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Bullying is all too common in schools today. It is also a problem that should not be taken lightly; bullying can have serious consequences. Children bully for many reasons and sometimes it resolves itself and other times permanent damage can be done to bullying victims. Because of the possibility of physical and emotional injury, all cases of bullying must be taken seriously.

Teachers are often the first adults to realize that bullying is occurring because they can observe children interacting. Helping a bullying victim can be a sensitive matter, but both bullies and bullying victims must be dealt with to ensure that the bullying stops. If you are a teacher or caregiver, there are some tips you can use to help a bullying victim.

You should let the bullying victim know that you care about them and are concerned about what is happening. At the same time, being overly sympathetic especially in front of others can be counter productive. Do not try to discuss the problem with a bullying victim until you are alone or not in the presence of any other children. Ask that the bullying victim tell you exactly what is happening and reassure them that their feelings are normal and that it is not their fault. Let the bullying victim know that talking about their problem to your and their parents will only help the situation and is the right thing to do. Give the bullying victim tools and information to cope with and prevent further bullying issues.

Talking to the parents of the bullying victim is also important. Parents and teachers working together is the best way to stop bullying and help a bullying victim. You should also speak with the parents of the bully so that they can address the problem at the cause. Explain what is happening in a non-confrontational manner and dispel any misunderstandings about bullying that parents may have. Many parents think that bullying is normal and is no big deal, but once they know how serious it can be they will be more concerned.

You should give parents tools and information to help them address bullying issues with their child. Teachers play an important role in preventing and solving bullying problems. Both the bullying victim and the bully should be counseled on ways to deal with their problems to prevent bullying in the future.

Bullying is a very common problem that children face, and eventually you will have to deal with it head on. Remember that it is a touchy subject with most children and they may be reluctant to talk about it. Because bullying can turn into a serious problem, it should not be ignored. Do your best to reassure the bullying victim and make the bully aware that their actions are not acceptable and can have serious consequences. Parental involvement is also important and can go a long way to solve the problem. Addressing both the bullying victim and the bully in a timely fashion is the best way to curtail bullying in your school.

Most of us learn a lot about how to take exams when we are in high school or college. But the day you go to take your test to gain your teacher's certification which will give you the license to teach anywhere in the state can be a day of significant stress. The more you can do to prepare for that test will go a long way to help you keep your nervousness down and survive the testing environment in good shape.

Along with good preparation habits that tap all of the many resources available to you to be ready for this important test, you must have a strategy for taking the test itself. You may recall in college that you may have had a series of superstitions as well as test taking habits that helped you face big tests and survive finals week. In the same way when you walk into that testing facility to take and pass your Teacher's Certification Test, a strategy for taking the test can be just as important as your preparation strategy that you used to get ready for this important day.

Probably the biggest enemy you will face on testing day is nervousness. Because of the importance of the day and the pressure of the testing environment, anxiety and the testing jitters can become extreme enough to rob you of your concentration and make it less possible for you to focus and do well on the test. So anything we can do to reduce or eliminate test jitters is a big benefit to you when the testing time is upon you.

The preparation process is very much part of your test taking strategy. That is because if you have taken advantage of every coaching and reviewing process, done your remedial study and taken practice exams until they were virtually memorized, you can walk into that testing facility fully confident that you will do well. When you take away any potential for surprises and everything you will encounter in that testing situation is well known and understood, the test day goes from being a day of stress to a day of preliminary celebration because you are that ready to take the certification test.

Before going into the testing hall, make sure you are well rested and well fed. Don’t take any chances with the meals you have before the test. Be sure you eat foods that will settle in your digestive system well and that will give you the energy you need to get through the testing process well. If you do have superstitious items or rituals you feel you must do, do them. This is no time to go through repentance for your superstitious ways. Anything that you can do to relax and be ready to take that test you should do.

Be aware of what you can bring into the test with you both to take the test and in terms of items for your comfort. If you will be able to take the test better with mints or gum at hand, bring those in. Be sure you have had your trip to the lavatory and that your clothing is loose and comfortable on your body. In every way possible eliminate any physical distractions that will cause you worry or anxiety or distraction from the task at hand of passing this important test so you can start your career as a teacher.

When the test gets underway, be methodical and complete in your process of working through the test. First read the test carefully and slowly. Make sure you are absolutely sure you understand everything about the instructions so you can follow them to the letter. The Teacher's Certification Test is timed so use your time well but don’t let that clock keep you from moving forward in a steady but patient fashion. Keeping your head under pressure will help you finish the test in good time and do well on marking your answers as well.

Go through the test and answer the questions that are easy first. This will increase your confidence when you see that you have finished 60% of the test easily and quickly. Then when you see you have the majority of the time left for the few remaining questions, ou can take your time and reason them out. This approach to testing along with careful marking of your answers is a proven method to assure your success.

In every college in the country, there are ambitious and starry eyed youngsters who are preparing for a career in teaching. At some point that army of graduates will hit the streets to find jobs in the field of teaching. What is not often taught in colleges are the real world skills of how to actually find and land a good teaching job right out of school. And while there is always a need for good teachers, the new graduate should develop some skills in finding the kind of teaching job that they always dreamed of so even from that first engagement, their career in teaching gets off on the right foot.

There is a lot you can do even before graduation day to get your job search moving and to make yourself desirable as a teacher so when school administrators get flooded with applications from newly graduated teachers, you stand out as the one they want to call in for an interview. One thing you can do at any time during you academic career is to intern as a teaching assistant and volunteer to teach in underprivileged schools.

You can teach just a few hours a day and work it around your academic work. By taking on the working world of teaching even before you have your degree, you will be able to present yourself to employers post graduation as someone who has real world experience in the classroom and "knows the ropes" of getting through an academic year with real live students. That is tremendously valuable to a school administrator with a spot to fill because it reduces the concern that a new graduate who has never faced a classroom full of restless children might wash out when the reality of what teaching is really like.

Another way to get a jump start on the market before students flood the schools for jobs is to start your search early in your last semester of school. Schools know by February or March if they will have jobs to fill for the next academic year. So if you begin your search for a teaching position in March or April, you can often land an interview or even secure a position for the fall long before many of your contemporaries in school begin their hunt for their first teaching job.

Becoming proactive like this always gives you the advantage in finding the job you really want rather than just "any job" in the teaching profession. Spend some time narrowing down exactly what kind of teaching position you want and at what level you feel your personality and teaching style will benefit students the most. You may do much better with young children than with teenagers or you may wish to focus on high schoolers because they are more intellectually equipped to grasp the subject matter with you. By knowing well in advance where you want to teach, you can target those kinds of positions in your job search and improve your chances of finding that perfect teaching job.

You should make the phrase "leave no stone unturned" your motto for hunting up the teaching jobs that are open in your community. First of all, be very proactive in your search. Just because you are graduating, even with honors, with your teaching degree, that doesn’t mean the schools will seek you out with jobs. So you take the search to them before someone else does. And in doing so it will be you that gets the premium teaching positions rather than have to take "what's left" after the good teaching positions are snatched up by more aggressive graduates.

There are lots of ways you can flush out those teaching jobs. Check the HR or employment offices at the schools you would like to be a part of and keep an eye on their employment bullion boards. Use the internet wisely, watch the newspaper and even get in touch with placement agencies who are known for placing new teachers.

But above all, network, network, network. Use every contact you have and forge new relationships to get the inside scoop on jobs before they even become public. Networking is the number one best way to find great teaching positions so you should use it extensively to find a position to get your teaching career off on a great start toward a great future of success in the field of teaching.