Category: Education

From the outside world, the definition of safety is undoubtedly simple- The state in which conditions leading to physical, psychological, and material harm of individuals is prevented and controlled.  Meaning, safety is key to maintaining a properly functioning environment of any workplace, and school safety is not exceptional.

For kids in schools, their safety couples a safer learning and playing environment.

However, for many kids, it’s not always easy to access positive academic and playing surroundings. Discrimination by other kids, violence, theft, bullying, and fear of infractions—all of which threaten your kids’ safety.  Add to the fact that some kids live in unfavorable conditions from home resulting in psychological instabilities where support at schools becomes vital.

Before we discuss the tips for kid’s safety, here are some considerations to have in mind:

• The school safety measures should protect kids from violence, bullying, theft, threats, exposure to weapons, and substance abuse on and off the school grounds.

• Safety is just more than physical attributes. It’s to ensure kids eat healthy meals, play well, study, and can explore the use of technology.

• Also, it’s about ensuring kids are safely picked up after school with the right or approved persons—all of which should be the concern of both the parents and teachers.

Now, here are some tips to ensure the safety of your kids in school.

Have a plan for injury prevention

You may agree with me that most injuries by kids are fall-related or pedestrian-related crashes, which are preventable. Controlling or modifying your child’s environment is a top priority. In other words, be mindful of where your kids’ play. This includes ensuring your school is adhering to standards for playground safety.

But how can you do that?

Understand the school’s surrounding and ensure there is no harmful equipment on the playgrounds to prevent any unnecessary injuries. In cases where there is construction going on within the school premises, ensure you provide a helpful guide so that the kids stay safe from dropping objects.

Also, during their sports and recreation times, ensure the kids are wearing the proper protective gear to decrease their risk of injuries. Remind them of the rules of the game and that they must watch out for others so as to not cause injury to others.  Needless to say, kids need to also be prevented from hurting others intentionally, including when they may lose their temping in the heat of the moment.

First Aid Protocols

Complete prevention of your child being hurt is something no one can guarantee. But, you can be ready to help if injuries occur with a little planning and ensuring the right resources are in place. Therefore, you must ensure there is a protocol to provide medications and first aid services to treat injured kids.

Some kids will be on medications, which means they may need to carry their medicines to school.  School administrators and teachers need to be notified so they are aware of these prescriptions to also ensure they are kept away from other children.

It is important to remain vigilant and ensure the kids are aware of their medicines so there’s no chance of mixing if they are taking more than one. For safety purposes, explain to them why they should only take medications as directed.

Be aware of the kid’s food allergies

Individuals with food allergies and compromised immune systems effected by certain foods should know what to do if they accidentally ingest food that can cause harm.  Some of the allergies will cause swelling, itching, fainting, among other serious effects.

With the allergy status of the kids in mind, you must let the kids check with you first before they take any food that has not been given to them in their lunch. Teachers should be aware and remind kids to be conscious of any allergy they have and ensure safety measures are in place.

Additional thought should be given to child allergies in general and ensure your school’s first aid kit contains sufficient antihistamines, as well as albuterol for asthma attacks.

Teach and warn kids on the effects of conflict

Sure, conflict is inevitable. It is part of most relationships, and children are not exempt.  Schools should have programs in place to teach kids about the potential dangers of fighting or even the slightest aggressive behavior against one of their classmates.

Better still, remind older kids of how much physical power that have over those who are smaller than them.  Instead of lashing out, report to their teachers when they are wronged or physically abused themselves. Finally, teach the kids the best way of resolving their differences without fighting. Let them know fighting can result in hurting themselves as well.

Ensure a flow of the essentials

In this case, the basic essentials would be enough water supply, as well as proper and sufficient food. How your kids eat today would be of significant impact on their future. So, beyond the basics serious thought should be given to ensure each child has access to healthy foods.   For parents, it starts with healthy lunches.  For schools, it involves being aware of children in school who may not be getting adequate and healthy food at home.  Be aware of deficiency diseases.  Kids should also be taught about how proper diet and nutrition is crucial for their mental and physical growth.

Traffic Safety

Does you school have traffic lights?  Is there a need for hired crossing guards?  Or, will volunteer’s be sufficient?  These are questions schools must access to meet the individual traffic risks within their community. There are plenty of examples of injuries happening because a driver is in a hurry and they simply refuse to slow down. But the treat is not just speeders.  Even a slow speeds, a car can be deadly. Take time to consult with local law enforcement to find the right fit to ensure safety of parents and children alike at all points of the school where pedestrians and cars intersect.

Final Word on Safety

Maintaining kids’ safety should be the topmost priority to both parents and teachers in and out of schools. Therefore, each school must ensure they tolerate zero theft, bullying, violence, and discrimination of kids to enhance their safety.

Besides, parents and teachers must also ensure they help the kids understand their surroundings, provide the essentials like water and food, and provide medications and first aid services. Most importantly, put injury prevention plans in place and ensure protection against unfavorable weather conditions.

Stay Safe!

Free PDF readers are essential for any student or teacher, but these programs are very limited in their function. For those who want more control, PDF editing software available at a great discount for single students or entire schools in need of multiple licenses for educational purposes.

Let’s face it, PDF’s are awkward to work with but they offer much more security than a Word document, for example.  With the right editing software program you can have do so much more with a most files.  For teachers, there is the need to create PDF’s from Word or images in order to share them easily in Google Classroom.

PDF’s are also the best way to post online and more safe when attaching in an email.

PDF Editing Software

Using one of the top online PDF to word converters is ideal for editing worksheets and correcting mistakes .  You simply open the file in the software and the text is editable within a text box.  The font size or style remains the same as you edit or you can change it to be larger or smaller.  You annotate PDF’s, add new text to lengthen an existing file or remove words or an entire paragraph.

With the software you can also edit multiple files at once, create brochures and gain exclusive access to hundreds of ready to use PDF forms and templates.

Create multiple document formats so that students can view with a free PDF reader.  Scan documents, such as resource materials, and then edit them to suit your needs. Open existing PDF files and edit text with a text box.  Delete or add text easily. Convert PDF file’s to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint or vice versa while retaining existing fonts.

Soda PDF is offers tools that allow your to edit, merge, convert, compress, sign and secure documents. It works across multiple devices, including PC computers, tablets, and smartphones. There are different levels of options but you can start with a free download of Soda PDF.

Do More with PDF Editing Software

• Make comments on existing PDF’s thanks to multiple tools that allow you to review markups easily within one view.

• Gain feedback to help students or any reader view and expand on other commentator’s remarks.

• Get documents signed in PDF format, obtaining multiple signatures all parties needed to execute agreements automatically.

• Take any non-fillable form created in Microsoft Word or Excel and turn it into a functional and editable form, then revert it back to a secure file.

• Drag and drop features allow you create PDF’s without having to duplicate your work.  You can also convert forms into a fillable document.

• Quickly gather data from existing forms, whether they have been scanned or opened from already saved file formats.

• Restrict access to your created of edited PDF’s by requiring use to enter a password.  You can also set up permissions for printing, making copies or editing the PDF file.

• Erase private information in your document including text or images.

You should also find PDF editing software that is Digital Signature friendly to ensure users can validate the contents of any legal or personal agreement.

PDF Integration in Word

Software programs should automatically works with Word so you can easily create a file of your document with a couple of clicks.

You will be able to save your PDF file to your computer or create and email instantly.

PDF Editing Software for Business

It’s not just students and educators that work regularly with PDF’s.  These files are needed in business and all of the futures mentioned give the user complete control of a file.   More advanced features for professionals are also included in editing software.

English is the universal language that we use to converse with everyone else. Non-native English speakers put immense value on learning it because they believe it’s necessary to be competent, particularly globally. They do so that they even seek help from other races who speak the language proficiently to learn.

Teaching English or any language is already a demanding job, but teaching it to people that didn’t speak it as their first language is a different animal. Depending on the demographic, non-native speakers have varying objectives as to why they want to learn English. As aforementioned, it’s about competence for professionals.

Teaching the universal language as a career is now a more viable option than ever because of globalization’s demand. Finding an online teaching job is becoming easier.  Being an educator, you’d want your students to learn it properly from you so they can speak and write it with confidence. This article discusses how you can adequately teach English to non-native speakers so you can help them succeed.

Work to get certified

Certification makes you more credible as an English as a second language (ESL) teacher. ESL teachers usually work with all levels of English learners, with most of them being non-native speakers. It’s your job to help these non-native speakers improve their English reading, comprehension, and speaking skills, so receiving proper and specific training helps in doing that well.

Having such a credential will prepare you for anything and everything. It’ll also enhance your chances of securing teaching jobs for private companies or community programs.

You need at least a college degree to be a certified ESL teacher, while a master’s degree is preferred for teaching adult learners. A well-known ESL certification is the Teaching English Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), which is recognized internationally.

Use clear and simple instructions

Instructions are vital in teaching any subject but more so when it’s language. The words that you’re using should be comprehensible. Keep in mind that your students only know a few to zero English words.

Start by using simple words and shorter sentences. You can say: “Please, get your books,” or any material you need them to have. Depending on the setup, you have to accompany your words with gestures.

If you’re teaching English online, then you’ll have to move more. Use more gestures so your students can easily understand what you’re telling them to do. Other than your movements, you can also use visual aids, like a Powerpoint presentation or cue cards.

Using long sentences will confuse your students regardless of their age. Always have them see and hear your instructions so they can absorb and process them easier. Also, don’t progress to more complex words and sentences until you’re sure they’ve learned the basics well enough.

Have your students speak a lot

The next step after having your students listen is to use what they’ve learned. Always use oral communication during all your lectures. It’s the most effective way for you to assess their skills, aside from writing.

Establish a culture of oral participation in your class. Make sure that your class is a safe space for them to speak English without any judgment. Encourage them and constantly remind them that it’s okay to make mistakes.

You can start with group work if you have enough people in the class. If you’re teaching individually, do pair activities with your student to make them feel comfortable and empowered.

Put more context when discussing terminologies

Talking about figures of speech, subject-verb agreement, or verb tenses is a bit advanced for non-native speakers. But, it’s essential that your students understand them if they want to be good enough English speakers. The key is to put more context to these terms during discussions.

Don’t just tell them; show it to them as well for them to understand your lesson with more context. The best approach is to have exercises to know if they understood it or not.

Incorporate innovative ways that make learning fun, such as the use of subtitles in movies and YouTube videos.  This also helps give context in multiple scenarios.

Avoid long lectures

Dragging lessons will not make your students better. You have to know when you’ve been talking or showing them too much. Allow them to process and absorb an ample amount of information.

Shorter lectures, combined with plenty of interaction and visual aids, are better for non-native speakers. That way, you can easily see if they’re picking up your lesson. You must know or at least have an idea of their learning pace during lectures, so you can address anyone who’s having difficulties.

Final thoughts

Put in enough effort and patience to teach your non-native English speakers students to learn the language. It’s a challenge that will be gratifying and rewarding once you’ve overcome it. Let them learn through engaging and meaningful lectures, activities, and tests, and see them develop as your time with them progresses.

Author’s Bio:
Angelo Castelda is a freelance writer from Asia. Besides writing, he also spends his time traveling and learning about diverse cultures, which opened his heart more to learning and imparting knowledge about ESL.

For children that already know English, check our the 5 reasons to sign your kids up for online Spanish classes.

It can be challenging to create the ideal workstation for your students. Even the most ergonomically designed settings have plenty of distractions. Today, technology is among the biggest offenders. In some cases, it’s technology that stalls students from beginning their work.

In other cases, it’s technology that diverts the students’ attention away from their work once after they’ve finally obtained focus. Video games, push notifications, you name it. These are all technological features that are distracting to educational modes. However, lowered student performance is not the only result that can stem from an intrusive work environment. 

Distractions can lead students to stress and anxiety, condition them into a mindset that deprioritizes education, and even influence them to lose interest in their studies. Still, our society is heavily reliant on technology, so ridding screens from educational settings isn’t the best solution. 

Perhaps learning the long-lost art of concentration can assist in remediation, as well as taking some time to understand how the role of sleep contributes to productivity. Mind wandering is so natural that we often don’t even realize we’re drifting focus. 

Does a child’s IQ have anything to do with their ability to stay attentive and focused?  Learn what an IQ test can teach parents and teachers about kids by measuring reasoning, memory and a brain’s processing speed.

A study by Microsoft Canada found that our average attention span is 1 second less than that of a goldfish! 8 seconds! Furthermore, The Journal of Neuroscience found that continued lack of sleep could destroy our brain cells. For example, when mice are deprived of sleep, neurons in their brains begin to die. 

Although distractions are impossible to completely vanish, simple steps can point your students in the direction of success. Take a look at the infographic below for a complete reference guide on how to help students focus better.