Teaching Philosophy
Jackie O’Neal


Aristotle once wrote: “Each human being is bred with a unique set of potentials that yearn to be fulfilled surely as the acorn yearns to become the oak within it.” As a teacher I make it part of practice to help students identify some of these special gifts by polling them at the beginning of the semester. This method does not identify every special ability, but it is a fair start in the direction of planning activities that will involve the student’s strong points and will also be enjoyable. Hence, students can begin to develop some self-confidence and achieve more in class. Offering positive feedback is also helpful in creating student motivation, of course it needs to be balanced- too much praise is not always effective. Of course, it is not an exact science. Plato wrote: :”Never discourage anyone….who continually makes progress, no matter how slow.” In learning new skills, it takes time and patience as well as practice to make progress, therefore even if students make slow progress, it is important to offer encouragement with positive language. Positive language creates positive action and it is necessary to build momemtum towards optimal motivation.
My teaching practice includes making a strong attempt to build a positive rapport with students, hence positive learning experiences are assured in most cases. Building a positive rapport can begin in small ways such as greeting students and using a polite style. Mary Kay, the great entrepreneur , once said: “Pretend everyone is wearing an invisible sign that says : Make me feel important.” This method helps me to realize small actions such as greeting students or asking “What is new today?’ can make a big difference in building rapport. It creates an atmosphere conducive to learning and of emotional safety, so to speak.
I once remember someone saying: “I am not judged by the number of times I fail, but by the number of times I succeed; and the number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I keep trying.” I believe in encouraging students not to give up, but rather keep trying to succeed because eventually students can refine their skills this way.

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4 Ways to Motivate Yourself
By Momodou Sabally

Motivation (let’s call it the motive to act) could be internal
or external. For our purpose, let’s focus on internal or self
motivation. This is essential for success. Now let’s discuss
quick tips on how to rev yourself up to your cherished
destination: Success Now!

Yes, rev yourself, like an automobile to move faster in your
positive directions. You need motivation for success, and the
question you may be asking now is “how do I get it?” my answer
will be simple and practical. Here are 4 practical ways to
motivate yourself:

1. State Your Goals

First you need clearly stated goals with deadlines; write them
on paper then
develop a strong desire to achieve those goals. W. Clement Stone
and Napoleon Hill in their PMA Science of Success state that if
you know what you want and want it strongly enough, then you
will surely get it.

2. Create a Definite Plan

You need a concise plan for the achievement of your goals; and
it is important to
work your plan. An action plan in itself is a good source of
motivation and it will save you time in moving towards your
destination. Motivational speaker and author Steve Chandler says
“successfully planned work will motivate you to do more and more
until you become unstoppable.”

3. Welcome your problems

See the good in obstacles; as you work your plan, you are
likely to face problems but that should not make you to give up.
Countless philosophers have said that every failure (or problem)
has the seed of an equivalent good in it. Learn to see the good
in problems and if you are a religious person pray for the
ability to see the good in every problem when it arises. This
attitude will help you to make your problems work for you, and
not
against you.

4. Have Fun

Finally, learn to make your work fun. The key here is to do the
job that makes you happy. If your current job is not fun for
you, do not be discouraged. Your key for now will be to try to
see the fun in it. Pro football Hall of Famer Frank Tarkenton
was quoted as saying that you should look at any job you do as
fun. “If it’s not fun, you’re not doing it right”.

You now have 4 easy steps to quickly motivate yourself into
ACTION. The key word here is ACTION. All the motivation in this
world will not do anything for you unless you ACT NOW. Trust
these steps as workable and effective guidelines and implement
them. The results will amaze you.

Momodou Sabally has developed a series of articles for instant
self motivation available at WWW.MLSABALLY.COM. His articles
will help you generate motivation and enthusiasm without
effort.Visit his site NOW and sign up for your FREE Inspirational Success Now (ISN) Newsletter.

Make Procrastination Work for You
By Rachelle Disbennett-Lee

Everyone, to some degree, procrastinates. We all put off things that we don't want to do. That doesn't mean we do nothing. Au contraire! Most procrastinators get plenty done; it just isn't what is most important or urgent. Procrastination is the art of doing something else when there are more important things to do. There is a way to make procrastination work for you. Since all of us have this skill to varying degrees of proficiency we might as well put it to use.

The act of delaying is the true gift of procrastination. Until now you might not have thought of it as a gift, but it is. Many people get overbooked and overload their schedules with activities and commitments they don't want to do because they said yes before they really thought about it. Delaying is a great way to prevent over- scheduling and saying yes to things you should decline. When someone asks you to do something, respond that you need to check your schedule. Ask for a day or two to think about it and tell them you will get back with your answer. Use procrastination as a tool to prevent yourself from getting overbooked.

Procrastination will also assist with getting a lot done. I know it sounds strange, but it works exceptionally well. The trick is to have a major project that needs completion, but that you don't want to do it. My house was never cleaner than when I was working on my dissertation. My husband actually caught me outside cleaning the kitchen garbage can with a toothbrush. When he asked what I was doing I replied, "Avoiding working on my dissertation." I knew exactly what I was doing and it worked. I got a lot accomplished including my dissertation. The key is to leverage the advantage of procrastination. Let it move you to complete all the jobs you want to get done. You will still have time to complete the big job you have been avoiding.

Procrastination has a bad reputation, but the truth is that it can help you accomplish a great deal. Use procrastination to your advantage. Use it to delay saying yes to everything. This way you will give yourself time to think, and you won't get overbooked. It will also help you get things done because, when you are procrastinating, you aren't just sitting around. You are doing any task to avoid doing what you need to be doing. That is fine, and actually you will get twice as much done. So stop beating yourself up and enjoy perfecting the art of procrastination.

Coach Rachelle Disbennett-Lee, PhD, is a Certified Master Coach specializing in working with business owners and professionals in being more profitable and productive while staying sane and balanced. Coach Lee is the publisher of the award winning e-zine, 365 Days of Coaching. Her first book, 365 Days of Coaching – Because Life Happens Every Day (Universal Publisher, 2004) was named a finalist for Best Book 2004 by www.Publish.com and has a five star rating on www.Amazon.com

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Highly Effective Strategies for Overcoming Procrastination
By Deon Du Plessis

In this day and age we are so inundated with choice and opportunity that you might even say that we are spoiled for choice. There is just so much that we could do that we often end up not doing anything at all. Procrastination is one of the biggest dream killers. In a world where there is so much demand on your attention it is becoming ever more difficult to stay focussed and act on the things that would truly give you an extraordinary quality of life. Time is, was and will always be your most valuable asset and the way you use it will determine what you create or fail to create with and for your life. Having an effective strategy for overcoming procrastination is critical if you truly want to push past short term obstacles to create a life of fulfilment.

The abundance that modern life offers us tends to overwhelm us which leads to an emotional overload that will distract you and scatter your effort and concentration. There simply isn't enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time for the most important things in your life. Success at anything in life, whether it be your finances, your relationships or your body, requires an investment of time and effort from you. You need to focus and concentrate your physical and emotional resources on creating a desired result.

The first step in overcoming procrastination it to get really clear on exactly what you want from every area of your life. This clarity will give you the power to look past distractions that may throw you off course. It gives you a direction and a target and will help to build a mental picture for your life. One of the most destructive effects of procrastination is that it makes you feel out of control; like the events of your life is controlling you. If you don't know what you want it is all too easy to jump from the one task to the next. Apart from knowing what you want you should also develop some strong reasons why you want it. This will give you a sense of purpose and motivation that is critical for staying focussed long term.

The truth is that most people know what they need to do to create their life the way they want it. The challenge is not with knowing what to do, but in doing what you know. The only way you will create any result in your life is by taking action and procrastination is what prevents you from acting on the very things you know would give you a greater quality of life. The reason why people procrastinate is primarily because of fear, especially fear of failure. By not taking action and postponing important actions you avoid the potential for failing. The only reason why you procrastinate about anything is because at some level you link more pain to taking action than to not taking action. The ridiculous truth is that these "links" are mostly conjured up (by you) in your mind and they are not even real. When you make a task too big in your mind it will overwhelm you and it would seem too difficult and too big and you will end up procrastinating.

One of the most powerful strategies for overcoming procrastination is to learn how to break your tasks up into bite size pieces. Any task, no matter how big can be broken down into small manageable tasks that is easy to do. If you focus on climbing Mount Everest it will probably put you off immediately, but if you focus on climbing seven small mountain sections it becomes more believable. The power of chunking down your "big" tasks empowers you to take back control of any overwhelming situation – you cut it down to size. Your size.

One of the quickest ways to overcoming procrastination is to learn and utilize the power of immediacy. What can you do immediately? What action can you take right now that will move you closer to your goal? Doing something, no matter how small, will immediately break your mental pattern of procrastination and put you back in control. Taking the first step, even if it is small will create momentum and you will almost automatically be driven to take another step. Don't wait for everything to be perfect before you take the first step. Just do it. Just get it going. Often you will only know what to do next after taking that first step.

There are many strategies and skills you can use for overcoming procrastination. You don not have to be stuck or spinning your wheels. Like any skill you need to learn and practice it until you get good at it. Eventually, it will become an automatic response and you will develop the habit of taking action despite your fears and apparent limitations.

This article is published with the permission of the author, Deon Du Plessis. He is the founder of The Self Improvement Gym, and author (in)action, a groundbreaking new action guide on eliminating procrastination. For more of his in-depth insights into personal development and access to his free self improvement library visit http://www.selfimprovement-gym.com/personal_development.html

http://www.selfimprovement-gym.com

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I wanted to share this marvelous quote provided by my friend, Richard The Eagle Motivator:

To accomplish great things, we must not only act but also dream. Not only plan but also believe."
Anatole France


Richard The Eagle Motivator

Thanks, Richard! Your're awesome!

Develop positive work habits and move forward to success

Horace Mann once wrote: "Habit is a cable; we weave a thread of it every day, and at last we cannot break it."
Someone once said: "The harder you work the luckier you become," and this bit of wisdom can be applied to our major and every day projects.

If we dedicate each and every day to cultivating habits of excellence such as writing journal entries each day to develop our writing skills and our thought process, at the end of the year, we will have practiced writing sufficiently to have composed a book of journal writings.

Push yourself each day to accomplish more and more, and don't give up on yourself, or your dreams!