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Security and Safety in Learning

Students expect to feel safe and secured inside the campus and even when they are learning. Safety is known as the protection of students in preventing them from accidents, dangers, risks, or injuries. Security is protecting students against crimes, threats, and malicious incidents that could happen within the school grounds. both safety and security are bound in the physical and emotional well-being of the students. The teachers and the entire school staff must administer the learning environment of the students, because they deserve to feel that they are free from threats or any forms of danger inside the school grounds to ensure that they can focus in learning.

In ensuring the security and safety of the students, the entire school staff does not only need to focus on external threats like terrorism or malicious criminal acts. They must also observe that the students and the staff itself does not in any way harm each other in any form of damage, whether physical or psychological. This includes physical, verbal or cyber bullying, fighting, pranking/horseplay, stealing, sexual abuse, degrading, arson, and/or any staff issues. It is because when students experience any of these, it can affect their affective, cognitive, and psychological learning, which lead them to feel unsafe in the learning environment itself.

That is why the school must design policies that would ensure the safety and security of the students. Of course, these policies are not just applicable to the students, but teachers and the administrators themselves must follow the policies and embody it, and model it to the students. The students' safety guarantees that the learning environment delivers them the feeling of belongingness and confidence, in which builds their self-esteem. The parents and guardians trust that the school provides the protection and well-being of the students in terms of physiological and safety needs.

For students to stand out and excel, they must first feel safe and secured. 

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RESUME

Even with your years of education, experience, and all your certifications, you still need to apply to jobs just like anyone else. Having a solid resume can cut down on a lot of the stress and uncertainty from applying to new schools, and a particularly good one can separate you from the crowd.

Tips on writing a good resume

1. Be specific on your numbers. You want to quantify as much as possible on your teacher resume. For example, instead of writing “has years of experience,” tell administrators exactly how many years.

2. Emphasize your certifications and awards. List what awards you’ve won and any certifications you have – related on teaching like Teacher Certification. Awards and certifications show excellence and a potentially stand-out teacher.

3. Make your skills section specific. Include relevant skills on your resume. Focus on skills like “clear communication” and “able to manage a class of up to 30 elementary school students while maintaining a positive learning environment.” Some common skills for teachers are:

Communication skills

Writing and editing skills

Patience

Nurturing attitude

4. List only your recent jobs. Avoid making a mistake of listing every single job they’ve ever had. Stick to your current job and the previous two. Jobs from over five years ago are significantly less relevant.

5. Show that you’re a tech savy. Even if you aren’t a digital native, you still need to recognize the growing importance of tech in schools. There is a range of important programs and platforms that make teaching, learning, and the educational process more effective. Think the basics – Microsoft Office, social media, search engines, but also consider any educational software you’ve used. Some good examples of tech to talk about are:

- Khan Academy

- Microsoft Office Suite

- Google Drive

- Encarta

6. Use action verbs. The best writing is strong writing, and strong writing uses action verbs. Here is a list of useful action verbs to use when describing your past job responsibilities:

Educate

Teach

Prepare

Manage

Encourage

Motivate

Plan

Showcase

Develop

Instruct

Create

7. Include a cover letter. You should always include one unless you’ve received explicit instructions not to. This should be no more than a page, but also not much less. Be sure to customize it to the exact job you’re applying for, and be specific and detailed.

8. Keep it short. An overly long resume is just as obnoxious as one that’s too short. Keep it to two pages maximum. Remember, the whole point of a resume is to quickly and clearly show why you’re the best fit for a job.

9. Have perfect formatting. Just like you want your students to follow instructions to the letter, you should make your resume as cleanly formatted and attractive as possible. Keep the names of organizations and tenure at a job in a bigger font than the descriptions, and make sure your name is the biggest on the page. Use dividing lines to delineate between sections, and make sure that if you use a serif font, you only use serif fonts.

10. Do a grammar check. Double check that your verb tenses agree. Make sure subject-verb agreement makes sense. No spelling errors. Give a copy of your resume to an actual grammar teacher friend and have them proofread it for you.

Sample templates of a teacher's resume

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COVER LETTER

An excellent cover letter can mean the difference between getting the interview and going back and forth in a job search limbo. Here are some important points in writing a cover letter.

A cover letter is a single-page letter that should be included with your job application. You should tailor your cover letter to fit your own work history and the job for which you are applying.

WRITE WITH A PURPOSE

When writing a cover letter, you should:

1. Give a short introduction about yourself

2. Mention the job (or the position) you're applying for (or looking for)

3. Show that your skills and experience match the skills and experience needed to do the job

4. Encourage the Principal, Director or the person-in-charge to read your resume

5. Finish with a call to action (for example, asking for an interview or a meeting).

REMEMBER TO:

1. Emphasize your achievements. This includes the examples of your accomplishments in past jobs as a teacher. An example you received a teaching award from the previous school.

2. Mention any training or certifications. This is most efficient for teachers who are still starting out their career as an educator, include the different training or certifications that you have attended during your pre-service years. Use your cover to demonstrate that you have what’s required for the job.

3. Include related work outside the classroom. It only applies if you have non-teaching work or volunteer experience that involves working with young adolescent, you can highlight this in your cover letter as well. You especially might want to do this if you have little teaching experience.

4. Customize your cover letter. Make sure that your cover letter is tailored to fit the specific school and job listing. The best way to do this is to research the school and mention why you think you’d be a good fit for that specific school.

5. Never send the same cover letter to different institutions. The content of your cover letter is addressed to the needs and experiences to the institution you are applying for. Therefore you should not send the same cover letter to other institutions, instead re-word them to match the needs or standards.

WHAT YOU SHOULD NOT INCLUDE IN YOUR COVER LETTERS

1. Typos or errors: Reread and spell check your cover letter before sending. It is best to get someone else to proof-read and point out any grammatical errors or confusing things. Double-check everything in your cover letter.

2. Including your whole resume in your cover letter: Don't cut and paste your resume into your cover letter. Try to rephrase the information in your resume, rather than just repeating it. Remember to always keep your cover letter short.

3. Using ‘I’ too much: Try not to over use phrases like ‘I believe’, ‘I have’ and ‘I am’. Remember, it’s not about you – it’s about how you can help the employer.

4. Don't mention your other job applications: You're probably applying for more than one job at a time. But, it’s best not to mention other job applications. Your letter should aim to convince the employer that you really want this job.

Sample of a cover letter

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INVITATION LETTER

An invitation letter is written by an individual or the organizers of a school event. Such an invitation is addressed to a target group of guests to attend the school event.

An invitation letter is a formal notification that the school is planning for an event. It is used to inform the target guests that their presence at the event is highly valued. In this, the invitation also contains details of the event including purpose, venue, date, and time.

Tips for writing an invitation letter to a business event

Address the guests/judges professionally

Write the invitation letters in formal language content and tone

Mention precisely the details of the event including date, time, venue, and purpose

You may include the event schedule

Request for confirmation of attendance

You can use special invitation cards that look more impressive

Be brief and concise

Sample of an invitation letter for a school activity

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RESIGNATION LETTER

If you’re looking for a straight-forward sample resignation letter and you don’t want to burn any bridges when you quit, this article is for you!

When you’re leaving the job for personal reasons or maybe you were offered for a new teaching job with a promotion, and now it’s time to let your school authorities know that you’re leaving. When you need to resign from your job, it’s important to do so in a professional way.

Resignation letter from a teacher is a letter written to announce his/her intent to leave a position or employment currently held. It will often take legal effect of a notice required under the relevant terms of the position before quitting a job.

Tips for Writing a Resignation Letter

Speak to your boss first. If possible tell your school principal or director your plans on resigning personally, and follow up your resignation letter.

Send an official resignation letter after you speak with your boss. Send a printed copy to both your boss and the human resources office, so that the letter goes into your file (keep a copy for yourself as well).

State the date. State the specific date in your letter when you plan to leave work and try to give at least two weeks notice before the school year ends if it’s possible.

Keep your reasons brief. It is not necessary to go in to detail for your reason of leaving, especially if they are negative. Make the explanation short and brief.

Provide contact information. Include an email address and phone number where you can be reached once you officially leave the job.

Proofread and edit. Thoroughly proofread your resignation letter, you may need to ask for a recommendation from your school principal or director at some point in the future, so you need your writing to be polished.

Be simple and honest.

Additional Tips!

1. The more personal you are, the better.

2. Only Thank You’s. No advice or constructive criticism. Don’t offer any advice even if it is constructive, positive advice.

3. Do not complain about other colleagues or the school administration, this is not the place for you to vent it all out.

4. You don’t need to tell them what you’re doing next with your career change. If they want to know, they will email you.

5. If you do tell them, make sure 100% you are not leaving for a competitor that would leave a bad impression on you.

Sample of a teacher's resignation letter

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PERMISSION LETTER

It is required that teachers or the writes a letter to the higher authorities of the school seeking permission to use their premises or ground for a particular event, or higher authorities of the school writing a letter for the parents to give notice of events.

Permission Letter for School

A permission letter is written when you need legal authorization or permission to do something. A permission letter is addressed to the relevant authority in school, or to the parents of the students.

Writing a Permission Letter

The format of the writing a permission letter is like any other formal letter. It always starts with the name and the address of the sender. Then, the date on which you have written the letter. After, write the name and address of the sender to whom the letter is addressed to which follows with the subject line. Do not forget to mention the subject line as ‘Permission letter’ in case you are seeking permission or as per the request you are making to the school or authorities.

Tips on Writing a Permission Letter

- Do cannot forget to write the subject line.

- Follow the basic format of writing a letter.

- Avoid using jargon words. It is important to be simple and straightforward because you are writing a formal letter which has to be precise and clear.

- Avoid using slang and short forms (abbreviations). Using slang could be in a way disrespectful towards the school authority which means that the letter will not work in your favor and might work actually against you. When using abbreviations you should only use those that are formal or of terms that your high-tech and low-tech audience could understand (example: DepEd, CHED, SPEd, STEM, CPE).

- Highlight the important terms. School principals and other school authorities are already busy with a lot of administrative work so they do not have the luxury to read the letter word by word.

- Keep it short and simple.

Sample of a permission letter