Author Archive

Three Tips for Opening a Flourishing Business While Caring for Your Baby by Emily Graham

Saturday, August 27th, 2022

Child Care

Three Tips for Opening a Flourishing Business While Caring for Your Baby by Emily Graham
Welcoming your baby into the world is one of the most exciting and memorable times of your life. However, this amazing yet exhausting time can prove extra stressful when trying to get a company off the ground. If you want to make your business ownership dreams a reality and still bond with your bundle of joy, these tips from Dr. Doug Green’s blog can help.

1. Prep the Night Before
Preparing as much as you can at night for the following day saves you time and helps your professional and personal tasks go much smoother the next day. Make a list of tasks that can be done ahead of time.

Lay out the baby’s outfitbaby’s outfit the night before with a couple of spares in case of accidents. Have clean burp rags handy, and stock diapers and wipes. Make sure bottles are clean and any frozen milk is put in the fridge to defrost. 

Be sure your clothes are also ready for the next day. If you have a coffee maker that runs on a timer, load the coffee and set the timer, so your cup of joe is hot and ready when you awake. Prep as much food as possible so that when it is time to eat, your entree is mostly or completely done. 

2. Redesign Your Office
Whether your office space is an entire room or the corner of your bedroom, update your workspace to accommodate your little one. There are times throughout the day you pull double duty as a parent and entrepreneur, so a few tweaks to your office can make the adjustment much easier.
 
Add a rocker or bouncer to the office, such as a baby swing or bassinet. According to What to Expect, babies sleep 12 to 17 hours every 24 hours, depending on their ages. So chances are, your kiddo is going to take some naps throughout the day. This gives the baby a place to snooze while you are hard at work.

Have a mat and box of toys ready to go should your little one want to play. You may need to add a fence once your tike becomes mobile. Finally, be sure to remove any breakable or dangerous objects from the baby’s play zone. 

If the office is simply not functioning for the two of you, it may be time to list your home and purchase one that meets your needs. If you are going to own a business, you must be able to work comfortably while keeping your child safe. Make a list of the new office requirements for your real estate agent so he or she knows exactly what you need. 

3. Utilize Helpful Services and Tools
Finding help takes a portion of work off your plate. A great example is a formation service that can help you complete and process a limited liability company application. Setting your business up as an LLC has numerous advantages, including less paperwork, limited liability, increased flexibility, and tax advantages.The regulations around forming an LLC vary by state, so know your state’s rules before proceeding. Once you are ready to move forward, hiring a formation service saves you lots of time; plus, you avoid the hefty fees that a law office charges. 

Look for ways to make your business more cost and time efficient. Instead of hiring a graphic designer, you can use a logo design tool to create free online logos. This tool offers thousands of professionally designed logos that you can customize. Or you can use images, icons, and other design elements to enhance your current logo. And a PDF joiner may help to organize the multiple documents you and your team are juggling for a client. Instead of searching through dozens of digital documents, you can merge PDFs into one living document during your team’s process. Then, you can formalize the document and it will be ready for your client.

While this momentous time in your life may have more stress than you would like, you can still have a flourishing career as a business owner and be a dedicated parent. Following these three tips can help you achieve success both in the workforce and at home. And you can visit Dr. Doug Green for additional tips for parents and EDUCATORS.

Emily Graham
Emily is the creator of MightyMoms.Net. She believes being a mom is one of the hardest jobs around and wanted to create a support system for moms from all walks of life. On her site, she offers a wide range of info tailored for busy moms — from how to reduce stress to creative ways to spend time together as a family. You can email her at emilygraham@mightymoms.net. She lives in Arizona.

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Critical Issues in Democratic Schooling: Curriculum, Teaching, and Socio-Political Realities by Kenneth Teitelbaum

Monday, August 22nd, 2022

Ken's Book
Critical Issues in Democratic Schooling: Curriculum, Teaching, and Socio-Political Realities by Kenneth Teitelbaum is an ideal textbook for undergraduate and graduate teacher education programs. Each chapter can easily form the basis for whole class and small group engaging conversations on topics that prospective teachers need to confront. It’s also a great book that will allow practicing teachers and administrators to question their practices. If you are looking for a book to give all of the teachers in your building for professional development, look no farther.

Part I: Teaching and Teacher Education
1. Teaching Has Its Own Rewards

  • Teaching is a profession for those who want to create and inspire, for those who love learning, for those who care about our future, and for those who like to watch young people develop. Students don’t reveal what they are thinking or learning. The most important learning is difficult to capture and may not be known until much later. Likewise, the rewards of teaching are also difficult to measure. (Doug: Like Ken, positive feedback from former students and parents always makes my day.)

2. Despite What Some Think, Teaching Isn’t Easy

  • This thinking emanates from the fact that mostly women taught in the last 150 years. A child’s education begins at home so all parents are essentially teachers. Stresses faced in the home and elsewhere outside of school impact behavior in school add difficulties when it comes to dealing with emotional issues and evolving subject matter. The questions of who selects the content and what content to select are also central. Decisions regarding how to deliver content seem endless as are the roles that teachers are expected to play. Time may be the biggest constraint. Teachers, therefore, need proper support and compensation.

3. Reasons to be a Teacher

  • It certainly is not the money. Ken’s research and my own show that teacher salaries have not kept up with inflation since I started in 1970. There has also been some erosion in benefits and loss of autonomy due to test-driven expectations and their repercussions. Many teachers work well beyond the 40-hour work week and most will tell you that students have become more unruly over the years. This may have caused fewer people to prepare for a career in teaching, but the current shortage should make jobs easier to find.
  • Ken finds seven reasons that still draw people to the profession. 1) Independence and Collaboration: To some extent, teachers are free to decide how they will present the desired content. They should also be able to work with other teachers, although the time available to do so depends on leadership. 2) Lifelong Learning: If teachers seek excellence, they are always thinking about how to improve. As lifelong learners, they will enjoy learning and improving daily. 3) Creative Imagination: Taking reasonable creative risks will make teaching more fun for all. This will help you avoid getting stuck in a rut but consider discussing such risks with your supervisor. 4) Forever Young: Lighting fires in young people is exhilarating and revitalizing. It keeps you stay hip and young at heart. 5) A Noble Profession: In spite of the fact that the media often bashes schools, teaching is widely considered a noble profession by the public. 6) Helping to Create a Better World: Teaching is a profession of hope, and even though you won’t know exactly how you made the world better, you will believe that you did. 7) Student Growth: We all have stories about teachers who made a difference in our lives. You may not see incremental growth daily, but it’s there.

4. “Work With What You’ve Got”

  • If you see oppression or injustice in any form be sure to speak up. If you see that school practices or policies at any level are ineffective say so. You may not have all the autonomy you want, but work with what you have. You have to believe that schools can change over time for the better. You may have to make some small compromises, but they are probably worth it.

5. Lessons from Alternative (Progressive) Schooling

  • These schools are mostly private so the students are more likely to have more means and skills than typical public school students. Ken has worked in, visited, and read about such schools. In essence, the students are much more in control of what they study, the teacher talks less, and usually intervenes when students need help with skills necessary to pursue their chosen learning. Students are essentially self-directed learners, which requires skills that poor students may not have.
  • While such schools are not noted for the longitudinal follow-up that can determine how their students did, the data available suggests that the students do fine and tend to be happier and more self-confident. The atmosphere of trust found at these schools could account for that. Creativity, problem-solving, and project-based learning are seen throughout the day. Ken hopes to see more of this in public schools in spite of the roadblocks created by standardized curriculum and testing.
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Music for a Friend That Can Stimulate Your Brain

Sunday, August 21st, 2022

Music
Purchase this ACOUSTIC WALL ART here.

Today’s post is special. I have a good friend who is recovering from heart and cancer surgeries. When we get together, we take turns playing favorite YouTube music videos. This is for him and anyone who wants to stimulate their brain. Enjoy and share. Dr. Doug

Classical: ach: Toccata & Fugue in D minor – Original Canadian Brass with Peter Schickele = If you like brass and Bach this is a winner. @CanadianBrass

Religious: Home Free – How Great Thou Art – This is my favorite hymn. You don’t have to believe in God to enjoy this as the background is insanely beautiful. @HomeFreeGuys

Folk: Psalm 136 with Béla Fleck and Sierra Hull – As a banjo player Bela is my idol. I think you will find that Sierra can keep up with him. @belafleckbanjo @sierrahull

Ukulele: Taimane Gardner, the Ukulele Virtuoso | Taimane Gardner | TEDxMaui – She mixes Bach’s Fugue in D minor with some flamenco stuff. This is VERY COOL. @taimanegardner @TEDxMaui

Classical: Mason Williams – Classical Gas w/ Deborah Henson-Conant – This is a very cool classic song with a harp accompaniment. @HipHarpist

Rock: Stevie Nicks – Edge of Seventeen (Official Music Video) – I never get tired of this song. I hope you like it too. @StevieNicks

PercussionRoyal Marines Corps of Drums and Top Secret Drum Corps | The Bands of HM Royal Marines – If you know any percussionists, please share this with them. @RMBandService

Rock: Guns N’ Roses – Sweet Child O’ Mine on iPhone (GarageBand) – Every GarageBand instrument & instrument setup used for #GunsNRoses #SweetChildOfMine can be found in this video

Folk: Punch Brothers cover Gordon Lightfoot’s “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” 3/3/22 Boston, MA – Chris Thile and Punch Brothers with Noam Pikelny, Chris Eldridge, Gabe Witcher, and Paul Kowert perform Gordon Lightfoot and Tony Rice’s “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” @LessThanFace1 @punchbrothers @christhile

Bagpipes: Shipping Up To Boston/Enter Sandman – Bagpipe Cover (The Snake Charmer x Goddesses of Bagpipe) This is a mix of Irish tunes and metal for you on the Bagpipes with 3 Female Bagpipers all the way from the US, Scotland and India. This video is very well done. @yourbestvids @DropkickMurphys

Rock: Rush – Tom Sawyer (Bass Cover) by a very young girl. She is incredible. Getty Lee is considered a top bass player, and she is playing his entire part. @EllenPlaysBass

Broadway: Six from Six: The Musical on Broadway – This is an Animatic of the final number, which to my tastes should be a big hit. If you like it a little searching will find videos from the actual show that I saw and really enjoyed on 2/18/2022. @TheTobyMarlow @MucyLoss

Movie Hit Song: This Little Girl Singing ‘Let It Go’ Inside A Ukrainian Bomb Shelter Will Melt Your Heart. Just in case you haven’t seen this yet I had to post it. @jamescrugnale @Independent

Song for early readers: Peace Love and Hope – David Perry Origina – This would be a good song for elementary teachers to play. It is especially good for beginning readers. @DavidPerryTunes

Folk: Northwest Passage (Stan Rogers) – The Water Boys (A Cappella Cover) – If you aren’t a Stan Rogers fan here is your chance to get started. @WaterBoysUW @Stanfest

Soul: Blues Brothers: Soul Man – SNL – Today’s song “Soul Man” by The Blues Brothers was recorded LIVE at the Universal Amphitheater in September 1978, a few months after they debuted on SNL as the musical guest on April 22, 1978. @dan_aykroyd @nbcsnl

1050s Ballad: “In the Still of the Night along with a lot of 1950s icons – The Five Satins perform this memorable song. If you’re my age you will love this. If you don’t remember the 1950s you can still get a kick out of this. @safeshare_tv

Rock: Joan Jett & Dave Grohl ~ Cherry Bomb 2015 – This is a favorite of mine. It’s a rock number for a woman, but Dave does it justice. @joanjett @foofighters

ABBA: ABBA’S DANCING QUEEN Like You’ve NEVER Heard It Before! Simon Cowell Won’t Forget This AGT Audition – Debbii Dawson WOWS Simon & the Judges with her GORGEOUS Original Version of a Pop Classic with Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara, and Howie Mandel on America’s Got Talent 2022. @debbiidawson @AGT @SimonCowell @heidiklum @SofiaVergara @howiemandel

Metal: Miley Cyrus and Metallica “Nothing Else Matters” Live on the Stern Show You don’t have to be a fan of Miley or Metallica to enjoy this. It starts with a talk with Howard Stern. The singing starts at about the 2:40 mark. @Metallica @MileyNewsAccess @MileyCyrus @HowardStern

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The Developmental Benefits of a Summer Job by Amanda Winstead

Friday, July 29th, 2022

Summer Job 1
Photo by Julia M Cameron

The Developmental Benefits of a Summer Job by Amanda Winstead Explains the many benefits of working with others during the summers while you are in high school. While you may learn some useful skills on the job, the people skills you developed are invaluable. Thanks, Amanda.
Introduction
School and parenting are essential elements in a child’s growth, but they are not the only things that can benefit your child’s development. It is also helpful for them to gain further knowledge and skills through other life experiences, such as a job.

Though it’s understandable that you might want your kids to have the freedom to enjoy their youth, a job doesn’t have to be a limiting experience for kids. In fact, a summer job can be fun, social, and help teach them new life skills and behaviors that are essential to growing into a responsible, healthy adult. And it doesn’t have to take up all of their time either.

Instead of having a job year-round, your kids can simply look into something part-time over the summer, which still gives them plenty of free time and opportunities to pursue other interests. But even just a part-time summer gig can do wonders for developmental growth and help prepare your kids for higher education and the “real world” once they graduate and move into adulthood.

A Summer Job is More Than Just a Paycheck
Though a summer job can help your kid financially prepare for college and put money in their pockets, it’s not just about the paycheck. A summer job can open your kid’s world up to so many new experiences.

Let’s take a look at the many benefits of a summer job that go above and beyond simply providing your kids with a paycheck.


When kids are younger, time is somewhat of an abstract construct. They rely on adults to help them understand what time it is and when things need to happen. But as your kids get older, time management becomes an important skill that can help them manage school, work, and their free time and social life. So by getting a summer job, your kid will learn to become more responsible with their time and how best to manage multiple things at once or in a day.

Self-Confidence
If your kid is lacking in confidence or simply doesn’t feel that they have much control over their life, a summer job can help. Having a job teaches your kid new skills that can help them feel more confident about their abilities, which can overall improve their sense of self-worth and self-confidence. It can also give them a sense of independence, which can help them feel like they are more in control of their life and what happens to them.

Educational Development
Summer jobs have also been shown to help kids with learning in the classroom. Overall, having a job can teach kids and teens new skills that boost their cognitive development and help them succeed more in school. Most importantly, it helps boost their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are essential when it comes to academic performance.

Social Skills
Whether your kids are shy or not, a job can help them expand their social circle and develop new relationships that can become an important part of their lives. For kids who perhaps are on the shy side, having a job can help them come out of their shells and learn to interact more with others. If they aren’t shy, it can help them socialize and network, expanding their circle of friends to people who can further help them grow and become a healthy adult.

Financial Responsibility
Understandably, kids don’t tend to have the best financial habits. With each new generation, such as Gen Z, spending habits change. So when your kids start earning money, it can help you better understand what their money habits are like or will be like, which paves the way for you to sit down and chat with them about healthy financial habits. This can help them learn how to better spend and save their money to prepare for their future.

Summer Job 2

Photo by cottonbro
Tips to Help Your Kid Land a Summer Job
It’s one thing to talk about your kid having a summer job and another thing altogether to help them actually get one. No two kids are the same. While some might easily land their ideal summer job, others might not. It’s also important not to force a job on your kid that isn’t a right fit.

land their ideal summer job:

1. Look for the right job.
Every job comes with different duties and requirements, so make sure the one your kid chooses is a good fit for them. This can include standard summer jobs at amusement parks, summer camps, swimming pools, restaurants, retail stores, etc. Or, it can be something a little more professional for older teens just out of high school, such as computer programing, pharmacy tech, customer service, or even maintenance work.

2. Interview practice.
For some kids, the interview can be the hardest and most nerve-wracking part of landing a summer job. So it can be helpful to sit down with them and practice what it’s like to be in an interview. Tell them what it might be like, what questions they might get asked, and how best to act and respond.

3. Interview outfit.
Though a lot of summer jobs don’t necessarily require your kids to dress nice or professional, it doesn’t hurt to go into the interview looking a little more put together. So in addition to helping them practice for an interview, it’s also helpful to take them out shopping for nice interview outfits. If they are just out of high school and going for a more professional job, the right outfit can help them make a good impression.

Final Thoughts
When helping your kid land a summer job, just remember that the goal is to improve their skills and provide them with a new experience that is beneficial to them. If you force them into something that isn’t the right fit or that they have zero interest in, it could end up doing more harm than good.

So try to make it a positive experience. The more interested your kid is in the job they land, the more they will get out of it and the more effort they will put into it.

Amanda Winstead

  • Amanda is a freelance writer out of Portland focusing on many topics, including educational technology. Along with writing, she enjoys traveling, reading, working out, and going to concerts. If you want to follow her writing journey, or even just say hi, you can find her on Twitter.
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Can You Learn to Be Lucky? Why Some People Seem to Win More Often Than Others by Karla Staff

Wednesday, July 20th, 2022

Lucky
Can You Learn to Be Lucky? Why Some People Seem to Win More Often Than Others by Karla Staff explains in detail how you can increase your chances of being lucky and therefore successful. We all experience good luck and bad luck as we go through life, but with Karla’s help, we can make good luck more likely and take better advantage of it, and better survive and learn from our bad luck. This book belongs in every professional learning library.

Introduction

  • This book is about navigating life’s hidden patterns. While there is no way to account for every variable influencing our situation, this doesn’t make the world entirely unpredictable. We need to see the world as understandable and manageable. If you feel unsure about your ability to handle the future, anxiety will follow. Regardless of your merit, frugality, and faith, elements of chance will always be part of your life. This is where luck comes in. A bias toward action, however, can help as doing nothing can lead to learned helplessness. You can’t stumble on to something good by sitting down.

1. Best in Show: Why Lucky Timing Is out of Our Hands

  • Studies show that your chances of winning a subjectively scored event are better if you are judged near the end. They also show that prisoners get the best deals if they are judged right after lunch or a break. If you are part of a contest or are interviewing for a job, do what you can to be near the end of the process. Then do what you can to be memorable and emphasize what makes you special or unique. Frame losses as learning experiences and don’t take them personally. And if you want to score with the gender of your choice at a bar, stay until closing time.

2. The Charlie Brewer Principle: How That Warm, Fuzzy Feeling Leads to Luck

  • The focus is Charlie Brewer whose father and grandfather were star quarterbacks. Is it any wonder that the coach looked to him to be his next quarterback? If you have some advantage due to your family’s circumstances be sure to leverage it. However, if you are rich and good looking you might get away with being a dick, but it’s not a good strategy in the long run. Charlie’s story deals with confirmation bias. This is a concept you need to understand on the road to luck.
  • The other big idea here is availability. By consistently showing up you increase your chances to be lucky. If you are always there you will seem safe, which correlates with luck. The more people see you the more they are likely to like you as long as you are nice. Proximity counts. People who live on the bottom floor have more friends. Kids who sit in the middle of the room are more popular. Your attire is very important. For example, women who show up in a nightclub dress are not likely to be seen as highly capable. Make a good first impression and know that it takes time and effort to build a good reputation.

3. Bitches in Glasses: The Occasionally Unlucky Side of Intuition

  • We use our feelings to decide and rationalize our choices after the fact. There are things we can control like grooming, attire, facial expressions, posture, what we say, tone of voice, and body language. We have some control over our body shape and size. We have little control over the shape of our face and our height, and they both count for more than they should. Be sure to act in a friendly manner and smile when you meet someone. Act like you are happy to see them. This you can control and it will help make a good first impression.
  • We tend to map traits from people we know on to people we meet who look similar. The feelings we currently feel also impact our impression of the people we are with. Women who don’t smile are judged more harshly than men who don’t smile. People with square jaws and wider faces are more likely to be promoted. Life is indeed unfair. What you can do is throw your hat into the ring every chance you get, use an easy-to-pronounce version of your name, and avoid edgy jokes and weird online IDs.
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