#Professional Development

[femmefatalevibe]

Femme Fatale Guide: 15 Essential Business Skills Everyone Should Master

Articulate, confident communication

Crafting effective, compelling pitches

Operating and communicating through a solution-oriented framework

Research of all types (Google, market research, studies, polls, interpersonal conversations, etc.)

Learning how to streamline, edit, and organize information in a clear and logical way

Accumulating high-level working knowledge/proficiency in all tools and programs directly related to your type of work/industry

Budgeting and financial optimization (investment, tax benefits, etc.)

Reading and interpreting legal contracts/documents

Setting rates, boundaries, and learning when/how to delegate

Good posture, direct eye contact, and a firm handshake

Building streamlined systems for onboarding, different repeat project scopes/workflows, and KPI measuring

The art of following up, listening to (potential) clients' needs, asking thoughtful questions, and benefit-oriented salesmanship

Consistently reading, learning, and studying current events/cultural platforms/industry and field-related knowledge

How to spot customer/client/business partner red flags

Self-management, task/project prioritization, and optimization of your personal energy clock + levels

[puzzled-on-main]

thanks coursera

[inconsistently--consistent]

Book Review

It's an interesting read. Uplifting. Very logical.

I liked his vocabulary of 4 levels instead of 1st, 2nd, or 3rd world countries. It felt much more accurate. It also allowed for a more nuanced discussion of what issues are happening where. For example, women's education is won in levels 2 - 4 but not level 1.

There are some parts where I disagree with the logic. Like there's a part where he and many other parents change how they let their babies sleep because of one flawed study. Then when they switch back to how it's been done for thousands of years he uses it as an example of open mindedness for new ideas being good. I understood that as be discerning when new studys claim everything that worked in the past is wrong. And don't go to other parents and insist they do it your new way. Especially because babies actually died over this flawed study and parents strictly enforcing in amongst each other.

[dearfriendoverseas]

Screaming Silently

Idk how to implement change in this organization. I feel SO presumptuous suggesting things to site admin and teachers. Everyone needs more fucking professional development. This is WILD. WHY ARE PEOPLE EXPECTED TO RETAIN MISBEHAVING STUDENTS--any students, come to think of it--WITHOUT THE TOOLS TO DO SO. Give them a fucking scholarship and ask them to be trained. Teachers have to have a bachelor's to be hired anywhere serious! Give these people training!! Oh my gosh.

[fayeandknight]

In exciting news I finally found and was accepted to attend a seminar that I'm super excited for! It's a four day introduction to service dog training. It has a robust agenda and will cover a lot including laws, temperament selection, foundational skills, mobility tasks, scent based tasks, hearing related tasks, psychiatric tasks, and various public access skills.

Really grateful to my boss for this gift. I'm so looking forward to this opportunity to learn more and expand my skills. And even more excited to have more skills and information with which to help others.

[writersblock8]

today is thursday

hello

i am continuing to obsess over floyd collins – not necessarily because of the production i saw at lincoln center, but because of the beauty of the score and the humility of the lyrics. namely "the dream." so stunning.

today, i am trying to find some texts / articles on lyric writing for the stage. i'm excited to read a lot and find out how to get better. a lot of my (stage) lyrics right now are adapted text or bad on purpose. i have one song that's been publicly performed that is not adapted from something that is genuine in its tone and not trying to mock or imitate something. it'll come with time, but i want to come up with some more tools to become a better lyric writer. it'll take some time. maybe i can look through some research databases and some texts from the nypl to integrate into my practices. that'll also undoubtedly help with the adapted texts.

my other creative challenge today is to dive into various musical scales. that will only influence me to venture into less conventional progressions and melodies. i remember watching a rehearsal robert shaw did with his chorale (that typically performed major works at carnegie hall at the time this video was taken) where they were rehearsing a section of verdi's requiem and they were repeating the enigmatic scale together (or some variant) and it was such a hypnotizing sound. not quite a whole tone scale, not quite a major or minor scale, something beyond. i might look at using it in macbeth somewhere.

full disclosure: i have found it incredibly hard to be motivated since my concert. my body is tired all the time (probably because i'm staying up too late) and my mind is...also tired all the time. i desperately want to finish it, but i'm a little overwhelmed by how much more i have to do. over half the show still needs to be written musically, but at least everything has been started! that's a good thing! just don't really wanna keep going most days. most days, i'd rather sleep on a cloud and never do anything again. trying to get better though. and that's a start.

[187days]

Day One Hundred Twenty-Six

Today's teacher workshop day started in the auditorium. The Principal and Dean 1 went over the expectations for the morning: examining the NWEA reports for our current students, identifying trends, figuring outwhich skills we should be focusing on developing. At first, I think a lot of folks thought it would boring or tedious, but it was actually really worthwhile.

My department split into groups based on what grade level(s) we teach, compiled notes on what we were seeing in the data, and then came together to look at the overall picture. It really was telling, and it gave us so many things to consider about our instruction and vertical alignment. We'll be discussing that more in future PLC meetings and such, but we definitely got the ball rolling today.

Admin gave us three hours to do that work, but my department is quick, so we wrapped up in less than two. In that time, though, both The Principal and Dean 1 came by to see us and thank us for sharing our work so promptly (I'd added them- and Dean 2, who came by later to speak to me, specifically- to our shared working document as soon as it was created). I often joke that my department is a group of show-offs and over-achievers, but there's some truth to it. We take pride in being exemplary, and being known for our cohesiveness. So did we all applaud each other after that? Little bit.

And then we did spend twenty minutes checking out course selections for next year, tentatively drafting schedules for who's teaching what, and chatting about whatever... But I wanted everyone to have time to get other stuff done because there's never enough of that if you don't make it, so we went our separate ways around 10:00. I went to catalogue books and clear off shelves in the staff room, and to chat with Mr. J in school counseling.

At noon, we all headed to the cafeteria where we were joined for lunch by our middle school colleagues. The afternoon was all about collaboration with them, so the principals thought it would be nice to get everyone together for some good (and free!) food and casual conversation first.

In our meetings, we had specific questions to answer about the middle to high school transition, and that did take the whole time that had been allotted for it- two hours- but mostly because we kept reminiscing and joking around in between having serious conversations. Two of the middle school social studies teachers are Mr. Y and Mr. A- a former student and my former student-teacher- so I knew it was going to a ball for me to see them, but, turns out, the whole lot of us get along like a house on fire. We all agreed that we weren't expecting to laugh so much in this meeting, but we're glad we did. I think Ms. A, being so new, was a little unsure of herself, at first, but she was laughing and bantering right along with everyone else in no time.

And, yeah, we got the work done, too. We identified a lot of the challenges of that transition, and some potential solutions. And we have plans to continue the communication, and work to support each other.

So, all in all, it was a really good day, and really productive. Gotta love when you can say that about a workshop day!

[femmefatalevibe]

Hi, I’m trying to change industries to my dream industry. I’m on my 30s but I couldn’t do it before because of personal reasons and taking care of family members and mental health.

My friends, some of them, think I’m wasting my time and they don’t support me and my mum is trying to let me know in a not subtle way that she’s expecting me to grow up of this idea. But I really want to go for it!

However, because all of this, I’m getting anxious that maybe it’s late, that I should have done it before, that because I don’t have experience in this industry I won’t get hired and because it’s a new industry and my city is small (not small us but small village in a country in Europe) I can’t do networking but in LinkedIn and it’s hard because I don’t know someone. And im starting to second guess myself and thinking I’m eating my time but I really hate the industry I’m working now, so I feel really stuck and I can’t move forward with the industry change because all of this. Do you have any advice? Do you think it’s late? Thank you so much <3

Hi love! I believe there are two important points to be made here.

The best time to start is years ago. The second best time to start is now. Time will continue to pass for several more decades, so consider whether you want to "what if" yourself about pursuing your dreams 20 years from now. In my opinion, it's better to go after what you want and fail fast. Living with regrets, at least for me, feels worse than pursuing something I wanted and it not unfolding as my expectations lead me to believe.

While going after what you want is important, especially with your career, you need to be practical and a little more methodical (even a bit conservative) in your approach to ensure you don't run into financial trouble. No dream is worth struggling with life-hindering debt – at least in my opinion.

With these two considerations in mind, I would consider beginning to pursue this career path as a hobby in the meantime while maintaining whatever stable employment you have at the moment. Prioritize your time engaging in this "hobby" like it's a mandatory appointment with yourself.

Consume articles, books, and podcasts. Take courses/build skills in your dream industry/role. Create a portfolio of your own spec work to demonstrate your commitment and talent within this field. Use LinkedIn/virtual conferences to network strategically. Follow people in your dream industry and key leaders. Comment/engage with their material. Send them personalized messages with praise/feedback on posts or insights they shared.

Message people attending the same conferences to connect. Set up informational interviews/coffee chats if possible (offer to pay for a virtual coffee, etc.). If there are any gig/job opportunities, share this spec work to demonstrate your skills and frame your background as a series of transferable skills.

Also, never underestimate the power of your second-degree network on LinkedIn, but mainly IRL. Let your trusted, supportive friends and acquaintances know you're interested in the field. You never know who knows someone.

Hope this helps! Best of luck xx

[lovinglifeinspiringothers]

Loving Life Designs

#lovinglife #inspiringothers #llio #life #inspiration #inspiring #luvlife #lovinlife #inspire #luvinlife

[starr-angelofnarnia]

As long as I get a 66 on my final paper, I can pass the class with an A.

Watch my bothers as they fly away. Don't care anymore.

[captaingimpy]

The Generalist Mindset: Why It’s Better to Be “Good Enough” at Everything

In a world that constantly pushes for specialization, being a generalist—a “jack of all trades”—can sometimes feel like swimming against the current. That old saying, “jack of all trades, master of none,” often gets thrown around as a warning against spreading yourself too thin. But people forget the full expression: “jack of all trades, master of none, but better than a master of one.” And that…

[kids-worldfun]

Are Online IT Courses Suitable for Career Changers?

Career change is a bold decision that requires determination and consideration for the development of proper skill sets. On the other hand, one of the most effective ways to build such skills for those who wish to transition into the field of technology will be through online IT courses. Whichever sector one comes from—be it finance, marketing, education, or any other sector—IT has huge…

[remindmetoreed]

Just finished Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman and I really enjoyed this. He discusses embracing your finitude and how you will essentially never be able to master time management...and that's okay, because its a myth. highly recommend and it was a great book to start the new semester with!

[youploger]

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[187days]

Day Ninety-Six

One of the bigger and tougher issues to tackle in my district is attendance. There's been a lot of communication by administrators to parents and students alike about the importance of attendance, and it's had some impact, but it's definitely still an issue, especially on atypical days (early dismissal days, pep rally days, days before vacations, etc...) because, even now, parents assume things won't happen on those days.

Parents who let their kids stay home on early dismissal days are my particular pet peeve, so that's when I schedule my quizzes, if possible. Like, I won't twist my unit plans inside out to make it work, but if I can make it work fairly easily? I will. And it's pretty effective in keeping my attendance solid. I also like it because ninth grade core classes are shorter than the other grades' classes, so on early dismissal days they're basically the perfect length for quiz-taking.

Now, today there was a snowstorm, so that brought my attendance down a smidge (and that's understandable because my district is geographically large and includes some gnarly roads). It also led to predictable, pre-quiz grumbling about how we should have just canceled school.

But anyways.

I gave a vocab quiz in all three of my Global Studies sections. Any students who finished early worked on the current events write-ups that are due this Friday, or completed work they owed me, or did something else of their own choosing (I told them they just had to be silent so as not to disrupt their classmates, and they couldn't break any laws or school rules).

Random awesomeness: one of my students brought in homemade peanut butter fudge. It was meant to be a surprise, but he remembered I have a lot of allergies, so he spoiled the surprise to double check that I would be able to eat it.

It's really good, and that was such a nice thing to do!

So that made my day.

After students left, we all had to attend a professional development session for three hours- with breaks- about NWEA data and how it can be used. Department heads got a preview of this training last week, so I knew some of what to expect, but the trainer today had a lot of practical suggestions that I thought were helpful. I'm sure more conversations about this data, and what it means for our instructional practices, and so on will be coming.