Europe Youth Education

Thanks to sensational movies like Jaws and reporting like Time Magazine’s “Summer of Fear”, our anxiety about sharks has been driven so deep into our core, that lots of are scared to even go into the ocean.

You may think that it is a lot safer to just stay home and putter throughout the house. In 1996, do it yourself projects in the united states involving toilets resulted in 43,687 injuries. Mishaps with ladders added another 138,894 injuries. Even buckets caused over 10,000 injuries. Shark attacks in that year injured just 13.

Statistically, you should be more frightened by your four-legged friend and age-old companion, the family dog. Throughout 2001-2007, there have been 175 dog attack fatalities in the USA. There were only six shark attack fatalities within the same period.

There are plenty of other animals that we should fear before sharks. Almost 30 years ago, New York City alone reported 81 squirrel bites. There were only 12 shark bites reported nation-wide that year. Even rabbits – 37 bites in NYC – represented a greater bite risk than sharks.

And of course, the real litmus test associated with a risk assessment is “the risk of being struck by lightning.” In the USA, from 1959 to 2007, coastal states reported 1945 deaths brought on by lightning strikes and just 23 deaths due to shark attacks. The National Safety Council calculates the annual chance of death in one’s lifetime by lightning to become 1 in 79,746 and by shark attack to simply 1 in 3,748,067.

Meet Laura. Laura is the best principal. She works hard and doesn’t stop all day. From the moment she awakens until the day has ended, Laura is on task, efficient, and focused. Principal Laura is like a lot of us. She takes pride in the proven fact that she accepts her responsibilities and addresses every problem that is given to her.

Principal Laura can also be tired, overwhelmed, and never very happy in her own job. Recently at a district meeting Laura shared her thoughts using the other principals. She expressed that they feels like she doesn’t have any help. In her words, “The work never decelerates. This is an endless cycle. I want help. I am alone in the school.”

Laura continued to share how busy it gets throughout each day.

“For instance, before meeting, I was on the phone with a parent who had been worried about her child’s attendance. At the same time, an instructor walks directly into inform me in regards to a department meeting that occurred the day before. Then my assistant interrupts to inform me which i was needed in the courtyard immediately. As I rush to the front of the school, the custodian jogs my memory never to forget to sign the papers he left on my desk yesterday.”

Principal Laura shakes her head. “You know, it is just like this all day every single day. How do i find time for you to do other activities when I am running around all day long?”

Wait a minute. Rewind the tape. What did Laura say? A parent or gaurdian, teacher, students, the custodian… all in a few minutes of one another? Something is certain. Laura isn’t alone.

Look At Interactions Differently

Take the time to remember four rules when interacting with your community and problem solving daily issues.

Rule #1 – Missed opportunities abound.

We are so centered on completing tasks that we often forget to slow down- just a little! Live in as soon as enough to determine how interactions could be of use later on.

Go ahead and take custodian. Why don’t you implement a better way to approve paperwork? Consider each situation and imagine the way it might be handled or prevented the next time. Put a plan in position!

Rule #2 – A community of support is within constant need of attention.

Professional learning communities remain you on a daily basis. View interactions as another method to gain support. Even if outreach has taken place before, there’s always a necessity to revisit support systems over and over.

Remember the parent. Why is she unaware that support can be obtained on her and her child? Do not think that parents learn about school programs whether or not the information continues to be distributed to them often in the past.

Create documents that outline school programs. In this case, a summary sheet of different kinds of support readily available for parents. Keep copies inside your office, prepared to tell anyone at any time. Don’t let parents leave without getting a commitment from their store to get involved in the school. Have them subscribe to a committee. Turn their concern into support on their behalf and also the school.

Rule #3 – Connect every solution to an individual.

You’re a problem solver. Always include this step when problem solving a situation.

Connect the person you are advising to another individual who shares the same situation or has knowledge of helping with this particular issue. Share problems. Expand your base and introduce the issue to a different person. Create connections.

The teacher in need of assist with department meetings can be because of the name of another teacher that has experience running meetings and who is also willing to mentor other teachers. Keep an updated list of “experts” who are thinking about advising others. Build networks according to interest and want.

Rule #4 – Coordination can eliminate some issues.

Many daily concerns could be avoided with organization and coordination. It is acceptable to give responsibility to others.

Assign an individual the task of updating information to share with different groups. Ask someone to keep a current listing of “experts” at the site. Although another administrator may be responsible for a parent or gaurdian, clerical, or teacher group, some individuals still feel it’s important to speak with the top part of charge. Usually this occurs when the person isn’t keen on the solution they receive, desire a different outcome, or want to complain.