A Call for Public School Educators to Get With It

All educators must embrace change. Many states around the country have adopted new curriculums, new standards, and new teacher evaluation instruments. The Race to the Top initiative served as the impetus for many of these vast and speedy changes. In turn, many experts would agree that the new initiatives were responses to a global economic recession, a globalized economic market, and a shift in the kinds of skills needed in the current and future job markets.

Gaining expertise in our trade is the most important way that educators can combat the complexities of teaching and learning in the 21st Century. As the June 1999 report from the American Federation of Teachers confirmed, teaching is indeed rocket science. Job opportunities in education for the undercertified, the para-professional, and the behind-the-times professional are being phased out by positions that require high levels of training and expertise. Classroom teachers must be able to quickly and effectively gauge their students’ exact skill levels in a given subject area then base instruction around a plan for achieving a year’s (or a semester’s) growth. This plan must be developmentally appropriate and must include input from a range of specialists and stakeholders including the parents. Likewise, school administrators must be able to read and process detailed reports on student learning, and lead the school to address specific instructional deficiencies while including a vast continuum of stakeholders in the process of shared leadership.

Even including the complexities and barriers, public education is still our country’s best hope to compete in the 21st Century global economy. Much has been said about attacks on public education. Some have even accused politicians of placing obstacles in the way of public education through private voucher systems, skewed accountability measures, and unfunded mandates. Educators should address these challenges by working to ensure that we offer the gold standard of education to all of our students. Competition need not stifle our progress. We seek to educate all students, regardless of their economic status or natural abilities. We should exercise a healthy respect for our country’s public education system, as it among the most ambitious systems in the world.

In short, these are exciting times to be in the field of education. Change is occurring at exponential rates. As long as we are embracing change, seeking expertise, and promoting ourselves as viable intuitions for student learning, we can carry out our daily tasks with pride and assurance in our mission.

Top 5 Home Based Businesses For 2011

Being that many people tried and failed with their home based business attempts in recent years I want to help you out by giving you 5 of the top business for 2011. If you think that you aren’t cut out for this then you are wrong, it is very easy to make a decent living by simply starting one of these 5 home based businesses on the side.

Top 5 Home Based Businesses For 2011

Freelance writer – One of the most common things people are doing these days is becoming a freelance writer and rightfully so. With so many new websites popping up all over the place there will be more and more need for a freelance writer to put posts on the sites and get traffic to them.

Blogger – Just like I said before, there are many new sites popping up online day after day and that could be you. If you want to make decent money then start blogging about something you are passionate about and as soon as people see your passion they will keep coming back time after time.

Craft sales – Another great business that you can easily start is a craft business. All you will do is make the crafts and sell them online. The best places to sell crafts online are on eBay.com and Etsy.com. This business is a huge business that could make you a lot of money very quickly, so if you are good with crafts then try it.

Affiliate marketer – Affiliate marketing is a huge online business that makes people well over 6 figures per year. If you would like to get into this business then you need to start today because there is money to be lost each day you wait. Something most people think about when it comes to affiliate marketing is they will make a lot of money very easily but honestly you won’t unless you put in the work.

House cleaner – Cleaning houses is a very good business to get into. Just think about it, don’t you hate cleaning your house and wouldn’t you rather pay somebody to do it for you? If you would pay somebody don’t you think that others would pay you to do the same thing?

If you think that you are ready to start a home based business of your own then now is the time. The only thing you need to know is that it is up to you to make the amount of money you want.

Do You Have What it Takes to Run a Profitable Home Based Business?

Starting a home based business is a very appealing prospect for many people. But do you really have what it takes to make a success of a home based venture? Working from home takes a lot more than just buying a new computer and finding a great business idea.For most people who leave the home to work every day their routine is set for them by a boss or supervisor. They are told when to begin work, when to stop and when to take a break during the day. There are no such constraints on the home worker most of the time. You can work the hours that suit you and if you feel like taking a day off on a whim you can.There is a flipside though. The home based business owner is the company, if they do not work in a consistent and dedicated manner the concern is bound to fail. Running a business from home actually takes a lot more self discipline, organization and dedication than is required for those who work outside the home. No one is standing over your shoulder cracking the whip so you have to be able to stay focused on the tasks at hand just by the force of your own willpower.The successful home based worker will set themselves a schedule, just like they may have once had when they worked outside the home, and stick to it. This does not mean that you have to work twelve hours a day, seven days a week (although most home businesses, especially in the beginning, do require an investment of time that is usually greater than the average 40 hour work week.) It simply means that you commit to invest a defined amount of time every day to growing and running your business.The Internet offers a wealth of free time management tools, tips and advice for the new home based worker and taking the time to read such information and act upon it is a free and worthwhile way to make sure that a home based career really is for you before you take the plunge.

Three Simple Steps to Ferocious Promotions For at Home Based Business Pros!

Top Home Business Professionals all have one thing in common and that is they know how to promote their business. Regardless of what product or service you sell if you learn a few simple steps, you too will have great success.It all starts with how to promote your home based small business — it takes just three simple steps. You need to get the right message, to the right market using the right medium.Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can slack off on any of these three steps even if you are part time trying to earn extra money from home. You could have the best message in the world, but if you didn’t deliver it to the right market with the right media — you are sunk!Think about it — if you had killer copy for a product that would enable any golfer to drive 300 yards, if you put it in a scrap-booking magazine — you probably are only going to reach a VERY small portion of your audience — if any! This is a classic example of submitting to the wrong market, (tiny potential audience for your work from home company), and media, (again, tiny potential audience).The first step is to understand your market. Who are they, what do they want from life, what are their hopes, dreams and fears? Where do they shop, what kind of car do they drive, what sports do they play, what is their socio-economic situation? The more information you can imagine and research about your market, the more likely it is that you will be able to create copy that arouses their desire to purchase what you’re selling.Second, you need to craft a message. Your message should address what you KNOW you market wants but right now they don’t have it. If your golfer who wants to hit his drive 300 yards every time, right now he probably hooks or slices it 200 yards and is embarrassed by ending up on the wrong fairway. He is tired of searching for lost balls and wants to “drive like a “macho” man!” Your message needs to uncover his current “pain”, then show a way your product will provide the solution. Finally, your message needs to provide the security of some type of guarantee.Third, you you need the right media. You probably are not going to want to use Ladies Home Journal as the media to deliver the message to your “manly” golfer. He probably reads Golf Digest and wouldn’t be caught dead looking at Ladies Home Journal. He probably reads the sports pages in the newspaper. He probably watches golf on ESPN. Yes, some of the media I just mentioned would be pricey, but there are great ways to use social media and blogs to reach people just in that target market.Whatever your top home based business is trying to sell, you would use the same three step method every time. At home based business professionals take the time to really work on their promotions because if you’ve got wimpy promotions your sales are probably not doing anything close to what you projected. But if your home based small business has Ferocious Promotions, you’ll be doing just fine.There you have it — market, media, message. Get them all right and you’ll hit a home run…. or a three hundred yard drive!

Home Based Business Opportunities – 10 Best Reasons Why They Can Be Advantageous

Thousands of people have lost their jobs due to the global economic meltdown. Can you imagine the kind of financial pressures that they are going through after losing their jobs? You might ever be one of these unfortunate individuals. If so, then you can understand why this has made many people start searching Google and Yahoo looking to reverse their misfortunes by seeking relief through home based business opportunities.A home based business can only be advantageous and profitable when you put your mind, heart and soul into it. It is very important to identify your own skills so that you can do full justice to the business that you are going to start. Find something that you love doing and that fits your skill level and create a business around those attributes. Doing so can create the magic necessary to yield profitable results. You will need to fully research your proposed business to make sure that there is a potential market for your service or product that you plan to sell. Only then can you really begin to make plans for your new business.What makes a home based business advantageous? Here are a few of the best reasons.1. Freedom – You do not have to report to a boss and you can choose to work in convenient home surrounding. You get to work the way you want, avoiding traffic and daily commuting etc.2. You can make more money – With home based business opportunities, you get the liberty to keep all the money that you earn, with the exception of paying for expenses and taxes. However, keep in mind that as a business owner, you can deduct your business expenses from your taxes. This is not the case with conventional jobs where you will need to wait for your next raise as a result of performance appraisal or salary hike and not every thing associated with your job is tax deductible.3. Low startup costs – Hard work will generally always give good results as long as it is couple with working smart. Hence if you work hard and stay focused, there is no reason for you not to succeed in your business. The capital investment in a home business office is much less than that compared to the costs of setting up a conventional office. With proper planning, you can get started and pursue your dreams for very little startup cash expenditures.4. Unlimited opportunities – When you run a business on your own, you can add additional profit centers to increase your profits, however, remember to conduct a thorough research analysis of each profit center before adding it into your business. Your success will not be hindered by what a normal job supervisor might think, therefore, you will be free to pursue any business opportunity that you want.5. New learning opportunities – When you run a business, you will need to keep updating your knowledge in order to be successful. Your life will never be monotonous like it used to be with your daily work routines in your previous job.6. Tax advantage – Having a home based business will give you an opportunity to save on taxes. You can use a part of your house as your office and claim it as a deduction on your taxes. Plus, as noted above, you can now deduct all of your business expenses from your taxes. However, you will be wise to consult with an Accountant about these issues.7. Creativity – You can let your creativity flow freely without anybody discouraging you. Furthermore, nobody can take the credit for your hard work, like in a normal job.8. Time with family and friends – You get to spend a lot more quality time with your family and friends if you have a home based business.9. You become a leader – When your business grows, you will need to form a team or hire employees. They will look up to you for your expert guidance, supervision and support.10. Professional growth – You get to learn new concepts and business management skills everyday in your business as you take on new responsibilities which you might not have had to do in your previous job.This list of home business ownership benefits is not all inclusive. There are many other benefits that are to numerous to mention in this short article. However, from just the few benefits mentioned above, we can clearly see some of the basic benefits of home based business opportunities.

How To Start Up A Profitable Home Based Business

Working from home has a huge appeal to many people the world over and thousands of persons take this course of action on the internet every day. There are two main reasons, the first being to earn an extra income and the second being to replace a day job. Which ever alternative this maybe, the prospect of a profitable home based business is very appealing. Extra income to pay off a mortgage, have a holiday or just pay some bills, is without a doubt, every persons dream. The sad fact is that the vast majority will never succeed in their dream and many will give up in frustration.Probably the biggest reason for not succeeding is that most people fail to take action. The idea and the dream are there, but they are not followed through with action, partly because of the many scams on the internet, but mostly because of not knowing where to start. Taking that first step is difficult, particularly as there are so many offers and options to consider and these add to the indecision. You will only build a profitable home based business on the internet if you take action.From my experience, there are three fundamental aspects in setting up on the internet, a profitable home based business. The first of these is is actually deciding what business and niche that you will be in. Most people take forever to make this decision, doing extensive research and then agonizing over the results. Frankly, this is very unproductive and my advice is to quickly select a business niche that you are passionate about, or have knowledge in, even if it is a highly competitive area. Taking this action will lead to the second aspect, which is being prepared to do some work and allocating a specific amount of time every week for your business.The third and probably the most important aspect is to get the right training and the right tools. This may seem difficult, due to the many offers, each claiming to be the best. I suggest that you eliminate those get rich quick offers, no matter how good they sound, because many are scams and others are virtually impossible. The best programs are generally monthly memberships, as they need to be good, in order to keep you as a member. Put these three fundamentals in place and you are assured of having a profitable home based business.In regard to training and as a rule of thumb, look for those that offer plenty of easy to understand tutorials on a range of internet subjects. Also, make sure they offer free tools to make research and website building virtually automatic, without any technical knowledge. Perhaps the biggest advantage of a monthly membership, is that they are always striving to bring you the latest information and trends, together with cool new technology and tools. These membership sites want you to have a profitable home based business, as that way, you will stay on as a member!There is no doubt that setting up a profitable home based business takes a certain level of commitment, however the rewards for success are extraordinary and it can be done with very little money. The key to starting up, is the three fundamentals of taking action, allocating time and getting the right training and tools. Get these in place and you are streets ahead of the majority who have the same desire and dream. The advantages of having a profitable home based business are enormous, as I well know and I hope this article and the views that I have shared with you will help you in achieving your dream.

How to Tackle the Three Major Stresses Associated with Every Home-Based Business

Owning your own home-based business is by and large a very rewarding, exciting endeavor. You can set your own schedule, and be where you want, when you want. You can oftentimes forego the commute to a “regular job” and save money on gas and other “niceties” that are expensive in the work-a-day world, such as lunches, parking fees, etc.There are unexpected pitfalls and disadvantages, though, in the owning and operating of a home-based business. Some are psychological, some are emotional, and others are purely physical. The unexpected stresses of a home-based business are really one of the major obstacles that need to be overcome by business owners. Many new business owners are unprepared for just how much stress is involved, actually.Home-based business stresses usually fall into three overall categories:1. Psychological : Employees, Finances, Legal, and Operations2. Emotional: Family, Friends, Change of Personal Routines, Personal Disruptions, Isolation3. Physical: Sedentary Lifestyle, Poor Eating Habits, OverworkMany business owners, in order to prevent the psychological stress will have plans in place for dealing with these particular stress factors, prior to their occurrence. This is a proactive approach that is infinitely better than having a reactive approach to these occurrences.Each business owner should have a financial plan in place for the times when orders or clients are few and far between (slow times), as well as a good accountant to call when necessary. Each business owner should also have a lawyer who they trust and can turn to for advice if necessary (we do live in a very litigious society). And each business owner should have a plan for sickness among employees and hiring and firing protocols firmly in place. Machinery and replacement of business supplies should also be well planned in advance, and purchased according to well laid out plans for expenditures.Leadership skills will need to be developed, as a new business owner who is used to being part of a team, will find working alone and “being in charge” a somewhat difficult transition at first. Books on leadership skills abound and it is a good idea to do readings on the development of these to proactively avoid the psychological stress that comes with this change in roles. Working alone and making decisions alone is quite different from the conformity and decisions made within a group.If a proactive approach is taken, the psychological stresses of a new business can easily be prevented, or at least lessened.The emotional stresses of a home-based business are usually a bit more difficult to ascertain and tackle when they occur. Some of these stress factors can come directly from well-meaning family and friends, unfortunately, and the approach is of course, much different. Since a home-based business is directly tied usually to the home life of an individual, there is less chance to escape these stresses, than with a traditional method of employment. A new birth in a family, a death of a loved one, illness, or simply a change of schedule of another family member, can greatly impact the daily workings and routine of a home-based business.In addition, family and friends may view the business owner as “being at their disposal” all day now, as the business owner is now “home” much of the time. These well meaning individuals may call or visit all the time, and also expect the business owner to take care of their needs before the needs of the business. This is simple human nature, but is very distracting for the business owner. The only way this can be successfully overcome is to make plans well ahead of time for any changes in routine, if possible, and adjust the schedule accordingly as the changes occur. Well meaning family and friends need to be told with certainty that there are “business hours” and “personal hours” and a business owner needs to remain firm in their resolve in regard to these issues.Stressing over emotional stress will just escalate an already stressful situation.Another unexpected emotional stress comes many times from the feeling of isolation and loneliness that business owners may experience. Business owners many times are unprepared for the time they now find they spend alone within the parameters of their home-based businesses. A home-based business owner, while relieved to leave the workforce, sometimes does not realize that the workforce provided social opportunities that are now missing from their lives. Many hours may be spent alone each day, which can lead to loneliness and even depression in some cases.The best approach to combating this type of isolation is to actively plan social opportunities. Planned outings with family and friends should be made regularly. Business owners may also join community groups that expose them to other business owners or others within the community. The local Chamber of Commerce and other volunteer groups are a great way to make connections for the business and also enhance the social experiences of business owners. No one can exist in a void, so the social aspects of a business can’t be ignored.Finally, owning and operating your own home-based business brings with it some purely physical stresses. Like most office jobs, a home-based business can lead to a more sedentary lifestyle, as owners may spend most of their days in the running of the business, either slumped in an office chair, or hunched over a computer, depending upon the requirements of the business. Because of the long hours involved in any business, business owners may also eat “on the run”, grabbing whatever is at their disposal, rather than planning meals, which compromises their nutrition. The sedentary lifestyle and bad eating habits can lead to weight gain and other physical ailments associated with poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyles: high cholesterol, lack of energy, loss of muscle tone, and a deficiency of vitamin D from being indoors more than usual.The sedentary lifestyle is the easiest however, of the stresses to avoid or to change. All it takes is a dedication to an exercise routine that includes some form of daily physical exercise, and an adherence to a diet that is well planned and nutritious. Just some planning is needed and some will power in order to stay focused on achieving physical activity daily and good nutrition. It would be beneficial, if at all possible, to join a gym or health club, as the physical and emotional stresses can be avoided by belonging to one, as a gym also provides social opportunities. Even a simple walk each day can increase exercise, exposure to sunlight, and create social opportunities.A tendency to do too much each day, is a syndrome many business owners fall prey to also. Overwork can leave anyone run down, and open to many diseases as the immune system becomes compromised. A business owner is of course, very excited and energetic about the business, which can lead into this syndrome of overwork. A schedule should be maintained to combat this syndrome, with set hours for “doing business” and set hours for “relaxation” included in each day. Trying to do too much all the time just leads business owners into a decrease of productivity, rather than an increase of productivity.As you can see, having a home-based business, while very rewarding in many ways, can have many deleterious effects on the physical, mental and emotional states of business owners. Many business owners fail to plan for these changes, and yet, if planning is done, the negative effects can be minimized to a great degree.If a business owner takes care of themselves and their own needs, overall, the business will also profit from this positive behavior! A happy, healthy business owner means a happy, healthy business!

Spanish Legal Translation Guide

Legal documentations, even when in our native language, can greatly become mystifying or foreign-sounding. Actually, terminologies used within Spanish legal translation documentations are so intricate and specialised that the general public often fails to understand their implications.

When you are planning to translate some legal documents from Spanish to English (or vice versa), you can’t help worrying about how you’d ensure that you’re choosing the correct words and language. This is why you need an experienced and hospitable agency specialising in Spanish legal translation.

If you can find yourself a good company with English to Spanish legal translating services, you know you have found a way to get precise and authentic target text, which is like a transformed mirror image of the original.

A dependable legal translation service can be of great help, when you require Spanish translations regarding foreign trade bylaws for the import-export dealings you’ve just moved into.

People also need these types of agencies when their birth/marriage certificates are translated into English (usually for getting UK Visas). You can always have these agencies by your side when you need personalised services regarding English-Spanish legal translation on specialised translation needs.

It is an undeniable fact that virtually everything regarding legal systems, in the United Kingdom or elsewhere, is a daunting, sophisticated and stressful task to handle. But no need to worry when you have a dedicated and expert translation company to assist you on this.

You can have the peace of mind knowing your crucial legal documents rest in good hands. You can relax feeling that when you’re paying for the service, you’ll get a well-translated target document. In addition, a good translation company will always try to put your work into well-managed processes, which are affordable and efficiently streamlined.

Be it a Spanish legal translation task or an English translation job, in good hands, your documents will get their deserved attendance from the right translator(s) employed for your assignment.

Some final words…

Competent companies are never afraid or shy to take pride in their well trained staff and superb services. The story behind the success of most Spanish legal translation companies is in their ability to match the know-how of specific English-Spanish translators to the requirements of diverse legal documents.

Their legal translators posses a specific or subject-oriented skill-set when it comes to legal translations. The company you hire for your translation job must have an impeccable and extensive knowledge of Spanish and English vocabulary, along with the implications of different law terms or jargon.

Small Business Excuses Which Are Utter Nonsense

It’s an excuse I have heard too often from small businesses. ‘it’s so much easier for the larger, more established businesses. As a small business, or a new business, we’re at such a disadvantage.’ Utter tosh, and here’s why.

As a small business, or a new business, it is not acceptable to blame problems, difficulties or challenges on the mere fact that the business is small, or new. Indeed, smallness and newness are very much advantages, or can be if you apply a little ingenuity, a little forward thinking and accept a little appreciation of the options available to you.

First of all, let’s consider the benefits a small business has over a large one. Yes, a small business really does have benefits compared to its much larger rivals. Think of a cruise ship and a speedboat driving at full speed at night. Up ahead is a large iceberg, although not easy to see until you’re up quite close.

The cruise ship spots it, and starts to veer to one side, although another iceberg is up ahead, meaning that regular adjustments need to be made. There’s an awful lot of frantic checking and calculating and steering and re-checking, and not a lot of very responsive changes in direction. Often it’s best to slow down a little, take stock and do things carefully step by step.

The nippy little motorboat however is able to adjust course very quickly, dodging obstacles and changing course rapidly to take advantage of new open pathways, and steering well away from any potential problems or dead ends.

You don’t need me to explain how that analogy works in terms of large and small businesses. But today with online technology and social media marketing new opportunities can open up with little or no warning, and it may take larger business very much longer to take advantage of those opportunities. Be on the lookout for opportunities and pounce on them in order to completely outmanoeuvre the bigger businesses.

What about newer businesses – do they have any advantage over more established ones? Yes, of course. Let me explain through another analogy. This time imagine a house that’s been standing for a couple of hundred years. Over time the land has shifted, the river has widened and the ground has become wetter. The old house is starting to creak and crack, and has had to be held together with metal poles, pushed up by metal struts and reinforced with buttresses.

On the other hand, consider the property being built on the same ground, but taking stock of the current conditions, and more aware of the likely direction the ground saturation will take in future. This house is built on raised stilts, and is fully capable of coping with the damp conditions.

Newer businesses are built within the context of present day opportunities and customer preferences. By developing businesses from the very early days within the context of the current climate it is possible to create a resilient, responsive and dynamic business presence which is not going to suffer under the weight of many years’ patching, fixing and adapting older businesses are having to cope with.

There are other excuses given by smaller or newer business too, including online businesses and even those who run their business entirely from home. I’ve heard excuses such as ‘it’s easier for more established or larger businesses because they have flashy business addresses, premises and offices,’ or, ‘larger businesses can afford to hire teams of telephone operators to answer the phones all day, whereas I have to do that as well as run my business,’ and even ‘larger more established businesses can afford accountants to do their bookkeeping, whereas we smaller businesses have to spend huge amounts of time trying to do it all internally.’

These excuses are by no means more than scratching the surface, but I utterly refute them all, as I do the very fact that a business is new, or small, or even both.

Even the most causal of searches online will reveal excellent virtual office service providers, offering very affordable and easily scalable business services such as a virtual office address, fully equipped meeting rooms as and when required, telephone answering services, mail handling services, invoicing and bookkeeping services and much, much more.

Being small or new is absolutely not an excuse for feeling that second place is the best that you can hope for. Grab the opportunities, overcome the challenges and steer a course through the inevitably interesting path ahead towards the success which will be richly deserved. All it takes is to stop making excuses and start taking the right action.

How To Succeed At Online Product Creation The Easy Way

Product creation could be a frightening subject for a lot of Internet marketers to face. Some folks who get in the game with the intention of making a full time income are completely ignorant as to how an online business operates. One of the most profitable ways to create online cash is by creating a product that others are happy to pay for.

Product creation is legitimate method of generating money through internet marketing but many entrepreneurs get it wrong. They start by imitating their Internet marketing gurus by creating information products on Internet marketing in hopes of getting rich the way their heroes did. The problem is that they usually don’t know what they are doing and enter a highly competitive niche with very little marketing experience or connections.

Here are a few tips for effective product creation that may help you get on the right track:
Start by finding a profitable niche with low to moderate competition. If you conduct some rudimentary market research and keyword research, you’ll find many opportunities in areas that will surprise you. Amazon and eBay are two great places to brainstorm for product ideas.

Developing Your Product does not have to be a difficult project. You can find experts in the right field for your niche and pay them to write the material while an artist designs the packaging and website or blog. You can outsource the entire product creation part of the project after you conduct the research and testing to ensure profitability.

Sales and marketing strategies should be created while developing the product and learning about the market. Some experienced marketers use pay per click to drive traffic to their offer page; some folks outsource the entire marketing campaign to affiliates through ClickBank or other affiliate programs.

Product creation does not need to be hard, particularly when the merchandise is electronic. E-books, videos, audio and multi-media products sell very well. They are distributed immediately to customers electronically. Once you have a good feel for a niche market, try to service your customers with associated products and upgrades. If you want to earn money online through product creation, you must understand supply and demand. The majority of new online marketers fail miserably because they go after highly competitive markets or forget to research their chosen niche properly. You have to create your products according to the needs, wants and desires of the prospective customers.