Archive for the ‘Education’ Category

Donovan McNabb was born on November 25, 1976 and is the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. Sports are popular in Philadelphia, as they typically are with most major cities, and are an essential aspect of the city’s culture. Bars and clubs will frequently have jerseys and photos hung on the wall and of course many places in Philadelphia are named after one of their professional sports teams. It stands to reason that McNabb is an extremely popular person in Philadelphia. He has played with the Eagles since his arrival in Philadelphia in 1999. He was selected as the second overall pick in that year’s draft series and has been with the Eagles since then. Naturally, Philadelphia considers him to be one of theirs.

Generally the guests in the Philadelphia hotels are in town to see the opposing team if they end up going to a game, but that’s just fine with Philadelphians as they like to have some opposition to exchange phrases with during a great football game. And they have more than enough love and support for their team and their quarterback than many cities have for their own. Some people say you can evaluate the support for any major team based on the color of their stands. This of course means that the more support that exists, the more fans will show up in team colors.

The support the fans feel for McNabb is not undeserved. Between the years 2001 and 2004 he led his team to four consecutive division championships, the Eagles are of the NFC east division. He also led them to one Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, though they did not take home the title. McNabb has the all-time career leader status in pass attempts, pass completions, winning games, passing touchdowns and yards passed, which is a pretty impressive status. He attended Syracuse University though he had also been approached by the University of Nebraska and almost went there due to his interest in working with coach Tom Osborne.

The proper employee training program is necessary in order to avoid poor performance.  Oddly enough, many companies to not have thorough training techniques in place, and people are put out on the floors, behind the counters or on the phones, not really certain of what it is they should be doing.  Companies must form a strategy that ensures that none of their employees are put into such situations, and to ensure that their company does not falter.  A syllabus or a manual which outline the procedures of the job and the policies of the company is a helpful tool.  Some people do learn by watching, but having a book there to refer back to provides a much more comprehensive learning experience.  It will broaden the scope.

Instead of leaving the asking of random questions that an employee will encounter, it will all be explained in full detail in the manual.  Just as the proper training for employees is vastly important, so to is the proper training of managers through leadership training courses and seminars.  A training program will include all of the procedures that an employee will need to be familiar with and to carry out, before they are presented with them for the first time.  There are three ways to make sure that you have provided your employees with the sufficient knowledge to do their jobs, through doing, seeing and hearing.

Trial runs on say such machines as the company computers, or in retail on the cash registers, will provide the new worker with something to draw upon.  Experience before the job actually begins.  This is when it becomes important to know that your trainers are chosen very carefully.  Just because a person is good at the job that they do, does not necessarily mean that they will be good trainers.  If possible, just one person should be in charge of the training of new employees. In this way you will be certain that the trainings are consistent, and that your new members of the team will know exactly what is expected of them.

When one travels to Dubai, consideration must be placed on the traditional culture, traditional modes of communication and relations.  For example, if one enters one of the restaurants in the five star Dubai hotels, or upon arriving at the home of an Arab for a dinner party, female guests will be taken off to be with the women.  Offers of food or drink should be accepted, as Arabs react to guests in this manner, a very polite and respectful manner, and to turn down and offer, one may be deemed impolite.  Sharing food and drink is an elemental aspect of relationship and friendship in Arab countries.  One of the key phrases to learn should one not speak the language fluently is “Ahlan wa sahlan”.  This means simply, welcome.  When one visits Dubai this will be a phrase heard over and over.

There are other greetings and pleasantries one may learn, as it is always nice to be able to respond when visiting and conversing, or just saying ‘hi’ to those living in the country in which one is spending time.  And in Dubai, should one mispronounce words, no problem, as the people of Dubai are always encouraging when one at least make the attempt to speak the language.  It is important to note however, that while considerations are taken on the part of the Arabs, one must never joke, or profanely use the language as it is their belief that language is God’s words.  Proper respect is given to language throughout the country and one could cause unnecessary offense to take that lightly.

In Dubai, never pop in on an Arab friend.  Warning must always be given in the form of former plans or a phone call, especially if female members are at home.  And once in the home of an Arab friend, avoid complimenting their personal possessions.  Tradition states that should one compliment the possession of the other, the owner is required to give that possession to the one that did the complimenting.  This can make for embarrassing and uncomfortable situations.  And if this intrigues some, be aware that the tradition also states that the correct response for receiving the complimented item, is to return with a gift more valuable than the one you received.  So be careful before you state your admiration for the beauty of your friend’s Rolls Royce.

Most kids went to summer camp as a child. Some learned to camp, others learned to play tennis, but most just learned how to socialize with other children their age.

There is such a thing nowadays where kids can go to camp to learn leadership skills. For example, kids can spend a summer in Columbia, Maryland at the Debate, Mock Trial or public speaking camps. The camp promises fun to teach important skills for those in the 4th through 12th grades.

The Ontario Education Leadership Centre in Ontario, Canada offers “dynamic leadership taught by exemplary teachers.”

If you are searching for a more traditional experience along with leadership development there is Camp Eagle Ridge in Mellen, Wisconsin. It helps campers learn how to achieve their personal best while offering more traditional camp fodder, like camping.

The Public Speaking Institute offers camps in both California and Boston. It offers introductory to advanced course for 4th through 12th graders on public speaking.

If you are looking for a camp outside for the United States, a good option is the Summer in Switzerland program. The camp allows students to learn about world cultures and how to interact with peers of all different walks of life. This is a natural next step to becoming an amazing leader.

WonderGirls in New York City offers a unique camp environment for middle school aged girls to attend. The camp is designed for the girls to gain confidence and learn how to better relate to one another.

Brewster Academy in New Hampshire makes leadership skills the core of its program. The co-ed camp is for national and international students to learn life skills and lesson through fun and adventure.

Make sure to pick a camp for your child that they will show interest in. If you give them the necessary tools they need and a nurturing environment they should excel.