Media Expert - Chris Roycroft-Davis reviews Love your Life...

"I've spoken to many teachers about the great satisfaction they obtain from seeing young minds and souls bloom under their care. But I have spoken to many others for whom the classroom is a place of stress, anxiety and unhappiness.

This book has been needed for many years and Eilidh Milnes has done a great service in satisfying that need and presenting her sound advice in an easy, effective manner. It will give teachers the inspiration and positive guidance they need to love their lives and be happy.

If you're not a teacher, there is learning and nurture here for everyone, whatever your vocation. Treat it as an old friend you can return to repeatedly for a fresh dose of common sense and some kind and nourishing words of encouragement and help.

This book truly reflects the upbeat nature of its author, a woman who will never let a smile or a joyful thought pass her by, and who loves to share her inner strength with others."

Chris Roycroft-Davis – Former Executive Editor of the Sun Newspaper

Think like a question mark!

Time is a limited and expensive resource that requires as much, if not better, management than money. If time is money, how many people would spend it so unwisely and freely without any focused pre-planning, prioritising or indeed any forecasting on the return on the investment?

In today’s busy world many are still forced to do just that because they don’t have the time to change their behaviour. 'No' is your most powerful time management tool. When we know what our values are, and when we have a clear set of goals in all areas of our lives, we're in a much stronger position to politely and appropriately say 'no' to potential time-stealers and less relevant activities.

Every week, block in a few important non-urgent actions. It's too easy to get caught up in deadlines. To change that emphasis make appointments with yourself... and if you are not sure what to be tackling then address the big issues you have been avoiding.

Constantly ask, 'What is my highest priority right now?' This is a great focusing question. And how can I do this task more efficiently?' Think like an exclamation mark and question your activities.

Love Your Life…Survive the System - A Teacher’s Happiness Curriculum

TUC Study - Unpaid work study or Professional enslavement?

In UK almost 5million people missed out on almost £5,000 each in wages by working unpaid overtime in 2007 a study shows.

The report by the TUC, found that one in five people was not paid for carrying out seven hours and six minutes of extra work each week. If the unpaid work were carried out at the beginning of the year, the survey calculated that the average worker would not be paid until February 22^nd.

Is this not a good reason to manage your time more effectively or do you practice professional enslavement?

Learn valuable time managment tips - tailored to teachers... in the Love your Life, which launches next month...

Radio Manchester

May 30th 2008

Listen again to Radio Manchester with Heather Stott and Eilidh, Glen & Pat reviewing news and views on Coffee Shop

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-perl/whatson/prog_parse.cgi?FILENAME=20080530/20080530_0900_50228_59503_180

Are our children being tested tested to destruction in our schools?

Panorama Report on SATs

This week in primary schools all over England children aged 11 are sitting down to do their Standard Assessment 'SATs' tests.
But do the exams - as the Government claims - help to drive up standards?
Or are they narrowing the curriculum and creating a culture of "teaching to the test" - spoiling schools, and the education they can offer children?
Log on to http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/panorama/to get more details on this report.
And have your say here... what do YOU think about SATs?

What is Your WHY?

Excerpt taken from a chapter entitled, Why did you start this journey?

"I love teaching and even in my darkest hour I could not imagine leaving the profession..."

"Teaching drives me crazy at times, but I cannot imagine doing anything else..."

"Great teachers know that they are always on stage. They know who they are, how they act and what they believe in. These are as important as the subjects they teach..."

In my leadership sessions, I encourage teachers to move from the position of being good to that of being great. In my opinion, great teachers give us a sense not only of who they are, but more importantly of who we are and who we might become. They unlock our energies, our imaginations and our minds.

Effective teachers pose compelling questions, explain options, teach us to reason, suggest possible directions and urge us on. The best teachers, like the best leaders have an uncanny ability to step outside themselves and become a liberating force in our lives...

Why teachers either don't get in or want to get out?

"A research document by Durham University in November 2006, stated that the issues of workload and pupil behaviour were found to be the most important in dissuading teachers from entering the profession or possibly causing them to leave teaching..." excerpt from "Love your Life... Survive the System.

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