5 Tips for Ensuring Your Class Presentation is Unforgettable

5 Tips for Ensuring Your Class Presentation is Unforgettable Suzy S. Do you have a big class presentation or speech coming up? Learn how to make it memorable with these presentation tips from online tutor Carrie M Have you ever sold a product to an individual or large group? If you are thinking to yourself, “I don’t think so,” think again, because if youve ever been charged with the task of giving a presentation to a class of your peers and your teacher you have definitely sold a product! The real question is: how did you do, did you sell your classmates and your teacher on the topic you were presenting or the invention you spent hours creating? The only feedback you may have received was from your teacher with the grade you earned, and that only tells you how well you completed the to-do list of items typically required for a presentation. That being said, here are a handful of presentation tips to win over your audience and make your presentation unforgettable. 1. Tell a Story People of all ages relate to personal stories. When you incorporate a story from your life that connects to your topic, your audience’s ability to engage and connect will increase immensely. This is one of the best presentations tips, because your audience will leave remembering the story you shared and, therefore, will remember what it was you taught or “sold” them. 2. Integrate Different Media A medium is simply the way in which we communicate for example, music, artwork, movies/videos, and PowerPoint. Often presenters get stuck in the rut of standing behind a podium or desk reading off a screen or notes as they present material to an audience, and this is often the reason their presentation is completely forgettable. When you watch a movie it is rare to have the setting and tone remain the same, so why should your presentation be any different? Just as with your stories, the media you choose to incorporate should be appropriately used and should have a connection to the topic on which you are trying to present. If you are doing a PowerPoint presentation about the Southern Colonies, for example, have links within your PowerPoint to videos or photographs about the Southern Colonies (this could be how it looks now compared to then or a map showing what the landscape looked like during that time, etc.). 3. Tickle Their Funny Bone They say laughter is the best medicine, so why not include some humor in your  presentation? Your audience is sure to rank your presentation as unforgettable  when you lighten the mood with a bit of laughter. Of course, you want to make  sure that your jokes are appropriate to your audience and the topic. This  can also be achieved through the stories you share. For example, if youre presenting information on the effects social media has on today’s high school  and/or college students, you could add “hashtag” to everything you say, and then show a YouTube clip of the skit #Hashtag with Jimmy Fallon Justin Timberlake. Word of caution: Be sure to view clips prior to showing to ensure they are  appropriate for your class. 4. Provide Tasty Treats Food plays a significant role in our lives we need it for nourishment and  sustainability, but it is also used to mark events in our lives such as birthdays,  graduations, baby showers, the loss of a loved one, etc., and we use it to  connect to others. So, if food is so significant why not make your presentation  unforgettable with some treats or candy? For the college crowd, baked goods  are an excellent item to have sitting out for your audience to partake in as they  congregate before your presentation and, also, as they are listening to you  present. For the high school crowd, baked goods may be unrealistic, so candy  would be a better option. You can use it to get audience participation by asking a question and the person with the correct answer earns a piece of candy. If  you are able to bring in cooked/baked items, it will leave a huge impression  on your audience if the food chosen relates to the topic being presented. For  example, if your topic is on the 13 Colonies, make some food that would have  been served during that time period. Word of caution:  You may need to check in with your teacher before bringing items. Also, be mindful of allergies. Avoid anything with nuts if you are unsure of your audience. Your teacher should be able to provide you with the types of allergies within your class. 5. Know and Be Passionate About Your Topic If you are knowledgeable and passionate about what you are presenting, your audience will leave feeling the same. No matter what medium you use, you need to make sure you know everything there is to know about the topic youve chosen or have been given to present. If you know your topic forward and back then your passion will increase as well, and it will in turn make your presentation unforgettable. You need to be able to present the material like a story in itself and be able to answer any questions that might be thrown your way. Nothing makes a presentation more forgettable than a presenter who has to read directly from his/her notes or PowerPoint, and who is obvious about how much they dislike the topic. Be the breath of fresh air to an audience, and wow them with your depth of knowledge. May these tips be your jumping off point to the most unforgettable presentation of your academic career. Good luck! Carrie M. tutors in a variety of subjects online. She earned her  BA in Elementary Education as well as Exceptional Student Education (special ed.) from  Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL. Learn more about Carrie here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo by  University of the Fraser Valley

Activities at Mount Fuji

Activities at Mount Fuji What Can You Do at Mount Fuji? ChaptersClimb Mount FujiMake the Most of the Views of Mount Fuji from the Fuji Five LakesTake the Mount Kachi Kachi RopewayVisit the Shiraito no Taki FallWalk in the Aokigahara ForestJoin Pilgrims from Mount Fuji to Oshino Hakkai“Aspire to be like Mt. Fuji, with such a broad and solid foundation that the strongest earthquake cannot move you, and so tall that the greatest enterprises of common men seem insignificant from your lofty perspective. With your mind as high as Mt Fuji you can see all things clearly. And you can see all the forces that shape events; not just the things happening near to you.” - Miyamoto MusashiMount Fuji is the 35th highest mountain in the world even though it’s technically a volcano. As a symbol of the Land of the Rising Sun, you can’t take a trip to Japan without visiting it.You can always view it from your Shinkansen seat from Tokyo to Kyoto but the region has far too much to visit to just go zipping by it.So what can you do at Mount Fuji?It’s a long hike. It can take between 5 and 10 hours depending on your physical fitness.The altitude. The summit is 3,776m above sea level. This can cause altitude sickness in some.It can get cold, making the climb even more arduous.You’ve been warned! There are only a few months of the year when you can climb Mount Fuji. (Source: Chun-San)If you’re planning on climbing, make sure you have the appropriate clothing. You should bring 2 to 3 litres per person and take the descent into account, too. Don’t forget to bring a head torch.4 routes lead up to Mount Fuji: Yoshidaguchi, Subashiri, Gotemba, and Fujinomiya. There are also 10 stations. The bus will leave you at the 5th station, 2,000m up. Mount Fuji is open between 1st July and 10th September but it’s recommended that you avoid weekends and Japanese school holidays.You can rest at a mountain hut if you start to feel tired.Once you’re at the summit, you can enjoy a view from over the clouds and enjoy the sunrise as the Japanese national anthem plays. Make the most of the time to visit the crater and check out Fuji’s shadow on the sea of clouds.Learn more about planning a trip to Mount Fuji.Make the Most of the Views of Mount Fuji from the Fuji Five LakesMount Fuji is loc ated in the Fuji Five Lakes (Fujigoko) region Each of these lakes offers an incredible view of Japan’s most famous mountain. Each of them is at the foot of the mountain and the views are worthy of a painting. The Fuji Five Lakes Region has plenty of things to see and do, too! (Source: t_watanabe)The lakes at the north of Mount Fuji were formed by melting snow and storms. There aren’t any large cities, but there are plenty of tourist attractions.You’ll find somewhere to sleep and eat around these lakes. This region is perfect for walking or cycling or even just enjoying an onsen (hot spring). Each lake has a great view of the mountain.Don’t hesitate to go to Yamanakako, Kawaguchiko, Saiko, Shojiko, Motosuko. You can also visit the Kimono Museum, the Itchiku Kubota Art Museum, or the fantastic caves in the region.Amateur photographers will love it.Find out more about the history of Mount Fuji. NanaJapanese Teacher 5.00 (3) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors YukoJapanese Teacher 5.00 (3) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors EllyJapanese Teacher 5.00 (1) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MomokoJapanese Teacher £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tut ors MelanieJapanese Teacher £14/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JamesJapanese Teacher 5.00 (5) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PippaJapanese Teacher £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarikoJapanese Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsTake the Mount Kachi Kachi RopewayFrom the lake Kawaguchiko, don’t miss the cable car taking you up 1,000m to the viewing platform. The lake is 856m above sea level and you’ll reach 1,075m with plenty of viewing platforms to enjoy.From the top, you’ll have an incredible view of Mount Fuji over the lake. You’ll also be able to see the Fuji-Q Highland theme park and, on a clear day, you’ll be able to see Mount Akaishi and Arakawa. It’s also a small walk from the Mount Tenjo shrine.To get back down, can walk through the maple, cypress, and pine trees. This should take around 40 minutes.Did you know that “kachi kachi” refers to the noise made by the twigs when you walk on them?If you’ve planned to spend the night at Kawaguchiko, you can schedule a three- or four-hour hike to Mount Mitsutoge. You’ll reach 1,785 above sea level and enjoy some incredible views of Mount Fuji.Find out more about the cost of going to Mount Fuji.Visit the Shiraito no Taki FallTo the southwest of Mount Fuji, you’ll find the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. At the heart of this national park, there are two waterfalls: Shiraito and Otodome. Hakone and its national park are worth visiting if you find yourself near Mount Fuji! (Source: pen_ash)2 of the 100 most beautiful waterfalls in the country are just a few minutes from each other. It’s a great opportunity for a hike. These waterfalls are fed by melting snow and rain from Mount Fuji. 1.5 tonnes of water goes over the Shiraito no Taki falls 20 metres over a 150-metre wide waterfall. In the summer, families relax by the waterfalls. You can also see Mount Fuji from the path to the waterfall.Otodome no Taki is more traditional. It’s 25 metres high and 5 metres wide.Since 2013, Mount Fuji has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Walk in the Aokigahara ForestThe Aokigahara forest is at the foot of Mount Fuji. This is a 35km2 forest also known as Jukai (the Sea of Trees).  This is a relatively young forest at 1,200 years old which grew following a 10-day eruption in 864. The floor of the forest is covered with moss. However, you can comfortably walk around her e. There are paths on the edge of the Sai lake.Sadly, another reason this forest is so famous is owing to the high number of suicides that take place here. After the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, it’s the second most common place for suicides in the world. Local legend states that many spirits haunt the forest.You might remember the American Youtuber Logan Paul who caused controversy in his 2017 vlog by filming a hanging suicide victim. This outraged people in Japan and a lot of his sponsors left him after this video.There are measures in place to prevent suicide but it’s difficult for staff to monitor the forest 24/7.Did you know that Japan has one of the highest suicide rates amongst men aged 20 to 44?On average, 70 people kill themselves every day in Japan.Join Pilgrims from Mount Fuji to Oshino HakkaiThe town of Oshino Hakkai is very popular amongst the Japanese. It focuses on local artistry. The town is home to buildings with thatched roofs and a windmill. While the mountain (or volcano) itself is very old, there's also plenty of human history at Mount Fuji. (Source: bichvn)Time seems to have stopped during the Edo period here. You can also visit the museum covering the town’s history.Pilgrims come here for the 8 Sacred Ponds in the village. Oshino Hakkai was a Lake 800 years ago and the village formed around it after successive volcanic eruptions from Mount Fuji.  The 8 Sacred Ponds are the main attraction in the Oshino Hakkai. They include Deguchi, Okama, Sokonashi, Choushi, Waku, Nigori, Kagami, and Shoubu.  Fed by melting snow from Mount Fuji, the water from the ponds is very pure. Pilgrims bathe and purify themselves in it.So what are you going to do at Mount Fuji?If you're interested in learning Japanese, there are plenty of great resources online to help you. Similarly, you can also get help with your Japanese from one of the many talented tutors on Superprof.There are three main types of tutorial available for Japanese: face- to-face tutorials, online tutorials, and group tutorials. Each has its pros and cons and you'll have to choose the type that's right for you and your budget.Face-to-face tutorials are the most effective type of tutorials as you're the only student so the tutor can tailor the entire programme and each tutorial to you. Of course, this bespoke service comes at a cost and face-to-face tutorials tend to be the most costly per hour.If you're on a budget, online tutorials might be a better option. If you've got a decent webcam or microphone, your tutor can teach you how to speak Japanese remotely over the internet. Since the tutor doesn't have to travel to their students and can, therefore, schedule more tutorials each week, they tend to charge less than one-on-one tutorials.Group tutorials are usually the cheapest type of tutorial since there are several students all paying for the tutors time. While this is great for those on a budget, it can sometimes mean that you won't get as much one -on-one time with your tutor and the tutorials won't be tailored to you and what you want to learn. However, when it comes to language tutorials, this also means that you'll have many different people to practise your new language with, which can be more interesting than having to speak to the same person every session.

How Do You Make a Difference in Your Community - Heart Math Tutoring

How Do You Make a Difference in Your Community - Heart Math Tutoring How Do You Make a Difference in Your Community? How Do You Make a Difference in Your Community? November 13, 2018 Today, UNC Charlotte and TIAA partnered to host the “Making A Difference in the Community” Luncheon to honor Charlotte-area Difference Makers in recognition of TIAA’s centennial anniversary. On this #WorldKindnessDay2018, as we ‘celebrate and promote good deeds’, Executive Director Emily Elliott was among five individuals honored for making a significant difference in the Charlotte community. “It is exciting to see the work of our volunteers and students getting recognized, and I am honored to accept this recognition on their behalf! If you are not yet a Heart tutor, we need you to join the team at hearttutoring.org!” Elliott says. TIAA, one of Heart Tutorings volunteer partners and donors, even took it a step further by asking, “What kind of difference maker are you?” An Advocate, a Connector, or a Giver? Jarian Kerekes, TIAA’s Senior Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and a devoted ambassador of Heart Tutoring, was able to highlight some of the reasons why Elliott and Heart Tutoring were deserving of such an honor. He has also been instrumental in engaging more than 60 TIAA employees to serve as Heart Tutoring volunteers. As an Advocate for local elementary students who have fallen behind in math, a Connector of willing volunteers to deserving students and a Giver of time, talent and resources, Elliott was humbled to accept this recognition on behalf of Heart Tutorings volunteers, students, and partners. She has led Heart Tutoring in its substantial growth from serving 2 CMS elementary schools in the 2013/14 school year to 22 schools in the 2018/19 school year. In addition, over 1,000 volunteers are currently supporting CMS elementary students who have fallen behind in math. UNCC’s partnership with Heart Tutoring, by providing student volunteers from the Cato College of Education, has enabled Heart Tutoring to provide an unprecedented number of volunteers to individual elementary schools. Continued support from the college’s dean, Dr. Ellen McIntyre, has ensured consistent and enthusiastic volunteer participation from 200 education majors to date. Heart Tutoring is also grateful to TIAA for a surprise $3,000 donation announced at today’s luncheon. This donation will help Heart Tutoring to continue its mission of ensuring that all elementary students develop the strong foundation in math and enthusiasm for academics needed for long-term success, by helping schools use volunteers are tutors. Thank you, UNC Charlotte and TIAA, for your continued support of Heart Tutoring and our students!

Five Tips to Prepare for Exams

Five Tips to Prepare for Exams Improving Academic Performance As you move into the end of a semester, the pressure of exams can daunt even the most successful students. It’s a busy time of year in general, and the mounting strain of a large looming test can feel outright agonizing! Fear not. Here is a list of go-to tips to help you be your most prepared and confident self going into those final exams (or any tests, at any time!) Prioritize Prioritize and get your schedule in order. Which final gets first, as they say, dibs? It might be the one that gives you the most stress, your most challenging subject, or perhaps one that holds more weight on your final grade. Whatever the reason, pick an order of how you want to tackle each subject area and test. You might devote five hours to an algebra final and only two to an English one, or perhaps vice versa. Know yourself and set realistic goals for each individual exam. Get organized(click here for more tips from the New Yorker) Gather your materials and get them in a relatively neat and organized folder and space. Do you use tangible materials, like notebooks and flashcards? If so, get them in order. Know where they are. Have all necessary textbooks, novels, printouts, and websites readily available. Are you more techie and have it all compiled on your laptop or tablet? Have a folder on your device for each set of test notes. Pick a study space The area where we choose to study can have a great impact on our ability to concentrate and retain information. Where do you focus and study best? The library? Coffee shop? At home in your room? Pick a space that you know is conducive to concentration and staying on track. Perhaps a study partner helps you, someone to bounce ideas around with or to quiz you, and maybe you do your best alone. As an article from Edutopia states, if you’re introverted, certain personal choices will make learning a whole lot easier. You might need to choose the absolute quiet or invest in some of those noise-cancelling headphones. If you’re more extroverted and like the bustle of a study group, join one or form a crew of your own. Talk to your teacher/professor Got some last minute questions? Need some clarity on a certain formula, theme, or essay question? Don’t be afraid to talk to the teacher. Bounce some of your ideas off of them. Engage in a dialogue about what you learned throughout the semester. Reflect on what you’ve learned and also look ahead. Such conversations not only help clarify your queries, but they can also create a bit more peace of mind around a stressful time. (Just, you know, don’t badger them - they’re stressed, too!) Set goals and rewards Setting small goals for each study period and providing rewards at the end of both small and larger tasks creates motivation and inspiration. If you put in a solid two or three hours working through your science or history notes without huge interruptions to check social media, give yourself a nice reward, like a delicious (nutritious) snack or something indulgent for the weekend like a massage or a little shopping trip. Humans respond very well to the process of achieving something and being rewarded, so do a little experiment on yourself. That snack or massage or shopping item will feel far more satisfying if you’ve sufficiently met a goal. Try it out! And the icing on the cake… If you take good care of yourself and practice these suggestions, things will fall into place, but always remember to put good self-care at the forefront of your overall recipe for success. Remember those things mom used to bug you about, like eating well and getting enough sleep? Well, they work! Stay hydrated and well-fed on nutritious snacks, avoid all-nighters, get some exercise and time outdoors, and perhaps try meditation or breathing exercises in order to keep the cortisol and adrenaline in your body to a healthy minimum. Most of all, have confidence in your ability to be successful. Best of luck, and remember - learning is fun! About the Author Stephanie Ingraham is a former English teacher turned writer and tutor with a BA in English from UCLA and a Masters in Education from Pepperdine University in Los Angeles. She is deeply passionate about education, psychology, child and adolescent development, literature, and writing. She believes the education world can benefit greatly from the meditation world - mindfulness and self-compassion are key! In her free time she loves reading and writing, music, baking, yoga, dance, animals, and exploring new cities. She currently lives in Chicago, Illinois.

Why I Hate Buzzfeed - A Rant on Page-View Journalism

Why I Hate Buzzfeed - A Rant on Page-View Journalism BuzzFeed aka NOT journalism. Photo credit to Flickr user Scott Beale / Laughing Squid Many of us rely on our Facebook feeds for information and news and every week without fail I see at least two or three Buzzfeed articles pop up on Facebook. As a student journalist and as a somewhat intellectual individual, heres all the reasons why I hate Buzzfeed, and why you as a human being with a brain should too. I despise idiotic clickbait. Reading through the headlines and subheaders on the BuzzFeed homepage, I can almost feel my IQ points dropping. 14 Places You Have To Poop At Before You Die. This Supercut Of Animals Yawning Might Kill You With Cuteness. 4 Famous People Amanda Bynes Has Called Ugly. Heres a headline for you, BuzzFeed 14 Reasons Why No One Cares About Your Imbecilic Articles. These are headlines designed to fuel page-view journalism, something we call clickbait. They want you to click on the link so they can waste more of your time and thus get money from their advertisers and sponsors. Sure, any online news org has ads to support the running of their site and paying their staff, but BuzzFeed is designed around this concept instead of being forced to rely on it as many news orgs are. As such, BuzzFeed keeps your attention with idiotic clickbait that serves no edifying aim. Its not journalism, its not purposeful, and its just plain stupid. Wheres the writing? Theres a reason why Im studying Journalism in school writing articles is what I love to do and I want to learn how to become a pro and eventually write for a prestigious news organization, doling out the latest and greatest news in a field I love. Now take those aspirations, flip them around, and you have BuzzFeed. BuzzFeeds so-called articles oftentimes contain little to no writing and are just listicles with cute images. On BuzzFeeds front page currently is an article objectifying Kate Upton Kate Upton Topless On a Horse what more could you ask for? And thats all thats written the headline and subheader, the rest of the article is a video, an image, and a .gif of Kate Upton topless on a horse. Or how about the articles compiled full of 40 Cutest Animal Gifs You Have To See Before You Die which have 40 animal .gifs and no writing?  Sometimes, they even screenshot other sites, such as Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook, and post those images as stories. I can screenshot Tumblr posts too! Okay, heres a piece with some writing the Top 10 Reasons Atheists Suck by the BuzzFeed founder and CEO himself that is either very poorly done satire or extremely offensive discrimination against a subgroup of people? When did this become accepted as articles? As a journalist, I find it incredibly infuriating that BuzzFeed articles are shared as though theyre so creative when all they are are compilations of other peoples work. As Something Awful writer Jon Hendren told The Daily Dot, Its not writing, and its not journalism, to put 18 GIFs into a list and publish it. Reposting is stealing. As I discussed in my article on Tumblr speak, reposting, or using someone elses images as your own new post just so you get the credit, is considered a very bad move. This is also exactly what BuzzFeed does with all of its multimedia articles that use compilations of clever, cute and funny .gifs and .jpegs to tell their stories. Sure, they might credit the original poster in small 8-point print below each image, but reposting without first attaining permission is still stealing. No, its not flattering to use someone elses photos or artwork or .gifs (contrary to the novice belief, .gifs are really hard to make and stealing them is extremely insulting), its stealing. As we all know, stealing has real-world implications, as proven in an ongoing  lawsuit with a professional photographer suing BuzzFeed for 3.6 million over copyright infringement. Fact-checking, what fact-checking? Journalists should read the fine print and check all their facts before publishing stories. Photo by Flickr user crabchick. Anyone can post to BuzzFeed; what keeps BuzzFeed thriving in fact is this feature. Anybody with an inflated ego and some understanding of how the right-click-save-as-repost features work can contribute to BuzzFeed. What really irks me about this is that there seems to be no fact-checking on those few pieces that actually have words in them. What is fact-checking? Its only the most important part about being a journalist. Its making sure that all your statements in stories are accurate and true, because there are readers out there who are dependent on your information and misleading them in the position of a journalist can lead to serious consequences. Cue this BuzzFeed post which accuses Matthew Inman, creator of popular webcomic The Oatmeal, of a great many things on circumstantial or no evidence, all of which Inman then shot down on his site. A+ example of sensationalist, poorly-researched defamatory journalism. All in all, those are several reasons why I hate BuzzFeed and grit my teeth as I scroll past every article of photos claiming to restore your faith in humanity wildly shared by my friends as though it were the best thing since sliced bread. How do you feel about BuzzFeed and page-view journalism? Let us know in the comments below.

6 Types of Coworkers in Every Office

6 Types of Coworkers in Every Office photo via pexels The suck-up Every office has that person who constantly tries to make themselves look good in front of the boss. Of course, everyone wants to do well at their job and receive recognition, but this coworker is over the top and quite frankly â€" annoying. The most important thing to the suck-up is that the superiors witness his or her achievements. In reality, everyone else in the office probably notices it more. Don’t be this coworker. Instead of kissing up to the manager, let your work ethic do the talking.  Forbes  reports that “good managers know that their best employees are people who take responsibility for their work, step in to solve problems when they spot them, tell the truth about good news and bad news, and support their teammates.” Your boss is more likely to think highly of you for being a standout employee rather than for how buddy-buddy the two of you are. The one that is too blunt While reading this, you probably had at least one person that you work with come to mind. The extremely blunt coworker says whatever is on his or her mind, often with no filter. The blunt coworker may regularly curse, among other things that catch you off guard. This person does not seem to have a care about the possible consequences in regards to professional language in the workplace. The blunt coworker can be hard to deal with every day, particularly if you tend to keep to yourself. The best thing to do is to not let them get a reaction out of you and continue to do your job. The gossiper Some people just can’t function without talking about others, even at their jobs where they have several other more important things to do. Sure, employees talk amongst each other about their personal lives, however, it is the gossipers’ priority. There may be more than one gossiper in your office, which makes things worse. Gossipers talks to you about others and talk to others about you. Nothing that you say or do is safe. Like the other types of coworkers, the gossiper just seems to keep getting away with their behavior without management noticing. photo via unsplash The one from another generation Do you have that coworker who is 2-3 times your age and just can’t seem to grasp the fact that you, someone in your late teens or early 20s, are working the same job as them? These people still look at our generation as children and they don’t believe that we can get the job done. This type of coworker treats you less than they treat everyone else or they may not even want to interact with you much at all. It is even worse if you quickly enter a position above them in your career. If the  generational differences  cause issues, it will create a negative work environment for you and for everyone. When will people accept diversity in the office and realize that times are changing? The weird one Most offices have that unusually introverted employee that most people struggle to try to communicate with. Maybe it’s that stereotypical IT guy that understands computers better than people, or maybe it is someone who is new to the job and nervous about meeting others. Nevertheless, the unusual coworker likely causes few issues unlike the rest of them. Although you may not have an interest in trying to befriend this person, going out of your way to be kind to them can have a positive impact on the office environment. The office comedian The office comedian can be a good thing and a bad thing, but every office has one. The office comedian’s goal is to have everyone think he or she is the funniest person ever. They are constantly cracking jokes, which can take some stress off your workday if you share the same type of humor. Laughing can even bring people closer and strengthen how they work together. According to BBC, “laughing together is something that improves team collaboration and stimulates innovation.” photo via unsplash Constantly goofing around with the office comedian can make you get behind on work if you allow it to. If you don’t find the office comedian funny, however, then you are likely going to be just as annoyed as you are with the other people in the office. If you are trying to fulfill any of the coworker types, the comedian is the best way to go. Compared to the other options, you would likely be less hated by your coworkers. Besides, everyone needs little ways to take their minds off the stress of the job. Whether you are starting your full-time career or working a part-time job, your workplace will have its stereotypical coworkers that get on your nerves. Sadly, in the working world, you can’t do much about it. At times, you will be forced to work with people you wouldn’t particularly choose to work with. The best thing you can do to have a positive work environment is to be yourself and think about how you interact with others in the office. Try not to fall into the category of a typical lousy coworker.

4 College Prep Tips From an Irvine Admissions Consultant

4 College Prep Tips From an Irvine Admissions Consultant College Prep Craziness High school used to be divided into four years: 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade. These days, it seems as if high school is broken up into two different subsets: Regular high school and college prep. Unfortunately, sometimes these two phases overlap. Students who dont think about college at all until the 11th grade may find that their college prep experience is exhausting (READ: 8 Reasons Applicants Fail to Get Into The College of Their Choice). I dont encourage students to think about one year as simply a preparation for the next, each year should be enjoyed for what it is. However, there are a few things that can make the college prep that occurs in the 11th and 12th grade a little bit easier.                             1. Think about college in a general sense It is not necessary for students to think about the specifics of the exact university that they wish to attend in their sophomore year (with the exception of Ivy League hopefuls) but it is important to think about college in general. Do you want a big city or a small town? Do you want a two-year degree or a four-year degree? A general major, such as communications or business can lead to a number of different career options while a specific major, such as pre-med, will lead to one specific profession. Thinking about being in college as a sophomore can help make certain decisions easier throughout the college prep craziness (READ: 5 Things to do Before You Go Away to College). Pick out 5 to 10 colleges or universities that seem interesting and research what you would need to achieve in order to qualify for admission. Knowing a little bit about what your next two years will be like will make them less daunting. For example, would you like to attend a small private school that focuses on community service and personal experience or would you like to attend a large university that stresses the importance of cracking in 1800 on the SAT? 2. Get test prep out of the way I cant stress this advice enough. Junior and senior year is an absolutely crazy time to try and squeeze in the SAT; however, this is when 95% of students choose to tackle these exams for the first time. Take an SAT course or arrange for private tutoring this summer after your sophomore year and take the exam the fall of your junior year at the latest. If you are able to take the exam before that then do so. Get it done so you can have some fun. 3. Take one, and only one, AP class Its not advisable to attempt to take two or three AP classes your sophomore year. Remember, this is college-level work and most AP teachers will not cut you slack for being in the 10th grade, nor should they. However, taking one AP class can help you prep for the work that youll be doing in your junior and senior year.   Try to pick a class that you have at least some interest in as it will make the studying less difficult. Some students will have many choices while others will only have two or three depending on the school or district that they attend (READ; Building Vocabulary: Test Prep Edition). 4. Get a summer job Working in retail or food service is a fantastic way to learn discipline, promptness, and the value of a dollar. Students who work as little as 10 hours a week report that they are able to focus on their studies more when the school year starts back up. Many employers hire students as soon as they turn 16 and will train somebody who hasnt worked in the past. An honest day’s work is a great way to acquire the discipline and concentration needed to survive the college prep craziness that will start the first day of junior year. All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us post about.