Why you should read Bruce Lee Quotes?

 

Picture Credit: The above picture is taken from the below mentioned website. 

https://www.theringer.com/movies/2020/7/23/21334815/three-portraits-of-bruce-lee

In an age of internet, jpegs, pdfs, video files, etc. quotes have become very popular with everyone. These word-embedded pictures act as a motivational force for everyone. The teaching community, I feel has been greatly benefitted with these quotes because they motivate the students as well as the teachers.

 

Message in the form of words and quotes are a regular feature on WhatsApp and other social media platforms. An enigmatic picture and a few captivating words have attracted many teachers to find motivation and keep going on.

 

Being a language teacher myself, I feel attracted towards words. Poetry, to be specific but a good quote has always held me captive. I used to fill my diaries by writing quotes and then reading them every day. It was a regular habit since I was very young.

 

In those days I just copied words because I was not writing on my own. I guess my first attempt at writing would have been inspired by those quotes which I copied from everywhere that I could find them. Gradually the words kindled imagination and ultimately, I reproduced what my mind was imagining on to paper in the form of articles.

So, coming back to the quotes and the motivation that they provide.

Most youngsters now store these quotes in the form of pictures in their mobiles to motivate them in their daily work. These quotes help us keep a positive frame of mind. No matter what the situation arises, there is a quote for every occasion which shows you a ray of light.

 

I know that everyone knows that visualization works. Hence the quotes that come with vibrant visuals are in trend since a long time.

 

 

Why Bruce Lee Quotes?

 

My first acquaintance with Bruce Lee was through a 2-feet by 4-feet Bruce Lee poster which one of my cousin brothers had put up on his almirah. For years when I went to my grandmother’s house for summer vacation this poster stared at me before I went to sleep. According to my cousin, the poster was an inspiration to him. For me it was some Hollywood hero.

A few years ago, the memories of that poster came back to me when I was discussing one of my summer vacation escapades with someone. And I searched about Bruce Lee. Then I read about his life and struggles and finally landed upon some of the motivational words which he had said.

They reflect his thought process and the wonderful philosophy that he had about life.

So when I was thinking of an out of the box idea to write my next blog, a Bruce Lee quote swam into my brain. I decided to go ahead to frame a blog on it to motivate the teaching community out there.

 

These days the classes and the struggles in the online meetings can well be compared with the boxing inside the rings.

So here is my list of 9 Bruce Lee quotes which reflect and can be a source of motivation to the teachers.

 

1                      “The more we value things, the less we value ourselves.”

This is true! And I relate it directly to monetary value that the teachers attach themselves with. Most of them compare their salary to the amount of work that they are doing.

When you decide to work your focus should be on quality work that you produce. Develop your work ethics in a manner which do not reflect the amount which gets deposited in the bank.

 

I know! Salary matters.

But trust me! Quality of work and delivery of results matters more. Focus on your task. Plan and develop a strategy to improve it continuously. Think of new ideas. Simplify the mundane and administerial work. Do it with joy.

 

Make creativity your tool. Let quality drip from everything that you do!

Value your work highly and you will get the necessary rewards.

 

2                      “Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.”

We keep assimilating knowledge all our lives. When we teach, we start applying it to real life. I have seen many creative ideas of teachers going waste because simply they were not implemented. They are written in lengthy and well ornated lesson plans but never implemented. Hence the teachers can feel happy that they came up with unique ideas but actually they will not produce results.

 

Procrastination is the real killer at all times. I suggest this flow chart which seems helpful-

 

Write down the idea which crept up in your mind.

Break it down into simple steps.

Set a target date.

Do one step a day.

Ensure that you do not miss the target date.

 

Nothing can replace action!

 

3                      “To hell with circumstances, I create opportunities.”

 

PANDEMIC-TEACHING-TOPSY TURVY WORLD=MOVE BACK

OR

SURGE AHEAD WITH GREAT FORCE

 

I think everyone agrees with it. There were just a handful of teachers who took a step backwards. Rest everyone created opportunities for themselves. Teachers experimented with apps and programs to make their lectures successful. They ensured that teaching happened.

They made their classes interesting to capture their students’ hearts. There were images and power point presentations. There were innovations and implementations.

Each teacher created the opportunities where there were none.

The circumstances looked too meagre in front of the gigantic opportunities which these educators created.

 

4                      “When you say that something is impossible, you make it impossible.”

Remove the word impossible for your life. Think of probable solutions. If every roadblock can be removed then what are problems in terms of teaching. Yes, impossible takes a bit longer to achieve. But if you are determined nothing can stop you from conquering the world.

 

How many times have you attempted the most difficult of activities and achieved results?

 

How many times did you think that you could never do any more corrections, but you did?

 

How many times you were asked to submit, lesson plans, question papers, and tons of other documents all at one time?

You thought you would crash, but you sailed through smoothly.

Carry the attitude of doing things. Impossible will shrink to a size so tiny that you will need a microscope to trace it!

 

5                      “Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.”

From the entire lot of teachers who are teaching right now or who are entering this profession, 99 % of them chose this profession because they wanted a life of comfort.

 

Limited working hours, holidays, vacations, etc. Simply Wow!

Well, the bubble breaks when they start working. Then they face problems because the mindset does not match with the skill set and hence the desired productivity is not achieved.

Expectations were high. Ground realities are different.

There is no celebrity status attached to a teacher until and unless you prove your mettle or make a mark with the students.

There are no praises only expectations. Everyday something new has to be done. The teachers also have to cope with the administrative work. Hence the cakewalk gets messy for most of the professionals.

You can sail smoothly in teaching also, but you need focus, inner strength and the correct approach.

 

6                      “Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.”

‘Instructions’ are an integral part of teaching. They have to be delivered from time to time. One has to be meticulous when instructions are given. Also, there are multiple instructions to be given at one time.

 

So, mistakes are bound to happen.

The teacher has to receive instructions from the head of the institution, from the co-ordinators, etc.

He has to comprehend these instructions and then deliver to the students.

It is a lengthy process. One tends to forget or misunderstand instructions.

It is a fact! Let’s accept it! It happens!

The best way out is to accept the mistake rather than try to cover it!

If you cover your mistake, at some point the can will burst and the dirty wiggly worms will come out.

If you accept it, rectification starts and soon everything is forgotten in good faith.

 

Note: Do not repeat the same mistake again and again. It is known as carelessness.

 

7                      “Water is fearless. If you put water into a cup it becomes the cup. You put water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot, water can flow, drip, creep or crash.”

As a teacher, you have to don many hats. The more versatile you become, the more successful you will be.

You have to do many tasks at the same time.

We have heard-‘Teacher, philosopher, guide…’

Many more titles can be added to it-administrator, manager, organizer, leader, etc. All the titles can be given to one person. The role of a teacher demands a cumulative bundle of them.

 

8                      “What you habitually think, will define what you ultimately become.”

Most teachers do not graduate to leadership roles because they do not fore see themselves as one.

There are many negative attitudes attached to a teacher’s role. The dignity of labour is still missing from this profession. Hence the approach of the teacher is shrouded by doubts, insecurities and an unprofessional attitude.

 

Read the biographies of great people and understand how a teacher has impacted their lives. Have role models who are working well in the field of teaching. Talk to teachers who are still connected to their students even if they have retired from the profession.

 

Follow teachers on the social media. Many of them have their own professional pages and blogs. Read, comment, interact with them via the social media. Take a careful look at the content they post.

Upgrade your own social media standing by posting relevant educational content on your page.

Feel proud about the profession, and the profession will give you what is rightfully yours.

 

9                      “Be happy, but never satisfied.”

 

There is a lot of work to be done. There are many students who need guidance. There are changes which are occurring in the system. There are assignments to be done, tests to be checked, lessons to be covered…

It goes on and on.

 

What matters is your happiness in the profession. Cherish every good act that you do. Feel happy about the roadblocks that you are able to remove. Be excited when you are able to innovate to teach in a better manner.

But remember, the moments will pass and new ones will emerge.

So, keep striving. It is an ongoing process. Don’t get satisfied with the little wins and stop your journey. Don’t turn complacent!

 

Happiness makes your journey desirable. Momentary satisfaction leads to contentment. This leads to encouragement.

Never let satisfaction stay for long. Look for an uncomfortable place if you wish to continue your journey happily!

Importance of recapitulation for a teacher!

 

 

The teaching profession is strictly time bound.

It is also very demanding.

It requires great amounts of creativity.

Every educator has to think critically.

 

Well, aren’t these skills actually required among the children?

Why are educators being questioned on this?

 

Well, these skills are equally important for the teachers also. Teaching is a demanding profession. Everyone knows this fact.

And every day there are new demands on top of the older ones.

So every teacher asks, ‘How do you expect us to survive?’

A pandemic hit the world this year but truly I think teachers land in a pandemic every year when the session starts until it ends.

 

They have to complete syllabus, make question papers, prepare the students for the activities, work late in the evening and work over the holidays and vacations.

And yet, the profession doesn’t get a recognition among the world’s top ten professions.

 

Am I right?

DON’T ANSWER!

 

I know I am CORRECT.

 

But if a teacher has chosen a profession and it is a more than demanding profession then there is a way out of this stress also.

 

The most important part of the profession is the curriculum. It has to be diversified, multidisciplinary, experiential, creative, etc. Think of all the important terms and they will find a place in the all-encompassing word called as ‘curriculum’.

It is a very important and integrated part of the school system. Most teachers fail to divide it in a manner in which it is approachable and they are able to complete it also.

 

Most teachers wait for the instructions to arrive from the higher authority. The best of the time management skills is required to complete the curriculum within the given time period.

Well to start with again a lot of planning has to be done on the paper. Divide the year into terms then into number of working days and last into number of teaching periods.

Then the same has to be taught keeping in mind the pace required and the ability of the students.

I believe that if you under estimate the students, your teaching speed will be slow and you will struggle with the time period to complete the syllabus.

If you consider your students smart right from day one, their approach and your approach is different.

 

The time required to complete the syllabus at that time is different.

If you consider them smart, the strategies that you come up with will be really interesting, will create curiosity among the students and you will never struggle with phrases like-

a.  ‘their base is poor’

b.  ‘their learning pace is very slow’

c.   ‘they do not understand what I teach’

d.  ‘their writing skills are very poor’

e.  etc. etc.

Try to rise above these excuses and feel the intelligence of your students.

The confidence of a teacher reflects in the student. If the teacher is confident, the student is smart.

 

So, coming back to the topic, ‘why is recalling the day’s events important?’

a.  Gauge the gain-

Teaching and balancing life becomes difficult. Things get out of hand. We are left with the feeling of nothing is going according to the plan.

But hey, my dear teacher. Think!

You have put in a lot of hard and smart work. You had planned well before the beginning of the session. You had planned when the week was about to start. You had planned when you were asked to submit the lesson plan

 

Then how can it happen that you have not achieved anything in the day gone by.

 

Train your mind to see the achievements and accomplishments of the day. It boosts your spirit and gives you the inspiration to move in the right direction.

 

b.  Feedback to the self-

This point is very important. All successful organisations work after taking feedback. We cannot think that the grass is only green. Learn to give feedback to yourself.

Feedback about what was done during the day and how was it done? Can you improve or should you carry on for sometime.

What were the priorities that you could not achieve?

Is it important to catch up on it the next day?

Work on feedback. Give a critical feedback to yourself. You will become more adaptable to change!

c.   Measures progress-

When we get busy, life seems tough and we do not look for gains during the day but all that we are not able to do or achieve.

Do not let the feeling of hopelessness enclose you. Break that thought pattern which says you did not achieve anything. Shred the process which shouts that you would have been better off somewhere else. If you are not enjoying your today or feeling happy about it then move on.

One cannot keep moving on also.

One way that I find satisfaction and contentment at the end of the day is when I quote my gains of the day to myself.

Measure your progress. When you measure progress you become more accountable towards your future. It is important to keep moving.

Movement is an indicator of success. If you stop, you stagnate.

 

Learn to appreciate and measure the progress you are doing in your life. Do not expect it from others. Being happy about yourself is not arrogance! It is known as satisfaction!

d.  Overcome hurdles-

Richard Branson does one thing everyday which scares him. This makes him agile to face any hurdles or problems that arise in his life.

Do that one thing you are scared of everyday. It will teach you what courage is. Rise above hesitation or doubts. Do not let fear capture you. Burn the circle of fear to emerge as a leader of your own life.

 

e.  Ready for the next day

Thinking about today and recapitulating prepares you for tomorrow. You know what you have to do. You are more confident towards what you want to achieve. You will make better decisions. You will not procrastinate. Preparedness helps you to take action.

 

f.    Self Satisfaction

All the above points give you self-satisfaction.

Trust me there is nothing more important in this world than self-satisfaction. This is the best motivational term which helps individuals.

 

You have to search satisfaction. It doesn’t come on its own.

g.  Self Praise

We keep expecting praise from others. Most of the time you don’t get it. Then you will annoyance.

 

Learn to praise to yourself.

It is said that if you praise the children they do well. If you keep criticising them they develop a negative self image and hence they are not able to achieve.

 

The same applies to the teachers. They wait for praise. Most often they get criticism. This leads to them developing a negative self image.

After that I do not need to tell you what happens.

Hence get over it. Do praise and appreciate that small child who is hidden inside you somewhere. Feel the happiness when you praise yourself.

 

AND JUST FREEZE THE MOMENT FOREVER IN YOUR HEART!

 

Happy Teaching to all of you!

13 Pieces of Advice I’d give my younger self as a newbie teacher.

As expected from any newbie teacher, I was absolutely inexperienced and clueless about what teaching was.

My perceptions about the profession on day one were as given under-

➡️ I am supposed to teach through a textbook. Give question and answers and generate good results.

➡️I will be getting sufficient holidays so I can spend enough time with my family.

➡️ Throughout my life I will be teaching students and then retire at an appropriate age.

➡️ I have to listen to an abide the senior teachers in the school until I become a senior myself.

➡️ I am expected to reach school on time and leave school when it is off. This means that my work gets over when I reach home.

Within a few days, all of the above crashed like glass and I had set new goals and boundaries for myself in the Profession.

The memories of my initial thoughts were crystal clear and I they rushed back to me at one go. I didn't even think of editing them before publishing them.

During the initial couple of days I never thought of-

-Growing on the professional ladder

-Having an aim to reach a position

-Teacher student relationship and its impact on learning

-Experimenting and innovating to teach in a better manner.

-Creating and leaving an impact on society.

On my third day when I entered the school campus as a teacher, revolutionary thoughts swept me away in a storm. It was like a new professional side of me was exposed after layers of misperception got eroded away by interacting with some veterans of the profession.

I still remember someone cleared the concept and functioning of a Director and a principal. 

That was really a very naiive and vulnerable me in the profession.

Then started a fruitful and a meaningful journey which is filled with memories and experiences. I am proud of them and really like living them again and again. So while I was reminiscing and introspecting I came up with these  points which will be very useful to every teacher who enters this profession.

1 Managing Time: As I was too inspired to work as a teacher, when I joined the profession, I was totally focused towards working. There was too much that I wanted to do and so time seemed very little. Also my organisation skills were not so well developed.

It is very important to manage time between your profession and passion. To do lists help a lot in this regards. Writing about long term and short term goals also help in organising tasks and managing time.

2. Limited Research: Educators research for teaching ideas and ideas for worksheets. 

But Google overwhelms you with options and you get carried away because of the vastness and magnitude. I used to spend a lot of time in researching because it helped me to come up with new and creative ideas. I used to download images and articles in bulk for current and future use.

Mostly those articles were never read because of shortage of time or forgetfulness. If you do not put an idea to use, it gets wasted. So I believe limiting research time on internet is very important.

One should know the extent of research that is required for a given project or task at hand. Otherwise we  waste time.

3. Sticking to a to-do List Before Hitting the Internet: This is the best advice that I have given myself and have been following it in the past years.

Internet can turn into a bottomless crevice if you are not careful.

Internet is a great tool to be used by the teacher but remember it is not the only tool.

A lot of planning and then implementation is required in teaching. So spending a lot of time on internet does not really help in this profession. Prepare a list before you switch on the internet. Complete the tasks and switch it off. 

It prevents you from falling a pretty to digital fatigue and reduces your screen time.

4. Writing and Editing Skills: I was a creative person and was inclined towards writing. But the quantum of written work was very less. I wrote a 500 words article in a month or so. Now I write almost 2000 words everyday.

Editing goes hand in hand with writing full stop in those days I almost never edited what I wrote thinking that my thoughts and words fit perfectly like jigsaw pieces. Every educator must write at least one thousand words everyday and edit those articles also.

These can be published in the form of blogs, articles on LinkedIn or medium.com or answers two questions on quora.com.

5. High Level of Energy: It is always good to stay on a high horse. On some days I used to be highly motivated and hence my energy level would be high. But on some other days I would drag myself to work trying to find motivation.

Remember-

Action does not follow motivation.

Motivation follows action.

Keep doing your work and keep yourself in motion. Motivation will always be there behind you.

6 Rewards of Networking: When we work in an organisation, we generally  tend to get along with our colleagues. Contacts beyond that are very rare.

Networking means connecting with new people and maintaining a connect until it develops into a good relationship.

Most of us do connect with different people but regularity in maintaining the relationship goes missing.

Good networking skills result into

-good opportunities

-good friends

-popularizing your skills

-spreading and gaining knowledge

7 Public Speaking and Communication Skills:  A teacher needs to be a very fluent and a confident speaker. Teaching in a classroom is different from speaking on stage. Every educator must develop his or her own public speaking skills.

Public speaking has become one of the most sought after skills in the professional world. With people turning more towards videos now public speaking has taken a firm ground. Everyone who enters any profession must be an expert and a confident person as far as speaking in public is concerned.

8 Exercise and Meditation:  Exercise and meditation are a priority. Exercise keeps you physically active and meditation helps you to stay mentally agile. Even if one is missing it will be difficult to maintain a balance in professional life.

Everyday a 40 minute exercise routine is a must. There are  too many options available online. But it is better to stick to a specific exercise routine. Each exercise should be done in sets of 10s 20s or 30s or whatever you are comfortable with.

Some stretching exercises are equally good and beneficial. They are less stressful physically. So if you want to start something simple you can do so with Surya namaskar.

Meditation calms the mind. The flow of thoughts become very natural during meditation. I read a quote somewhere and it immediately resonated with my thoughts-

“If the ocean can calm itself then why not you. Both have water and salt mixed in their bodies.”

With exercise and meditation focus stays on the path and professional growth becomes easier.

9 Healthy Diet: For most of us food intake takes a backseat when work is concerned. If you have not organised your time well, then you think of skipping meals to complete work.

One should also be mindful while eating food. Research proves that the nutrients are absorbed well by the body if we are mindful of the food we eat. During my career I have seen educator's coming to school without breakfast.

 The two hours of the morning in a school are very important time.

They are also full of activity which requires everyone to be on their toes. Prayer and assembly time is generally packed with a lot of things happening on stage and off stage. 

Students also turn up to school without eating anything and quite a few fall down unconscious. We are all aware of this happening in the school. 

If the teacher arrives with food in the stomach he she can take care of children and handle them better.

If a teacher comes to school with an empty stomach her only focus is to find time to eat something. So make it a golden rule to never leave the house without putting something stuffy in your stomach.

10 Learning Disabilities and Behaviour Issues: A large chunk of learning is achieved by understanding the psychology of the students.  There are many concerns among the students related to learning disabilities and behaviour issues. 

Research papers and blogs are available on the internet. Every teacher must read these to understand the issues and concerns revolving around children. I often say that behaviour is a reflection of the anxiety that the child is feeling or going through. Behaviour changes or improves when the troubling issue is tackled or dealt with properly.

Experience teaches us a lot but awareness equips you with tools to deal with the situation. Knowing the psychological concerns of the children will help the teachers to control the threatening triggers which cause behaviour problems.

Teaching and learning is more of a psychological process. Hence teachers must self educate themselves on these topics. The school counsellor is also of great help. Case studies of issues with children and how teachers dealt with them are also available on the Internet and they can throw light on many aspects.

Caution: Do not try to see the problems which you have read among your students. Take expert advice before jumping to a conclusion.

11 Be a Good Listener: Some of the educators are in a hyperactive mode expressing an ‘I Know It all attitude'. It is good to be well versed about the needs of the profession. But nothing can be compared to practical experience. The people who are already in the organisation are thoroughbreds as far as the working of the organisation is concerned

These veterans of the profession often giveaway titbits related to the profession and they must be considered as useful handy hints. To understand the value of these gems one needs to be a good listener.

There are many advantages of being a good listener. You become aware of certain systems which are an integral part of the organisation. There are deadlines for many of these systems. There are submissions to be done. you will be able to foresee all of these and be better prepared to deliver the submission on time.

12 The Art of Saying NO:

If you set your priorities you will know  which projects you should take as a leader and where you should act as an assistant. Everything cannot be done by a person.

Apart from individual work a teacher is expected to assist and be part of group projects. Group projects between staff members need collaboration and coordination. Hence it requires time and creativity. So it is always advisable to join in projects which cover your areas of interest and say a subtle NO to the ones which are out of your interest area.

13 Define Limits as far as Self Learning is Concerned:

'Learning is a lifelong journey' This statement has been viral since the pandemic started.  Everyone is running after certification programs and trying to score a point above everyone else. Too much learning does not result into proper actions and hence the result is not a productive one. It is good to take up a skill or two but not more than that.

Find ways to implement the knowledge that you already have. Experiment with ideas. 

Perform, then fail, then learn from your failure and perform again

Take honest and crucial feedback upon the work that you are doing. Do not be afraid of the criticism that you receive. Pick up the points which are relevant and push yourself on the path again

These are some of the points which I have picked after a thoughtful deliberation

 They can add a lot of value to the educators who are aiming to start their professional career as a school teacher.

9 Quotes to help you Eat That Frog!

Picture Credit: Toodledo.com

Eat the frog is a common quote used these days to push complacent people towards working. Nothing gets done without work. Action is the key to results. The more the action, the better results.

But procrastination has really pulled down people. Postponing today’s task to tomorrow and then to day after tomorrow has become the new normal for everyone. Pandemic has brought in more blues for people and the situation has turned into a worst one.

Eat the frog refers to that one important task which should be done by an individual which is important for him rather than urgent. People know about the important tasks but do not wish to do anything about it.

This happens because that important task pushes us into an uncomfortable zone. Our mind is not willing to accept that and so we refuse to eat that frog.

Ideally, the frog should be eaten for breakfast because the willpower and determination is much higher in the morning. So the chances of getting the work done are far better. Also we should understand the difference between important tasks and urgent tasks.

Important tasks will help in your long term goals. 

Urgent tasks are focused towards short term goals.

For example if you want to write a book then you must make it a habit of writing at least a couple of thousand words everyday. 

This is an important task.

But if you are an amateur writer then you might avoid hitting the target of a couple of thousand words. So this would be the frog that you must eat everyday. If you are not doing it and postponing it  for future then you are definitely suffering from procrastination.

Since the advent of social media, quotes is a popular way of reading and sending messages. Different aspects of life can be understood, motivation and inspiration can be derived from these quotes.

Hence people believe in reading and sharing quotes. Sometimes one can also read the mind set of the person sending you the quotes or displaying on the status, stories etc. 

Hence I chose quotes because they have often pushed me beyond limits upscaling my performance and expectations in the past.

Every one of us  go through the quotes that we receive every morning as good morning messages. We read them once and put it at the back of the mind for the rest of the life. A good idea would be to keep a collection of it as an album and keep reading them over a period of time.

This is what I do to keep myself motivated and inspired.

Just being lazy does not relate to procrastination. It is the idea of postponing things in the future to avoid a bit of discomfort in the present.

So here is my list which helps me keep procrastination at a hand's distance away.

1. This particular quote is given by Stephen King. He has written 86 bookd in his lifetime.

Imagine the amount of work and time he has put in. According to him we cannot wait for inspiration. We need to act. Action brings inspiration. It is not the other way around.

If your desire to achieve your aims is high and real, then you should not wait for inspiration. Start taking action towards your goal. Inspiration will help you keep going on the path. 

Remove all the uncertainty that you have. Start working.

2. There are many creative visualisation pictures which you might have seen in the advertisements. Imagine one such  visual where the mosquitoes are driven away with the mosquito repellent. Similarly action destroys or drives away procrastination.

Start working. Action is the driving force which will keep your mind occupied with what has to be done next. Hence it won't let procrastination settle like dust on the windowsill.

3. This one is my favourite. Mind is a producing outlet. It produces ideas continuously. But you will have to put them into action.

Mind is not a storage vault for the ideas that are produced. The ideas have to be pushed down the assembly line to reach the final stage of a completed product.

Hence many times a good productive idea comes to your mind but you quickly forget about it.

This happens because the ideas do not stay stored in your mind for a long time. According to research after three or four seconds the idea will vanish if you do not take an action upon it.

Putting ideas into action takes time so what should be done in the meantime?

Write each idea down in a diary. all the creative thoughts should be penned down if you want to take action on it.

4. How does an artist complete a portrait?

He starts with sketching the framework or an outline. Then he gradually fills it. Similarly every project and activity has to be broken down into simple and small steps.

It is easier to take one step at a time rather than jumping two or three steps together.

Breaking down the idea into small steps helps to see the goal as achievable. 

5. Procrastination and overthinking are best friends. These two companions hate the company of action.

Imagine you plan to start something new. Thoughts proceed action. 

If they are positive and constructive, you will start acting and producing results

If you are not confident that these thoughts can be converted into fruitful output, then the thoughts will keep you in the procrastination mode.

The idea of a project is exciting. But when you think too much about it the same idea turns into a dull and boring monster which tries to scare you away from action by making the task look extremely difficult for you to handle.

Hence procrastination will easily make the easiest task look extremely difficult.

6. This particular quote is my favourite. Fear is the main villain or the reason behind most people who consider themselves as unsuccessful.

Fear, hesitation and people's opinion do not let you move ahead. Fear creates an illusion in your mind which does not let you step out of your comfort zone.

Fear cripples you.

Fear holds you back.

Fear paralyzes you into inaction.

Fear pushes you to think negative thoughts.

Fear clips your wings.

Fear cuts down your motivation levels to zero.

Don't let fear grip you and strangle you.

Allow action to strangle your fear instead.

7. All of us use credit cards and we know its repayment cost.

While on a purchasing spree we do not realise the cost. And while paying the bill we sweat.

Procrastination works on the same principle. If you do not act properly at the proper time you have to pay a heavy cost later on.

8. As I said earlier procrastination creates an illusion. Hence we keep postponing our tasks to tomorrow. We feel that tomorrow would be a beautiful day but unfortunately that tomorrow never comes.

9. This quote hits the nail on its head. Look back in the past one year. Think about all the new year resolutions that you have taken and they were forgotten within a few days time.

Drop everything and start working on whatever you think is important in your life.

Don’t go after urgent tasks. Focus on important tasks which are for long term.

Procrastination is the enemy of action and success 

Keep such quotes handy.  Whenever you feel you are bogged by inaction you can read them.

Fuel yourself with action and motivation will follow.

Can a Teacher be a Career Counselor?

The answer to the above question is ‘yes’ they can be a very good career counsellor for the students.

Choosing a profession is not a one day decision. It is simply not an either ‘yes’ or ‘no’. The students take a lot of time to arrive at a decision. Though what we read in newspapers or media is an opposite story.

In the recently held NEET EXAMINATIONS, 111 students scored 700 out of 720 marks. It is an all time high number of students. Hence the clashes for the seats has increased. Two new colleges have been added ie AIIMS and JIPMER(Puducherry)

I read about the story of a boy from Uttar Pradesh. He wanted to become a doctor but failed to clear NEET for 5 years. It was his childhood dream. During that time he completed his graduation.  then took another chance by joining a particular institution for coaching. In his sixth attempt he cleared and secured a seat in MBBS.

But the above-mentioned cases are rare.

Students are absolutely confused about their careers. I believe they need continuous counseling sessions to arrive at a proper decision. Choosing a career is a journey it is not a destination.

It is important that we adults understand this process of helping students choose a career. A school counselor would be of great help here.

We are well aware of the existing fad which has been going on for years and years. The fad and excitement surrounding the JEE and NEET examinations.

Every student who scores above 90% wants to appear for these examinations and try their hand at becoming an engineer or a doctor.

Suicides due to the pressure of parents or society is another stigma which is sucking up our systems. So definitely help should pool in from all sections. Everyone must lend a helping hand to assist the students in making a career choice.

Schools have been performing many functions and so a teacher can very well act as a career counselor.

If I talk about it vaguely, then I will mention things like focus on a student strength, identify his skills and highlight them, listen to the students confusions and doubts, etc.

No there are concrete structures which can be used by a teacher to play the role of a career counsellor for his or her students.

A professional career counselor has the expertise and the professional know how related to different streams. They are aware about the trends existing in the labour market. They are also directly connected to Universities and employers.

So how can a teacher level up to a professional career counselor?

Here is how:

Have Career Conversations:

Every teacher has her own professional journey which consists of pitfalls and appreciations. Sharing your journey about how you reached the current point in your professional life will be a beacon for the students.

A teacher can share the confusion and confidence that she experienced at each step of her career.

Having these career conversations will help the students understand that there are many mountains and valleys to be crossed before being employable.

Brainstorming about professions:

There are different careers so brainstorming session would be really beneficial.

 Teacher’s frequently discuss ‘What is your aim in life?:

This is a good question to help the students. 

A better approach would be to discuss what they would have to do to reach their goal. That means the steps required like competitive exams, colleges which offer that course or financial aspects, etc.

So instead of a vague idea the students will have a concrete structure as to what steps they should take to reach a particular destination of a profession that they have chosen to become.

Fit the academic content in the real world:

Link the curriculum to the real world.

While teaching in the classroom the teachers can speak about where that concept fits in the real world.

For example while teaching  writing in the English class the role of publishers and the vastness of the publishing industry can be discussed. Careers in content writing or blogging can be taken up for discussion.

Certain scientific procedures and their implementation in the industry can be discussed.

So while  teaching just an extra plugin can help a lot.

Relieve the stress:

Students are confused and so get stressed easily. The teacher can relieve the stress by talking to them personally and showing them a clear pathway. 

Teachers know the students personally.  It is better for a teacher to understand the problems of students and provide an explanation.  Talking to the parents will also help the student.

Soft Skills:

Apart from the technical knowledge, the students need soft Skills like team building, collaborating, leadership skills, Communication Skills, anger management, etc.

A teacher should discuss the importance of these skills to succeed in the profession. Only a degree doesn’t guarantee success but an overall development does!

So I truly believe that teachers should talk to the students and subtly lead them towards a full filling career choice!

Have you gamified your Lesson plan?

Picture Credit: Reading Rewards

Screens are an important part of our life. they play a significant role in a child's life also.

The children are used to screens and they use it to their advantage.

Whenever you speak about a screen, they are curious, interested and hence they are good learners with the screens.

Before the pandemic the lesson plans were designed to deliver in a classroom.

During the pandemic they have to be redesigned to achieve objectives of a virtual classroom.

Time and again I have pointed out that there is a major difference between digital content and a digital classroom.

Digital content is extremely attractive both in audio and visual manner.

Digital classroom can be managed by stimulating the students in different ways. The software companies are entering Edtech because they have seen the potential of learning by gamifying the concepts.

True gamified content lures the student into learning a concept by sugar coating the educational content in the form of a game.

The student is focused towards the game which is very interesting an in return learns a concept which might seem boring otherwise. 

Hence if teachers gamify the Lesson plan it would really interest the students.

So teachers how do you gamify your Lesson plan?

Attractive conten:  Just like a video game the content of your class should be attractive. It should have an interesting activity, lively examples or small portions of humor.

Award points:  The students should be given points to score as they move through the lesson. Remember in a video game the player keeps scoring points at every step.

Make a point scoring system in your class based on attentiveness, promptness in answering the question, Raising hands to acknowledge what the teacher is saying, etc.

GI FS and Emojis:  For every high point during your lesson give out  a GIF or an emoj. It livens the mood and draws the attention of the students. It’s the content being given out.

Feedback through points:  If you openly give feedback through points based on their performance, the learners compare their performance and try to fill up the gap in the points.

Hence they try to improve their learning skills. At the end of the lesson every student can display the reward points collected during the lesson.

Gamifying a lesson plan will help a teacher in getting an interested lot if students for the class

The Best Tips to Deal with Digital Fatigue!

Picture credit: it brief.com.au

What is Digital Fatigue?

When people use many apps at one time, they experience Digital Fatigue.

It also occurs when you work for long time opposite screens.

Eyes are strained and mind is stressed.

Since remote learning has started and will continue for a long time, one cannot avoid digital fatigue.

Fatigue sets in our daily life also when when we do many things at the same time.

If your pace of doing work is very fast, you get tired easily.

The same applies for Virtual or online work.

The speed of the electronic gadgets is fast. Our brain tries to catch up with it and the result is fatigue.

We should not try to adjust the speed of our mind to that of a machine.

Here are a few ways to deal with digital fatigue-

➡️ Slow Down: Do not try to complete work in a short period of time.

As people are working from home, they try to finish their work fast so that they can attend to other chores. Work at a slower pace.

➡️ Plan: Before you hit the internet button and start work, plan your to do list.

Make a list of tasks on a notepad. Writing it down assures that you will remain focussed on your work. There won't be any confusions and so fatigue will be avoided.

➡️ Handy Note Pad: When you are working online, keep a notepad handy. If something pops up in your mind, write it down. 

Don't act upon it immediately. Read it later on and decide it's priority based upon importance.

I keep a notepad handy when I am on Social Media. While scrolling, if I find something useful, I note it down.

Later I reflect whether it is of value and should I react to it or not.

This Technique saves time. There is no unnecessary wastage of time.

➡️ Shut Down: While working, all notifications should be off. Notifications causes distractions and distraction causes fatigue.

Digital Fatigue kills creativity and sets in procrastination.

To avoid Digital Fatigue, complete your work and move away from screens.