Category Archives for Leadership & Influences in Education

School Law: What Every Educator Should Know

- 2 Graduate Credits -

Course Objectives

1. Educators will have a working knowledge of basic legal issues that affect the teachers and the public schools system.
2. Teachers will examine collective bargaining contracts, tenure and freedom of expression, association representation for educators and school environments.
3. Educators will be able to discern the legal dynamics related to religion, prayer, and expression issues in schools as well as free of the press and speech.
4. Teachers will study the legal issues related to due process, personnel management decisions as well as the legal concept of governmental immunity.
5. Educators will write about legal issues relating to students, teachers, parents and administrators as they may apply to their school and personal experience.

Grandparents Raising Grandkids

- 3 Graduate Credits -

Course Objectives

1. Educators will learn about the theories of how and what goes on in the minds of children with Aspergers syndrome and develop an understanding of how they think.
2. Teachers will research the generational issues, beliefs and values of our technology and media culture as they impact the parenting relationships of the generational divide.
3. Educators will examine the difficult issues regarding why the biological parent/s is not raising the child as well as the other family and social dynamics that arise.
4. Teachers will review the physical and emotional issues that aging grandparents have and how it affects their ability to provide for, nurture and educate their grandchild.
5. Teachers will develop writings, research this topic and develop lessons or activities that utilize the course content to improve the learning and school experience of everyone.

Evaluating Teachers

- 2 Graduate Credits -

Course Objectives

1. Educators will review the standard "Clinical Supervision" models historically developed by most school districts and how they are utilized in teacher evaluations.
2. Teachers will test themselves and explore their preferred teaching style and then evaluate how they must also incorporate other teaching styles into their classroom.
3. Educators will be presented with the characteristics of the Knowing, Inventing, Caring, and Inspiring teacher for a broader understanding of other teaching styles. Educators will learn about the characteristics of generational poverty and how the patters of behavior, problems and world views are passed to future generations.
4. Supervising educators will examine their own preferences in light of objectivity when evaluating other teaching styles in order to strengthen instructional practices.
5. Educators will examine their school districts teacher evaluation policy manual in order to develop an action plan to prepare for the teacher evaluation process.

Dropout Dilemma

- 3 Graduate Credits -

Course Objectives

1. Students will have a working knowledge of the statistical magnitude and the social demographic characteristics related to the dropout issue at national, state and local levels.
2. Educators read and review publishes articles on the dropout problem and view movie segments that examine dropout issues and the corresponding social issues.
3. Students will learn to categorize and label the causes associated with dropping out of school into the various areas of social responsibility and authority.
4. Participants will analyze the social and psychological dynamics involving family systems and the numerous issues that cause students to drop out of school.
5. Teachers will develop dropout interventions, solutions and prevention strategies that can reduce the likelihood of students dropping out of school.

Coaching for Success: A Teacher's Guide

- 3 Graduate Credits -

Course Objectives

1. Educators will learn how to bring the coaching spirit into the classroom and develop trust and relationships that go beyond the general standard instructional format.
2. Teachers will review basic listening, feedback and questioning techniques. Paradigms of situational coaching will be presented for using intuition and a responsibility for results.
3. Educators will be presented with clarifying life goals and school purposes along with visualization techniques so students can set specific goals and visualize outcomes.
4. Students will be able to use the Law of Attraction to enhance their learning and school experience and preserver regardless of obstacles and setbacks to achieve academic goals.
5. Teachers will develop writings, lessons and affirmations for classroom and student applications that make their students dreams possible as well as for educator success.

Character Education in Our Schools

- 3 Graduate Credits -

Course Objectives

1. Educators will review the case for teaching values and character (VC) in schools as well as the why? and what concepts should be taught.
2. Teachers will review what values and good character are and strategies on how to teach respect and responsibility as a roll model, caregiver and mentor.
3. Educators will be presented with strategies to present Moral Discipline in a democratic classroom community and school environment.
4. Students will learn to be able to teach values through the curriculum in a cooperative learning structure as well as how to teach controversial issues in schools.
5. Teachers will develop writings, lessons or activities for implementing values and character education concepts for classroom and school implementation.

Career Counseling: Essential Elements

- 3 Graduate Credits -

Course Objectives

1. Educators will examine the myths and realities of career counseling as well as the latest theories and technological developments in career counseling.
2. Teachers will review the context of career planning and the relationships involved within the various disciplines and the associated responsibilities.
3. Counselors will be presented with strategies for defining and addressing student concerns, decisions and the problems they will encounter in self-understanding.
4. Students will be able to use career counseling websites to access trends in labor markets and get guidance for making a virtual career center at their school.
5. Teachers will develop writings that use action plans, career planning, consolidating career decisions and evaluating student progress in counseling settings.

Positive Thinking and Behavior for Today's Schools

- 3 Graduate Credits -

Course Objectives

1. Educators will learn how to go beyond positive thinking to develop right thinking and to realize the power and potential truth about ourselves that we possess.
2. Teachers will examine myths and misinformation about superficial positive thinking and show how to take self-talk affirmations to a higher and more effective level.
3. Educators will be presented with writing samples and techniques for developing effective positive affirmations and self talk for writing assignments and classroom use.
4. Students will be able to use quality positive affirmations to improve their instructional delivery and writing as well as student empowerment and personal success.
5. Teachers will develop writings, lessons and affirmations for classroom and student applications as well as for their own personal effectiveness.