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On-campus education vs. online education! Is one better than the other? Can one completely replace the other? Indeed it seems that online education is the way of the future. Educational institutions, corporations and government organizations alike already offer various forms of electronic teaching. However, can a computer truly replace a teacher and a blackboard?

How people learn

Each individual has a form of learning that suits them best. Some individuals achieve fantastic results in courses taught online, however most people drop out of 100% computer-led courses. Educational institutions, as well as companies in carrying out staff training, must recognize that there is no ideal way to carry out the teaching of a large group of individuals, and so must design programs that best suits the needs of the group as a whole.

People learn using multiple senses. This involves learning through both theoretical components of a course, as well as social interaction with both instructors and other students. Students learn from each other's mistakes and successes, not just from what they are told by instructors.

Each individual student has an ideal learning pace. Instructors are therefore faced with the challenge of designing courses that move forward such that those students with a slower learning pace do not get left behind, while not moving so slowly that students with faster learning paces get bored.

Online education

In the age of high-speed information transfer, online education is becoming a popular and cheap means for delivering teaching to individuals outside the classroom, and in some cases all over the world. Teaching can be via CD, websites, or through real-time online facilities such as webcasts, webinars and virtual classrooms. However, different methods of online education each have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Online education is still a relatively new concept, and in many respects still in the teething stages. As such, various problems arrive across different online education environments. For example:

1. Lack of immediate feedback in asynchronous learning environments: While some online education environments such as webcasts, webinars and virtual classrooms operate live with the addition of an instructor, most do not. Teaching that is delivered through a CD or website, although having the advantage of being self-paced, provides no immediate feedback from a live instructor.

2. More preparation required on the part of the instructor: In an online education environment, an instructor can not simply stand in front of a whiteboard and deliver a class. Lessons in online education environments must be prepared ahead of time, along with any notes and instructions that may accompany the teaching.

In many cases it would also be necessary that the instructor not only understands the concepts being taught, but the technology used to deliver that teaching. This therefore increases the skill-levels needed of online education instructors, placing greater demand on educational institutions.

Staffing levels may also be higher for courses run in an online education environment, requiring for example:

The Instructor - able to teach both course content and be skilled in the use of technologies involved

The Facilitator - to assist the instructor in delivering content, but may do so remotely

Help Desk - to offer assistance to instructors, facilitators and students in the use of both software and hardware used to deliver the course.

3. Not all people are comfortable with online education: Education is no longer only sought by the world's youth. With an increased trend towards adult and continuing education, there is a need to design courses suitable for students over a larger age-range, as well as students from different and varied backgrounds. It is difficult, however, to design online education environments suitable for everyone.

4. Increased potential for frustration, anxiety and confusion: In an online education environment, there are a greater number of parts making up the system that can fail. Server failures may prevent online courses from operating. Software based teaching applications may require other specific components to operate. Computer viruses may infect software necessary to run online education environments. If these systems are complex, students may choose the ease of On-campus education rather than taking the additional time and effort necessary to master the use of online education systems.

5. The Digital Divide: Many people who live in remote areas and developing countries do not have access to computers, making any form of online education virtually impossible. For this reason, online education is only able to be targeted at the people lucky enough to be able to take advantage of the technology involved. Similarly, offering live teaching across the world means that different time zones and nationalities increase the demand for multi-skilled instructors.

In addition to these, there are also several legal issues associated with maintaining an online education environment. For example, intellectual property laws, particularly those relating to copyright, may or may not fully cover electronically created intellectual property. For example, information on a website is not necessarily considered to be public domain, despite being available to everyone. However, the Australian Copyright Act was amended in 2001 to ensure that copyright owners of electronic materials, including online education environments, could continue to provide their works commercially.

On-Campus Education

Still the most common form of instruction is traditional classroom-style learning. These instructor-led environments are more personal than online education environments, and also have the advantage of allowing for immediate feedback both to and from student and teachers alike. However, the classroom allows for less flexibility than courses run in online education environments.

Instructors in modern classroom environments are still able to take advantage of several forms of electronic teaching tools while still maintaining the atmosphere associated with the traditional classroom environment. For example, PowerPoint slides can be utilized instead of a whiteboard or blackboard. Handouts can be distributed via course websites prior to the event. However, on the day, students are still able to actively participate in the lesson.

Like online education environments, On-campus education comes with certain drawbacks, the most common of which is the classroom itself. This requires a group of people which, in a university for example, could reach a few hundred people in size, to gather in the same place at the same time. This requires enormous time and financial commitment on behalf of both the students and the educational institution.

However, it is this sort of environment that is most familiar to students across the world. People of all ages can access a classroom environment feeling comfortable with the way that a classroom-run course is carried out. Older students who may not be comfortable with the use of information technology are not required to navigate their way through possibly complex online education environments, making On-campus education the most accessible form of teaching.

On-campus education has one advantage that 100% electronically delivered courses can not offer - social interaction. Learning comes from observing, not only what is written on a page or presented in a slideshow, but what is observed in others. Most students are naturally curious, and so will want to ask questions of their instructors. The classroom environment allows students to clarify what is being taught not only with their instructors, but with other students.

So, Which is Better?

There is no style of instruction that will best suit every student. Studies have shown (Can online education replace On-campus education) that courses where online education is used to complement On-campus education have proved more effective than courses delivered entirely using only one method. These courses take advantage of both online education materials and a live instructor, and have produced results higher than those of students in either 100% online education or classroom environment courses. Students have the advantage of the immediate feedback and social interaction that comes with the classroom environment, as well as the convenience of self-paced online education modules that can be undertaken when it best suits the student.

It would seem that online education environments will never completely replace On-campus education. There is no "one size fits all" method of teaching. Teaching styles will continue to adapt to find the method that best fits the learning group. Using a mix of online education environments and classroom sessions, educational institutions, corporations and government organizations can ensure that training is delivered that is convenient and effective for both instructors and students alike.

Mathew Simond is a journalist and copywriter. He is also a webmaster of many websites including http://www.paralegal-degree.org and http://www.humanservicesdegree.net

He aims to provide healthy information and advice on academic degrees.

Africa has been marked by a dearth of books, especially picture story books for younger children reflecting an African environment both in textual context and illustration. Problems militating against a rapid growth in writing and publishing for children in Africa include the following:

(1) The bulk of reading matters available to the African child are textbooks rather than books for pleasure and enjoyment.

(2) Most children's books are still imported. Such imported works are mostly insensitive to local culture, and unreflective of the social realities of the African child and his aspirations.

(3) Not enough African published children's books are available.

(4) If they are available the illustrations in them are either

(a) of poor quality

(b) not in full colour

(c) Do not have beautiful dust jackets.

(5) And if they are in full colour, and of good quality, they are either much too expensive or for an elitist few and well beyond the reach of most African children, especially those in the rural areas.

(6) Most serious African authors do not bother to write for children since it is not accorded the same status as writing for adults.

Africa has very little concern for written literature. Even Nigeria which is rich in award-winning authors is marked by neglect of her authors. Writers are seldom as honoured.as footballers are. Hardly any foundations exist to boost the creativity of African writers. Prizes for literature are also in short supply. Book Development Councils seem to be either non-existent or collapsing except in Ghana. In Sierra Leone and the Gambia its absence is still being bemoaned. Whereas in Nigeria where one was once set up to develop indigenous book publishing, it hardly made any impact until it was swallowed up by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council. In Africa generally adults seldom read children's books - not even parents. Compared to the over 2,000 titles published every year for children in Britain, the output in Nigeria is hardly up to 60.

In spite of the over 100 publishers in Nigeria the situation remains bleak for children's literature. This is due mainly to their textbook orientation which makes them lazily rely on a captive school market. It has been proven that if only African children had access to more books they would read outside the classroom. An illustration of this fact could be seen from the 1985 Ife Book Fair where the Children's Literature Association of Nigeria (CLAN) held a special exhibition of books

Visitors to that stand were fascinated by the colourful poster illustrations of folktales decorating the wall, the top and back of shelves. Some even wanted to buy the poster-sized illustrations made by a very gifted woman artist from the Nigerian television authority. The festive air given to the stand by the balloons decorating it along with the colourful posters attracted many children. There was the astonishing sight of three children of varying ages reading one picture book at the same time, visibly very fascinated by this picture book entitled No Bread for Eze by Ifeoma Okoye and published by Fourth Dimension in Enugu. It was one of those picture books where both story and illustrations were ideally integrated. It was about a young boy Eze who loved bread and could not eat enough of it. He wanted bread all the time. So his exasperated parents made him eat nothing but bread. Eze was at first very happy. Nobody was pressurizing him to eat nourishing food. But he soon grew tired of eating bread all the time and pleaded with his parents to give him other types of food. But they would not relent. So Eze became tired of bread and stopped eating. He grew hungry and weak and could not even play football with his friends. In the end his parents relented and Eze began to enjoy a balanced diet, having learnt that boys shall not live by bread alone. This emphasizes the importance of illustrations in children's books, for those children were fascinated not only by the story of Eze but also by the imaginative and sometimes humorously drawn pictures. If children are to acquire the reading habit, they must be given attractive books which also mean well-illustrated books. Even a two-year old baby can enjoy looking at a picture book. Picture books could indeed be expensive to some extent if one insists on printing in four colours which is ideal as could be seen in the lavishly illustrated folktale The Drum specially written for children by Chinua Achebe. But even line and wash drawings could be so well drawn that they too could be captivating.

Half-tone illustrations as in Adagbonyin's The Singing Ashes (1981) can also be effective due to the masterly shading of the artist. Even one-colour children's books could infectiously hold young readers as does Just in Case (1983) By Sandra Slater, illustrated by A.L. Satti.

Other good picture books include the colourful Amina the Milkmaid (1988) by Fatima Pam illustrated by K. Ofori Pam, a Ghanaian, The First Coin (1989) by Mabel Segun illustrated by the same artist and How the Leopard Got His Claws (1982) by Chinua Achebe and John Iroaganachi. This has two illustrated versions, the one in full colour being by Adrienne Kennaway.

Although Nigeria has a few good illustrators, most of the good illustrations there have been done by expatriates. It appears that many Nigerian illustrators cannot draw children's faces and have problems with interpreting texts. In order to remedy these defects, CLAN has run two illustrators' training workshops with UNESCO funding and published a book on Illustrating For Children (1988) edited by Mabel Segun.

But this problem can only be solved permanently by integrating text and illustrations, a feat best accomplished by an author illustrator The cost of publishing in full-colour could even be reduced through co-publishing with, a number of publishers working together to increase print runs and reduce the unit cost of books. Sometimes a book is published with texts in different languages using the same colour illustrations. In Nairobi, five publishers across Africa including Nigeria's Daystar Press came together in 1983 under the auspices of the World Association for Christian Community (WACC) and co-published a number of children's books in full colour under the imprint DUCCA.

The dearth of good children's authors is also militating against the publishing of children's literature in Africa. For, writing for children, is much more difficult than writing for adults, for not many adults can either enter into the child's world and interact with him with understanding and lack of condescension whilst adapting the contents and language of her writing to the child's age, experience and background... A good writer for children must understand a child's psychology for the story not to ring false. Good children's literature arouses a child's imagination and extends his horizon giving him a knowledge of the past in relation to the present and imbuing him ideals and values necessary for national development. Work ethics. selflessness, loving relationships, acceptance of responsibility are amongst the values which can be so taught, not in a didactic, off-putting manner but with subtlety so that children can be mobilized towards national and international development. Good children's literature develops a child's creativity and inventiveness without which a people cannot hope to move into the technological age.

Good literature can also give a child personal identity in a continent which has been subjected to cultural imperialism through mass importation of foreign literature. Achebe does this through his well-written folktales such as The Flute, The Drum and the earlier How the Leopard Got His Claws co-authored with John Iroaganachi and published in 1972 by Nwamife Publishers. The latter was one of the first children's picture story books published in Nigeria and remains one of the best and most successful ones, with an East African Publishing House. Chinua Achebe is quoted as saying it.. 'Is one of the best things I have ever done.' Mabel Segun does this through character-building books such as Olu and the Broken Statue (1985).

In neighbouring Ghana many other problems including the country's balance of payments difficulties which cause constant short supplies of essential raw materials and

spare parts to repair defective printing equipments. Amongst The Ghana Publishing Corporations' substantial number of children's books published, one of the earliest and most attractive was Mesheck Asare's picture story book, Tawia Goes to Sea published in 1970. This was probably the first African-published children's book to gain world-wide recognition and it was also the first book from an African publisher to be translated into Japanese. Better still was the welcome news that a Ghanaian children's book was the winner of the 1982 Noma Award. This $3,000 prize went to Mesheck Asare, for his engaging picture story book The Brassman's Secret published by Educational Press and Manufacturers United of Kumasi in 1981.The jury in selecting it were impressed by its' exciting and unusual children's story, beautifully and imaginatively illustrated by the author, himself an artist, to bring out important aspects of his Asante culture. They also thought it remarkable that a book of such high quality was produced under such difficult conditions then prevalent in Ghana. Asare has like Achebe been rehabilitating the African child's mind through literature designed to reveal to him his cultural heritage through all these fantasies as well as the adventure book Chipo and the Bird on the Hill and his more recent Sosu's Call

Another G.P.C. item Mercy Owusu-Nimoh's The Walking Calabash published in 1977 was singled out for 'Honourable mention' in the first Noma Award for Publishing in Africa competition

Inspite of its many problems Ghana manages to maintain a lively and enterprising local book industry. Firms such as Aframs Publications, Adwinsa Publishers and the Wielerville Publishing House are among those whose list includes occasional children's books.

In East Africa, the bulk of the children's book publishing output is from Kenya. The East African Publishing House in Nairobi in particular, has an extensive list of picture-story books illustrated in full colours, as well as readers, and traditional stories and folklore. Especially appealing is their series called 'Lioncubs.' Charity Waciuma, Pamela Kola, Asenath Odaga and Cynthia Hunter are amongst the most prolific authors in the EAPH list. Another prolific children's writer is Barbara Kimenye who publishes with the East African branch of Oxford University Press, some titles one of which is Martha the Millipede recounting the story of Martha who fed up with getting sore feet decided it was about time to get herself some shoes.

The Kenyan Literature Bureau taking over from the East African Literature Bureau has produced a few children's books among which is Ray Prather's A is for Africa A Colouring Book for Africa which contains forty full-page drawings depicting the various people of Africa, accompanied by small maps showing their geographical locations.

Foremost Kenyan writer, Ngugi Wa'Thiongo has joined his Nigerian counterpart, Achebe, in writing and publishing his first children's book but unlike Achebe in his native Gikuyu language but later translating it as The Great Hero and the Flying Bus.

In Southern Africa, Zimbabwe Publishing House have already built up a most impressive collection. A government supported private commercial undertaking, it publishes books on education, politics, literature and creative writing, Zimbabwean history but with books for children featuring prominently. It sponsored a splendid magazine for children ANTS started by a panel of Zimbabwean children but which I have learnt with much regret has stopped publishing more than 15 years now.

Other publishers catering for children here are Mamba Press and the Zimbabwe Literature Bureau, the latter having a wide range of materials in Shona and Ndebele comprising novels, poetry, short story booklets, children's comics and material for literacy development.

In Malawi another firm actively developing children's books in the indigenous languages publishes the popular publications of Limbe.

In Lesotho the church-sponsored Mazenod Book Centre similarly has a substantial list of books for children in African Languages,

In Zambia and in Tanzania some children's material is coming from the National Educational Company of Zambia and the Tanzania Publishing House.

In South Africa initially the small local market did not make it feasible to publish local children's books in English. English children's books written with a South African background or by a South African were usually published in England. Jock of the Bushveld (1907) written by Sir Percy FitzPatrick, is generally regarded as the first English South African children's book. .This was published in South Africa during the second half of the twentieth century. Only during the 1970s did local publishers realize the need for indigenous children's books in English and start exploiting the market. This change was brought about single handedly by the writer Marguerite Poland with her Mantis and the Moon which was published in 1979. The rise in price of imported children's books made the publication of indigenous material more competitive. The political changes during the 1980s then brought improvement of the quality of education of African children and the decision that they could receive tuition in English. This created a large potential market for English children's books in which some publishers specialize. At the end of the 1980s English children's books were prominent in dealing with the political and socio-economic conditions in the country. The English children's book was more explicit with regard to criticism of apartheid. with authors like Lesley Beake, Dianne Case and Lawrence Bransby taking the lead.

As a result of the small local market, few original books with full colour illustrations are published. Collaboration with overseas publishers and the simultaneous publication in various indigenous languages is often the only way to make a publication viable. Also, publishers of children's books concentrate on the publishing series, beginner and second language readers.

The change in government in the country and the elevation of the African languages to official status, one should have expected would have led to the development of children's literature in the African languages, but for several reasons this has not yet occurred. The rise of African consciousness and nationalism in the battle against apartheid has rather led to the identification of English as the language for education and freedom. For many African children prefer to read in English, and many African authors prefer to write in this language. Also only a small minority amongst African children read for recreation. Some publishers nevertheless try to publish children's books of a high quality in African languages, but due to a shortage of indigenous writers most books are translations from English or Afrikaans.

This suggests the problem of language as another factor hindering the rapid development of children's literature in Africa. The language problem posed by writers being forced to write in foreign languages which they have not really mastered raises the issue of writers being trained to write in their indigenous languages. But then this creates yet another problem as some of the authors of books written in African languages cannot distinguish between concepts for adults and concepts outside the experience of children. Similarly they use an off-putting adult language.

There is also an imbalanced attention to the various ages of childhood. For far more books are being written for the middle-aged (8-12) while very young children remain largely neglected. Very few books for adolescents have been written. One is Angi Ossai's Tolulope (1979). Another is Joined by Love by Joy Ikede. The Kenyan Asenath Odaga's work Jande's Ambition is about choice of career which should be a prime concern at that age. Macmillan's Pacesetter Series also appeals to young adults but their works are said to be of varying quality, featuring crime, espionage and love tangles.

There is in addition the chronic absence of children's magazines in most parts of Africa. In Sierra Leone the attempt by The Sierra Leone Writers and Illustrators to establish one did not survive its second issue. But the invaluable role they could play in inculcating the reading habit in the child because of their wide variety of subjects, the form of presentation and the fact that children love to read what their peers have written and thus start having similar creative impulses is recognized.

Most parts of Africa are not book-friendly for there are few if any bookshops where the African child can buy books. Neither is his access to libraries especially so in rural areas easy. School libraries are a phenomenon of a distant past. Where public libraries are still available and functioning their children's sections are poorly housed, poorly furnished, poorly ventilated, poorly equipped, poorly staffed and poorly sited. There is therefore an obvious need for thorough overhauling of library services in Africa. And efforts should be made to make it an essential public service from the central on to local government levels so as to give every community the opportunity of accessing and growing on books. Similarly every school should have a library that is well stocked and well-equipped.

The distribution of books is another area of difficulties. For this is usually left to private enterprise although some governments purchase textbooks in bulk to distribute to schools. Wholesale bookselling is best handled by private entrepreneurs trained in the discipline. But the main problem hindering this is that the book distributors tend to restrict themselves to using distribution methods more suited to countries with a high level of literacy where the wider citizenry is already converted to books. In Africa, publishers and book distributors cannot afford to wait for buyers to come to them. They must rather take their products to the people wherever they are. In Tanzania, therefore, enterprising publishers take books to the local markets. There shoppers mingle with books and enjoy lively discussions with the publishers on all aspects of books. The huge sales at these exhibitions have proved the usefulness of such innovative activities. This kind of promotion will no doubt create in adults an awareness of the need for literature.

Efforts made to promote and sell books in the West could be extended with adaptations, if necessary, to intra-African book distribution so that print runs will be longer for the prohibitive costs of books to be brought down. Why cannot children in Nairobi, for instance, read literature published by an indigenous publisher in Nigeria? Much is lost through the compartmentalization of African children's literature. In 1976 an attempt to sell African books from all parts of the continent at the Second Pan African Trade Fair in Algiers collapsed when 4,000 such books had to be brought back because the Algerian government's imposition of a 120% tax on the books had made them too expensive. Such tariffs need to be removed with communication and transport systems improved to facilitate trans-African movement of books.

The situation however seems poised for major changes with the intervention of a series of bodies and institutions thus complementing the efforts of others such as UNESCO that had been working assiduously in the field. There is a wide network of organizations geared towards supporting the growth of publishing in Africa. One of them is APNET which network exists to help strengthen book publishing by Africans in Africa. APNET has been working closely with the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) and has been supported by Bellagio. The Bellagio Group of donors has been exploring ways of improving support for a number of cultural industries, which it is hoped will eventually include African books for African children as there is now recognition among policy makers that culture of which books are an integral part is much of a key to development.

Book Fairs in Africa have been fastly becoming established institutions with a concerted series of initiatives to redressing the otherwise parlous state of books in Africa. The Pan African Children's Book Fair (PACBF) started in Nairobi, Kenya in 1991 through the initiative of the Foundation for the Promotion of Children's Science Publications in Africa (GHISCI). The fair has been trying to stimulate a learning environment that captures and nurtures the African child's inherent qualities of imagination, curiosity and creativity. It has created a dynamic atmosphere to enhance the preciousness of books in the learning life of the child. Through a variety of activities such as art, toys, fun with science, debates, quizzes, creative writing, story-telling, and reading aloud, Kenyan children have come to love and comfortably identify with this event with increasing numbers thronging it every year. In 1994 a children's library introduced within the fair further whet the children's appetite by enabling children who could not buy books to have the opportunity to read a couple of books at the fair. Since 1994 the Reading Tent has been a major attraction to all children visiting the fair. This has resulted in other African book fairs widely emulating this innovation. Exhibitors also have been steadily improving their marketing skills thus reaching out to the children in more proactive ways, engaging them into books with new titles introduced. The 1998 PACBK had a spectacular advance with each stand becoming a mini library. Yet another innovation - A Children's Home Library Campaign - was launched with children responding with tremendous enthusiasm, buying books and promising to start their own home libraries.

The Zimbabwe International Book Fair has been another important stimulant for the development of the book industry in Africa.The1998 fair was of especial significance because its theme and that of the accompanying Indaba was 'BOOKS AND CHILDREN'

At the sessions of the inaugural Indaba it was emphasized that up to the 1990's book production for children has been weak if not non-existent in some countries. But since 1987 spectacular growth in children's publishing, in both European and African languages have been reported. In Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria production has notably increased in the last ten to twenty years. Print runs have also increased significantly averaging 3,000 to 5,000 copies per title with possibilities of frequent reprinting.

This progress has been attributed to the following:

1. The creativity of African publishers enabling them to produce well-made children's books in terms of content, production quality and price.

2. Continuing increases in state purchases of books for schools and libraries.

3. Appreciable support being provided to publishing and book acquisitions by development agencies, international organizations and N.GO'S.

4. Noticeable increases in sales resulting from efforts publishers are making to promote their books nationally and internationally.

5. Co-operation between publishers and distributors enabling the development of export sales.

But in spite of this difficulties still remain or have been created in the following areas:

1 Wide differences between countries. The situation in South Africa, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Tanzania is very much better than in other countries in their regions. In francophone West Africa, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Mali and Togo stand out clearly.

2 Difficulties in finding good authors and illustrators still persist.

3 Readership is not sufficiently developed, given the level of illiteracy and the lack of a reading culture or habit.

4 Even where a readership exists, its purchasing power is limited. For books is not as high a basic priority as basic needs.

5 The library network is not developed, especially in the rural areas.

6 The distribution network is not developed.

7 The intense political situation in Zimbabwe has negatively affected the most favorable climate created there for the growth of books not only there but the whole of Africa and has robbed The Zimbabwe International Book Fair of its international flavour.

Arthur Edgar E. Smith was born, grew up and was schooled in Freetown, Sierra Leone.. He has taught English since 1977 at Prince of Wales School and, Milton Margai College of Education. He is now at Fourah Bay Collegewhere he has been lecturing English, Literature, as well as Creative Writing for the past seven years rising to the rank of Senior Lecturer.

Mr Smith is widely published both locally as well as internationally with his writings appearing in local newspapers as well as in West Africa Magazine, Index on Censorship,Focus on Library and Information Work amongst others .

He was one of 17 international visitors who participated in a seminar on contemporary American Literature sponsored by the U.S.State Department from June to August 2006. His growing thoughts and reflections on this trip which took him to various US sights and sounds inLouisville,, San Francisco, Cincinnatti and Washington D.C. could be read at http://www.lisnews.org

There's an increased need for childcare facilities today which results to more people who are thinking of taking childcare training seminars for this need. Many parents now focus more on their careers so they need to find a good facility where they can leave their children during working hours.

Unlike what most people think, establishing a childcare facility has a number of requirements including training in taking care of children. It's not just as simple as building a facility, get people, get clients and that's it. In fact, there are several types of training programs like the following to accomplish:

Actual Childcare Training

Different procedures are used in taking care of children. Even if the facility is going to be a school or a day care center, it's still important to know the right way of dealing with children of all ages before starting this type of facility. An expert must know the gestures, how to teach children, proper interaction and the right attitude in handling kids. These training programs will teach everything about kids of different ages to know how to take care of them as their second parent.

CPR And First Aid Childcare Training

Children are prone to accidents because of curiosities. With this in mind, numerous facilities make sure that they have staff that knows how to do CPR and provide first aid to kids during these scenarios. They find it helpful not only in providing appropriate care to children but also in finding clients since they can assure parents that their kids are safe in their facilities.

Administrative Training Program

Although a childcare facility is just like any other organization, administrating the staff and overall procedures are different from others. The good thing about these programs is there are a number of childcare training groups that offer them for people who want to establish their childcare facility. This allows individuals to search one company instead of spending hours looking for groups offering this training program. Aside from being a standalone program, some groups may offer them in integrated training program for the benefit of clients.

In conclusion, there are different training programs a childcare facility owner and staff must complete. Parents are very concerned about leaving their children to a facility and getting these training programs assure that they are in good hands. Finding these training facilities today is very simple with the help of the internet and local government offices.

Childcare Training Info Center has everything you need to make your life easier as you begin your career as a childcare professional. The site features state specific training requirements, a step-by-step overview of a typical hiring process, potential employers and interviews to help you get hired. And it also provide a complete range of accredited childcare courses and childcare workers.

Doing auto repairs at home is one of the best ways to keep a car in tiptop shape. Home auto repair is cost-efficient, too, because you can save on professional fees. All it takes to fix your car is a substantial amount of know-how plus a collection of quality tools.

For most people, doing things themselves has its own rewards. The most obvious benefit is that they get to save their hard-earned dollars. When it comes to auto repair, the same mindset applies. It is not surprising why there are many people who still prefer to fix their car in the comfort of their own homes instead of bringing their vehicle in for commercial auto repairs.

Home auto repairs allow car owners the chance to work closely with their own vehicles. They get to tinker around with their cars to identify if it needs tuning up or if a certain part needs replacing. Home auto repairs leave the responsibility in the hands of the car owner. Owners would not have to worry about mechanics mishandling their vehicles or charging them huge fees for simple auto repairs.

If you are planning on repairing your vehicle in the comfort of your own home, do thorough research first. The World Wide Web holds a lot of information regarding auto repair as well as do-it-yourself vehicle maintenance. You will also find a lot of car tips and trivia online.

It would also be wise to amass a collection of commonly used car tools and equipment. Wrenches, screws, jacks and bolts are among the tools you need to get together. You can buy ready car tool kits on the Internet. Do some comparison shopping. Look around for the best deals. Once you have narrowed down your choices to the tools that provide you with the most value for your money, it is easy to have them delivered right to your doorstep.

Auto Repair provides detailed information on Auto Repair, Auto Glass Repair, Online Auto Repair, Auto Body Repair and more. Auto Repair is affiliated with Discount Auto Parts.

Cooking together has always been a favorite activity in our family. My mother began to cook with me before I started school. One of my earliest school memories was when I was a first grader: our class was invited to be guests of the eighth grade cooking class and we were treated to hot cocoa and oatmeal cookies made by the "big kids." At the end of the party, we were allowed to help the eighth graders clean up, and I remember volunteering to wash a very large floured baking sheet. As the class was ending, I was still at the sink laboring with the industrial-sized baking sheet that was as big as I was. As a reward for my efforts, I was given a gold star on my forehead. Even now, many years later, I still remember that day as one of the proudest of my life.

And maybe it was that day that started me on a life in which my best memories involve cooking for myself, my family, and my friends. The best of the best memories are the times I cooked with my own children who have now grown up and have given me five grandkids (aged from 20 months to 18 years), with whom I can continue what I started with my children over 40 years ago.

Cooking gives children a wonderful sense of accomplishment and they learn early that hard work can pay big (sweet) rewards. Cooking allows you to talk to kids on many levels: they learn about their family histories when you use recipes handed down in the family (the names of their great grandparents, the foods that derive from their family roots in countries far away), they learn to follow directions, they learn to count (depending on their ages, this can range from simple to more involved calculations), they learn cooperation, they learn the joy of work that can give pleasure not only to themselves but to others, they learn to try and to experience different foods and cooking methods, they learn lessons of self-sufficiency that will serve them all their lives, they learn they must clean up after themselves, they learn to follow directions and how to plan ahead (shopping and prep time).

All the while they're learning all these things, they're having fun and so are you.

Children learn to enjoy food from the first moments of their lives, and they can learn the joy of cooking even as toddlers. When you cook with toddlers, it's important that you concentrate only on the task at hand, and it's best to limit your cooking class to just one short one at a time. I've found it best if the recipes are simple, and have an enjoyable anticipated outcome.

Getting started

These days, I've been cooking a lot with my three-year-old grandchild, Connor. I like to begin talking with Connor about what I want to cook with him. I describe how much he will like the dish, and when I get his interest, I give the recipe a fun name. I can keep his interest through the whole process if I start by writing the recipe down and discussing the ingredients and steps involved.

Then I plan a trip to the store for the ingredients. Again I involve the child. We look for the ingredients together, and we watch while the checker bags our stuff, and after we pay her (Connor learns that everything has a price), we go home to cook.

Washing hands is always the way we begin. It's fun washing up with Connor, who generally resists washing up at other times -- as he seriously throws himself into this activity when its for cooking. Next we gather our ingredients and utensils. And then we begin.

Fun and safety

I discuss the fact that we will need to warm up the oven while we're making our food; explaining that the stove is "very hot" and that he must never touch the oven; and that he only cooks with me, or his Mommy or Daddy. I usually tell him about the times I would cook with Daddy when he was a little boy. This usually gets Connor's interest. I measure out each of the ingredients, and Connor gets the fun and important mixing job.

If I'm using an electric blender or mixer, Connor gets to turn the appliance on and off (again discussing safety issues and the importance of not using these appliances by himself). If something has to be cooked on the stove-top, Connor stands close by watching the activity and depending on what's cooking he get a chance to stir the pot (under very close supervision).

By this time, things in the kitchen are starting to smell really good, and that gives us a chance to discuss what we smell and to build excitement about the end result.

Connor gets the honor of greasing the cake or muffin pans, or he can roll out dough (with some help). Depending on what we're cooking, he also gets the opportunity to help pour the batter into the pans if we're making a cake, cupcakes, or muffins. If we're making cookies, he can use the cookie cutters and later he can sprinkle the colored sugar over them.

Finally, we are ready to put the dish into the oven or onto the stove, set the timer, and anticipate the outcome. While waiting, Connor always helps with the clean up, and I admit this is his least favorite thing to do. But this is one of the lessons that are learned we must always clean up our own messes. It's not all work. While we're cleaning up, we get to look into the oven and watch the progress of the dish as it cooks. We discuss how the food will get to smell better and better, how it browns, and how the cake gets bigger as it cooks.

When the timer rings, with Connor closely watching, I take the food out of the oven and place it on the cooling rack. If the dish calls for icing, we use the cooling time to make the icing, and Connor helps put the icing on the cakes or cookies (and into his mouth).

At last, the dish is done and we get to eat it, sharing it of course with Mommy and Daddy, and anyone else who wants some. Since eating is a social activity, Connor basks in the glow of his accomplishment and enjoys the compliments and the conversation. In our family, after eating everyone helps clean up, so once again Connor is in on the action.

In general, anything that I choose to cook with Connor (or any other young child) has got to be simple and quick, recognizing that young children have finite attention spans. The time I spend cooking with Connor (or any of the kids) leaves me happy, tired, full, and contented; it leaves them feeling the same way, too, and proud of themselves as well.

The following are a few recipes that I have used successfully with Connor and with my younger grandchildren. I hope that you will try them for yourselves and add your own while you make memories for yourself, your children, and your grandchildren (or any kid who happens to be in your life).

The Recipes

"BaNANA" Bread

Preparation Time: 20 minutes Baking Time: 60 minutes Makes 1 Loaf

You will need: a large fork and a wooden spoon, 2 bowls, oven gloves, loaf pan, cooking rack.

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg

½ cup cooking oil

2 or 3 very ripe bananas

Pam or some other spray to grease the pan

* Note: You can add ½ cup chopped walnuts to this recipe BUT I DO NOT GIVE NUTS TO YOUNG CHILDREN

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and spray the sides and bottom of loaf pan with PAM and sprinkle with a little flour (shake out the excess flour)

2. Peel the bananas and mash the bananas with a fork into a small bowl

3. In the other bowl, mix the sugar, oil and egg with the wooden spoon until the mixture looks creamy and is a light yellow color

4. Blend in the bananas

5. Add the flour, baking soda and salt. Break up any lumps in the batter and stir until the batter is smooth and all the flour is mixed in.

To Bake: Spoon the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 1 hour. (Test

for doneness: if the top of the loaf spring back after you touch

it, or if you stick a clean toothpick in and it comes out clean,

it's done.

Cool on the cooling rack for about 20 minutes, then flip the bread out onto the rack and cool some more before slicing.

Creamy, Dreamy Oatmeal

(to wake a guy up)

Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 5 minutes Serves: 4

You will need measuring cups, small pot (prefer a non-stick one), a long handled wooden spoon, 4 bowls, 4 spoons.

Ingredients:

2 cups of water

1 cup old-fashioned oats

Pinch of salt

Possible Toppings:

(i.e. the good stuff) Milk or Maple Syrup, Brown Sugar

or honey

Butter

Raisins

Sliced Bananas

Crunchy Wheat Germ

1. Pour the water into the pot. Add the oats and salt.

2. Ask a grown-up to help bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer.

3. Cook for 5 minutes or until the desired thickness, stirring occasionally.

THEN: Spoon into bowls and serve with the topping dejour.

"Butter and Nana Jama" Jam Sandwiches

You will need 2 tablespoons, a butter knife, and a cutting board

Ingredients:

2 slices of bread (or more depending on who is eating)

1 tablespoon strawberry jam

1 tablespoon butter (soften to room temperature to spread

easy)

1. Spread jam evenly on one slice of bread (again depending on how many

are eating) and evenly butter the other slice.

2. Press the jammed and buttered sides of the slices together to make a

a sandwich

3. Place on cutting board and cut into halves or quarters.

A variation that my family enjoys: substitute softened cream cheese for the butter and make Cream Cheese And Nana Jama Jam Sandwiches.

Shamrock Lucky Glass Cookies

Preparation Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 8 to 10 minutes oven preheated

to 375 degrees

You will need:

One (1) package of pre-made sugar cookie dough (may

be store bought)

Green hard candy (Lifesavers etc.)

Zip Lock Bags and Small Kitchen Hammer (or any other

thing a child can use to "bam" the hard candy to little

bits)

Two (2) shamrock shaped cookie cutters (1 large and 1

small)

Some tin foil

A cookie sheet

To Prepare:

1. Roll out the cookie dough and cut out cookies using the large shamrock cookie cutter. Using the small cookie cutter, cut a hole in the center of each of the cookies

2. Place the cookies on a foil covered cookie sheet

3. Put hard candies into a plastic zip lock bag and crush them using the kitchen hammer, rolling pin or any thing else that will "bam" the candy (the kids LOVE this part!)

4. Use the crushed candy to fill the holes in the center of the cookies.

To Bake: Place the cookie sheet in the over (adult only) and bake the cookies for about 8 to 10 minutes until lightly browned. Watch these cookies because depending on your oven, they may require less time to brown.

Let these cookies cool completely and then peel the cookies off the foil and EAT!

Variations: Depending on the Holiday or Celebration (or just because), you can use other cookie cutters and colored candy---as for example, Christmas 1/4Tree Cookie cutters and red and green candy for Christmas.

Pruney Loony Muffins

Preparation Time: 30 minutes Baking Time: 15 to 20 minutes in regular sized muffin tin or 7 to 9 minutes in mini muffin tins.

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees Makes 12 regular sized muffins or 36 mini muffins. NOTE: Kids LOVE the mini muffin size.

You will need:

Muffin tin (regular sized or mini sized)

1 and 3/4 cups of flour

1/4 cups of sugar

1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 egg

1/4 cup salad oil

2 (4 oz. Baby Jars) of Pureed Prunes or you can use Pureed Apples

1/3 cup milk

Mixing Bowl and Flour Sifter and Measuring Cups and spoons

For the Topping (goes on before baking):

2 Tablespoon Wheat Germ

1 Tablespoon Sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

To Make:

1. Sift dry ingredients together (flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon into a bowl and make a well in the center.

2. Place eggs, milk and prunes (or apples) into a medium bowl and beat with a fork until well mixed.

3. Pour liquid mixture into the flour well and mix until just moistened. Batter will be lumpy.

4. Fill greased muffin tins to 3/4 full

5. Mix the topping ingredients together in a small bowl and sprinkle the topping on the muffins and gently pat on.

Bake in the preheated oven (400 degrees) for 15 to 20 minutes for regular sized muffins or 7 to 9 minutes for mini muffins.

Submitted to Online Cooking by Maureen R. Sinclair

There was a time when everything was simple and this included snow skis. Before there were only some brands to choose from and all of them were for racing. With today's engineering innovations, the shape and skin design has received more attention. Today there are over 500 models being tested by reputable ski authorities. If you were to have them it shows that you can have a different ski every day of the year.

Choosing the Right Ski

With so many brands and models, choosing the right one for you may be a tedious and mind-boggling activity. A lot of people resort to ski hires before buying. With ski hires, you can test different brands and models without spending too much. The first thing is to have focus when doing your search. You know your needs so search for a type that addresses these needs.

Ski Reviews

Ski authorities and publications test skis and release reviews on a regular basis. Read the pros and cons of skis that you may want to try out first as a ski hire. Reviews are made by certified instructors so they know what they are talking about.

Talk to Others

You can also ask experienced skiers or join discussions on the internet with other enthusiasts. There are a lot of points you will discover when you discuss skis with others.

Ski shop owners would also be one of the best sources for information. Most shops have staffs that are good skiers and they would have valuable inputs. They know the snow conditions for the place that you will frequently ski and thus can give advice what the best brand or model to use.

When to Buy

You may have tried several brands and models and may have listed down your impressions about them. Don't fall for sales. They maybe cheap but then is it the ski that you are looking for? Do you feel comfortable with them on?

Check Popular Brands

Be sure to inspect and try on different models by top manufacturers. As you move from brand to brand, you will narrow down your choices and eventually have one pair that will suit you.

Consider Location

One other point to consider when buying skis is the location where you will be using them. The chosen ski must suit the conditions of the area. Each ski resort is different from the other and your skis must be able to deal with most situations.

Mt. Buller ski hire is available from Ski Chute 4. Visit the website at http://skichute4.com.au

"Political science" is generally defined as the study of governments, political processes and political behavior. It is a branch of the social sciences where study mainly revolves around analyzing, describing and predicting political behavior along with political systems. In fact, the best way to describe it is as a science that revolves more around subjective elucidations than hard data. It is a science that helps a person in understanding the relationships between other individuals, groups and the state, along with the working procedure of modern government.

Political science as a discipline is relatively new and in recent years gained enough recognition among young students of the United States. It is mainly includes various sub-fields like philosophy and theory of political system, political economy, policy studies, international relations, and a collection of other related fields. The major aim of political science is to help a student make a career in politics and give them a proper knowledge of the political procedure that might be helpful.

Students who make a career in this branch of social science are generally called political scientists and can lead to exciting careers in federal, state and local governments; law; business; international organizations and electoral politics.

Their job responsibilities mainly revolve around analysing different areas of political behaviour, including public administration, public opinion, taxation and voting. Apart from this, they generally carry out research on different public issues and political relationships and resources. These research procedure can be both within a single country or internationally. However, the research and analysis process frequently includes judicial rulings, public opinion and decision-making. Adding to this, they also recommend solutions and at times perform research to make better decisions on matters that generally affect citizens, business and environment.

Employment Outlook

The job outlook of this domain actually seems to be very inspiring. In fact, as per the latest study conducted by the Bureau of Labour Statistic of the United States it is anticipated that in the next few years the jobs for political scientists will increase further. As per few experts, the overall employment is also projected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations.

Salary Outlook and Other Benefits

Average earning of political scientists fully depends on their education, experience and geographical position of the organization. The starting salary range for a political scientist average near about $27,000. Nevertheless, with experience and higher educational success, the income may further increase to $65,000 or more. Adding to this, any graduate with a bachelor's degree in political science can enjoy a decent earning and may earn almost $2,500 more per annum than the average person having just a bachelor's degree. Besides this, bachelor's degree holders can also move into job force as paralegals or administrative assistants. Moreover, political scientists employed by colleges and universities even get enough opportunities to add to their income by teaching summer school courses, writing books or doing consulting work. They may even enjoy several benefits, such as health insurance & retirement plans, paid holidays & vacations etc. depending upon their positions.

Required Educational Qualification

So, by now if you are looking forward making a career in political science or want to grow as political scientist you need to have an advanced doctorate degree in political science. If you earn a Ph.D. in political science, you may work as professors in colleges and universities. More often these positions often lead to important service in schools, communities and the nation. Other than these, there are bachelor's and master's level programs in political science as well. While the graduate degrees in political science are respected by all employment sectors, the master's are highly appreciated by private and public agencies and a growing number of numerous non-profit associations.

Today it is definitely one of the few career options that may provide you the long-term job growth and meaningful rewards.

Want to make career in Political Science? Browse CriminalJusticeu.com for getting more information career in Political Science, jobs, colleges, schools & university. Here you will find top listings of political science schools, universities and political science degree programs offered to top universities.

There was a time a few years ago when everyone wanted to jump on the bandwagon for diesel engine cars. Diesel was cheap, the cars ran just as good and people liked them. Until the manufacturers of diesel realized they could make some extra money by changing the price of the fuel needed in order to run these types of engines. Down went the popularity of diesel engines in cars.

But diesel engines still exist. They often power the bigger vehicles, like school buses, semi-trucks and delivery trucks that are on the road today. Why are these vehicles still powered by diesel when it costs more to power the car? Because they are built differently and works better with heavier vehicles.

There are a lot of differences between the diesel motors and the regular engine of a car that is powered by gasoline. The biggest difference is how the car starts. A diesel engine compresses air first and then heats up, and then the fuel (diesel) ignites and powers the engine. The other engines has the fuel mixed with the air and then get compressed by the piston chambers, causing it to fire and power the car.

Technicians have argued that the they work more efficiently with big loads, therefore trucks and buses have largely remained diesel. What happens when you need to fix that type of engine? IN reality, it really isn't that big of a difference. Engines are engines are engines, so they have a lot of components that are the same. However, the pistons, the fuel chambers and the air intake are what vary.

A mechanic can go to school to simply work on diesel engines alone. They can specialize in them to make themselves desirable to hire at a dealership that sells semis or they can market themselves to a dealership that sells and services both kinds of engines. A diesel mechanic might be able to fix a regular engine, but they would also be able to focus on and diagnose a problem with a diesel engine more easily than someone who is not specially trained on it is.

Having a diesel engine might not save you money on fuel expenses any more. The engine might be able to better pull a heavy load more efficiently. But no matter what, if your diesel engine needs repairs, seek out a mechanic who is specifically trained in them.

If you are looking for honest advice, prioritized repairs, options on repairs, maximized fuel economy, and a good feeling with who you are doing business with go to http://www.westsidetoyotadesmoines.com

Before you begin to actually look at tractors you should know exactly what you are looking for.

Consider the following questions when shopping for a tractor.

What size of tractor do you need?

What are you going to be using you tractor for?

How often will the tractor be used?

Is the tractor going to be used to produce income? Of course, money is often a consideration when shopping for a tractor. Consider talking to people that own tractors and get their opinions.

Be an informed shopper and don't let anyone rush you. Below are some other things to consider before you begin shopping for a tractor.

Tractor Size

This is obviously the most commonly asked questions regarding a tractor purchase. The average compact tractor consumer owns a 1-5 acre piece of property and uses the small compact diesel mostly for mowing The other tractor consumers usually have between 10-30 acres and needs about a 30 horsepower to complete the necessary tasks.

What are you going to use the tractor for?, is of course, the most important question to answer. Is it just for mowing or will you be using a loader or backhoe on it? Will you be working on rocky or uneven ground?

Dollars & Sense

You should definitely shop around, however, don't forget that if you are comparing the prices of different makes and models of tractor it can sometimes be much like comparing apples to oranges. As with anything else, some makes and models are made better than others. A few more dollars upfront in price for a better quality of tractor makes more 'sense' than having to pay the cost of constant repairs and maintenance.

Different Makes and Models of Tractors

If at all possible, one of the best things you can do to make your life easier, is to purchase a tractor that is easy to get parts for. There are many foreign makes and models that are exact matches to domestic tractors. With that in mind, you can get a parts book for U.S. made tractor and purchase the corresponding part numbers that way. Some parts dealers don't like to sell parts for a gray market tractor. In fact, dealers of some brands of tractors are being told by a higher authority that they cannot willingly sell parts for gray market tractors.

Diesel Engines

Make sure you get a tractor with a diesel engine. Diesel engines have better performance and usually last longer than gas engines. Implements also work better on diesel engine tractors.

Horsepower

Approximately how many horsepower will you need? One horsepower (hp) is the amount of energy required to lift 550 pounds, one foot, in one second. In a tractor the energy is produced from torque and engine speed. A 100 hp tractor is one with a maximum of 100 horsepower available at the power-takeoff (PTO) outlet.

PTO

Nearly all Japanese tractor manufacturers include the power take off (PTO) horsepower (hp) in their model numbers; however, they do not include the engine (fly) hp. The first two numbers of the model number is where you find the PTO hp. The PTO hp is important because it is telling you the equipment working power of the tractor. It tells you what horsepower that equipment requiring a PTO will get from the tractor. Click here for a more in depth explanation of PTO.

Cylinders

Consider getting a three or four cylinder tractor. Three and four cylinder tractors are generally newer tractors and run quieter and smoother than the two cylinder models. Transmissions

There are several different types of transmissions for tractors. If you are not knowledgeable about tractor transmissions, it would be a good idea if you familiarize yourself with the different types listed below, so that when you go out to shop for a tractor you will well informed.

Manual transmissions on tractors were made to be shifted while the tractor is not in motion. This will cause a grinding noise due to the fact the two gears that are trying to mesh are rotating at different speeds. Manual shift transmissions are known for their durability, however, they are not considered to be very user friendly. The sliding gear and the collar shift are two of the more common transmissions.

Synchro Shift transmissions are basically collar shift transmissions (a type of manual transmission, see above). The difference is the added synchronizers, which makes it so that the gears don't grind if you are trying to shift while the tractor is in motion. Some synchro shift transmissions only have one pair of synchronized gears, while others have all speeds synchronized, including forward and reverse. The synchronization of forward and reverse is called the shuttle shift. This synchro shift is a dependable transmission, however, just like with automobiles, the more 'tricky' the tranny is, and the more chance there is of something going wrong or breaking.

A Power Shift transmission is an option well worth considering. Not those standard shift transmissions won't work just fine; however, often power shift is a nice little luxury, depending on what you are going to be using the tractor for. With a power shift transmission you can choose different speeds while the tractor is in motion, without needing to use the clutch pedal.

Hydrostatic transmissions operate in a closed loop, the flow of the pump is reversed, which in turn causes the tractor to reverse directions. The hydrostatic transmission is considered to be very dependable and is able to defend itself against 'operator difficulty'. Because this is transmission is controlled by a foot pedal, when you take your foot off of the pedal the tractor will stop, this is a nice safety feature. Hydrostatic is considered the best selection for such things as large mowing jobs because it allows for easy direction change and continual, unchanging speed.

Implement Adaptability

You will want a tractor with a Category 1, 3-point hitch and standard rotation PTO shafts. Most imported compact tractors are equipped with these items; however, there are a few that are not.

Implement Availability

Before you purchase a a tractor, make sure that good quality implements are available for it. It is a good idea to try to find a tractor with as many model-specific attachments as possible. These include things such as loaders and backhoes, which have custom-fitted mounts that are not interchangeable with other makes and models of tractor. You can often save money if you purchase the implements at the same time you purchase the tractor and some implements can be very expensive to add on at a later time.

Parts Manuals

Sometime parts manuals can be very hard to acquire. Make sure there is one available for the tractor you choose. Ask how much the manual is, sometimes the cost can be over $100.00 dollars.

Warranty

Find out what kind of a warranty comes with the tractor. Find out what it covers and for how long. Below is a checklist that you can print and take with you when you are out shopping for a tractor. Just check things off and take notes as you check over the prospective tractor.

Yes, it's a very long checklist, but well worth your time if you want to get a good quality tractor at a fair price.

Some things on the checklist may not pertain to the type of tractor you are looking for; however, we believe that most folks will find the majority of information here to be very helpful.

Your goal is to ensure that the tractor you purchase is all that the seller says it is and doesn't have any hidden problems. Make sure you know what you are looking for. Know what options you must have on the tractor and which ones you might be willing to compromise on or be able to add later.

Tractor Buyer's Checklist

Make_____________________________ Model _____________________ Year _________ Hours

On Meter________ Asking Price $____________

Seller's Name _____________________________ Phone ______________

Tractor Location _______________________________________________

Yes/No Notes

Visual Exterior Inspection

Does the overall appearance of the tractor look as if it has been cared for?

Why is the tractor for sale?

Is the paint faded?

Is the sheet metal straight?

Are there a lot of 'dings' in the tractor?

Are there any decaying rubber or plastic components?

Are there any structural cracks? Look closely for hairline cracks.

Is there anything that looks like a 'makeshift' repair job?

Are the tires in good condition with good tread left on them?

Is there a calcium mixture added to the tires for better stability?

Is there still good tread left on the tires?

Is the seat in good condition?

Does it have a standard 3-point hitch?

Are there any puddles of fluid under the tractor?

Are there any oil spots on the ground around the wheels?

Engine Inspection

Is the engine warm?

Are there oil and/or fuel on the engine?

Can you see any seals leaking?

Is there oil around the rear axles, near the rear wheel?

Is there oil around the PTO seals?

Are there oil leaks around the output shaft seals gearboxes? (4WD

Is the engine oil at or near the full mark?

Is the front axle dipstick at or near the full mark? (4WD)

Does the oil look clean? Black is ok for diesel engines.

Are there creamy white droplets near the top of the dipstick?

Are all the filters U.S. made?

Is the air filter intact?

Does the air filter have any tears or holes in it?

Is the fuel filter clean?

Is the fan belt tight and in good shape?

Does the air inlet tube have any cracks or holes in it?

Is the water in the radiator dark green? This is a good thing.

Does the radiator water have a milky looking scum to it?

Is there flaking or discolored paint around the radiator cap?

Is there moisture along the bottom of the radiator?

Is there any slop in the steering linkages?

Did you closely look over the tractor a second time to make sure you didn't miss anything?

Running Engine Inspection

Does the oil pressure register when you just turn the key?

Start the tractor. Does it start easily?

Does the oil pressure light go off or the oil gauge go up to about 30-80 psi?

Do all of the other lights go off?

Is the voltage meter (if it has one) charging a full 13.5-14.5 volts

Did you rock the steering wheel from left to right? Do this with the engine running if the

tractor has power steering.

Does the PTO spin in all gears?

Does the 3-point hitch work properly?

Does the tractor continue to smoke after it warms up?

Driving The Tractor (This is the fun part)

Does the tractor work through all of the gears?

Does the power shift feel 'weak' when shifting?

Is there any slippage when you quickly accelerate into high gear?

Does the 4WD engage properly?

Does the clutch slip?

Do the brakes work well?

Did you check the brakes by pushing one pedal at a time in low gear?

Does the tractor make any clunking noises from inside the engine?

Does the charging system work properly?

Do the wheels wobble at all?

Hydraulics

Are the control levers in good shape and not flopping around?

Are the pivot pins badly worn?

Does any oil seep out of the extended spools (control valves)?

Are the hydraulic couplers capped?

Does the hydraulics work correctly?

Post Driving Inspection

Did the temp gauge ever get above the recommended temperature?

Did the temp light ever come on while you were driving it?

Did the tractor overheat?

Did the tractor run well even after it got hot?

Do you see any new leaks from the radiator?

Do you see any new oil and or fluid leaks?

Did you see excess smoke when you removed the oil cap?

Did you closely look over the tractor a third time to make sure you didn't miss anything?

I Hope this has been a lot of information that you where looking for and you will use this information to your advantage and be safe with it.

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If you are seeking automotive training, then a technical or vocational school may be the right place for you to get your start in an interesting and challenging career in automotive technology!

Whether you're interested in becoming an auto mechanic, technician, service advisor, manager, or auto parts worker, automotive training can be your key to obtaining an automotive education and professional certification in automotive know-how.

In the modern world, automobiles are operated by electronic systems and complex computers, measuring performance and efficiency as the machines move down the road. Students in automotive training schools must develop skills as technicians to become high-tech diagnosticians, using electronic equipment and computer-based reference materials. Diagnosing the sources of problems quickly and accurately can be the most challenging and most rewarding part of a good automotive training program.

Students who would like to enroll in vocational automotive training should have well-developed math skills and physical science acumen prior to enrollment. As with all educational courses, it is important to review the automotive training curriculum to be certain that your school will offer Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certification training. Furthermore, potential automotive technicians should understand that most employers pay their service techs based on productivity. Upon graduation, you may wish to consider the option of becoming an independent business professional.

In addition to their initial vocational automotive training, students can return for continuing education courses and credits to remain updated on ever-changing computerized diagnostic systems, tools, and other automotive-related technologies. Training in automotive technology often leads to an interest in other related areas such as auto body repair or automotive and diesel repair. The job seeker will find that diesel mechanic training is particularly valued.

If you would like to know more about Vocational Automotive Training, or even Online Automotive Training, we urge you to search our site for more in-depth information and resources.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on SchoolsGalore.com.

Copyright 2007 - All rights reserved by SchoolsGalore.com, in association with Media Positive Communications, Inc.

Notice: Publishers are free to use this article on an ezine or website, provided the article is reprinted in its entirety, including copyright and disclaimer, and ALL links remain intact and active.

Michael Bustamante is a staff writer for Media Positive Communications, Inc. in association with SchoolsGalore.com. Find Automotive Training Schools, Colleges, Universities, Vocational Schools, and Online Schools at SchoolsGalore.com, your educational resource to locate schools.

Preview: Boost Your Business Marketing! Speak Professionally. Inexpensively Attract New Clients/Customers. Tested And Proven System. Get repeatedly invited, acknowledged - and even paid - as an "expert-who-speaks". Market your products, services or yourself to numerous potential individual or group clients at once. Step up to Smarter Business Marketing(TM). This article tells you how.

Preamble

The ideas I share in this article are based on personal experiences I have had as an entrepreneur, and strategies/techniques I have developed as a result, to help me achieve my goals. Basically, I use them every now and then depending on whether I assess a particular situation or opportunity to have "good business selling potential". They are not designed to be immediately applicable to every situation, which is why I suggest you think of ways you can adapt them to suit your unique circumstances and/or needs.

How Effective Are You At Speaking Before Important Persons Or Large Audiences About Your Business?

Do you worry or become anxious when you have to speak one-on-one with an important person or before large audiences? Do you have to market products or services to NEW people daily? Do you dread having to make those cold calls to their phones, offices or homes to try making the sale? Are you looking for a proven technique to help you increase your success rate in speaking convincingly to people AT FIRST CONTACT/MEETING?

As a serious minded business owner, you will know that successfully creating (adequate and continuous) awareness about your products/services can be quite a challenging task. I have certainly found it to be so, on a number of occasions! But, I have also always been a person with a passion for problem-solving and process simplification.

To put it another way, I am perpetually on the lookout for cheaper yet more effective way(s) of doing anything I do. My "search" eventually led me to develop for myself - about 4 years ago - what I have called the "Public Speaking for Business Marketing system(PSBM)(TM)" which is designed to enable me cost-effectively boost my marketing efforts when speaking to potential (individual or group) client audiences.

This article offers street-smart, tested and proven strategies you can use to equip yourself to succeed more often in making good and lasting impressions through WHAT YOU SAY and HOW YOU SAY IT(i.e. your communication skills) - especially at formal events like interviews, presentations, business meetings etc.

Speaking Effectively Is Important For Your Business Marketing Success

In doing your business marketing, you will find that sometimes you are required at some stage to have a one-on-one meeting with a prospect, who will want to hear from you exactly how you think your product or service will benefit him/her. In some cases the individual you have to speak with could even be representing a larger group of people, and your ability to CONVINCE him/her that you have something the group or organisation needs could win you an invitation to do a presentation to the larger group of decision makers - taking you closer to making the sale you want.

In essence, when I speak here about speaking effectively in public, I refer to both situations i.e. one in which you have to speak with an individual and that in which you have to speak to a group of people, or indeed a large audience.

Without taking the pains to think carefully through and articulate the key benefits of what you have to offer, in a way that you can SAY it to those who need to hear it, you are likely to STRUGGLE to convince your individual or group audiences that they need your service or product. Potential buyers tend to develop cold feet when the seller they are considering is unable to give them CONVINCING arguments/reasons to go ahead and buy, or make enquiries about buying from him/her.

What Is The Public Speaking for Business Marketing System(PSBM)(TM) About?

What I have called the PSBM(TM) is a "customisable" combination of innovative techniques designed to enable business owners/entrepreneurs/self-employed professionals cost-effectively boost their marketing efforts by speaking professionally to potential client audiences.

There is one key objective of developing/using a PSBM(TM) system: to promote a significant increase in the level of awareness about the speaker/marketer's products and/or services. Another is the generation of continuous streams of patronage from existing - and new clients. These and more can be achieved, using this system, typically at a fraction of conventional marketing/ advertising costs.

The system will typically have two aspects:

a. the Public Speaking aspect

b. the Street-Smart/Electronic Marketing Strategies & Techniques aspect.

Used together, practically anyone can successfully boost his/her business marketing efficiency and effectiveness.

Who Needs To Use Public Speaking For Business Marketing(PSBM)(TM)?

Virtually every business owner is likely to have need for a cost-effective, long-term and comprehensive system like this. One that enables you to keep prospects and clients "thinking" about what you can do for them for "longer" periods - thereby increasing your chances of getting contacted by them, so you can "close" the sale.

As the preview to this article proclaims, if you can find a way to repeatedly speak professionally - in your areas of PROVEN expertise - to potential client audiences, you stand a good chance of continuously generating new business for yourself. This will happen as a result of increased awareness about, and interest (in you and/or) your services/products - which would have been triggered by your speaking activities.

How Using Public Speaking For Business Marketing(PSBM)(TM) Can Help You

"Whether you're selling (products), services or yourself, Public Speaking is a great way to market yourself to a lot of potential clients at once ..(and) drum up new business" - Robert Dickman (Highly sought after Hollywood performance consultant, who was once asked - in year 2000 - by Time Magazine to rate the public speaking abilities of America's Presidential candidates at the time.)

----------------------------------------------------

Going by what I have said so far, it becomes obvious that your ability to speak effectively can yield at least two benefits:

(1) Stimulate prospects' interest and consequently generate sales leads.

(2) Help you win MORE (sometimes even paid) speaking opportunities & new clients.

Since the ability to speaking convincingly to your prospective buyer about what you have to offer is so important to generating sales leads or closing sales, I believe it only makes sense to LEARN how to speak MORE effectively in a way that makes the above - and more - happen on a regular basis.

How/Where Can You Find Business Marketing Speaking Opportunities?

1. During your routine business marketing visits - or meetings/appointments - with individual/groups decision makers, This would be a typical one-on-one or small group situation.

2. By writing and sending out letters(or even e-mails) to decision makers introducing yourself and stating that you offer such and such talks, keynote speeches. You would make it known that you are available to speak at conferences/events/meetings/retreats etc organised by individuals or groups fitting our target audience profile.

The second opportunity offers potentially greater rewards because YOU would have been invited by them, meaning(unlike the first opportunity which is a "cold call" situation), the audience is MORE likely to be interested in what you have to say - and sell. In addition, many individuals and groups fitting your target audience profile are likely to be LOOKING for "experts" or "specialists" to deliver "talks" or "keynote speeches" at their special outings or corporate events. Your chances of making even greater marketing impact would therefore be boosted since you get to speak to a large number of potential "buyers" all at once.

But you have to make a success of the speaking outing first - and giving a good speech is only a PART of it! Learn why I say so below.

You Don't Just Need A Speech(es) - You Need A SYSTEM!

It's not just knowing how to speak and then going out to do so. Having a PSBM(TM) goes beyond that. In ADDITION to being a competent and effective speaker, you will also have in your arsenal other things you will do BEFORE you speak, WHILE you speak and AFTER you have spoken, that will help you achieve the business marketing results you want. It is the combination of your speaking and associated non-speaking actions that constitutes your PSBM(TM) system.

Below, I have listed some key considerations you need to make in developing a PSBM(TM) system that works for you. It does not cover every possibility - you will have to think through what needs to be added, modified or removed completely.

1. How can I learn to (write and) deliver speeches that will help me market my products, services or myself to potential customers/clients?

2. How will I get myself repeatedly invited as an "expert-who-speaks" by my target audience?

3. Is it really possible for me to get PAID as a "speaker/educator"? - and if it is, how exactly do I go about making that happen?

Suggestions: Recognised paid speaking professionals, like Burt Dubin, offer a Speaking Success System(http://www.SpeakingBizSuccess.com) that guarantees you success in the speaking business or your money back. That is of course if you really want to make speaking another dimension to your business offering(I say why not?!). Alternatively, enroll for a Public Speaking training programme at a reputable outfit. Questions you have will be answered there.

Then there is a compulsory assignment: Get yourself a copy of Dale Carnegie's book: How TO Develop Self-Confidence & Influence People By Public Speaking AND read it over and over again, till you can virtually recall what is written on the next line while reading the preceding one. It's an excellent book that teaches the art of public speaking in a manner that makes it REAL for the learner.

4. How do I successfully convert enquiries generated through my public speaking activities into new business/patronage?

5. What can I do to reduce the effort it would take to do all the above, so it doesn't tell on my ability to run my business?

Suggestions: Always use low cost business marketing techniques - both offline and especially on the Internet. Prepare Edumercials (Educational Commercials) about your products or services that will be made available as printed handouts - but preferably as downloaded documents from your website, which you can invite the audience you speak to, to visit your website to request using a contact form(to which you will link follow-up autoresponders as appropriate).

Your website can do so much work for you here. It provides a very cost-effective medium through which to capture prospects. Your speaking outings, and business cards, etc that you give out to those who ask will drive traffic to your site -since you WILL have invited the recipients/audience to visit your site and get say your free report on a useful/interesting topic.

Your free website newsletter(weekly, or periodical) would ALSO be on offer for subscription by your visiting prospects, and through it, you would stay in touch with visitors and even get them to invite friends to join too, because they're getting useful tips from you!

Convert speeches you deliver to articles and special reports, then offer them for publication online to ezine owners and free submission websites. Make sure to indicate the article is based on a speech you delivered at so and so event, since that adds to your credibility as a recognised authority on the subject. If you have not been invited to speak before, the quality of your articles- if good - can eventually influence decision makers to invite you. Just make sure that by the time they do, you have fully prepared yourself to make a success of the opportunity. In certain cases, you may discover that your writing reputation has preceded you so well, that THEY will be the ones asking you what your speaking FEES are! So, make sure you have THAT already worked out before they ask!

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity" - Unknown

What You Need To ALWAYS Remember!

PLEASE NEVER FORGET THIS: You can use your PSBM(TM) system on individuals as well as on small groups or large audiences. In short, you should use your PSBM(TM) system in EVERY business marketing situation that you find it appropriate or relevant.

Of course, since speaking to more than one person offers better potential returns, you would do well to seek opportunities to make that happen more often - hence the need to announce your availability to speak on your area of expertise in as many appropriate places as possible.

The important thing is that you make sure you deliver your intended marketing message in a way that makes those who listen to you, and who fit your your target audience profile(NOT everyone will), readily recognise a need for your products and services, and willing to take action to get it by contacting you for details etc. If you can do this, your PSBM(TM) system can be correctly judged to be working well!

Summary

Business marketing is primarily about getting yourself to the top of your target customer's consciousness and staying there for as long as necessary to make him/her "buy". It's a game of percentages. You can expect maybe ZERO to say 3 of every 100 persons exposed to your marketing to give you a chance to "sell" to them. That does not mean ALL of them will buy. Which is why you need to market FREQUENTLY and to as many pre-qualified prospects as possible: which means plenty of WORK for you!

Adopting a system that takes the work out of your business marketing is sure to dramatically transform the way you do business for the better. It will forever alter, positively - and powerfully - how your existing (and prospective) clients/customers see you - including the ones that do not buy from you(at first).

Why not relieve yourself of the stress of unraveling the marketing dilemma that plagues most business owners today? Develop and start using your own Public Speaking for Business Marketing(PSBM)(TM) system. Take the decision to Step Up To Smarter Business Marketing(TM(TM) today..NOW!

Self-Development/Performance Enhancement Specialist – Tayo Solagbade - works as a Multipreneur, helping individuals/businesses develop and implement strategies to achieve their goals, faster and more profitably.

WANT TO LEARN HOW TO DEVELOP YOUR OWN PSBM™?

A comprehensive Acrobat PDF E-book(which can be printed/bound in physical form) that details everything you need to know to successfully develop and start using your own PSBM™ system can be personalised for, and delivered to YOU. Just fill/submit the request form (stating any needs and interests) at http://www.spontaneousdevelopment.com/contact.htm

When you have an animal, it is important to have the correct pet supplies. To properly care and maintain the health of your pet, there are pet supplies designed for every kind. Depending on your animals needs, there are a variety of places you can get the necessary pet supplies at. Check out local pet stores and online vendors to find the best deals on pet supplies.

One of the most important kinds of pet supplies to have is proper bedding. It is important to make sure that you pet has a home to call their own. A doggy bed or a cat castle will provide this. For fish or reptiles you want to make sure they have some place to hide. Proper bedding gives them safety and security. A proper crate or kennel will give them their own home and a lot of animals need that.

You need to feed your pet the proper food for them too. At many pet supplies stores, you'll find a variety of feed for any animal. What you feed them can depend on their breed, their age, or their needs. Some animals need high protein low fat diets; others need something with grains and wheat. Whatever you need for your pet, there is food to fit them.

Aside from the essentials, some pets will need toys. There are all kinds of pet supplies that are fun for dogs, cats, and other animals. Toys for dogs like tennis balls, rope toys, and squeaky toys will provide hours of entertainment. For cats, you may find things like cat nip toys, or little balls with bells in them. These toys will keep your pets entertained while you are away.

There are many other pet supplies that will keep your animals occupied. It is very important that when you are gone for the day that your animals have pet supplies that will keep them entertained. If you don't crate train your dog for example, and you leave them with no treats or toys, they will be destructive in your home, and this can cause you and them multiple problems.

Depending on where you purchase your pet supplies, you may also be able to find supplements or natural medications that your animal needs. You will find joint supplements, vitamins, and other items that your animal may need daily to maintain their health. It is important to find the right supplements for your cat, dog, or reptile.

Grooming supplies are also popular items for animals. It is necessary to properly bathe and groom your pet. You'll want nail clippers, brushes, soaps and shampoos that are designed for them. You also may need a variety of other products depending on what type of animal you have.

Making the right purchases will make your pets happier and healthier. Be sure to invest in products that will help your pets, and provide them with activities throughout their day. A happy pet is a healthy pet, and you'll get the most out of your animals if they are well taken care of.

Zeeman Haus enjoys writing articles online on a variety of subjects. You can check out his latest website on Pet Safe Bark Collars which provies product reviews like bark control collars and spray bark collars.

What is your career? Forget about how you define this to others for now, and just think for a bit about how you define your career to yourself. What does it mean to you to have a career? Is it just your job? Is it something you do to make a living? Is it what you do for money? Is it your work?

Most people would define a career as more than a job. Above and beyond a job, a career is a long-term pattern of work, usually across multiple jobs. A career implies professional development to build skill over a period of time, where one moves from novice to expert within a particular field. And lastly, I would argue that a career must be consciously chosen; even if others exert influence over you, you must still ultimately choose to become a doctor or a lawyer or an accountant. If you didn't make a conscious choice at some point, I would then say you have a job but not a career.

One of the difficulties I see a lot of people experiencing lately is that they spend the bulk of their days working at a job that isn't part of a consciously chosen career. Once you graduate from school and enter the work force, you don't suddenly gain the knowledge of what kind of career to build. Most likely you just focus on getting a job as your first step after school. And you probably have to make this choice in your early 20s. After a decade or two, you've established a pattern of work and built up some expertise. But at what point did you stop and say, what is my career going to be?

Sometimes when you ask people what their career is (instead of asking what their job is), the question makes them uncomfortable. Why? Because they think of a career as something intentionally chosen, purposeful, and meaningful, and they don't see those qualities in their job. Another possibility is that they feel deep down that their real career lies elsewhere.

Just because you've been working in a field for many years doesn't mean you have to turn that pattern of work into your career. The past is the past. You can continue to run the same pattern and follow that same path into the future, but at any time you're also free to make a total break with the past and turn yourself onto an entirely new career path in the future. Ask yourself if you were starting over from scratch today, fresh out of school, would you still choose the same line of work? If the answer is no, then you only have a job right now, not a career. Your career lies elsewhere.

I went through this process myself last year when I asked myself, "What is my career?" I've been developing and publishing computer games since 1994. And that was exactly what I wanted to do when I was 22 years old. Game development was the career I had consciously chosen; I didn't just fall into it. It took a lot of work to start my own company and build it into a successful business. But at age 33, I had to stop and say that I no longer wanted game development to be my career. I still enjoy it, and I may continue doing a little on the side as a hobby for many years, but I no longer think of it as my career.

And yet, when I looked around for what else I might define as my new career, I was in a quandary. I saw all the assets I'd built in my game development career... and a long list of goals yet to be accomplished. Of course, the real problem was that I was looking to the past and projecting it onto the future. So all I could see on the road ahead was a continuation of the road behind. My solution was to use zero-based thinking... imagining I was starting from scratch again, forgetting the past for a moment, seeing the present moment as something fresh and new that didn't already have a directional vector assigned to it -- it could point in any new direction I gave it.

At the same time I started thinking like this, I also decided to broaden my definition of career. While running my games business, I had been operating with a very 3rd-dimensional view of a career. It was about success, achievement, accomplishment, making a good living, sales, serving customers, etc. At different times my career was that I was a game programmer, a game developer, or a game publisher. Those were the labels I used.

But whereas these kinds of objectives were very motivating to me when I was in my 20s, years later I found them to be far less motivating. Achieving more and succeeding more just wasn't enough of a motivator by itself. And I've seen others fall into the same situation too -- the things that motivated them greatly at one point no longer seem all that motivating years later. The motivational strategies that work in your 20s don't necessarily keep working in your 30s.

The solution I found was to look behind the labels and discover the core of my career. When I looked behind the labels of game programmer, game developer, and game publisher, I saw that the core of my career was entertaining people. That was the real purpose behind what I was doing. And that's when it made sense to me that this was a very motivating purpose for me in my 20s, but that in my 30s it lost its edge because I had grown to the point in my own life where I felt that entertaining people was no longer the BEST way for me to contribute.

Think about this for a moment. What is the core of your career? What do you contribute? What is the big picture of what you do? If you work for a large company, then how do your actions contribute to some larger purpose? Be honest with yourself. And don't ignore the role your company plays in your career; your career depends heavily on what you're contributing down the line. If you truly assign a noble purpose to what you do, that's great. For example, if you work at a grocery store, you might be inspired by the fact that you help feed people. But don't force it if you don't actually believe it. If you feel your contribution is weak or even negative, then admit that to yourself, even if you don't immediately plan to do anything about it.

Go behind the labels. Don't stop at definining your career as computer programmer or lawyer or doctor. What are you contributing as a computer programmer? How does your career make a difference in other people's lives? Is it nothing more than a way for you to make money? As a lawyer do you resolve disputes and spread peace, or do you milk conflict for money? As a doctor do you heal people, or are you just a legal drug pusher? What is the essence of your career right now?

Now when you have your answer, you next have to ask yourself, is this you? Is this truly a career that reflects the best of who you are as a person?

For example, if you see the real purpose behind your current line of work as making a handful of investors wealthier... nothing more noble than that... then is that an accurate reflection of your best contribution? Is that you?

If you already have a career that accurately reflects the best of who you are, that's wonderful. But if you don't, then realize that you're free to change it. If your career as a regional distributor for a major soda manufacturer basically boils down to pushing sugar water to make people fatter, you don't have to keep it that way.

I think if you realize that your current work doesn't fit who you are, then you have to make a choice. You have to decide if you deserve having a career that truly suits you. If you don't feel you deserve it, then you will settle for defining your career in such narrow terms as job, money, paycheck, promotion, boss, coworkers, etc. No one is forcing you to accept that as your definition of career.

On the other hand, you can choose to embrace another definition of career that uses terms like purpose, calling, contribution, meaning, abundance, happiness, fulfillment, etc. This requires a top-down approach. You first think hard about what your purpose here is... what kind of contribution do you want to make with your life? Once you figure that out, then you work down to the level of how to manifest that in terms of the work you do.

And for many people, the seeming impossibility of that manifesting part is paralyzing. This is especially true for men, who usually take their responsibility as breadwinners very seriously. You see yourself logically having two choices: I could stay in my current job, which pays the bills and earns me a good living, or I could go jump into something that fits me better, but I just can't see how to make money at it. I have a mortgage to pay and a family who depends on me; I can't do that to them.

The problem though is thinking that these are the only alternatives... thinking that you have to make a choice between money and happiness. That assumption is what causes the paralysis against action. You can also envision the third alternative of having money and happiness together. In fact, that's actually the most likely outcome. If you don't currently have a career that is deeply fulfilling to you in the sense that you know you're contributing in a way that matters, then deep down, you will sabotage yourself from going too far with it. You will always know that you're on the wrong path for you, and this is going to slap a demotivating slump over everything you try to do in that line of work. You'll do your job, but you'll never feel that you're really living up to your potential. You'll always have problems with procrastination and weak motivation, and they'll never be resolved no matter how many time management strategies you attempt. Your job will never feel like a truly satisfying career -- it just can't grow into that because you've planted your career tree in bad soil. You'll always be stuck with a bonsai.

But when you get your career aligned from top to bottom, such that what you're ultimately contributing is an expression of the best of yourself, the money will come too. You'll be enjoying what you do so much, and you'll find your work so fulfilling, that turning it into an income stream won't be that hard. You'll find a way to do it. Making money is not at odds with your greater purpose; they can lie on the same path. The more money you make, the greater your ability to contribute.

But most importantly you'll feel you really deserve all the money you earn. When your career is aligned with the best of who you are, you won't secretly feel that your continued career success means going farther down the wrong path. You won't hold back anymore. You'll want to take your career as far as you can because it's an expression of who you are. And this will make you far more receptive to all the opportunities that are all around you, financial or otherwise.

But how do you make this transition? Is a leap of faith required? Not really. I don't think of it as a leap of faith. It's more of a leap of courage, and it's a logical kind of courage, not an emotional one. It comes down to making a decision about how important your own happiness and fulfillment are to you. Really, how important is it for you to have meaningful, fulfilling work? Is it OK for you to continue working at a job that doesn't allow you to contribute the very best of who you are? If you find yourself in such a situation, then your answer is yes -- you've made it OK for you to tolerate this situation.

But you see... self-actualizing people who successfully make this leap will at some point conclude that it's definitely not OK. In fact, it's intolerable. They wake up and say, "Wait a minute here. This is absolutely, totally unacceptable for me to be spending the bulk of my time at a job that isn't a deeply fulfilling career. I can't keep doing this. This ends now."

These people "wake up" by realizing that what's most important about a career is the high-level view that includes happiness, fulfillment, and living on purpose. Things like money, success, and achievement are a very distant second. But when you work from within the first category, the second category takes care of itself.

Before you've had this awakening, you most likely don't see how that last sentence is possible. And that's because you don't understand that it is nothing more than a choice. You have probably chosen to put money above fulfillment in your current line of work. That choice means that you won't have fulfillment. But it's not that you can't have fulfillment -- you can choose to change your priorities and act on them at any time. The real choice you made was not to be fulfilled in your current line of work. You bought into the illusion that money is at odds with fulfillment, and that money is the more important of the two, so that is all you see. No matter what job you take, you find this assumption proves true for you.

But once you go through the "waking up" experience and firmly decide to put fulfillment first, you suddenly realize that being fulfilled AND having plenty of money is also a choice that's available to you. There are countless ways for you to do both; you simply have to permit yourself to see them. You realize that you were the one who chose EITHER-OR instead of AND, while all the time you were totally free to choose AND whenever you wanted.

You set the standards for your career choices. Most likely your current standard ranks fulfillment and meaningful contribution very low in comparison to working on interesting tasks and making sufficient money. But those standards are yours to set. At any point you're free to say, "Having a deeply meaningful and fulfilling career is an absolute MUST for me. Working for money alone is simply not an option." And once you make this conscious choice, you WILL begin seeing the opportunities that fit this new standard. But you'll never even recognize those opportunities as long as it remains OK for you to spend all your work time being unfulfilled.

I want to drive home this point. Having a fulfilling career that earns you plenty of money doesn't require a leap of faith. It only requires a choice. You just have to wake up one day and tell yourself that you deserve both, and that you won't settle for anything less. It's not about finding the right job. A career isn't something you find; it doesn't require someone to give you something. You aren't at the mercy of circumstances. A career is something you create, something you build. It means that the work you do each day is aligned with what you feel to be your purpose. Once you start doing this kind of work, even if for no pay initially, your self-esteem will grow to the point where you'll become so resourceful and open to new opportunities that you'll have no trouble making plenty of money from it. However, when you do so, the money won't be that important. It will just be a resource for you to do more of what you love.

Your life is too precious to waste working only for money or for a purpose that doesn't inspire you. No one can hold you back from making this decision but you. Especially don't hide behind your family's needs. If your family truly loves you, then they need you to be fulfilled and living on purpose far more than anything else. And if you love them, then isn't your greatest role to serve as a model to them of how to be happy? What would you want for your own children for their careers? And do you want the same for yourself?

Copyright © Steve Pavlina

Steve Pavlina
Personal Development for Smart People
http://www.stevepavlina.com
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog (blog)
http://www.stevepavlina.com/articles (articles)

Steve is intensely growth-oriented. He trained in martial arts, ran the L.A. Marathon, and graduated from college in three semesters with two degrees. He can juggle, count cards at blackjack, and make damn good guacamole. Steve is also a polyphasic sleeper, sleeping just 2-3 hours per day and only 20 minutes at a time. So chances are good that he's awake right now.

When it comes to Internet marketing the

biggest question is always what is effective?

You need an effective Internet marketing

strategy but the last thing you want to do is

waste time on an Internet marketing strategy

that is ineffective. One of the hottest new

Internet marketing terms is search engine

result page or S.E.R.P. People are beginning

to realize that the most important factor in

Internet marketing in the all-important search

page result.

Someone is looking for something, they enter a

few words into a search engine and pages that

match the search words appear. Any intelligent

Internet marketing aficionado is focused on

where their website shows up on that list. The

more effective the company's Internet

marketing strategy the higher up the list they

will appear. Internet marketing studies have

shown that the first page of results of an

Internet search engine is the Promised Land

for an effective Internet marketing scheme.

The first month your Internet marketing

strategy places your business on the first

page of search results can bring you an

increase in traffic to your site of more than

100 percent. The second month of effective

Internet marketing will increase it even more,

sometimes as much as 200 percent. There isn't

a business out there that doesn't wish for

those kinds of results from their Internet

marketing plan.

So what kind of Internet marketing plan will

get you onto that coveted search results first

page? The first Internet marketing tool you

will need is keywords. Keywords, the words

prospective clients enter into search engines

to find what they're looking for are Internet

marketing gems. Creating keyword-rich content

on your website will greatly increase your

ranking on the search engine. Be smart about

it. Search engines can distinguish an Internet

marketing keyword rich approach from someone

who is just being stupid. But an Internet

marketing strategy that fills your site with

the right keywords will make your ranking rise.

Another great Internet marketing tool for

raising search engine ranking is the press

release. There are a great number of companies

now offering optimized press releases to bring

more awareness to your site. An effective

Internet marketing strategy will utilize this.

Choose wisely, but do not ignore this Internet

marketing asset. Check with anyone who is

having success with their Internet marketing

and you are sure to find that they use an

optimized press release service. A well-

crafted article that raises the aware ness of

your Internet marketing keywords will always

be a profitable Internet marketing tool, as

long as you find a service that gets good

exposure for their articles. Again, do your

homework.

Finally, remember that as much as 80% of all

internet traffic goes no further than the

first page of results for their internet

search. Use this to your Internet marketing

advantage. Use every Internet marketing tool

at your disposal to get yourself onto that

page and you will see Internet marketing

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PHP is high in demand these days and there are many people and companies, big and small scale both, are using PHP as a programming language to develop business applications. The reasons are simple because it's highly secured, economical and gives a variety of developmental environments to create applications of all size and variety. But so that you can make the most out of the features and opportunities it gives to develop high end applications you would need a qualified PHP Programmer who understands the nuances of the language and is capable of developing applications of any kinds.

There are various reasons of why you should think of hiring a PHP programmer because a professional programmer brings along a lot of benefits, which can really prove to be a boon for your business. The first and foremost is the professionalism they bring in the working style which is always a plus point when it comes to the kind of competition there is in the market. A well-trained and experienced PHP programmer would have the understanding of what is required to create a high quality application in addition to other technical expertise.

If the PHP programmer has any professional working experience then he would also know how the market works and what kind of demands clients come with. They would have the hands on experience of communicating with the clients and handling the pressure that comes with the job. Communication is the key when you are dealing with clients directly as it needs strong skills to manage their demands and create a lasting impression so that they build a rapport with them and make sure they don't loose the client for future deals.

And if you decide to hire a PHP programmer then hiring from India can give you a lot of additional benefits. PHP programming in India is booming in the current market and there are plenty of resources available at the most affordable price. There is no dearth of quality PHP programmers and so you will not only get a large number to choose from but you can also save up a lot as the hiring charges are comparatively less due to various other reasons like currency exchange, large availability etc.

So if you are thinking of getting PHP application development done then hire a PHP programmer for the best results and that too hire from India as the PHP programming industry in India is booming a lot.

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Beside all the organized sports our children are attending throughout the year, summer time provides great opportunities for kids to attend a summer camp and learn new skills or make new friends. In fact, it's been proven so many times that by keeping kids active and interested in sports or arts, they will stay out of trouble and away from bad influences.

But with all the choices out there it can be difficult to find the right kids summer camps. This article will concentrate on providing some guidelines on the numerous factors to consider when choosing the best camp for your child.

WHOSE DECISION IS IT?

If you want your child to attend the worst summer camp, send him or her to a camp without involving them in the decision. Otherwise, make sure to sit down together and talk about what really interests him, what does he love about a particular activity and what does he want to gain from the camp experience. Regardless of the age of your child remember to include him in the decision. Looking through brochures and sharing some favourite summer camp stories with your child is a great way to build his excitement.

WHAT PROGRAM

Once you have determined your child interests decide if it's best that he attends a traditional or a specialized camp. Traditional Summer Camps are more appropriate for children who love to do many different types of activities such as outdoor recreation, arts and crafts, individual and team activities, and more. Specialized Summer Camps focus on one activity and are more appropriate for children that are motivated towards one specific activity. The most common kids camps and activities are:

Adventure Camps: hiking, rock climbing, backpacking, rope courses, rafting, outdoor cooking, and fishing.

Watersports Camps: swimming, canoeing, kayaking, scuba diving, snorkelling, waterskiing, windsurfing, volleyball.

Individual or Team Sports Camps: soccer, baseball, football, basketball, hockey, horseback riding, gymnastics, martial arts, tennis, fishing, golf.

Arts Camps: acting, directing, writing, photography, choreography, dance, music, circus, paining.

Science Camps: nature, geology, astronomy, biology, archaeology, physics.

Religious Camps: Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Christian.

Computer Camps: web design, graphic design, video game design, 3D-modeling and animation.

WHAT TYPE OF CAMP?

After taking into consideration your work schedule, child's age and the experience you and your child are expecting to gain from the summer camp, consider the type of camp that makes the most sense for your child. Depending on the type of camp, you can choose between overnight camps, day camps, all boys or all girls' camps, or brother and sister camps. Also take into consideration the age groups represented and the percentage.

WHERE IS THIS CAMP?

If it's the first time your child is attending a summer camp look for something closer in order to lessen some of the anxiety he or she might be feeling. Consider the proximity to your home or work especially if your child will be attending a day camp. Keep in mind the camp environment, security, and medical facility and remember to choose the camp based on your child's interests rather then how close the camp is.

WHAT ARE THE FACILITIES LIKE?

Most camps will schedule a tour for parents to visit the facility and meet the directors or you can talk to the camp administration on the phone about your concerns if visiting the camp is not an option. Talk to them about your child's needs and interests and how you can ensure that your child will have a successful summer camp experience. Enquire about the sleeping arrangements and what toilet and shower facilities exist. It is also important to find out what medical facilities are available and where is the nearest hospital.

HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?

As a rule of thumb, non-profit camps are less expensive then the private camps. Most of these kids' camps are tax deductible under the Income Tax Act, falling under the general rubric of the "childcare expense" deduction. Talk to your accountant to see if you qualify. Beside the actual price of the camp you will also have to take into consideration the extra expenses such as the spending money needed by your child, transportation or camp uniform. Be sure to check the cancellation and refund policy!

HOW MANY CHILDREN WILL ATTEND THE CAMP?

The number of campers will vary depending on the size of the facility. Large camps are often organized into smaller segment groups in order for campers to receive the same attention as they would in a smaller camp.

WHAT ABOUT THE STAFF?

It's important to enquire about the staff before you and your child commit to a certain camp. Ask questions regarding the camper-to-counsellor ratio, the experience of the staff and directors, background, and what kind of staff training is provided. Don't forget to ask who prepares the food and what medical staff is on campus. Although most kids' summer camps are required to undergo detailed staff checks for anyone working with children, you have the right to ask for references of families who have previously enrolled their children in the camp.

Last but not least, visit the Canadian Camping Association's website for a list of accredited camps and information regarding provincial standards. Make sure your family is comfortable with the program you have chosen and remember that at the end of the day it's important for your child to have fun, fun, and some more fun.

Kids Activities Castle is an online Canadian community of like-minded parents who are looking to make other parents lives easier by offering information and ideas regarding children activities, afterschool classes and family friendly attractions.

You might think that the only decision that you have to make when deciding to start an aquarium is whether you want a freshwater tank or a salt water tank (or  marine tank). But in reality, there are several different environments within each of these two habitats. In this article, we'll investigate natural habitats found in the community tank, as well as those found in the waters of the Amazon River basin. These environments can be recreated in your tank, and make for very interesting and entertaining aquariums.

For example, you can have a freshwater community tank. The desired result is to bring together a collection of fish and plants that can thrive in the same tank, but do not necessarily share the same origins in the wild. Species from all over the world can be mixed. This is the most common type of aquarium tank, especially for the new fish keeper.

Another "variety" of freshwater fish tank could be one stocked with fish and plants often found in streams that run through the deep rain forests of the Amazon. Floating plants and driftwood often make these waters acidic and murky, however the Amazon basin is home to some of the most spectacular fish species found anywhere in the world, including the prized discus fish.

Also found in the forests of the Amazon River are thousands of acid-water pools and streams, rich in humic acids that result from the decomposition of vegetation that falls from the dense forest plant life. The acids turn the water darkish brown, and much of the sunlight is blocked out by the overhead canopy. Oxygen levels are often very low in these pools and streams, however, many species of fish can be found here. Swimming happily together, you might see dwarf cichlid, brightly colored tetras, and bottom dwelling catfish. This type of fish tank setup is quite interesting, and it's easy to create beautiful habitats.

Setting up a  fish tank can be a great family activity. But before you get started, here are five tips for fish tank success

1. Probably THE most important factor when you begin to explore your fish tank options is making sure that you decide what size aquarium you want. This is important because it will determine what type and how many fish you can keep. It's best to plan ahead so you don't limit your choices down the road. Try to get as big a fish tank as you can comfortably afford. In general, most people wish they had started with a bigger tank once they discover the fun and beauty of setting up and keeping their aquarium.

2. Another really important decision that you need to make is where you'll buy your new fish tank and the supplies you'll need to go with it. Be sure that you buy from a reputable and knowledgeable supplier, that way they'll be around to answer any questions that you might have, and in the event that you need to return something you'll be able to easily. They'll also be there to supply you with any items you'll need to keep your fish tank running smoothly.

3. Setting up and maintaining your tank doesn't have to cost a lot of money. You can enjoy fish keeping very inexpensively. But to do this responsibly, you should educate yourself, and make sure that you set up your fish tank the right way from the beginning.

4. One of the easiest ways to get your tank up and running fairly quickly is to buy a fish tank kit. Kits come with everything you need, and range from a simple "bowl", to larger tanks of just about any size. In most cases, they will be designated for use as either freshwater fish tanks, or saltwater (marine) fish tanks.

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Just like buying any pet, keep in mind that your fish tank will contain living creatures that need to receive the proper care and maintenance in order to live happy and healthy lives. Be responsible. Learn what will be involved before making an impulsive purchase. There's so much information available (for free!)  to you that will help you to make an informed and responsible decision. Check out Top Fish Tank Aquariums for resources. We're always here to help. Again, make sure you do your research and learn what's involved before you buy any fish tank [http://www.topfishtankaquariums.com].

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A wealth of information exists that explains the relationships between school subjects and careers. Across the nation, children, teens, teachers, and counselors use Career Interests Areas or Clusters to explore careers and to make school study plans. There are sixteen (16) Interests Areas or Clusters:

1. Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources
2. Architecture & Construction
3. Arts, A/V Technology & Communication
4. Business, Management & Administration
5. Education & Training
6. Finance
7. Government & Public Administration
8. Health Science
9. Hospitality & Tourism
10. Human Services
11. Information Technology
12. Law, Public Safety & Security
13. Manufacturing
14. Marketing, Sales & Service
15. Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
16. Transportation, Distribution & Logistics

States and federal agencies across the nation have created career cluster web sites and resources. We have reviewed three (3) of the best state or federal agency web sites.

Louisiana Integrated Skills Assessment (LISA)

One of the most unique comprehensive career cluster resources is the Louisiana Integrated Skills Assessment (LISA), an Internet program. LISA lets you explore career clusters, careers, abilities, training requirements, and more. Using the Lisa, you can do the following tasks:

• Assessment: Explore career options using the Work Importance Locator.
• I Enjoy: Find careers based upon the things that you enjoy.
• Cluster: Find careers from Career Cluster Groups.
• Search: Search for jobs based on knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• Best Match: Use your current job to find knowledge, skills, and abilities to identify a new career.
• Compare: Compare current job to potential new job.
• Profile: Use this feature to create a profile from a selected career.

There are 3 steps in the LISA program. In Step 1, when you choose a career cluster, you will read the description of the cluster. When you select a career cluster in Step 2, you can select a career group. In each career group, you will see a lot of different careers. Finally, in Step 3, you see additional occupational information, such as:

• Job descriptions
• Educational and training requirements
• Crosswalks, for example ONET, DOT, GOE, and other codes
• Abilities
• Knowledge
• Skills
• Tasks
• Work Values
• Labor Market Information

There is detailed information in each job profile:

• Description
• Crosswalk
• Abilities
• Knowledge
• Skills
• Tasks
• Work Values
• Occupational Characteristics Narrative

The Louisiana Integrated Skills Assessment (LISA) is an excellent tool for students to do career cluster exploration.

NCE Career Clusters and State Career Clusters Initiative Resources

The NCE Career Clusters has adapted information from the State Career Clusters Initiative to create a career education toolkit for teachers and counselors. In your NCE Career Clusters toolkit, you can find a Career Cluster Model, poster, resource booklets, At-a-Glance PDF Slices, and Plans of Study. Each resource is designed to facilitate the exploration of Career Clusters.

Career Cluster Resource Booklet

To prepare for a Career Clusters discussion, teachers and counselors use the State Career Clusters Initiative Career Cluster Resource Booklet. The brochures discuss the differences between career clusters and career pathways. The booklet outlines that career clusters are career groups from the same industry that have the same skills and educational requirements. Career pathways are specific careers that are within the each career cluster. The Resource Booklet discusses the following topics:

• Historical background information
• Cluster Knowledge and Skills
• Pathway Knowledge and Skills
• O*NET Crosswalk Report
• Validation Studies
• Assessment Protocol
• Certification Protocol

The booklet is a "must-read" resource that provides in depth information on each career cluster. Each booklet has detailed graphs, charts, and tables.

Career Cluster Model

To provide an overview of Career Clusters, teachers and counselors use the Career Cluster Model. The Career Cluster Model simplifies sixteen (16) Career Clusters model. The center of the NCE Career Clusters model focuses on six (6) major groups. The career clusters are color-coded so that you can easily present six (6) major groups in classroom activities. The six (6) major groups are:

1. Environmental and Agricultural Systems
2. Business, Marketing, and Management
3. Communication and Information Systems
4. Industrial, Manufacturing, Engineering Systems
5. Health Sciences
6. Human Services and Resources

Here is summary of the relationship between the sixteen (16) Career Clusters and the 6 Super Clusters.

1. Environmental and Agricultural Systems - Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources (1)
2. Business, Marketing, and Management combines:

• Business, Management & Administration (4)
• Finance (6)
• Hospitality & Tourism (9)
• Marketing, Sales & Service (14)

Communication and Information Systems involve:

• Arts, A/V Technology & Communication (3)
• Information Technology (11)

Industrial, Manufacturing, Engineering Systems include:

• Transportation, Distribution & Logistics (16)
• Architecture & Construction (2)
• Manufacturing (13)
• Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (15)

Health Sciences - Health Science (8)

Human Services and Resources merges -

• Education & Training (5)
• Government & Public Administration (7)
• Human Services (10)
• Law, Public Safety & Security (12)

The sixteen (16) Career Clusters systematically fit within the six (6) major groups.

Career Cluster Brochure

Another excellent career cluster student aid is the Career Cluster Brochure. The brochure is filled with photographs that show people performing the different jobs. With this easy-to-read booklet, students get an overview of the different careers, career clusters, and career pathways. Students read about:

• What is a career cluster?
• What is a career pathway?
• What school subjects are important for a career in the ... career cluster?
• What is the educational or training requirement for a career in the ... career cluster?
• What are the necessary credentials for a career in the ... career cluster?
• What is the employment outlook for a career in the ... career cluster?
• What are some sample occupations?

Career Cluster Slices

Besides the Career Cluster Model and the Brochure, a third student Career Cluster aid is the NCE Career Cluster Slices. The NCE Career Cluster Slice identifies specific career opportunities found within each Career Pathways. Each Cluster Slice is illustrated and designed to explore areas, such as:

Cluster Description
• Pathway Description
• Cluster Knowledge & Skills
• Career Field
• Preparation for a Career in ...
• Examples of Education and Training Postsecondary Programs of Study

Students discover that each pathways leads to post-secondary options including:

• Apprenticeships
• Certificates
• Licenses
• Associate's Degree Programs
• Bachelor's Degree Programs
• Master's Degree Programs
• Doctoral Degree Programs
• Professional Degree Programs

Career Clusters Plan of Study

At the beginning of the students' middle school years, the students use assessments identify career cluster interest areas. With the Career Clusters model, brochure, Slices, and LISA resources, the students have explored the different careers and post-secondary training options. Students, teachers, counselors, and parents then use the Career Clusters Plan of Study to strategically plan the students' high school course work. The Career Clusters Plan of Study provides examples of English, Math, Science, Social Studies, electives, and extra-curricular activities for the following grade levels:

• 7th - 8th grade
• 9th - 10th grade
• 11th - 12th grade
• Advanced coursework for postsecondary credit

The NCE Career Clusters web page is the gateway to the student career cluster resources.

State Career Clusters Initiative, NCE, and Lisa materials are just examples of career cluster resources. Career clusters resources have established a connection between school subjects and careers.

Resources:

Explore Career Clusters, Texas Workforce Commission/Career Development Resources (TWC/CDR), US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, and Louisiana Department of Labor

Nebraska Career Education, States' Career Clusters Initiative, 2005, and NCTEF/NASDCTEc (National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium) States' Career Clusters Initiative, & National Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Education Consortium

State Career Clusters Initiative Washington, DC: National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium, 2002

Dr Mary Askew specializes in career tests, websites, and books for students. Students need eye appealing, easy to use, yet comprehensive career resources. Find out how students can reach their career potentials at http://www.hollandcodes.com Contact Dr. Askew at learning4life@qwest.net

Value Education is the much debated and discussed subject in the plethora of education in India. Of course it is true that the main purpose of any education will go with Value orientation. More concentration on Value education has been given at the primary and secondary level of school education than in higher education in India. Values could be effectively imparted to the young minds rather than to the matured ones. It may be the important reason for this prime importance given at the school level. There are so many modules designed with the help of agencies like NCERT and others for effectively imparting the value education to the school students. In this context, many innovative educational practices are being identified by the experts. Good number of experiments and studies are being conducted in the recent days on the effectiveness of teaching value education at school level. Some schools have very innovative and radical course designs to impart the values.

Effective teaching practices in imparting value education ranges from story telling, exhibitions, skits, one act play and group discussions to various other formats. New methods have been evolved by educationists to create an effective learning sphere. The usage of electronic gadgets also gains importance in the teaching-learning practices of value education. But at the higher education level, due to various reasons, the importance given to value education is not as much as it is given at the school level. The curriculum and the teaching methods also could be subjected to scrutiny. It is true that colleges are meant for a kind of specialization in some field of education. But in the Indian social context, the youth require direction and counseling at this stage. They have been exposed to various challenges at this stage which demands the intervention of educationists for his/her betterment. His/her character building also strengthens at this juncture. Students' perception on various life factors and events are getting shaped at this stage. On the whole they evolve their own philosophy of life. Their sensitivity and knowledge are getting direction at this stage. Hence, an effective value orientation becomes inevitable to the students of colleges. Keeping this requirement in mind, States like Tamilnadu introduced a compulsory paper/course on value education to undergraduate students of all colleges in the State under the choice based credit system. Though this kind of effort is made with the good intention of imparting values to the youth, many limitations in bringing out the expected outcome could be identified.

The problem mainly begins with the definition of values. Defining the term 'value' poses a challenge to all scholars. The term value is loaded with varieties of meaning. Each meaning reflects its own philosophical position. Generally the term value is spontaneously associated with religious values. It is believed by many Indians that values are nothing but the religious and spiritual guiding principles of life. Hence, it is supposed that the path is already been laid for the life journey. But in the context of modernity and modernism there rises a fundamental question of whether value education is required at all in a modern state. There are those who argue that modern life is based on science and technology, and both are value neutral. They view that the values are bugbear held out by people living in the past, glued to outdated religious principles that have no relevance to the 21st century. At this point, there is also another group of modernist who propagate the necessity of value education at learning centres in order to safe guard the democratic state and its values. The values they wish to cultivate are modern secular values such as honesty, respect to other, equality, collectivity, democracy, respecting the human rights, sharing equal space in the public sphere and so on. These values are considered as the products of enlightenment period. Hence, four positions could be arrived at on the basis of the above understanding. The are:

1. There are religious values which are very much essential for every one and must be included in the curriculum.

2. The religious values should not find place in the educational system. They may operate at the private sphere.

3. There are non-religious secular values and they must find space in the education.

4. There is no need for teaching value education in the academics because they cannot be cultivated through formal learning and such value cultivation will make the individual biased.

In consequence to these positions, following questions arouse.

1. Whether value education should find place in the educational system?

2. If it is required, then what sort of values should be given preference in the curriculum?

3. What is the importance to be given to the religious values which are primarily developed on the basis of scriptures?

4. Can modern values alone are sufficient enough or is there any possibility of blending the values of modernity with religious values?

5. If religious values are to be given importance in the curriculum, which religion will find prime place? If there are contradictory propagation on a single virtue by two religions, then how are they to be handled?

6. Similarly religions differ on the practices also. Right from eating patterns, dress mode, marriage systems, war tactics, killing, punishments to various other aspects, religions differ on their outlook. In this situation, what sort of perceptions need to be taught?

Besides these questions, another billion dollar question would be raised on the methodology of effectively imparting those values. Then again as it is mentioned earlier, the school education can very well include this education easily because the system itself is advantageous for it to accommodate. But at the college level, the system finds it very difficult to work out. So this study could analyse the theoretical problems relating to the identification of values to be included in the curriculum at the one side and the problem of effective designing of the curriculum and imparting those values on the other side.

II

The necessity for imparting values to the students of all levels has been felt by everyone. The world today is facing unprecedented socio-political and economic challenges. Problems of life are becoming increasingly intense and complex. Traditional values are decentered. 'An environment of strife pervades all countries and broken homes have become common. An insatiable hunger for money and power, leads most of people to tension and absence of peace of mind and all kinds of physical and mental ailments have become common place" 1. In the present day context of frequent and often violent social upheavals, we have to look at the problem of restlessness of the youth, their frustration born out of futility of their search for meaning of life and the purpose for which they are living, often leading to evil and wickedness. This calls for a new approach to, and a new vision of education. It is obviously felt that the present educational system promotes rat race and keep the student community in a sense of insecurity. Educational institutions have become the pressure cookers building pressures in the minds of youth. Also a loft sided educational pattern which insists on instrumental and technical rationality for the successful life in terms of gaining money and power has invaded the educational system of India. The person who is deemed to be unfit for this survival race becomes disqualified and ineligible to live in this market economy based life. The spate of industrialization and economic growth in developed nations has brought about a perceptible change in this scenario. And developing countries including India are feeling the ripple effects of this development. Values earlier considered essential by all societies have been eroded and have given way to unethical practices around the globe. Where honesty and integrity were loved and appreciated, greed, corruption and red tapism have come in, bringing in their wake, unethical responses which have pervaded all walks of life and are thwarting efforts of a few enlightened individuals to promote value based society.2 Hence, implementation of well structured education is the only solution available with all states. With growing divisive forces, narrow parochialism, separatist tendencies on the one hand and considerable fall in moral, social, ethical and national values both in personal and public life on the other, the need for promoting effective programmes of value orientation in education has assumed great urgency. Development of human values through education is now routinely seen as a task of national importance. Value education though supposes to be the part and parcel of the regular education, due to the market influences, it could not be so. Hence, it has become an inevitable need to include an exclusive curriculum for value education at all levels.

Now the next question would be about the nature of value education. What sort of values should be given preference in the curriculum is the prime problem in the introduction of value education. This problem surfaces because we can find varieties of values prescribed on the basis of various scriptures and theories. Sometimes they are contradictory to each other. This issue has been thoroughly discussed earlier. But the solution to the problem of the nature of value education is primarily dependent on the social conditions that prevail in the state. There need not be an imported value educational pattern to be prescribed in India. The burning social issues would demand the required value education. Though India is considered to be the land of divinity and wisdom, the modern value system throws challenges to the ancient value pattern. Right from the Gurkula pattern to the varna ashrama values, all values are under scrutiny by modern rationality. Hence, the relevance of the golden values prescribed by the then society is questionable in the present situation. On the other hand, the so called modern values which have been listed earlier also subjected to criticism by philosophers like post modernists. They question the very nature of the rationality of the enlightenment period. Because critics of modernity strongly declare that the modern rationality is the reason for the deterioration of human concern in the world and they paved the way for inhuman killing and escalation of values. The reason of the modernism is considered as the root of power politics which leads to inhuman behaviour of the power system, according to them. Hence the modern values like democracy, civil rights, environmental ethics, professional ethics, discipline and all such values are found useless in bringing harmony in the society. The values like discipline, tolerance, peace bears the negative connotation in this context. Hence, what sort of modern values are to be included in the curriculum is a challenge thrown towards the educationists. At one side the fanatic and fundamentalist features of religious values and on the other side the modern values based on the market economy and other factors are to be excluded and a well balanced curriculum with genuine worthy values suitable to the society has to be identified and included in the educational system. In this context, it becomes obvious that there cannot be any universal pattern of values to be prescribed in the system. When a suitable blend of religious and modern values is to be done, the designing of such course demands an unbiased, scrupulous, intelligent approach on the part of the academician who designs such course. Thus the spiritual values of sensitizing the youth for happy world and rational values for a just world are very much required. Religious values can be taken but not with the label of any particular religion, democratic values are to be included but not with its dogmatic inhuman approach. Thus there need a perfect blend of both. This is the real challenge thrown to the Indian academicians.

After the identification of these values, they need to be inculcated not to be informed to the students. Mostly listing the values is done very easily, but imparting them effectively requires genuine spirit and innovative educational practices. In the Vedic period, the gurukula system prevailed in which the student has to thoroughly undergo a pattern life with the guru shishya hierarchy. Whatever the guru declares are the values of life. But in the modern context, which is supposed to be the democratic sphere, a sense of equality and freedom has to prevail the learning situation. Also the values identified cannot be preached on the basis of the religious faiths. So the teacher has to find effective working module to internalize the values in the minds of the youth. The teachers' understanding about the values prescribed and his/her commitment in imparting them also play a crucial role here. How to sensitize the teacher before carrying the values to the students is also a challenge to the educationists. The value education class room, if it is dealt with full seriousness and sincerity would be very interesting and challenging sphere for students and teachers. At times they need to sail at the same level with the students. The hierarchy may get disappeared. Value education demands a total responsibility from the teachers. They become more accountable. On the other side, a teacher who is committed to a set of values would always like to preach and impose them on the young minds. That extreme should also to be avoided with a balance of mind. Value education cannot be done by just delivering lectures and screening films. It requires a strong interaction between the students and the society. A lot could be experimented at this sphere. For which the supreme value 'integrity' is expected from the educator.

It is observed that many modules of teaching values have been designed and tested. Some are seemed to be very effective. In Tamilnadu, especially in aided colleges, with all good intention the government has introduced the value education as a compulsory scheme at the undergraduate level. But each university has its own syllabus for the same. The scrutiny of those syllabi also reveals a lot of variations in conceiving the value education. In some universities, some religion based institutions are given the responsibility of designing and even carrying out the course. Similarly the teachers who have not been exposed to any such type of training in value education are given the responsibility of teaching values. The introduction of value education for all under graduate courses is done at the cost of a core paper of that course. The teachers who have been handling their hardcore subject papers had to meet the shortage of workload due to this programme and to solve this problem, they have been entrusted with the job of teaching value education paper. This is done with the aim of avoiding the workload problem of existing teachers. The most valuable and sensitive part of education has been made like a mechanical dogmatic part. At this juncture, the fate of value education at the college level could be imagined. How to solve this issue is again a challenge to the educationists of Tamilnadu. The same fate could be observed in many other states of India. Hence, two important problems surfaces here, one at the syllabus level and the other at the teaching level. As it is discussed earlier the syllabus could be designed by way of paying attention to all aspects but imparting the same requires not only innovative teaching methods, but also innovative training method of the educators. It is as good as training the driver to drive the car; the teacher needs to be trained in imparting the values. The technical education employs teachers with sound knowledge in the subject, similarly it is essential to have teachers with sound mind and creative teaching skill to teach value education. Value education is definitely not to be dealt with compartmentalization but it should be taken as a part of the whole educational system. As Nietzsche puts it, the society requires masters to create and impart values, not the slaves who accept all the values imposed on them without any critical understanding.

If education fails to impart necessary values to its citizens, it will definitely have a telling effect on the society. All efforts to bring just and peace in the world will become futile if proper value education is not imparted.

Notes:

1. Kireet Joshi, Philosophy of Value Oriented Education Theory and Practice, ICPR

Publications, New Delhi,p.217.

2. Ibid., p.218.

Murali_phil@hotamil.com

When purchasing New Jersey car insurance there are many decisions you will have to make. You need to understand what kind of car insurance coverage you need and how much you can afford to pay. New Jersey car insurance will have no trouble meeting your needs but you, yourself, must know what you need in insurance for New Jersey driving before you purchase. Just keep in mind that there are many options for Nj insurance available with all the different companies selling insurance.

When purchasing NJ car insurance, there are some things the agent is bound by law to inform you. For New Jersey car insurance you have three coverage choices called "Insurance Scenarios". The car insurance agent this will let you know how each choice may affect your policy and what you pay for benefits if you happen to have an accident. He/She should tell you that you can cancel your car insurance anytime you want, for example, if you find better car insurance with another car insurance company.

You can also change the insurance coverage and policy limits for your car at any time, even if you are not close to your car insurance renewal. If you select options when you purchase New Jersey car insurance then it may pay off when you're ready to cancel there may be a refund if you cancel early. All New Jersey car insurance companies must give you back the refund within thirty days from the day you cancel your Nj car insurance.

New Jersey car insurance is divided into different coverages, but this is based on the type of claim that will be paid out to you or others. One is personal injury protection - this protects you or others depending on who is in the car at the time of an accident, and will pay the medical coverage regardless of which driver is at fault. Then there is liability car insurance that pays for damages incurred when you are at fault in an accident. This also covers any legal help that you will need if you are being sued. Within liability car insurance, there are also two types of coverage - bodily injury and property damage. Most New Jersey car insurance companies carry the same policies. These insurance policies pay for anyone that is hurt or die as the result of the accident you caused. You may think the cost of car insurance is high when you take out a policy in New Jersey, but it's nothing compared to what an accident would cost you if you didn't have any NJ insurance on your car.

Here are a few things for you to think about when buying car insurance in New Jersey.

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