www.trainingforall.

org
2014
Rajan Arora
3T
6/28/2014
Handout for Personal &
Professional Excellence

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PROACTIVE ATTITUDE FOR EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS

7 Surefire Steps to a Positive Attitude
Attitude, as you have heard many times, is every-thing. That theory has been written
in thousands of books, spoken to millions of people, and driven deep into your mind.
Why? It's true.
Your attitude is your own personal filter for every-thing that happens to you, around
you, or within you. What takes place in this world is not as important as how you view
it.
You cannot choose what will happen to you. You cannot guarantee success and
happiness for yourself. These things are out of your control. You can, however,
choose how you feel about these things, about how you respond to these situations.

With a positive attitude, you will have the ability to be happier each and every day,
make others around you happier, and live a good life. Below are seven tips that can
help you keep your positive attitude going.
1. PUT THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE - When you find yourself getting fed up and your
mood is taking a turn for the worse, take a step back and put things into
perspective.
Is the stress and frustration really worth it? When you look at the bigger picture,
don't they seem a bit insignificant? They should, because nine times out of ten
the daily problems we face are not really that important when we take a look at
life as a whole.
You are alive; you have food, shelter, and freedom. These things are reason
enough to smile when you wake in the morning.
2. HAVE SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO - You are expecting something in the
mail. Each day you run to the mail box, filled with excitement and anticipation.
And then, finally, it comes!

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People love to look forward to things. Some say that anticipation of something
happening is better than when it actually happens.
We all have special events that are coming up. Holidays, birthdays, vacations,
weekends, etc. Keeping these in mind will give you something to stay excited
about.
3. HELP OTHERS - There is no better way to forget about your worries than to help
someone else with theirs. When you take the focus off of yourself, and give
your attention to helping people, your attitude will change dramatically.
This tip not only includes helping friends and family, but also volunteering to help
those in need whom you may not know. When you give of yourself, you'll
receive tenfold in return.
4. TAKE A BREAK - There are times when the only solution is to get away from it
all. If you know that you are in a negative mood, or have been in low spirits for
some time, take a break. It could be just what you need.
Taking a break can vary from a short trip in your car, to a vacation in the
Bahamas. A walk around the block, or a leisurely drive around the neighborhood
can also work wonders for your mood and attitude.
5. TALK WITH A POSITIVE FRIEND - Talking things out can help you see the good
in a bad situation. Call a friend and tell them about your problem, or just chat
about any topic that comes to you. This is a very therapeutic and effective cure
to a rough day.
6. LIFE IS SHORT - One thing to always remember is that life is short. The worst
thing would be to look back on your days wishing you could have been happier.
Now is the time to take a good look at your attitude and make the necessary
improvements.
Days, weeks, months, and years have a way of rushing by. Don't let them pass

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while you are in a negative mood about life. A positive attitude is worth the
work, effort, and change that it takes to create it. Look back with no regrets,
only happy memories.
7. PEOPLE HAVE DONE MORE WITH LESS - A common cause for a poor attitude is
the feeling t hat you are in a situation that is just too hard to deal with. Perhaps
you don't have the job you want, or you may have a boss that drives you crazy.
It may even be more serious than that. You may be too young, too old, too
tired, too unlucky, etc...
People have done more with less. Many people from all over the world have
overcome obstacles, solved problems, and maintained a positive attitude through
the most trying of times. If the y can do it, so can you.
The power of a positive attitude is always within your reach. You simply have to
extend your hand and grab it. Use the tips above to gain a great attitude, and to
make your life happier, healthier, and wealthier.
















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Self Motivation
People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no
matter how impressive their other talents. Andrew Carnegie
If you want to excel in life, self motivation is essential. You must know how to motivate
yourself. You must be able to keep your spirit high no matter how discouraging a
situation is. Thats the only way to get the power you need to overcome difficulties.
Those who are discouraged in difficult times are certain to lose even before the battle is
over.
The question is: how do you motivate yourself? Here are several tips Ive found to
be effective to build self motivation:

1. Have a cause
I cant think of a more powerful source of motivation than a cause you care about. Such
cause can inspire you to give your best even in the face of difficulties. It can make you
do the seemingly impossible things.
While other causes could inspire you temporarily, a cause that matters to you can
inspire you indefinitely. Its a spring of motivation that will never dry. Whenever you
think that you run out of motivation, you can always come to your cause to get a fresh
dose of motivation.

2. Have a dream. A big dream.
Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I
look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be. Karen Ravn
Your cause is a powerful source of motivation but its still abstract in nature. You need
to make it concrete in the form of a dream. Imagine how the world will be in the future.
Imagine how people will live and work.
Having a dream is important because its difficult to be motivated if you dont have
anything to shoot for. J ust think about people who play basketball. Will they be

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motivated to play if there is no basket to aim at? I dont think so. They need a goal.
You need a goal. Thats what your dream is for.
But just having a dream is insufficient. Your dream must be big enough to inspire you.
It must be realistic but challenging. It must stretch your ability beyond your comfort
zone.

3. Be hungry
Wanting something is not enough. You must hunger for it. Your motivation must be
absolutely compelling in order to overcome the obstacles that will invariably come your
way. Les Brown
To be truly motivated, you need to have hunger and not just desire. Having mere desire
wont take you through difficult times since you dont want things badly enough. In
many cases, hunger makes the difference between the best performers and the
mediocre ones.
How can you have hunger? Your cause and your dream play a big role here. If you
have a cause you care about and a big dream related to it, you should have the hunger
inside of you. If you think that you are losing hunger, all you need to do is to connect
again to your cause and dream. Let them inspire you and bring the hunger back.

4. Run your own race
I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Comparing yourself with others is an effective way to demotivate yourself. Even if you
start with enthusiasm, you will soon lose your energy when you compare yourself with
others.
Dont let that happen to you. You have your own race so how other people perform is
irrelevant. Comparing yourself with others is like comparing the performance of a
swimmer with a runner using the same time standard. They are different so how can
you compare one with the other?

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The only competitor you have is yourself. The only one you need to beat is you. Have
you become the best you can be?

5. Take one more step
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
Winston Churchill
When you meet obstacles along the way, there could be the tendency to quit. You may
think that its too difficult to move on. You may think that your dream is impossible to
achieve. But this is where you can see the difference between winners and losers.
Though both of them face the same difficulties, there is one thing that makes the
winners different: the courage to continue.
In difficult situations, just focus on taking one more step forward. Dont think about
how to complete the race. Dont think about how many more obstacles are waiting for
you. J ust focus on taking the next step.

6. Let go of the past
Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Believe it or not, one of the best demotivators is your past. Your past can drag you
down before you realize it. Your past can give you a heavy burden on your shoulders.
The good news is its a burden you dont have to carry. Take it off your shoulder and
leave it. You might make mistakes in the past. You might disappoint others with what
you did. But its over. Its already in the past and theres nothing you can do about it.
Today is a new day and you have the chance to start again. No matter how bad your
past might be, you still have a bright future ahead waiting for you. J ust dont let the
burden of the past stop you.




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Mentoring has long been viewed as a powerful means of enhancing the professional
well-being of faculty members.

Mentors Responsibilities
Inspire the students
Motivate and engage students in the meaningful activities
Create open communication within the team
Facilitate instruction
Maintain process focus
Have the kids do as much work as possible
Establish an environment conducive to open and honest communication
Show trust in, and respect for, every team member and his/her ideas
Encourage kids to take risks and invent
Encourage accountability

Mentors Roles
Confidant
Supporter
Coach
Teacher
Motivator
Facilitator
Sustainer

The key component to a successful outcome and student involvement are:
Facilitate: Make things simple and as easy as possible for the students to
understand. If the team doesnt understand, explain or demonstrate the concept
in another way.
Demonstrate: Challenge the students to think ideas through in a constructive and
positive way. Try as hard as you can to avoid using the words cant be done or
not possible.
Delegate: Give the students the specifications they need, and help them turn the
concept into reality. Be ready to help if necessary.
Do: Unless absolutely unavoidable, students should work on each aspect of the
project. If all members of the team share ownership, the team shares the
responsibility and the work.








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Classroom Management Strategies

1. Hold and communicate high behavioral expectations.
2. Establish clear rules and procedures, and instruct students in how to follow
them; give primary-level children and those with low socioeconomic status, in
particular, a great deal of instruction, practice, and reminding.
3. Make clear to students the consequences of misbehavior.
4. Enforce classroom rules promptly, consistently, and equitably from the very first
day of school.
5. Work to instill a sense of self-discipline in students; devote time to teaching self-
monitoring skills.
6. Maintain a brisk instructional pace and make smooth transitions between
activities.
7. Monitor classroom activities; give students feedback and reinforcement regarding
their behavior.
8. Create opportunities for students (particularly those with behavioral problems) to
experience success in their learning and social behavior.
9. Identify students who seem to lack a sense of personal efficacy and work to help
them achieve an internal locus of control.
10. Make use of cooperative learning groups, as appropriate.
11. Make use of humor, when suitable, to stimulate student interest or reduce
classroom tensions.
12. Remove distracting materials (athletic equipment, art materials, etc.) from view
when instruction is in progress.


ENCOURAGING STUDENT SUCCESS DESPITE THE ODDS

Our goal is to provide the best educational opportunity for all children who come into
our classrooms. This profession provides some days that are much more complicated

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than othersfor example, days when all we can do is collapse when we arrive home
because we have given all we had to give. We have undertaken a huge responsibility.
We have someone elses children for whom we are responsible for a good portion of the
day.
Perhaps it would be less complicated if all our children were well nourished and
emotionally, physically, and spiritually healthy. It would probably be much easier if we
were sure that all of the children returned home to families who were happy to see
them coming. Life as a teacher would be easier if school resources were distributed so
that all children had access to new books, updated technology, and the best teachers.
But our reality is different; we take all children and all that they bring to the classroom.
And, inevitably, there are some children for whom school is a far greater challenge than
it is for others.
The following are a few tips that would be helpful in our effort to better address the
needs of our challenging students.
Get to know the child. Seek support from family members. Uncover the childs
likes and dislikes.
Never publicly humiliate a child. You cant imagine how this can adversely impact
this child.
Yelling at children all day is ineffective. Try lowering your voice.
Tell children something about you, perhaps a funny story. Children want to know
that you are human too!
Remember what it was like being a child.
Acknowledge good behavior.
Learn from family members, other teachers, or any available resource what works
with the child.
Give students choices. Repeated choice opportunities allow students to build a
sense of competence and may prevent challenging behaviors.
Help students celebrate their successes, however small. This will help them open
up to more positive thoughts and actions about themselves.

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New Role for Teachers in Discipline
Treat all students as if their parents are in the room.
Successful teachers earn their wings every day by demonstrating confidence,
competence, and caring. The tools of effective classroom management include:
Empowering;
Coaxing;
Influencing;
Modeling;
Facilitating;
Mentoring;
Resourcing;
Negotiating.
More than being an enforcer or punisher, teachers today get better results by serving
as coach, cheerleader, and champion of excellence. A major portion of maintaining
discipline has become boosting student self-esteem.
The two most significant changes in the role of teacher as disciplinarian in recent years
have been the following:
1. Teachers are now sometimes the first and/or only authority figure in a child's life
who adopts values of civility, mutual respect, and cooperation.
2. Teachers must be part of a schoolwide discipline team and help out with
discipline outside their own classrooms. It takes the entire staff working together
to create a totally effective learning environment.

Together we can & we will make the difference.