CHOOSING A CAREER

     Career is an area of discipline(job) that an individual chooses to do for a long period of time and it is always the source of living of such individual. Choosing a suitable career is a very sensitive aspect of life which must be carefully done, because, it determines what an individual lives on. It is ideal for any student to have started thinking and finding out what he/she will do with his/her dear life right from the  first year of the secondary level of education in order to be able to select adequately the department to join,       when he/she gets to the Senior Secondary level. You will do well if you do carefully select the right department, because, that would prepare you for the tertiary education.

Moreover,  If at that level you could choose rightly, I believe you won't have much problem selecting the right course for your tertiary study. "Why consider Junior level of education?"; might be the question bodering you now, and, that is why I'm addressing it. "A foundation well laid upholds a fine building for a long period of time"- Gabriel 2017. I have seen a student who had been an art student later realised her dream to becoming a medical doctor when she got to SS3 and without minding the shame and time spent earlier, went back to SS1 class to start afresh with the science subjects; being a serious and committed student. Their were many others who would change their discipline (may be having discovered themselves) after the secondary education and fall back to O/level to change their department by attending coachings and writing senior secondary certificate  examination SSCE several times.

Mind you, not everybody could have such grace of redirecting steps and as easy... Life is in faces and every face of life has to be considered with adequate security, so that there won't be harm in the future. Possibly, you are a parent/matured person and you have children/siblings/younger ones at that (junior secondary) level now, it will be a very good advantage having realised this, to make them aware of "their future starting now". It is not however too late until it is 'late'. Even if you are currently serving your senior secondary sessions, you are in the content of addressee, as far as this information is concerned.

Choosing the right subject for your right career will be effectively and vastly addressed adequately, if you as a person would have discovered your 'so called career'. You might be expecting to receive matches of disciplines with their respective careers, but I'm sorry; you need more than ordinary arithmetic contextual development, critical discovery has to be made. To be continued...

FUN TIME

Fun means amusement, enjoyment or pleasure. An adage says “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy. Having fun is part of education as it makes students learn fast. Students shouldn’t learn in a tensed environment, they need refreshment especially when they have been taught a lot of things or they no longer understand what the teacher is teaching them.

I heard of a family sometimes ago whereby the parent promised to give their only son the best education he could ever think of.

The boy attended one of the best schools in town and all his daily activities were filled up with academics and no play. He did go to school by 7:00 am and back home by 5:00 pm. The private tutors were also employed to teach him during the school break time and from 5:30 pm after coming back from school till 8:00 pm. He would go to the dining table to eat immediately after the private coaching and then be dosing while eating. He would be helped from the dining table to his room to sleep and woke in the morning to start the same activities and complete the same cycle.

However, the boy continued this for the whole session, even the private tutors did teach him during the vacation period. At the end of the session he came home with a woeful result. What a shame! His parents were furious because of the performance of their child considering the amount of money they have spent for the tutors. So they planned to discuss the issue with the school counselor. After narrating the issue with the counselor, the counselor made them to know that the failure of the child is due to the fact that the child has no rest or vacation time. He told them to try the next session by giving the child enough rest and reasonable play time. At the end of the day, the boy made one of the best results in the school.

Moreover, this true life story should be a lesson to both parents and teachers/guardians that are making the study environment too tense for the students to learn. Let your wards be part of the school system. The reason for planning the school curriculum to involve break times, game and sporting activities and vocational studies is to bring up a child in a loving/enjoyable environment and give them their own will to choose what they like. Allow them to play in their play time and work in their work time. By so doing, there will be balance in academics and non academics activities in the school.

In conclusion, the students should be allowed to partake in the psychomotor skills not only the cognitive and affective skills. The three domains in education must be considered in order to achieve educational goals.

PARENT/TEACHER'S RELATIONSHIP CONTS

As a parent, if you really want to have a good rapport with the teacher that teaches your child, you should not act on any word you hear about them without finding out how true it is. They love your children and I want you to know that besides the mother and the father of a child, teachers are the parent to them, honor them as parents too.

I once heard a primary school boy telling his mother that, “that teacher is very stupid” and the laughed. What has such a parent taught her child? As parents, we should not always lodge complains about them, rather we must look for ways to communicate with them and tell them what we feel. Make them happy and see them friends and co-workers so that they can make your children happy.

In addition, if you see a school whereby the teachers are not being honored by the school managements and the parents, the school will not grow, because the teachers will either work in fear or work with unconcern. I was looking for job sometimes ago and I went to a school to meet with the school principal. After passing through series of tests and interviews, he said I passed the interview and we started talking about salary, he made a statement and said, “if you are not comfortable with twenty thousand naira, tell me because I want to go out now”. I just stood up from the chair bid him farewell and left because I’m very sure that he would later tell me that ‘ I’m not paying you to think for me, I’m only paying you to work for me’. Imagine this ridiculous amount with an insulting tone. 

Moreover, honors and respect should be given to teachers professionals in their field as we are professionals in our various fields too. They are trained to train people, they try to become the parent of the children they did not give birth to and cater for them as their own children. They still work despite all insults and unworthy pay. They give birth to other professions and yet they are paid the least salary. May be that is why they say that “the reward of teachers is in heaven”.

In conclusion, let us begin to see teachers as God sent helpers to our children

PARENT/TEACHER’ S RELATIONSHIP

On this post, I’m going to talk about how parents should relate with the teachers of their children. After reading this post, the parents will know why they must be close with the teachers of their children and vice versa. Therefore, keep reading and enjoy your stay.

Both the parents and the teachers must work together for the purpose of bringing up a child with a great mind. Though, by profession, the teachers become the parents when the children are in school, but the parents continue the parenting when they get home.

What I’m trying to say is that both of them are involved in the process of parenting and teaching. The challenge here is that, the incapability of some teachers has given the parents the chance of molesting them, even before the students and school management. The teachers should be the one to prove that they are capable of handling the children so that the parents can entrust them with their children.

Mistakes are inevitable and no one is an epitome of knowledge, if any teacher makes a mistake, a parent can walk up to him/her and kindly making a correction. That settles the matter. What I’ve learnt over the time is that any corrected mistake will not be repeated. I had such an experience in one of the schools I worked. I was employed as a mathematics teacher and was told to teach English language because a teacher should be able to teach all subjects when he/she is employed to teach in a primary school. This became a great challenge for me. In the course of teaching the children, I made a mistake in my spoken English by saying that, ‘I lives at ……………….’.

Furthermore, the children told their parents about it when they got home and it became a serious issue that I cannot handle. Most of the parents came to school to report the matter to the management and two of them came to meet me in the class, shouted at me and insulted me but I summoned courage and told them it was a mistake. Later, the head teacher called me to her office in the presence of some of the parents and said, “Truly, she had made a mistake and I’m very sure that she won’t make such a mistake again”. Could you believe that this statement settles all grudges in the mind of all the parents that were in the office that day? When they left, the head teacher spoke with me and encouraged me to learn the subject very well before going to the class to teach. If the head teacher did not encourage me the way she did I wouldn’t have become a writer today. Though, teachers are experts in their field but they have their weaknesses. 

ROLES OF PARENTS IN EDUCATION CONT.

Moreover, Children must be well trained from their young age before they are admitted into schools and throughout the school age. They must be taught good morals. I once said it in one of my posts that children with good and high moral standard learn easily from the teacher and are known to be brilliant as well as intelligent students. Let’s give them the training they need to cope with other children outside so that they will not learn it in a hard way.

One of the things that encourage children to learn with competition is motivation. Parents should motivate their children when they perform well and rebuke them when they are wrong. Motivation does not only involve giving material things. Let’s learn to tell them sweet words like ‘ you are brilliant’, ‘ I love you’, ‘well done’, ‘ keep it up’, ‘ you are really good’, ‘bravo’, ‘  you are beautiful’, ‘ you are handsome’, you make me happy’, ‘ I trust you’, and so on. All these are motivational words that keep them acting well. You can as well buy gifts for your children if you can afford it. Whenever you rebuke them, let them know your reason for doing it and correct them immediately. Motivation is a good learning encouragement, the teachers do this and parents should not be left out.

All parents should see it as appoint of duty to pray for their children at least once a day according to their belief. Some parents are fond of cursing their children and this should not be done, it is totally wrong. If you curse them today, it will have a great impact on them for the rest of their lives and you will surely partake in it. Parents should always use their mouth to declare good things into the lives of their children so that they will not become servants to other children in the nearest future.

In conclusion, education remains the best legacy, parents should give it to their children, children should embrace it and teachers should do it right.

ROLES OF PARENTS IN EDUCATION

Parents /Guardians must monitor their ward's academic activities in the school when they get home by checking their books everyday and ensure they do their assignments. This is how you will know what you are paying for. It should not be the work of the house help to know whether your children are doing well in school or doing their home work properly. You should find time to monitor their school work. No matter how limited your time is, you still need to follow up with what the teacher teaches them so that you will not lodge any complain when the deed is done. When the children are at home, you become their teacher  and you should  always  give them  room to trust you as they trust their teachers.

It is the responsibility of the parents to pay the school fees of their children on time before they are sent out of the school. One of the ways in which the school management punish the school fees defaulters, is by sending them out of the classroom but still allow them in the school compound or they are sent out of the school to meet their parents at home. What happens to the former category is that the children involve do not always inform their parents when they get home that they are denied of receiving lectures because some of them will forget to inform their parents while some love to be out of the class due to playfulness and laziness. 

Furthermore, for the latter category, most of them do not go home directly, they go to their friend's houses while some go and stay home alone. This is how some of the girls are harassed and raped by friends, families, neighbors, and elders but they keep these illicit activities to themselves. Most of the boys learn different wayward activities like smoking, raping, drinking, and cultism.

 Another role of the parents in education is to be observant. Parents must observe their children to know what's going on in their mind. Some of these children are passing through terrible situations but they pretend to be alright. I am a teacher and I have seen a lot of cases of children that find in difficult to concentrate when the teacher is teaching them because of what is happening or has happened to them. 

Sometimes ago I told a girl to see me in my office when I observe that she was sleeping while I was teaching. After interrogating her, she told me of a gate man that did attack her on her way home almost every day, she said the raped her severally to the extent of giving her drugs to use to prevent pregnancy. Can you imagine a girl of 15 years in such a terrible situation? This same girl told me about how she aborted pregnancy for her guardian’s driver. Some children have examination tension and some have phobia in some subjects but their parents are not aware of this, if you are aware of what they are going through it will be easy to help them out. Parents need to look at their children with a keen eye and know when they someone to talk to and someone to show them love and care. 

WHO IS AN IDEAL PARENT

According to the dictionary, a parent is one of the two persons from which one is immediately biologically descended; a mother or father. A person who acts as a parent in rearing a child, he/she could be a step-parent or adaptive parent or a guardian to the ward.

An ideal parent makes provisions for the well being of his/her children and does everything within his/her power to ensure that the children are not denied their basic rights such as education, medical care, good clothes, food and shelter. It is the duty of an ideal parent to cater for her children. He does not overlook the need of his children because of his job, though he has to earn a living.

An ideal parent stands as a role model in character to his/her children. He teaches them in the way of God, so that they will not go wayward. He monitors the kind of company they keep and the kinds of cloth they wear. It is the responsibility of an ideal parent to caution his children when they go wrong.

Moreover, an ideal parent ensures that the interest of the family comes first before any other thing. There should be good rapport between an ideal parent and his/her children. He should not allow child abuse whether physically or verbally. He takes time to study the behavior of his children in order to detect any problem with them and seeks a way of solving it.

Finally, an ideal parent inculcates good moral in his/her children. He gives them moral instruction about the activities of life so that when they grow up, they will have good attitude to pass to their children.

THE SCHOOL SYLLABUS

A syllabus is a broad outline of the work planned to be done in the course of a year with each class in each subject area. It can be constructed by either the examining body or the Ministry Of Education. 

Attribute Of A Good Syllabus

A good syllabus has its aims/ objectives and it is relevant to the need of the student and the community. One of the purposes of schooling is to affect the community positively.

If the syllabus is not relevant to what the society and her people need, then it is of no use and may not achieve the aim of schooling.

 The work load of a syllabus must be manageable. If it is too broad, the teacher may not complete the topics of the syllabus in a session, thereby carrying the remaining topics to the next session.

The entry behavior which is the previous knowledge of the student when planning/ designing the syllabus because it makes them learn faster and better. The syllabus must also be suitable for the exact age group that it is designed for. The syllabus of one subject i. e one subject must have a link to the other subject.

INGREDIENTS FOR EFFECTIVE TEACHING/LEARNING

The following ingredients for teaching and learning will be taught in the next few posts:

·         Curriculum

·         Syllabus

·         Scheme of Work

·         Lesson plan/ Lesson note

·         Instructional material

CURRICULUM

Curriculum refers to the whole lessons and academic contents in a school or in a specific course or programme. It is a frame work for guiding teaching and learning. Curriculum typically refers to the knowledge and skills that students are expected to have, which entails the learning standard or learning objectives. Students are expected to meet; the unit and lessons that teachers teach, the assignment and project given to them, the books, materials, videos, presentations, test, assessment etc.

The following are a few representative examples of the ways in which curriculum is targeted for improvement:

· Standard requirement: The teachers modify what they teach and bring their curriculum into alignment with the learning expectation outlined in the new standards when new learning standards are adopted.

· Assessment requirement: Another reform strategy that indirectly influences curriculum is assessment, since the methods used to measure learning compel teachers to teach the content and skills that will eventually be evaluated.

· Curriculum alignment: Schools may try to improve curriculum quality by bringing teaching activities and course expectations into “alignment” with learning standards and other school courses.

· Curriculum philosophy: The design and goal of any curriculum reflects the educational philosophy- whether intentionally or unintentionally- of the educators who developed it.

·  Curriculum packages: In some cases, schools decide to purchase or adopt a curriculum package that has been developed by an outside organization.

EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING

For a teacher to achieve the aims, objectives, and goals of teaching, teaching must be intentional. A teacher prepares him/herself to acquire the knowledge he intends to impart so as to be able to answer any question asked by the students in the course of teaching. All teachers must become expert in their respective field or their teaching subject. 

 For effective teaching and learning, preparation is very essential for both students and teachers. Preparation involves the weekly lesson plan and the daily lesson note.
A teacher is expected to be diversified in perception i.e. to have a broad understanding by consulting different texts to form a note of lesson. He/she should not major on the note of lesson for the previous session but study to add more.

A conducive environment also makes teaching and learning effective. The environment for which teaching and learning will take place must be safe, protective and supportive. It must be a health seeking learning environment i.e. a healthy classroom and not a place to contact disease. A teacher must protect and defend all children from abuse and harm. Students should not be afraid of being raped or maltreated in a learning environment. Teachers must make the environment a welcoming and an attractive one.

Teaching methodology is another cogent factor that should be noted when considering effective teaching and learning. A teacher intending to teach effectively must choose a suitable method for each of the topics to teach at different levels of education. Adeyemo (1985) says “education (teaching/learning) must be child centered.”  The selected method must be child centered. A teacher must look into all the methods of teaching and pick out the best for the particular topic he wants to teach. The students should not get accustomed with a single method of learning. Therefore, your methods should be diversified by considering what the topic look like. As a teacher, you may decide to use up to three methods when teaching a topic depending on how you want to achieve your goal of teaching.

Moreover, students learn more easily by what they see, feel, and touch than what they are taught by the teacher. A teacher must teach with teaching aid(s)/instructional material(s). Instructional materials are the objects used to aid teaching/learning thereby making it effective. As a teacher you have to make teaching aid available for each of your topics and if it is too expensive to get, there is room for improvisation. Teaching/learning cannot be effective in the absence of teaching aid since they remember, recall and recognize what they see, feel and touch than what they hear.

TEACHING AS A CAREER

A simple analogy of the process of teaching could be an egg (idea/knowledge) that is put into an incubator (mind of a learner) and after some time (assimilation, adaptation, growth, innovation etc) the product becomes a chick and turns to a hen.

A teacher improves and nurtures the learner until the learner gives a better result of what he/she has learnt from the teacher. He gains knowledge and improves himself in order to impart. He is a reader and a leader.

Teaching should be the lifestyle of a good teacher. It is a blessing and an opportunity to affect life(s). Teaching is for those who are ready to help lives and give a new life to learners of different ages. 

Teaching as a career, gives birth to all other professions. It exposes one to the broad world and gives an analytical thinking ability. It gives one the opportunity to meet and sit with nobles, though the ‘pay’ in some countries is highly discouraging. It is imperative for teachers to be paid salaries that will enable them to earn a living.

ROLES OF A TEACHER IN THE COMMUNITY

Teachers play a lot of roles in our community. Some of these roles are treated in this post as follows:

I see a teacher first as a counselor who has prepared him/herself to meet the social needs, emotional needs, physical needs, intellectual needs and the academic needs of the students in order to promote the moral, social and cultural heritage of the society.

A teacher is also an instructor, who is known to have the well of knowledge in him/her. He learns new things in order to teach new things daily.

He is a role model. Behaviorally, he transfers his attitude knowingly or unknowingly to the students he teaches. He assists them to develop good attitudes, morals and norms and make them better persons in the community.

I also see a teacher as a planner that designs the activities (curricular and extra- curricular) that goes on in the school. He plans the curriculum, the syllabus, scheme of work, lesson plan and the daily lesson note so as to run the school smoothly.

In addition, a teacher is an evaluator who tests, assesses and evaluates  the learner to know whether he or she has learnt or is learning in the course of the teaching or not.

QUALITIES OF A GOOD TEACHER

A teacher must have a broad knowledge of subject matter, curriculum and learn different teaching methodologies. Before you can impart knowledge into someone, you must be an expert in that field or be the master of such knowledge. He/she must be a role model in attitude. He must be humble, friendly, respectful, kind, and caring. He must have a sense of humor and love to his/her pupils/students. A teacher must be willing to go extra miles with the learners.

As a teacher, you shouldn’t be tired of your students. Try and know what their problem is and provide solution to their problems. You should always make them happy. A teacher must have a good communication approach. Communicate with your students in a way that will make them to come out of their shells. Do not allow flogging to be a way of telling them to keep quiet or a way of telling them to do what they have to do. Let them understand your nature so that they can understand each of the language you use in communicating with them.

Furthermore, a teacher must love justice and be democratic in most of his ways. A teacher should allow the learners to give their opinions when it comes to decision making in the class. He/she must appreciate the idea of the students and give them the chance to contribute during the teaching process. You should be able to give a valid judgment as a teacher, have instructional effectiveness and yet be teachable. I want you to know that no one knows it all, though you have the full knowledge of what you teach but new knowledge comes every day.

WHO IS A TEACHER

Many scholars have defined a teacher in different ways based on their opinions, ideas, exposure, and interactions. Here are some of the definitions:

“A teacher is the only person who is capable of imparting knowledge and shaping the youths to the wider scope of knowledge. Teachers are capable of living and molding the youths such that their power is paramount as they determine the fate of the society. Both teachers and parents live with the children for a long time and hence they are capable of imparting knowledge, skills and values that cannot be easily challenged by the society” (Nyerere 1966)

A teacher is also “an expert who is capable of imparting knowledge that will help learners to build, identify and to acquire skills that will be used to face the challenges in life. The teacher also provides to the learners, knowledge, skills, and values that enhance development. An educated person is capable of utilizing the available opportunities in both private and public sectors. The educated person can easily secure employment as well as having life skills that will enable him/her to interact well in the society” (Senge 2000:26)

Moreover, a teacher has been defined as “a person who has knowledge, skills and special training in teaching, explaining and educating. The teacher is the person who is capable of creating behavioral change in terms of cognitive, psychomotor, as well as effective domain.” (Mbise 2008)  

A teacher can be liken to a gardener who understands the plants (students) that requires bending, straighten and other pruning in order to help the plant to grow and develop. A teacher is someone or something (event) which causes a change for the better and allows growth. He/she inculcate a novice and expect the product of the action to be fully grown and influence the environment. 

MATHEMATICS PHOBIA

One of the definitions of Mathematics phobia is “the panic, helplessness, paralysis and mental disorganization that arises among some people when they are required to solve Mathematical problem” (Tobias and Werssbord, 1980).

Many people have a deep-seated fear of mathematics and mathematics tutors see a lot of scared students in all levels of education. Mathematics anxiety is a serious and pervasive problem, it can happen to anyone. Mathematics phobia affects people’s life by making them; Lose confidence in themselves and in their academic abilities; Avoid courses involving mathematical calculation; Leave courses when they encounter mathematics elements; Shy away from helping their children with their home-work (assignment), etc.

There are many reasons why people develop fear of mathematics; these range from bad school experiences, to suddenly having to use mathematics for the first time in years. The following are some of the reasons why students have mathematics phobia: Strictness of mathematics tutor; Incompetence on the part of mathematics tutor; Absence of instructional materials during mathematics teaching; Laziness on the part of students and tutor; Learning mathematics in the late period; Absence of ICT facilities and mathematics laboratory; Absence of counselors in schools; Too wide mathematics curriculum; Students absenteeism from classroom and from school; Allocation of too many periods to the mathematics tutors etc.

WAYS TO ERASE MATHEMATICS PHOBIA

The following are the ways in students can overcome mathematics phobia:

v  You must learn stress management and relaxation techniques of studying mathematics

v  You must be friendly with and/or close to your mathematics tutor

v  You need to combat your negative thinking by positive thought (be optimistic)

v  Visualize yourself succeeding in mathematics

v  Solve the “easiest” problems first

v  Start preparing for TEST and EXAMINATIONS early

v  Try to understand the “why” of mathematics concept rather than cramming

v  Always try to ask questions from friends and tutors as regards your attempt failed problems

v  Solve exercises with friends

v  Make use of the recommended texts

v  Revise whatever you have been taught daily before learning a new topic

v  Be courageous to ask question in the class if you do not understand

v  Get a private tutor in case you are a slow learner, there may be enough time in the class to explain some concepts in details

v  Attempt all the assignments given to you by the tutor

If you can carry out all the above listed points, gradually you will overcome your phobia until it is completely erased.

CAUSES AND SOLUTION TO EXAMINATION TENSION

The major cause of examination tension as far as I am concerned is lack of preparation. An adage says “Whoever fails to plan will plan to fail.” The students must know that concrete planning (preparation for examination) leads to great success in the examination. Piaget’s theory enables us to know that the common strategy for remembering is to rehearsal. Reading makes you get familiar with what you have been taught with time and when you are familiar with it you can remember it easily but it is difficult to remember what you are not familiar with. A student also needs to prepare long before the examination and not few days to examination when the exam time table is out.

Another cause of examination tension is lack of confidence. It is necessary that you posses a brave mind as a student. The teacher cannot give you examination questions from what he/ she has not taught you, the teachers questions come from within the scope of the scheme of work for that term or semester, then you have nothing to be afraid of. Come on! Come out of your shell! Examination should not be a master over you. It’s just to test your knowledge.

HOW TO DEAL WITH EXAMINATION TENSION

You can release your tense by preparing for your exams daily. You may decide to pick up your book, read, and jot down points for at least two hours in a day either before you go to bed or early in the morning before you start the day’s activities. Adequate preparation helps students a lot. Try it to deal with your examination tension.

My dear student, you need to have confidence in yourself. Self-confidence makes you go a long way in life, not only in your academics but in other areas of your life. It makes you believe in yourself and take your stand when making decision. As a student, you can also put yourself in examination mode in order to get familiar with the mode. You may decide to solve a particular question within a time frame that is related to the one given in the examination.

Solving examination past questions is another way of relieving yourself of your tense. Treating past questions make you get familiar with questions that will be asked in the exam because some teachers do repeat questions they have asked in the previous sessions. Repeated questions are bonuses for students.

In conclusion, examination tension leads to failure. Therefore endeavor to prepare well in order to have confidence to solve all problems given in the examination to achieve success. Success is yours.

EXAMINATION TENSION

According to the dictionary, “Examination is a formal test involving answering written or oral questions with no limited access to textbooks or the likes".

An examination is given often 
during the academic term to evaluate the students after they might have been taught by the teachers for the whole of the term.

On the other hand, tension is the psychological state of being tense according to the dictionary. Being tense is when someone is showing signs of stress or strain or not relaxed.

Examination tension could be an anxiety or fear that comes upon a child/student when he/ she hears of examination/test or knows that examination is near or during examination time. The symptoms of examination tension includes: fever (lower or higher body temperature, fainting and vomiting during examination period), forgetfulness, hyper fear, cold and or wet palm, shivering etc. All these occur before the examination as soon as the time table is out and get worse few minutes before the examination commences and during the examination. To some students, some of the symptoms continue until after the result is out, but to some, the symptoms leave as soon as the examination is off.

 Examination tension is a serious issue and if not dealt with, it causes other problems like health issue, lack of concentration, inferiority complex, failure, loneliness, lack of assimilation and so on. If you want to be great, you have to deal with your tension.

HOW TO INCREASE MY PASSION FOR MY STUDIES

GREAT! I love to share this with you and I’m glad to do so.
A student who has no passion for his/her studies has failed already, even before facing test/examination. He/she has also failed in making it through studies. The first step to success is your determination/fervor to succeed and your determination leads to your passion for studies. If you have little or no passions for studies, you are at the right place and at the right time. Here are the guides to follow to increase your passion for studies:

Thomas Edison invented light bulb after several experimental failure (trial and error). Studying is not always interesting until you create your passion for it. You can increase your passion for studies when you are focused. To be focused means to concentrate ones attention on something. It means to follow ones course without distraction. Thomas Edison was focused, he was not discouraged by failure. As a student, you need to follow the course you love not the one imposed on you by parents, guardians, and situation or circumstances. If you follow the course you don’t love, you may lose your interest and your passion for it.

A student needs to be ambitious in life if he/she wants to succeed. Ambition is your desire to achieve your goal. Being ambitious can increase your passion for studies. Decide whatever you want to become when you are young and grow with it (get a vision and run with it). You should know why you are in school right from the junior class of the secondary school. If you are yet to set your mind on your future ambition, do it now and desire it, because it increases your passion for studies.

Many people have succeeded through education; you can take them as your role model, that is, people to look up to. Try to choose someone who has succeeded in the profession you desire, and follow the step of the person. You can go to the extent of interviewing the person to know his/her failure and success story and this will guide your path in achieving your dream.

Finally, hardworking crowns it all. It has a great effect if you really want to increase your passion for your studies. Having a role model, being focused, determined, and ambitious will not work if you are not hardworking. You must do what your role model has not done in order to be greater in achievement than him/her. Passion without hardworking is like building a castle on a quick sand.

In conclusion, work hard to crown your passion for your studies

GETTING ALONG WITH MY SUBJECT TEACHERS

Relationship matters in any human endeavor, and it is the building block on which any intimate information can be shared and which could bring about productivity and maturity in both sides. In a classroom where teaching-learning process takes place, there must be that effective and reliable 'cord' between the sender (tutor) and recipient (student) of the ideal information being passed across at every moment of delivery, otherwise, little or no message will be maximally managed for productivity. And if that happens, the best thing that can happen is the supposed recipient losing interest in the subject matter since he or she could not receive adequate information.
It appears very important therefore, for a student to carefully ensure there is no gap of interaction between him/her and the teacher of which could hinder the assimilation of concepts, if such student desires tangible and maximum result.

These are factors to consider if you as a student will desire to get along with your 'preferred' Subjects' Teachers:
 Be optimistic - You need to be on your toes of understanding the subject matter under whatever condition. And that should actually produce a self developed interest in the teacher however tough he/she might appear. Teachers determine to be who they appear to be before the students as their own strategy(ies) to be able to pass effective information and also to manage their classroom maximally, having presumed and settled with the fact that, they possibly might not be able to satisfy the entire students. It is therefore a self responsibility on the part of the student to determine an assertive ground of excellence academic achievement without minding the cost. Having determined to succeed, teachers in those areas of your interest (or related to your specified career) have to understand your need to be a friend with him/her. Teachers most often appreciate a very ready-to-learn-student. You can attract a very tough teacher by a self developed interest in his or her subject. The more committed you are towards a subject, the more knowledge of it you acquire.

 Understand his/her (your teacher's) principle: It is important to identify and study to maintain your teacher's dos and don'ts if you want the best from him/her. Your teacher has certain peculiarity that possibly makes him appear strict/different from other teachers. It is your responsibility to find out what those individual differences are and study to note them for correct classroom attitude. As an intelligent student who love to express his/her knowledge on whatever subject matter he/she had taken time to study hard, you might find it difficult with some teachers who are strict to their definite ideas of teaching. Teachers like that would always encourage download-and-upload method of answering questions. It shouldn't disturb you of why they would maintain that style, you only need to understand that, that is what they want when it comes to assessments. After all, they cannot stripe off the knowledge you have acquired through rigorous study. They only reduce your stress of thinking and only at point of delivery. Just know that for them.

 Enrich your study: Ability to learn beyond the scope of subjects' content is another advantage that create interest of you in your teachers. Meanwhile, you will not only gain the interest of your teachers; you are improving your know-how drastically. Enrichment is a program organized for the intellectually precocious individuals outside the classroom activities in order to keep them active; maximize their potential and reduce classroom boredom. For an average student, it could mean rigorous study that will enhance adequate knowledge of subject matter. You can also term it extra-curricular study which brings about widened understanding of concepts.
 Have confidence in yourself: It is good to be confident of what you know but don’t be over confident. If the teacher knows that you are very sure of what you know and not what you don’t know, such a teacher will trust you.

Be humble: Humility is one of the keys in acquiring knowledge from your teacher. An arrogant student cannot learn because he/she will always prove that he knows better than the teacher. Do not argue with your teacher if you want to get along with him or her. Find a sensible and humble way of correcting your teacher if he/she makes a mistake. No one knows it all. All teachers want to teach an understanding student. You should always do away with pride, don’t prove to your teachers that you know it all. By doing all these, you will see yourself being better than your teachers.

Be honest: Leaders love to work with a truthful follower. Let your teachers know you to be an honest fellow. If you are honest, you can win the heart of you teachers and colleague. In my findings, I have got the fact that 70% of students that are morally sound are also academically sound. Excellence in morals has to do with excellence in academic achievements.