Don't Give Up, Even if Quitting Seems Easy

Quitting Is Easy. But Today Is Not the Day to Give Up
January 10, 20220

Consider the last time you were faced with a challenge, something you did not plan for or expect to occur. It could have involved something personal, in which you had one of two choices to make. The first was to accept what was happening to you, quit making any effort to address it, and not allow yourself to feel any sense of hope. The alternative was to find a way of addressing and managing the issue, even if there was little you could do to control it. Which did you choose?

Taking an easy way out always requires the least amount of effort. That's why quitting in the face of a challenge seems easiest at times, whenever you're confronted by demanding circumstances, an unexpected situation, or even moments when you have persistent doubts about how to handle an issue. It's working...

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Transformational Educator Dr. J Now Available

Transformational Educator Dr. J: Available for Online Teaching
December 28, 20210

There are many who want to teach online today, far surpassing the number of available positions. The mix of those who are interested in online teaching is well-balanced between those with extensive experience, minimal experience, and no experience. What often occurs within the hiring process is the entire group of candidates is reduced to a single collective, due to automated functions of human resource systems. It doesn't matter what your level of experience may or may not be, your degrees or advanced education, nothing is guaranteed to give you a competitive advantage at first in the job search, as you are considered solely by key words and an algorithm.

This is why I have chosen to share with you what it means to be a transformational educator, someone who has worked within...

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Encourage Hopefulness and Students Will Succeed

Encourage Hopefulness
December 22, 20210

Do you ever feel so completely overwhelmed by the external circumstances around you it seems almost impossible to remain calm and steady when you need to be present in the classroom? Has 2021 started with a sense of renewal but quickly given you feelings of apprehension and cause for concern?

A new year is under way and you have already felt the emotional pull of the year we all hoped to leave behind, along with the continued drama that fills the news almost every day. As an educator, you have to somehow separate yourself from the emotional reactions you may be experiencing, if you want to have a clear mind and remain focused on your students. But this isn't always easy to do, especially if you continue to pay attention to the news and social media. It can leave you feeling...

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Discover How To Face Your Greatest Fears

What You Can Do to Face Your Greatest Fears
December 11, 20210

"There may be times when you have to face your worst fears. Perhaps your fears have a name, or perhaps your fears consist of a situation you do not want to be in. Whatever the case may be, know you can and will rise above it. You are strong." – Dr. Bruce A. Johnson

The most destructive form of fear occurs from thoughts you allow to continue to replay in your mind, in which you believe situations or people control you or your life. While it's true you may be limited, because of a situation you find yourself in, a set of circumstances you're unable to control, or anything else you're unable to change now. However, you are limitless in your ability to dream, plan, and believe in new possibilities.

Here's something important to remember: You are always free. While...

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When You Conquer Doubts, You Become Limitless

When You Overcome Your Doubts, You Become Limitless
December 01, 20210

Have you discovered the elation that comes with being able to follow through with your own efforts, when you overcome a challenge you thought was nearly impossible, and conquered fear of something new? You are able to accomplish this and more when you refuse to listen to and accept any self-doubts about yourself or your capacity to achieve your goals or dreams.

Yet as you know, self-doubts can be powerful detractors from your positive state of mind and best of intentions. While you may decide you are going to step forward and begin to take action, especially when this involves something important you've thought about doing for quite a long time, a moment of hesitation can sideline you. Some people find it easier to disbelieve than believe in their ability to overcome potential...

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Dream and Create the Life You Wanted

How to Design the Life You Want, One Dream at a Time
November 01, 20210

If you want to change some aspect of your life, do you rely upon the development of goals to make those improvements? Or do you allow yourself to dream and wish for a better future?

When you establish a goal, you understand the purpose is to create an outline for something specific, often with a targeted date determined as part of the plan. In contrast, dreams can be more elusive and unclear, as the details may be vague and the timeframe for development of the ideas is most likely unknown. While goals are based in reality, or the here and now, a dream is thought of being out "there" somewhere, in a undefined place in time.

Since goals are based in reality, it's possible to feel limited in scope, as to how far you'll stretch your ideas when thinking about the long-term....

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What You Believe You Become

What You Believe You Become
October 22, 20210

What do you believe about your life now? What do you believe about your potential now? If you reflect upon the number of recent tasks, projects, or goals you've begun, how many did you complete? How many from that list did you begin and then set aside, thinking there was not enough time, resources, support, or too many barriers to overcome?

If you have a record of not completing projects or tasks, do you place the responsibility upon yourself, or is it always a matter of external conditions, be it people or something else? These are important questions to consider while you begin to contemplate what it means to accomplish what's important and meaningful in your life. This is especially true for goals. If you have set goals for yourself, it means there is some outcome you hope to...

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Become a Calming Presence For Students

Be the Calming Presence Students Need to Stay Focused
September 21, 20210

Learning requires focus, and focus requires attention to what is being studied, thought about, formulated, and written. It is a process that occurs with intent and conscious involvement, and cannot be rushed no matter how much any student would like for it to be. Yet as any instructor knows, being enrolled in a class, especially an online class, is rarely the only responsibility a student has in any given week. For many students, classwork is often viewed from the perspective of what can be accomplished in the least amount of time, with the least amount of effort, and with the least interruption of all other required responsibilities. In other words, classwork is not always a top priority.

During pre-pandemic times, many students could balance their lives, careers, family, other...

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The Future is Yours to Create if You Have a Purpose

Your Future Is Yours to Create, As Long As You Have a Purpose
September 11, 20210

Think about today as a new beginning. From today on let no one, not any circumstance and anything said to you, change how you feel, what you believe about yourself, or how you view your future potential. Your future is yours to create.

Now the challenge is going to be living this as a matter of practice. What is it going to take to be able to set an example for yourself to live a life unchallenged by events going on around you, especially when there are those who want to upset you, put you down, distract you, make you feel as if you do not possess the skills or talents necessary to succeed, or you find yourself faced with events that are just too overwhelming?

It is all a matter of anchoring your life with a sense of purpose. You have to remember that you are always free...

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Use End of Course Evaluations for Reflection

Do End of Course Evaluations Reflect Your Classroom Performance Accurately?
September 01, 20210

What is your belief about the end of course evaluation? Do you believe it accurately reflects your performance in the classroom? Do you live in fear of the outcome you'll receive, as to your standing with the school you teach for now? Do you focus on the potential outcome of the evaluation, and do everything you can to ensure your learners are satisfied with the course, even if it means becoming more lenient than you might naturally be?

Those of us teaching for online schools know the weight these evaluations hold for determination of the future of our positions. The online school I work for takes these evaluations very seriously, and yet, there is a holistic view taken and that means all factors of performance are weighed in. The reason why is there are typically only a few...

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