10 Pre-Show Stage Fright Rituals of Famous Musicians

10 Pre-Show Stage Fright Rituals of Famous Musicians Suzy S. Do you get butterflies before youre about to perform, even for a small audience? Imagine singing or playing your instrument at  sold-out arenas! Performing for screaming fans can be nerve-wracking even for the most seasoned musicians. To combat the nerves, many rely on pre-show rituals to center themselves. Continue reading to find out what some of your favorite famous musicians do behind-the-scenes How 10 Famous Musicians Battle Stage Fright Learn about the pre-show rituals of your favorite musicians. Alice Cooper Alice Cooper eats Skittles as a pre-show snack and watches kung-fu movies before he takes the stage. Beyoncé Beyoncé has a pretty specific pre-show ritual: she gathers the members of the band to say a prayer and do a stretch. After that, she sits in a massage chair while she gets her hair and makeup done. She also enjoys an hour of peace before her show and has a special playlist that she listens to every day. Keith Richards The Rolling Stones rocker is very specific about his pre-show meal. He always eats a Shepherds pie, and he  must be the one who breaks the crust. Justin Bieber When Justin Bieber was a young star, he enjoyed Sour Patch Kids and gummy worms before his show. Were not sure if he still eats these snacks before he performs for sold-out arenas, but whatever hes doing, its working! Rihanna Like  Beyoncé, Rihanna grabs her musicians and backup dancers together for a prayer circle. Also, right before they take the stage, they put their hands in the middle and raise them as they yell a rallying cry. Eminem The fit rapper requests 25-pound dumbbells and six Lunchables Snack Packs (three turkey and three ham and cheese) for his dressing room. Coldplay The British rock band enjoys a little bit of quiet time before their shows and always makes sure to do a group hug. John Legend John Legend knows its important to eat a good meal before a performance. The singer eats roasted chicken before his shows. How to Battle Anxiety and Stage Fright While the musicians listed above have a lot of performance experience, it doesnt mean theyre immune to feeling some pre-show jitters. In fact, many famous musicians including Adele, Barbra Streisand, and more recently Zayn Malik have shared their personal stories of anxiety and stage fright. In reality, stage fright is nothing to be afraid of. In fact, you can even use that energy to your advantage check out our Ultimate Guide to Stage Fright to learn the strategies. So get out there and enjoy yourself! The rush youll feel is worth it, we promise. Readers, do you have your own pre-performance rituals? How do you battle stage fright and anxiety? Leave a comment below and let us know! Sources: MusicNotes, Mental Floss, EMGN,  Huffington Post, Photo by  Benny Chandra Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher

Places for Boxing Coaching

Places for Boxing Coaching Where Can You Coach Boxing? ChaptersBecome a Boxing Coach in a Boxing GymTeaching Boxing through Online PlatformsBecoming a Boxing Coach through Word of Mouth“Even though you think boxing is a contact sport, it teaches you not to fight on the street, to behave. It gives you discipline and self-control.” - Amir KhanBoxing is a sport that many are familiar with but very few are masters of. It seems so simple; hit your opponent. There are several types of boxing but the one thing they all have in common is that you need to learn the technique and train.There are multiple related disciplines and some that share many similarities despite originating independently from traditional boxing. With so many disciplines, getting coaching is the way to go. Whether you’re interested in traditional boxing, savate, Thai boxing, or kick-boxing, you can always learn.  If you already know how to do it and are looking to become a coach, you’ll need to know where you can ply your trade.Which are the best places to coach boxi ng?Let’s have a look. AndreyBoxing Teacher 5.00 (1) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors KostiaBoxing Teacher 5.00 (1) £17/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LeeBoxing Teacher £17/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors SajBoxing Teacher 5.00 (1) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors KaranBoxing Teacher £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ThomasBoxing Teacher £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors HaileyBoxing Teacher 4.50 (2) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors DavidBoxing Teacher £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsBecome a Boxing Coach in a Boxing Gym“Boxing isn’t just a sport, it’s a way of life.” - Maëlle PariezIf you decide to coach boxing, the most obvious solution is also the simplest, teaching in a boxing club. There are hundreds of boxing gyms across the UK and there's likely one near you. You can coach boxing in boxing gyms, regular gyms, and fitness centres. (Source: xusenru)Of course, to work in a boxing club, you’ll need the necessary experience and qualifications. Unsurprisingly, a place that specialises in boxing training won’t hire just anyone off the street.  If this is what you plan on doing, then you’ll need to be looking at boxing coaching courses before you start applying to jobs.Boxing clubs are home to the Noble Art. The coaches are trained specialists and teach amateurs and professionals alike and you can find boxers of every level at boxing clubs and the coaches need to be quite adaptable.  By “adaptable”, we mean that in addition to having some very experienced members, boxing clubs are also the first port of call for aspiring boxers. Depending on your level and schedule, you may be surprised by who you have to teach.Don’t worry, though. Your love of the sport should get you through every challenge. Most training sessions take place with sm all groups working on their technique, tactics, and physical training.  Some boxing clubs are housed in gyms so check if your local gym also has a boxing club that you could work for.Find out more about becoming a boxing coach.Teaching Boxing through Online PlatformsAnother effective solution is to teach boxing using modern technologies. Thanks to the internet, aspiring boxers can get coaching whenever they want from wherever they want. In the modern age, many things can be taught online. (Source: SFReader)These sessions are also taught by qualified and talented boxing coaches and you could be one of them. The idea’s quite simple; in most cases, you’ll be the boss, set your rates, and manage your schedule.It all seems very good on paper, doesn’t it?There are multiple online platforms where you can get boxing coaching including Superprof, of course. While some of these platforms only offer courses and tutorials via webcam (which isn’t ideal for boxing), Superprof also offers face-to-face tutorials and training. Thus, you can find groups of students, organise private training sessions, set your rates, work according to your schedule, and train where you want to. You could train in a gym, park, or even in your garage. Anything is possible!With personalised training sessions, you can set your sights much higher than you would for in a group lesson. Similarly, the student will have more trust in the coach and fee l more relaxed in the ring. Make sure you try to coach in the same place as often as possible.Similarly, make sure you remain a consummate professional. Being the boss means that no-one is watching over you so you need to make sure that you stay disciplined. Even budding boxers training in a park need to treat it like they would a boxing club. Especially if they want to become champions!As a private boxing coach, you can offer whatever type of boxing class you want. A lot of boxing coaches also work as fitness trainers and bring their knowledge of boxing to their fitness classes.Ever heard of fitness boxing?This is a way to use a boxing workout to get fit or get in shape rather than focus on boxing techniques for use in the ring. After all, most professionals train relentlessly before they even put their boxing gloves on.Instead of learning how to throw perfect punches and working on your footwork, these high-intensity boxing workouts are designed as a full-body workout with a focus on aerobic exercise, building your stamina, and toning your body rather than preparing you to become a professional boxer. After all, cardio forms a large part of boxing fitness.Rather than punching a heavy bag or speed bag, the focus will be on raising your heart rate and getting a total body workout to burn fat and tone muscle.Find out more about starting your career as a boxing instructor.Becoming a Boxing Coach through Word of MouthYou can’t become a private boxing coach (or any private tutor for that matter) without the appropriate support group. Outside of the boxing club, word of mouth will let others know that you’re passionate about coaching boxing and good at your job. You just need to convert interested parties into paying students. If you're good to your clients, they'll tell other potential clients about you. (Source: eloneo)Make sure you have the right equipment, taking your potential students’ needs into account as well as potential locations where you can train them. In some cases, you may even want to rent a room. More often than not in the UK, the weather will thwart the best-laid plans.Word of mouth is a great way to make your coaching business successful. After all, boxing is very difficult to teach yourself...To find students, make sure that everyone you know is aware that you’re coaching boxing. You can even look to local businesses, too. Put up an ad on a local bakery noticeboard, leave some cards at the newsagent’s, etc. Soon everyone in the neighbourhood will know that you’re the boxing coach to go to.Similarly, you’ll probably find potential students in gyms and boxing clubs. Of course, don’t go poaching students from other coaches.Why not offer a free trial session to interested parti es?Similarly, make sure you have a web presence in the form of profiles on the appropriate websites and consider getting your website.  Nowadays, there are plenty of digital tools to help us. Social networks, blogs, etc. all offer a great way to find potential clients.  A quick email blast, a nice website, or a well-managed Instagram account and you’ll soon start finding clients.Who said that you have to just teach the one discipline?If you can do traditional boxing and kick-boxing, there’s nothing to stop you from offering both. You have to think carefully about the best places to coach boxing. (Source: Skitterphoto)As you’ll have understood, if you know what to do, coaching boxing can be quite simple. The know-how will get you far. If you opt for working in a boxing club, you’ll have to be versatile and able to teach various levels.Online platforms are a quick and effective way to find students in the digital age. It’s up to you to decide how you’re going to run things, though.Word of mouth, the oldest option, can also be the most effective. With a few classified ads and digital tools like social media and websites, anyone with the skills can start coaching boxing.Keep in mind that if you're offering personal training or private boxing classes, you'll be expected to tailor your lessons to your students. If they're interested in sparring, shadow boxing, or strength training, let them focus on that. Of course, if their fitness goals also include preparing for a fight, you need to ensure that they have a fighting chance, even if they aren't interested in some of the less appealing aspects of professional boxing training.Find out more about how much boxing coaches earn.So are you ready to start coaching?No matter which discipline of boxing you want to coach, you have to take the first step.Ready?You can learn more about boxing from our other articles or even get boxing tutorials from one of the many experienced and talented tutors on Superprof. There are many boxing coaches around the UK and all over the world ready to help you but you need to choose the right one and the right type of tutorials. There are three main types, face-to-face tutorials, online tutorials, and group tutorials, and each has its pros and cons.

Heart Math Tutorings Funding Initiative Grows Program to Include 12 CMS School Partners - Heart Math Tutoring

Heart Math Tutoring’s Funding Initiative Grows Program to Include 12 CMS School Partners - Heart Math Tutoring Heart Math Tutoring’s Funding Initiative Grows Program to Include 12 CMS School Partners Heart Math Tutoring’s Funding Initiative Grows Program to Include 12 CMS School Partners August 25, 2016 Heart Math Tutoring has completed its Spring Funding Initiative and raised $630K, which will enable Heart to grow from eight to 12 school sites during the 2016/17 school year. Funds raised were from grants, corporation donations and from community support. Individual donors contributed $220K. Several local and state-wide foundations have made commitments to Heart at the “School Sponsorship” level ($25K $50K): Sisters of Mercy of North Carolina Foundation, Social Venture Partners, The Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Foundation at Foundation For The Carolinas, the Belk Foundation, Wells Fargo, Google Fiber, and North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation. In addition, The Leon Levine Foundation (“TLLF”) has committed to contributing up to $50,000 in the form of a $1 for $1 match for new, increased, and lapsed donations or corporate pledges. Heart must secure support by November 30, 2016 to qualify for the TLLF match. “We greatly appreciate the generosity of our community partners and the financial support that will enable us to bring the program to six hundred students this coming school year,” said Emily Elliott, executive director of Heart Math Tutoring. “Funds raised will ensure all students build the strong foundation in math and enthusiasm for academics needed for long-term success.” Read the full press release here.

Easily Confused Words in English Job and Work

Easily Confused Words in English Job and Work Well it is Sunday evening and tomorrow most of us have to return to our work week (not our job week). What is the difference between work and job? Good question! Here are some commonly confused English words hope it helps.The difference between job and work:WorkWork can be both a noun and a verb. Read the definition below:Work (Noun) an activity of mental or physical effort that has a result or purpose such as: money, growth, a product. He was tired after a long days work. Im still looking for work.Work (Noun) the place where the activity of work is done. Im going to work. Ive just gotten home from work.Work (Verb) the activity involving physical or mental effort that you do for a result such as: money. I like working.   Ive worked here for 3 years.Job-job can only be a noun. There isnt a verb form. Job (Noun) a paid position of regular employment. I have a part-time job.I like my job.Job (Noun) a small task or a piece of work.You did a good job today on the report that you did.I nee d to focus in order to get the job done.Hints: Job is countable. I have three jobs. A job should be fun. You always have an article (the/a/an/1,2,3).Work is uncountable. I work a lot. What do you do at work. You NEVER use articles (the/a/an/1,2,3).Watch the video and do the questions below:1. When you get a ____ you can get some moonshoes.2. Trust me you dont want a _______.3. Im ready to start _________.4. How do you like the new ________?Take an English class with us using skype, and learn lots more. buil How are you? LOIEnglish Nice work!

When and How to Ask for a Job Promotion

When and How to Ask for a Job Promotion via Pexels.com 1. The When While time does not always equal effort, it is necessary to consider how much time you have spent working in this company. If you have been at this company for less than six months, it may not yet a good idea to ask for a promotion. It is likely that you are still developing your knowledge of the processes, expectations, and responsibilities involved. If you are still fairly new, but feel you could be doing more, you could ask your supervisor or manager for some tasks with more responsibility involved. This will show initiative while also allowing yourself to build up your skills without having to take a huge leap before you’re ready. In some companies, you will go through a probation period where they will review your work after around 3-6 months. This is a great time to discuss with your supervisors any changes you may like to see to your responsibilities, tasks, and pay. Similarly, if you have just switched to a new role, it probably isn’t the best time to ask for a promotion. Even though you may have short term success already, you need to show your colleagues that you will have long term success too. Give yourself some time to really dedicate yourself to this role. If you aren’t feeling like you are doing enough, talk to the workers above you about some ideas you might have for improvement. 2. The Why The next step is to figure out why you are wanting a promotion. It could be a range of things from boredom to money to ambition, or a combination of all three. You’re also going to need to begin gathering information from your boss about why you’d make a good candidate for a promotion, or perhaps why you are better off in the role you have now. The feedback culture of each company is going to vary widely. It is essential that you receive feedback from your boss to know how to improve. If your company regularly gives you feedback and holds meetings about your progress, think about the things said, especially things that have been repeated. If your feedback is mostly positive, and you’ve been working hard on strengthening your weaknesses, it may be time for you to ask for a promotion. If your feedback is mostly negative, you may want to take some more time to fix the recurring issues before tackling new things. If you work somewhere that doesn’t give regular feedback, it is a good idea to seek some out to know where you stand. Ask your supervisor or boss to schedule a meeting with you to discuss your work thus far and come up with ways to keep improving. After the meeting, take into consideration what you can improve on and put forth your efforts towards those things. If your meeting was mostly positive, this may be your cue to ask for a promotion. It is very important that you meet with your supervisor specifically to discuss your progress and your contributions so far. You should not be making assumptions about your work based on day-to-day comments. Most often, the things discussed every day will be negative: things that need fixed or have gone wrong. A job well done can easily go unnoticed. If you solely base your judgment on the day-to-day, you may have a more negative view of yourself which may not be accurate. 3. The How It is essential that you speak to your boss directly when asking for a promotion. In the case that your boss doesn’t have a lot of influence, then you’ll want to speak to someone with an even higher role, perhaps the CEO. Make sure to set up a meeting that allows plenty of time for you to pitch your promotional case and plenty of time for follow-up questions and negotiation. By this point, you should have gathered some key information about your success in the company and why you think you’re suited for a promotion. If there is a specific vacant role that you’re after, make sure you touch on how you would take on the aspects of that role. No conversation will go exactly the same, but remember to always remain calm, confident, and respectful regardless of the outcome. Although scary at first, the task of asking for a promotion can be broken down into easier, more manageable steps. Remember to believe in your abilities and act on those beliefs. You’ll be on your way to a better role in no time.

Its Good to Be Popular! 7 of the Worlds Most Studied Languages

Its Good to Be Popular! 7 of the Worlds Most Studied Languages Its Good to Be Popular! 7 of the Worlds Most Studied Languages You loved that band before they hit it big.You were a regular at that bar before the hipsters found it.Yeah, yeah.Its great to be ahead of the curve.But sometimes going mainstream is underrated.Take language learning. While it can be very rewarding to study lesser known languages, there are also definite benefits to jumping on a big ol bandwagon.Not convinced?Well, sit back, take a sip of that kombucha you knew about before Whole Foods started carrying it, and well walk you through seven of the worlds most studied languages and what makes them so valuable for their many students. How Do Some Languages Get So Popular?There’s a correlation between a language’s popularity and the number of countries where its spoken. It makes perfect senseâ€"the more widespread a language is, the more potential opportunities it offers to language learners.Then there are languages that offer specific advantages to their speakers. For example, some languages can open up career opportunities or broad en your professional connections across the global economy. Others are great for travel and become favorites of anyone with wanderlust. Some are needed for educational requirements or just personal goals (crossing items off a bucket list is always a plus!).Its Good to Be Popular! 7 of the Worlds Most Studied LanguagesIf one of these languages interests you, immersive learning (surrounding yourself with the written and spoken language) is the fastest way to join its community of students. Of course, if you arent currently located in an area where its spoken, immersions a lot harder to achieve.  FluentU  is a great way to mimic the immersion experience no matter where you areâ€"it offers authentic videos like movie trailers, music videos, inspiring talks and more.Each video comes with interactive captions, flashcards and exercises, so you’re  actively building your vocabulary while you absorb the native sounds of the language. FluentU also keeps track of your learning and suggests m ore videos that’ll suit your level and goals. Better yet, you can take this personalized and immersive language practice anywhere  with the FluentU mobile app.FluentU has programs for the popular languages that we’ll cover below, including Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, German, French, Italian  and English, among others.Throughout this post, well be using  statistics about language study and speaker populations from this  Washington Post article, unless indicated otherwise.FrenchNumber of learners: 82 millionFrench is the only language other than English that’s spoken on five continents! Total, more than 220  million people speak French, making it the sixth most widely spoken language in the world.Many language learners are interested in French because its a smart investment.  French is one of the fastest growing languages in the world, with 750 million people expected to speak it by 2050.According to the  Financial Times, French is also one of the languages thats in dem and among businesses in the U.K., so this is a great option if youre located there and want to expand your professional opportunities without moving.Fun fact: When the French Revolution took place, not all French citizens spoke the nations mother tongue. In fact, 75 percent spoke something other than French. And until the 1800s  people in Holland and Germany spoke more French than people living in some parts of France did. Pretty amazing, isn’t it? But the language made up for all that, with French speakers tripling since 1945.The surge in popularity looks poised for even further expansion!ChineseNumber of learners: 30 million16 percent of the global populationâ€"or 1.39 billion peopleâ€"speak Chinese as a native or additional language. It’s no wonder that numbers so high, considering China is the most populous nation in existence, with more than 1.3 billion citizens.Chinese has a reputation as being difficult for English speakers to learn, but that may be a misconception. Becau se Chinese has no verb tenses and no gender rules to memorize, among other elements, its actually a great option if you want to learn a new language without tearing your hair out over grammar.You probably wont be surprised that Chinese also carries significant potential in the business world. (Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, is a Chinese language learner!) China is home to one of the world’s oldest continuous cultures, yet its jettisoned itself into position as a global economic powerhouse. The Great Wall is the backdrop to newly-emerging business opportunities.Fun fact:  There are over 50,000 written Chinese characters! When I was in China I spent a lot of time admiring the characters and photographing them. I didn’t understand a word but they were still highly intriguing.SpanishNumber of learners: 14.5 millionThere are  389 million total Spanish speakers. Spanish is the official language of 21 nations.But you dont need to be located in Spain or Latin America for the lang uage to be useful to you. Did you know the U.S. actually has more Spanish speakers than Spain doesâ€"and is projected to be the country with the most Spanish speakers anywhere by the year 2050?These facts make Spanish an especially popular language for residents of the U.S. looking for employment opportunities or those who just  want to be able to communicate with more of their neighbors.But how about if you want to expand your communication abilities beyond physical boundaries?  Spanish is the third most widely used language on the internet behind English and Chinese!Many English speakers also choose Spanish because its considered one of the less difficult or time consuming to learn. The FSI (Foreign Service Institute) ranks it as a Category 1 languageâ€"easy to learn with only 600 hours of study time needed to achieve proficiency.Fun fact:  It’s helpful to know that Spanish is called both Español (Spanish) and  Castellano (Castilian). A language that needs two names? Definitely noteworthy!GermanNumber of speakers:  14.5 millionThere are  132 million native German speakers and 95 percent of Germany’s population speaks German as their  first language.Many business sectors involve German companies. BMW, Adidas, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz, among others, are German-owned so people whore thinking of working for some of these economic biggies often consider the language behind the companies to be useful.German is also a vocabulary-lover’s dream! There are several amazingly long words in the languageâ€"they’re probably not easily pronounced by beginning learners but are loads of fun to learn, regardless.Fun fact:  Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften (an insurance company providing legal protection) is considered Germans longest word, even though its not actually in the dictionary. Let’s just hope we never get that one on a spelling test!ItalianNumber of learners: 8 millionItalian has 67 million total speakers.  Italy’s thriving economy and its pla ce as a solid market for U.S. exports make this beautiful language a contender among internationally-minded learners as well as academics and culture-lovers.We all realize that Italys famous for its art and culture. Thats been the case since the Roman Empire. But present-day Italy melds both the old-world treasures (Michelangelo, anyone?) with economic openings that anyone with a working fluency of the language could find life-changing.Fun fact:  If you’re wondering how this language spread across Italy and Europe, wonder no more. Dante’s famous “Divine Comedy” is widely credited for the spread of the Italian language. Today, 15 percent of the Italian words in use can be traced back to the man some consider the father of the Italian language.JapaneseNumber of speakers: 3 millionAcross the world, 123 million people speak Japanese as a native or additional language.There are many factors that motivate learners to undertake Japanese. Some reasons are fairly basic, and range fro m employment opportunities to educational exchange programsâ€"popular organizations like the JET Programme  make it possible for English speakers to live and work within Japanese communities while improving their language skills.Another motivation that fuels many language learners is the desire to understand Japanese anime in its original language.Fun fact:  There are two major dialects of this melodic language, Eastern Japanese and Western Japanese.EnglishNumber of learners: 1.5 billionEnglish is the most-studied language. Its the only language that tallies more than a billion students.Across the globe, more than 520 million speak English as a native or additional language, and it’s the official language of more than 50 countries.It’s no surprise that English is so popular or heavily studied. In many nations, global contentâ€"think news, politics and entertainmentâ€"is often initially reported in English. And since its one of the worlds most widely spoken languages, it facilita tes global communicationâ€"even in countries where it isn’t necessarily the official language.Numerous international organizations and companies use English as the language of choice when conducting business, so English speakers have a leg up in many employment situations. English is one of the working languages of the United Nations and is the  official language of the World Bank.Fun fact: As a speaker of English, you can amuse your friends with the popular pangram (a sentence that uses every letter of the alphabet), “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” Say that three times, fast!So there you have it, a breakdown of the world’s most studied languages. As you can clearly see, languages become widely studied for many reasons.Now that all the facts are laid out, are you ready to become one of millions of language learners? Are you ready to add one of these popular languages to your repertoire?You can’t go wrong choosing a language from this list. And you’ve got e verything to gain and nothing to loseâ€"so why not go for it? Good luck!

My Teaching Philosophy

My Teaching Philosophy My Story: School and How I Learned I Wanted to TeachMy earliest memory of my education was in my kindergarten classroom. I remember my teacher, and how she would play “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “Oh When the Saints” on her xylophone to signal to the students that she wanted them to come to the rug. No words were spoken, it was just known by all the students in the class that this was our cue.This experience has stayed with me all through my schooling, and will remain within my future as an educator. As a student, I always enjoyed school, enjoyed learning and enjoyed the atmosphere. This feeling continued, and even when school required more studying and less exploration, I still saw its value. I do not know how this this appreciation came to me, if it was instilled in me by my family, my teachers, if it came naturally, or possibly a combination, but I was grateful it was there. Entering the field of education, and having gained experience working within schools, I have s een that this experience is not typical. I have met different students with many different stories, and not one of them is the same as another. As a child it is more difficult to see these discrepancies, but looking back on my experiences in school, as well as what I have learned since then, it is clear to me that there is no typical experience, no cookie cutter student and no one way to teach. Each teacher must forge their own path to discover how they will inspire each of their students. “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge” (Albert Einstein) and that is my aspiration as a teacher. How My Philosophy Helps My StudentsThe most vital, and foundational philosophy that any teacher, of any grade, demographic or subject area needs to consider is how the student views themselves within the classroom community that you have created. If a student feels that they are not valued as part of this community, or that they are not a positive contributor to this community, their success academically, socially and emotionally is compromised. Classrooms today represent a wide range of diverse learners, whether it be students with disabilities, English Language Learners, minority groups or students who may just feel ostracized or “different”. It is our job as teachers to awaken the joy in students within this community. Give students to opportunity to show what makes them special. Value their differences and celebrate them. Give every the student the opportunity to do something great, something that will make them feel proud of themselves, and feel that they are a part of the group of students around them. This will be different for every student and may be easy, or may take a lot of trust, support and encouragement. However, that one small moment of being included, involved, and belonging may be what makes the difference for a student to succeed and awaken the inspiration within them.Once a student feels comfortable an d valued in their classroom community, the foundation of learning can begin. A student will be more open and willing to learning new things if they are comfortable. Students will be even more willing to learn and experience new things if they can see the value that the learning has to them. A student is more likely to see the value in learning and be actively involved if they can identify how the material can relate to and help them in their own lives. How do we expect students to blindly follow teachers and they teach lessons, but do not understand why they are learning what they are learning? Tips: How What I've Learned Can Help Other Teachers, Tutors, and StudentsTeachers need to take the time to explain to students on why what they are learning matters to them, and for each student, that may be different. This element does not need to be overtly repeated in every situation, it may be subtle and may be woven into the lesson or activity you area leading. What is important is that students can make connections to what they are learning in the classroom to real life experiences. This connection does not only inspire them to learn, but enables the learning process by making that connection and solidifying what that student is learning. Furthermore, to ensure that a student’s interest and learning continues to grow, teachers must make the time to pursue topics that students find interesting themselves. With curriculum standards and state requirements, teachers often tend to avoid migrating from the strict curriculum. Does that mean if a student or groups of students show a unique interest in a topic not specifically outlined in a framework that we, as teachers, should ignore it? Or does it mean that we, as teachers, should recognize this opportunity for curiosity and learning and allow students to pursue interests. It is not impossible. Any topic or idea can be adapted to work within a classroom setting. Teachers need to be flexible and adaptable. We need to gauge student interest and seize opportunities when we see them. Teachers need to “awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge” within their students to help ensure their futures are bright.“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its abili ty to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”