Windows frozen, now what?

On a cold winter morning, wife texts husband: "WINDOWS FROZEN, WON'T OPEN"

Husband texts back:
"POUR SOME LUKEWARM WATER OVER IT AND TAP GENTLY ALONG THE EDGES WITH A HAMMER"

Five minutes later wife texts husband: "COMPUTER REALLY SCREWED UP NOW"

Planning to retire ? Do not focus on money

Money is not everything when you are making the decision to retire. I am not thinking wealth is not necessary, it is. Making a decision to retire is more than just counting your pennies. Talk to financial advisor about your retirement and they will, I bet, concentrate on how much money do you have or how much should you save, to maintain the lifestyle you currently have today. 

If you talk to the experts or read them, you will come across many different rules of thumb, such as these:

Aim to save at least 1x your salary by 30, 3x by 40, 6x by 50, 8x by 60, and 10x by 67. 

The Multiply by 25 Rule estimates how much money you'll need in retirement by multiplying your desired annual income by 25. For example, if you want to withdraw $40,000 per year from your retirement portfolio, you need $1 million dollars in your retirement portfolio. ($40,000 x 25 equals $1 million.) If you want to withdraw $50,000 per year, you need $1.25 million. To withdraw $60,000 per year, you need $1.5 million.

Age rule: As you get older so you should invest more conservatively based on the “Age Rule”. This rule states that you should invest 100 minus your age in stocks. Since I am are age 72, I should have 28% in stocks and 72% in bonds.

These calculations do not, in Canada, include Canada Pension Plan Income or Old Age Security Income, which while not sizeable could amount to over $1100 a month for an individual or $2200 a month for a couple. 

In addition what they don't add, or if they do it is added as a parenthesis is: Factors that will impact your personal savings goal include the age you plan to retire and the lifestyle you hope to have in retirement and how long you think you will live.

We don't know how long we will live, but we do know what lifestyle we hope to have when we retire or do we. Retirement is probably the greatest life change you will ever undergo, make sure you prepare and are set both financially and emotionally, one without the other just won’t work. 

The most important aspect of your retirement that you need to plan for is your lifestyle. Life in retirement is about reinventing yourself, establishing who you are and what you love to do, and being positive.

We know there are three stages of retirement, so Take time out to think about what it is you really want to do as well as what you don't want to do, particularly in the first stage of retirement. Without creating a plan you could drift and things that you did not plan or want may happen. You do not want to waste time not doing the stuff you really do not want to do.

In retirement, it is important to fill your life with something that is purposeful.  Retirement gives you an opportunity to enjoy more freedom, but and I speak from experience, 24/7 fun can get a little tiresome. I believe we need more purpose in life than just leisure.

Do you believe in miracles?

Do you believe in miracles? For thousands of years, many of us believed in miracles, which were considered a surprising and welcome event that was not explainable by natural or scientific laws as we knew them. Accordingly, because we had no explanation of what happened, we considered the event the result of an intervention of a supreme agency. Those that believe in a supreme agency have different visions of what that agency is and how the agency interacts with humans. That difference in vision has resulted in many terrible actions between humans. Some who believe in one vision, attack those who have another vision of this supreme agency.

As our understanding of natural and scientific laws expanded, those events which we used to consider miracles are now seen in a new light. But because many of us believe in a supreme agency we continue to believe in the idea that miracles can and do happen. 

I believe that we are in control of how we react to the events in our lives and because we are, we create our own miracles. Because we are in control we are entitled to as many miracles in a day that we want. You could create as many miracles as breaths you take. You control the events in your life; you control how they unfold, you control the miracles that happen in your life and any miracles you don't use, you can carry them over. 

All you have to do to create the miracle is expect it, then you will create the miracle you need.

What makes a great teacher?

What makes a great teacher, is it the rapport with the students, the ability to get the best from them, or is it the ability to want students to achieve on standardized tests? Is it the ability to interact with parents, administrators, colleagues, senior management? Or is it the ability to manage classroom aides, as well as manage classroom control, 

Do you want to be noticed for your drive, your integrity, honesty, your caring and your values? No matter how tough or easy you are if the students recognize that you care, it makes a big difference running the class.

Being and acting in a professional manner is something that is different for each individual teacher, but acting as a professional allows your student, your colleagues and your administration and your parents to relax, as they know you will do the right thing. 

When I started teaching there were rules about what teachers could and could not wear. Over time these rules either vanished or are no longer enforced. One way to demonstrate you are serious about your craft is to dress in a manner that says to everyone, you are proud of yourself and that you are ready to teach. I don't mean wear a suit and tie or a formal dress, I mean make sure what you are wearing is clean, pressed and not too trendy.

We all plan, both short-term and long-term planning is needed by teachers. When a teacher is being trained at University, the trainers focus on the day's lesson or the week's lesson plan. I found that when I had my own class, I sat down and looked first at the year. I created the outcomes and goals that I wanted my students to have at the end of their year with me. I used the curriculum guides and outcomes to help in this long-term planning.  Once I had the long-term goals for the year set, I broke down the steps I would take to get my students to the end goals and objectives. I created goals that would be achieved by Christmas break, by Easter Break and by June 1st. Once I had the goals and subgoals set, I then created long and short-term lessons. I would, for example, have a team project that focused in on a particular area that would last a month. While the class was working on that project, I would create lesson plans that build towards the goals I was trying to get my students to reach. I would also set up tests and other evaluations that allowed me to see where my students were in their understanding of the goals we were trying to understand. I was always prepared, so when the inevitable problem or change was thrown my way, I and my class could adjust easily.

Students are not passive learners, they watch everything we do and say in the classroom and they can quickly see the difference between someone who knows what they are doing and someone who is floundering.  They perceive your fear.  

Strong and consistent classroom management allows students to feel safe and to be secure in the idea that you are fair, and will keep your classroom safe from bullying and other situations that detract from learning. There will always be interruptions and even disturbances that may be frightening to your students. The students look to you for guidance in these situations and you must stay calm and in control.   It takes time to develop a history and to get to a point where you really do know what to do in each circumstance.  Interruptions and disturbances should not upset you, because you are prepared in every other way, and once the problem is addressed you can slide back to your lesson smoothly.

If you are prepared, you remain calm, you have the confidence that allows you up to be relaxed and even funny with your students.  Your students want to know that you know what you are doing and they also take joy when they see you smile because they are on track. Your sense of confidence will allow students to take a risk and open up to you.  Being confident, relaxed your students will be at ease so they will feel confident to ask difficult questions and to interact with you and each other. Because you are a professional you are making a difference in the lives of students which is why you came into this profession in the first place.

What qualities do you remember in the great teachers you had when you were in school (High School, University, or College?)