believe should be discussed in learning institutions, indeed I now do discuss it with my students. Of course, I have my own opinions. Rather than wanting to make my students think in a certain way, the most important issue is letting them think for themselves about the issues.

It’s easy to enjoy our foods without having to eat animal products. Creating health drinks with the best juicer is just one option. There are all kinds of great tasting vegan/vegetarian dishes that are not only tasty but cheap too.

The first thing a student needs to learn about the mortgage industry is the fact their credit score will determine what they qualify for. Therefore each student needs to understand that when they have a late bill payment it will hurt them in the future. As teachers we need to help each student understand that they need to pay their bills and begin building their credit.

The last topic that should always be taught is the idea of saving money. With the latest mortgage crisis any home buyer will need 20% down payment on their home. That means if you want to get into a house you better start saving now.

In closing we as teachers can help shape the future of our students. It is important we teach them about math, reading, and important life lessons. Therefore get out there and help change a student’s life.

 The most essential aspect associated with main the civil living can be schooling and we can even acquire it with resident teachers. It is really one of the most essential advantage, it is possible to ever have got. It is truly the essential parameter to obtain a new worthy of and also declare within the societal range; this thing which in turn issues by far the most is high quality involving training. Instruction may make you able in addition to capable of compete. Because instruction offers so much to offer, individuals have started to take into account in addition to acknowledge that it is benefits in life. Inside of a place such as United kingdom, instruction possesses generally recently been substantial for the intention. The fact is, inside United kingdom, your idea of Residence Schooling continues to be a necessary part of the modern society.

 There is no difference from learning to school compared to get a resident teacher. Going to school is not the main purpose having an education. School is only a building where students go to interact and learn together with their co-learners.  The essence in there is that they will also their personality when it comes to social interaction. Learning happens everywhere and whatever kind of teaching technique and method as long as it is taught correctly. Teaching can be tiring with many people but it can be very challenging to some people. With that, it is not easy to have that teaching profession and we should never have to underestimate that career. Always bear in mind that you are not in your profession right now and you don’t have that successful life without the teachers.

 Resident teacher is one of the most preferable choice of most individuals these days as they are tired of going to school or they want to learn without a need to leave their home. Whatever kind of learnings you want to get, then you can look for resident teacher that meets your wants and needs. If you want to learn medical knowledge, then you can acquire medical resident teacher. This is the great thing about resident teacher as they are accessible and you don’t have to travel just to arrive in the place where learning in and with the new business intelligence software systems they can do even more for the kids these days.

There are many classes that students must take to ensure they are successful once they are on their own in the world; but in my opinion there is a class that should be mandatory for every high school student to take.  This class would focus on how to handle money and personal finance.  It appears that even some of the most brilliant scholars of this generation are completely irresponsible when it comes to how they handle their money.  We can see point in case with the most recent mortgage meltdown that caused this terrible recession that still persists to this day.

When you see how many young people make stupid moves with their finances it makes you wonder if they were every properly taught how to handle them; one great example is credit card debt, so many people get caught in debt and don’t know how to get out.  The personal finance class I would like to see instilled in classes throughout the country would teach kids the fundamentals such as debt relief, how mortgages and other loans truly work, the magic of compounded interest, and many other topics that must be brought up to young people before they make mistakes in the future.

The basis of most filtering technologies are white lists and black lists.  These contain sites which should always be allowed through and those on the black lists which will always be blocked.   Groups of sites can be applied to these filters – for example you can put all pornography sites in the black list so that they can never be accessed.  You should also include the sites which can be used to bypass the filters in the black list – such as ninja proxy and VPN sites.  It is essential you block these sites or installing the filter is pointless.

Alongside the technology should also be a set of procedures and policies.  Arguably the most  important is the ‘Acceptable Use Policy’ which tells all users of the network what they can and can’t do.  There is no need to be too specific in this document otherwise it could get rather large.   The document should however clearly state what is not acceptable when using the educational network.   It is also important to state that all activities are logged by the owners – which in itself should deter inappropriate use.

With these basic restrictions in place, there is no real need to implement any heavy handed censorship policies.  In fact these can sometimes be counter productive with users either not using the network or discovering ways to bypass any filters you implement.  If a network is heavily filtered it will create extra support requests when legitimate sites are blocked by accident.

• Cutting of arms or other parts of the body
• Scratching, picking or scraping at the skin on any part of the body
• Burning or scalding parts of the body
• Pulling out your own hair
• Scouring, scrubbing or bleaching parts of the body
• Banging or hitting (sometimes with an object eg hammer) parts of the body
• Inserting things into the body
• Taking overdoses or swallowing harmful substances
• Tying something tightly around part of the body to cut off the blood supply

Other things which can be considered as self harm include driving too fast, over- or under-eating and eating disorders, involving yourself in taking illegal drugs, alcohol abuse, risk-taking (including sexual risk-taking) smoking to excess and over working or committing yourself to doing too much for other people.

But Why Do People Self Harm?

Self harm is first and foremost a coping strategy. It helps people cope with overwhelming feelings of pain and anguish which if they did not have their coping mechanism of self harm might force them into even more life threatening activities.

People self harm for all sorts of different reasons and may or may not be fully aware of what they are trying to achieve by doing it. They do however know that at least for awhile it makes them feel better and more able to cope.

How Common is Self Harm?

Self harm is more common in women, although in prisons the number of men self harming is above the general level seen for men. Self harm in all its many forms is probably far more common than most people would estimate. It is a coping strategy used by people at times in their lives when nothing else seems to work. It is impossible to know just how many people are self harmers as many will never require and/or seek help or medical attention for their self harm. It is known that self harm is reported in all age groups and all walks of life. Many self harmers have been dealing with their distress in this way for many years before anyone else finds out about it. It does however appear that self harm is becoming less of a taboo subject – which is a positive move as people have nothing to be ashamed or feel guilty for – it is merely their coping mechanism. Many people will also find that they are able to stop self harming and learn alternative methods for coping with their emotions and problems.

Is Self Harm a Suicide Attempt?

NO – many people who self harm do so in ways that are not severe and do not require medical attention and do not leave permanent scarring.
However sometimes people do hurt themselves quite seriously such as cutting themselves to the extent that stitches are required and the wound will scar. Although there is a desperate need to inflict serious injury the person is not trying to take their own life.
Some people who self harm will at times do things that put their lives seriously at risk such as taking massive overdoses or trying to strangle themselves or cut an artery. Again this does not usually mean that the person wants to kill themselves it may be that their feelings are so out of control that they do not notice how severe their actions are – or indeed they might not care at that moment in time whether they kill themselves or not.
At the heart of self harm is one fact – the person is trying to cope in whatever way they can – not kill themselves.

What Feelings Make Someone Need To Self Harm?

The feelings behind a persons self harm can be as varied as the methods people use to self harm. As stated earlier, the person may not actually be aware of why exactly they are doing this – it can be a collection of feelings together which just overwhelm the person completely and leave them feeling as if they have no other means of coping – they just need to hurt themselves to survive the feelings.

Commonly reported feelings that can make a person self harm are:

• emotional pain and anguish
• unresolved anger
• self-hatred
• low self-esteem
• guilt
• shame
• fear
• anxiety
• chronic emptiness
• desperation
• powerlessness
• depersonalisation and dissociation (feeling that you are disconnected from the world around you)
• depression
• stress
• neglect
• loss

Such behavior is common for those suffering from various psychological & personality disorders, like narcissistic, borderline, bipolar, depression etc. Such people generally are being diagnosed through narcissistic personality disorder, borderline, depression or bipolar test OR whatever the mental health professional deems appropriate for the specific case.

So How Does Self Harm Help?

Self harm is most often a way of releasing built up emotions that are in some way felt by the person to be bad or wrong. It is a way of letting all the mental pain from inside become a ‘more real’ physical pain on the outside. It’s like ”well now you (and I) can see my pain so it is more real and bearable”.

It can also be a means of punishing yourself for having the feelings (usually seen with feelings of guilt and/or shame). This is common amongst victims of abuse and even though they are in no way responsible for anything they still feel like they need to be punished and the self harm brings them relief because they have gotten what they feel they deserve.

Self harm can act as a distraction from the feelings. By inflicting pain on a site that can be seen the person can refocus all of their attention onto looking after the injury instead of stewing over the feelings.

Self harm can communicate the need for comfort from other people or the desire for someone to take the pain away. Many self harmers feel that they do not deserve caring for their emotional pain, but it is ok to be cared for if it is a physical problem. The act of self harming is therefore a way of displacing the pain from inner emotions to outer physical pain that can receive care without the guilt.

If someone is suffering from depersonalisation – or feelings of being disconnected from oneself then Self harm can literally reground them back into themselves. It’s as if by feeling the blood flow from a cut and watching it at the same time you can start to feel a part of yourself again and pull you back to reality. – In this instance it is not uncommon for the person to report that they felt nothing during the cutting at all.

What Can Help Someone Who Self Harms?

There are a number of key issues that have been proven to help a self harmer recover:

Learning to understand themselves and their reasons for self harming. To do this they must become more aware of their own feelings and thoughts.

Looking at issues from the past which lie behind the self harm. If there are things from the past then appropriate counselling will help lay the ghosts and also help the person understand how these events are related to their self harm now.

Finding new ways to deal with and communicate their feelings. A self harmer needs to develop another set of coping strategies to replace the need for self harm. Some of the time the self harmer already achieves this, but at times of real stress these coping mechanisms breakdown resulting in the person reverting to self harm. What is needed is a new toolbox of coping strategies that can cope with all levels of emotional pain. When it comes to dealing with emotions – this does not always mean exploring and expressing them – in fact for many it means acknowledging that they are there but then containing them and moving on from them.

Increase self esteem – people need to look for and appreciate the good and the strength within themselves. They need to take a look at their potential and realise that their is a lot more to them than they give themselves credit for. It may also be necessary to seek support from outside of themselves to look at the bad things they believe about themselves. Building self confidence and assertiveness help alot with self esteem.

Learn how to communicate with other people more effectively – especially about distressing feelings and events. If the self harmer can learn to talk directly about how s/he is feeling then so long as they are taken seriously by other people this will also increase self esteem and stop the build up of feelings inside.

Where Can A Self Harmer Get Help?

People who feel the desperate need to self harm must also remember that they deserve support from other people. Help and support is available from many different sources:

• Partners, Family and Friends
• Counselling Services
• GP’s
• Psychiatric Services
• Help-Lines
• Support Organisations

As a business owner, it is important to be prepared to take most forms of payment from your customers. More often than not, if your business doesn’t take plastic you are probably going to end up losing a lot of business.

Case in point: there is a nice little market across the street from my office building. Inside there are vendors selling wine, bread, and flowers as well as a few small restaurants. One restaurant sells bowls of delicious soup for $5 and the restaurant next to it sells burritos for about $7. The owner of the burrito restaurant only accepts cash and when people don’t have cash, he directs them to the ATM in the building. The soup shop takes credit and debit cards as payment. At lunch time, there is a line circling most of the upstairs to get soup. There is hardly anyone at the other restaurant.

I asked the owner of the burrito joint why he didn’t take cards. He said that he is saving money on merchant account fees. I pointed out to him that a meal at the soup establishment is typically less than a burrito yet they still accept cards so the fees are clearly not hurting their business.

I then took the time to briefly explain to him exactly how credit card processing accounts work and what he could expect to pay if he had one for his business; it was much less than he thought. I’m really glad that I took a few moments to teach him how accepting cards would be great for his business and I expect that he will be selling a lot more burritos in the near future.

Young children will look at books and websites in much the same way – if it’s published somewhere it’s certain to be right.  However we in academia have to rid ourselves of this mindset – however it’s often very difficult to do especially when you are not sure of your subject.  There are many dangers connected with researching online however some basic steps will help in most cases.

1. Separate research from just surfing.  Research online should be a task that should  be completed, set a start point, take notes and then finish your research.
2. Stay focused, it’s easy to drift off into related areas away from your main research goal.  Efficient internet research is only possible if you focus on these goals.
3. Develop Your Bullshit detector.  There is so much, misleading, inaccurate information available online.  Learn to look at information critically, are sources cited, what is the reputation of the writer or site?
4. Know when not to use the internet.  There are some subjects which are simply not suitable for internet research.  In these cases you’re going to have to use those books and libraries!

These are simply common sense steps, the internet is a great resource but it must be used critically.  It takes no time at all to upload information to a web site or blog – there is no quality control, no proof reading in the vast majority of cases.

Of course many web sites have some sort of quality control – even Wikipedia which is self authored is monitored by experts who will correct or remove incorrect information, although there’s no guarantee that will happen.  If you can begin your research with recognized, authorative sources – academic sites from associations, Universities, colleges and professional bodies.  Next there are some reliable online media sites with lots of great information which will have editors who assess content before it’s released.

Many of these big media sites have extensive archives of information online too.  For instance one of my favorite sites is the BBC as they have a huge educational section which is carefully edited.  Sometimes you’ll need to use tools to bypass country restrictions – such as the BBC Iplayer where you’ll need to change to a UK IP address to gain access to some content.

It would be madness to ignore the huge potential for the internet as a research tool, but it’s important to be objective and critical about some of the information that is available.   When you are using the internet take notes as you go along and it help you verify facts from other sources if you need to.