Students Of Success

Life insurance is a way to provide financial security to your family after you pass away. For many, life insurance is a necessity, as costs of funerals or even medical treatments during life can drain funds that might otherwise have been used to provide security to the surviving family members. Deciding on life insurance is very important and should not be taken lightly. That being said, deciphering all the technicalities of a policy can be difficult, particularly to the many of us who don’t have any type of legal training.

Anyone who provides for a family should look at life insurance. You simply never know when an accident, a freak occurrence, or just plain health will cause you to die, possibly much younger than anyone would have expected. If you provide for a family, or even just a spouse, you should look at life insurance, since it may not only help cover funeral costs (which shock many people who have never had to deal with them) but also provide money to your family after you die. The amount of money they receive is dependant on how large a life insurance policy you choose to purchase. The money that your policy leaves them can help to pay the mortgage (or rent), run the household, and ensure that your dependents are not burdened with debt from the funeral. Another thing to seriously consider: there is no federal income tax on life insurance benefits.

The best place to start is to figure out what exactly your family’s needs would be if you were to suddenly pass away. Make sure to include expenses for the funeral, estate taxes (if you own property), and any medical bills, as well as any ongoing expense like utility, retirement savings, food, car, etc. This will give show you why a policy might be in order for far more than you would otherwise originally consider. Many people do not realize what their actual expenses over several years would be. There is no true way of deciphering a tried and true method of figuring out how large a policy you should take out. Several insurance companies recommend aiming for an amount that is roughly equivalent to six or seven times your annual income.

One real thing to watch out for is what type of life insurance you receive. Almost all life insurance is either considered “permanent insurance” or there is also “term insurance.” Term insurance provides protection for only a certain period of time, while permanent insurance provides life time protection—but there are benefits and drawbacks to both. Do your research to figure out which one would work best from you and go from there.

Dave is the owner of shop-life-insurance-rate.info and online-life-insurance-protection.info websites providing information on life insurance.

It’s easy to tell the difference between true inner guidance (spirit) and ego-driven guidance: the first is attended with Love and the second with Fear.

True inner guidance will always draw you into something that you are desiring or want to be, do or have. Naturally, in drawing you TO something, you are being led away from something else—avoiding unwanted circumstances.

This week I experienced a delightful lesson in true inner guidance. I was staying with my friend Anna, here in Victoria, BC, while waiting for my furniture to arrive. Last Friday the movers contacted me and let me know that they would arrive around 2pm that afternoon. Staples was also supposed to deliver my new desk that day, so I phoned their dispatcher to find out what time they would deliver, since I would have to drive over to my apartment to let them in.

Well, the dispatcher could not find a record of my desk for delivery. I spent two hours on the phone with him and Staples, trying to figure out what had happened to my desk. Finally, I prayed: “Please show me what to do. Should I stay at Anna’s? Or go to my apartment?”

Immediately, I noticed that I felt a strong urge to go to my apartment even though the movers would not be arriving for at least three hours.

I phoned the dispatcher and told him, “I’m going to my apartment, if one of your drivers realizes that he has my desk on his truck, just tell him to buzz me and I’ll let him in.” Then I wondered what I would do in an empty apartment for three hours.

My timing was perfect! I drove into the parking lot and was walking toward the front door of my apartment as the Staples truck arrived. I held the door open for the fellows delivering my desk!

Perfect! True inner guidance will alway be perfect.

Do you have a secret dream, desire or hope?

Contact Rebecca to learn how YOU can live your dream!

Rebecca is leading a training course for Coaches, Therapists, Nurses and other Professionals who are ready to make a paradigm shift within themselves (a change from one way of thinking to another) to better serve their clients or patients.

http://www.youcanhaveitall.com

It happens to every successful business: you installed a shiny new Avaya Partner
Systems network and it worked beautifully. A little too beautifully. Business became
so productive and so efficient that more and more employees had to be hired.
Soon, there weren’t any available lines or extensions. Chaos reigned. Employees had
to share phones, 5 people to a phone. You had to disconnect from the internet so
you could plug in your fax machine.


Company heads spent countless hours in meetings, sending memo after
memo filled with cries for help. Buying another network was suggested by a lower
ranking executive, but he was fired for offering silly, wasteful ideas.


There is an answer though, a solution, a way out from the despair and
misery caused by a fundamental lack of lines and extensions. Modules.



Modules are Quick and Easy


Modules are the key that unlocks the door to providing a phone for every
employee, a port for every computer and fax machine. So expand quickly and with
ease. Sleep soundly knowing you’re picking an efficient, cost effective trunking
option.


The T1 module has two benefits: it adds 16 lines of fractional T1 service
and better utilization of T1 functionality. But why stop at a single module; more
employees equals more lines, and one module only gives you 16 extras.


Purchase multiple modules, and you can create the perfect network,
capable of supporting all your employees. Depending on how you configure them,
the modules can either add up to 19 lines and 44 extensions, or 31 lines and 8
extensions. It’s your choice, based on your needs.



Modules Have Features


Modules have another benefit: they have features. The features are icing
on the network expanding cake. The cake is rich and moist; the flavor is perfectly
balanced without being too heavy. On its own, the cake would be just fine. But the
icing adds a whole new dimension to the cake. A new characteristic that enhances
the overall flavor of the cake. It’s the same way with the modules and features.


They come with advanced telephony capabilities that help increase the
productivity and efficiency: caller ID, send all calls, and 5 party conference call. The
features also boost mobility; Cell Phone Connect and Remote Call Forwarding work
in conjunction allowing you to receive business calls anywhere you go.

Cameron Elliott is an Telephony specialist at avaya voip phone systems where he extols the benefits of Avaya
Phone Systems

Selected Texas Property Code Provisions of Interest to
Commercial Landlords

By Tri Nguyen, Esq.

I have found that landlords generally face the same set of
issues and have the same set of questions pertaining to their
rights, duties and obligations as landlords under Texas law. The
answers to these questions depend on whether residential tenants
or commercial tenants are involved. Although commercial and
residential property ownership and operation have some
similarities, the differences are numerous and diverse enough to
justify separate treatment for each area. This article is
intended to discuss issues related to commercial property with
commercial tenants only. This article is my attempt to create a
quick and very general reference guide on the rights, duties and
obligations of commercial landlords and operators under the
Texas Property Code. It is by no means complete, but hopefully
is informative enough to assist the reader in asking informed
questions of legal counsel and thus be more efficient and
economical while consulting legal counsel.

You should not take this article as legal advice, and I strongly
urge you to seek competent legal advice for your specific
situation. The Texas legislature updates and passes new laws
relating to landlord/tenant issues on a regular basis. In
addition, Texas courts regularly interpret these laws. Thus, the
laws discussed in this article are in effect as of December
2005. I have not assumed any duty or obligation to update this
article beyond this date.

I. Duty to Mitigate

If a tenant abandons the leased premises in breach of the lease,
the landlord has the duty to mitigate (lessen) the damages that
the landlord would experience as a result of the abandonment.
Thus, the landlord should not let the premises lie vacant in
hopes of being able to recover lost rents from the tenant. This
duty to mitigate damages may not be waived by the tenant, so any
provision in the lease that tries to waive this duty or exempt
the landlord from liability is void.

II. Security Deposit

A security deposit is any advance of money, other than a rental
application deposit or an advance payment of rent, that is
intended primarily to secure performance under a lease.

III. Retention of Security Deposit

Before returning the security deposit, the landlord may deduct
from the deposit damages or charges for which the tenant is
obligated under the lease or resulting from a breach of the
lease. However, normal wear and tear (does not include
deterioration that results from negligence, carelessness,
accident or abuse) may not be withheld from the security
deposit.

If the landlord retains any portion of the security deposit, the
landlord must refund the balance of the security deposit and
give the tenant a written description and itemized list of all
deductions. However, this description and itemized list is not
required if the tenant owes rent and no controversy exists
concerning the amount of rent owed. The refund and written
description and itemized list of all deductions is not required
until the tenant gives the landlord a written statement of the
tenant’s forwarding address for the purpose of refunding the
security deposit. However, failure to provide a forwarding
address does not cause the tenant to forfeit its right to
receive a refund or a description of deductions.

IV. Refund of Security Deposit

A landlord must refund the security deposit not later than the
60th day after the date the tenant surrenders the premises and
provides notice of the tenant’s forwarding address.

V. Change of Landlord/Owner and the Security Deposit

The new owner or landlord of the leased premises is liable for
the return of the security deposit starting from the date title
to the leased premises is acquired, except where the new owner
acquired the premises by foreclosure through a real estate
mortgage. However, the former landlord or owner remains liable
for the security deposit received while the person was the owner
or landlord until the new owner delivers to the tenant a signed
statement acknowledging that the new owner has received and is
responsible for the tenant’s security deposit and specifying the
exact dollar amount of the deposit.

VI. Liability of Landlord for Security Deposit

A landlord who in bad faith retains a security deposit is liable
for an amount equal to the sum of $100, three times the portion
of the security deposit wrongfully withheld, and the tenant’s
reasonable attorneys fees incurred in a suit to recover the
deposit. It is presumed that a landlord who fails to return a
security deposit or to provide a written description and
itemized list of deductions on or before the 60th day after the
date the tenant surrenders possession is acting in bad faith.

VII. Preventing Access to Leased Premises

A landlord may not intentionally prevent a tenant from entering
the leased premises except with permission of the court unless
such prevention results from (i) bona fide repairs, construction
or an emergency, (ii) removing the contents of the leased
premises abandoned by a tenant or (iii) changing the door locks
of a tenant who is delinquent in paying at least a part of the
rent. The lease may alter this provision.

VIII. Changing Lock Due to Delinquent Payments

If a landlord changes the door lock due to delinquent rent
payments, the landlord must place a written notice on the
tenant’s front door stating the name and address or telephone
number of the individual or company from which the new key may
be obtained. The new key is only required to be provided during
the tenant’s regular business hours and only if the tenant pays
the delinquent rent. The lease may alter this provision.

IX. Landlord’s Removal of Property After Abandonment by the
Tenant

A landlord may remove and store any property of a tenant that
remains after the premises has been abandoned. The landlord may
also dispose of the stored property if the tenant does not claim
the property within 60 days after the date the property is
stored. The landlord must deliver by certified mail to the
tenant at the tenant’s last known address a notice stating that
the landlord may dispose of the tenant’s property if the tenant
does not claim the property within 60 days after the date the
property is stored. A lease may alter this provision.

X. Abandonment by the Tenant

A tenant is presumed to have abandoned the premises if goods,
equipment or other property, in a substantial enough amount to
indicate a probable intent to abandon the premises, is being or
has been removed from the premises and the removal is not within
the normal course of the tenant’s business. The lease may alter
this provision.

XI. Interruption of Utilities

If the tenant pays for utility services directly to the
utilities companies, the landlord may not interrupt or cause the
interruption of such services unless the interruption results
from bona fide repairs, construction or an emergency. A lease
may alter this provision.

XII. Removal of Doors, Windows, Locks, Hinges, Etc.

A landlord may not remove a door, window, attic hatchway, lock,
hinge, hinge pin, doorknob or other mechanism connected to a
door, window or attic hatchway cover from the leased premises.
Additionally, a landlord may not remove furniture, fixtures or
appliances furnished by the landlord from the leased premises.
However, the landlord may remove these items for a bona fide
repair or replacement, which must be promptly performed. A lease
may alter this provision.

XIII. Landlord May Terminate Lease Due to Public Indecency
Conviction of Tenant

A landlord may terminate a lease signed or renewed after June
15, 1981 if the tenant or occupant uses the property for an
activity for which the tenant, occupant or any of their agent or
employee is convicted of public indecency (prostitution,
promotion of prostitution, display or distribution of obscene
materials, sexual acts with persons under the age of 18, etc.)
and such person has exhausted or abandoned all avenues of direct
appeal from the conviction. Notice of termination must be by
written notice within six months after the right to terminate
arises. The landlord obtains the right to possess the property
on the 10th day after the date of notice is given.

XIV. Notice Requirement Prior to Eviction

The landlord must give a tenant who defaults or holds over
beyond the end of the term at least three day’s written notice
to vacate the premises before the landlord files a forcible
detainer suit, unless the parties contracted for a shorter or
longer period of time in a written lease or agreement.

The notice to vacate must be given in person or by mail at the
premises in question. If notice is delivered in person, it may
be by personal delivery to the tenant or any person residing at
the premises who is 16 years of age or older or personal
delivery to the premises and affixing the notice to the inside
of the main entry door. Notice by mail may be by regular mail,
by registered mail or by certified mail, return receipt
requested, to the premises in question. The notice period starts
from the day on which the notice is delivered.

So how many credit cards do you have in your wallet. Do yo have promises of better rates, lower fees, more airmiles or better perks causing your wallet to be full of cards and your mailbox full of better offers.

Most Americans carry five to ten cards while some have five times this amount. This is bound to cause havoc on your credit score, never mind being able to manage them.

So how many credit cards is enough. Whilst experts agree that there is no exact number it is more realistic to note how much you spend and more importantly how much you can pay off monthly. Credit agencies warn that the more cards you have, the bigger risk you have for debt and damaging your credit rating.

A good rule of thumb is to keep up to six and to make sure that they are the major ones, MasterCard, Visa, Discovery and American Express as they acceptable almost anywhere. It is most important to pay them regularly and on time to avoid any further charge and find a credit card with low interest rates. Credit cards that offer reward points, air miles or cash back give you something back and the interest rates on these cards doesn’t have to be low if pay off the credit every month.

Beware of store credit cards. Each time you open a new store credit card 20 points are taken off your credit score. This is because they are issued to all and sundry, to people who can’t otherwise obtain credit. Store cards are often opened, especially leading up to Christmas to get 12% to 15% of purchases but beware the interest rates are much higher. It’s fine to obtain the discounts, pay off the balance and close the card. If your shop regularly at the same store then by all means open a credit card to obtain discounts, coupons, bonus points and other perks but just have the card from that one store.

Keep your debt ratio low, under 50% is good. If your credit card has a limit of $3000 don’t carry a balance of more than half, $1500. If you want to make a large purchase then split it onto two cards. Creditors do not like to see a card almost up to its credit limit, they will look at you as somebody who is using too much credit, a greater risk who may have trouble paying off the debt. Idealy you should keep your balance low, less tha 30% on each card.

Make payments on time, one or two late payment can really bring down your credit score and increase the rates on your other cards. Remember you are the person responsible for payment.

Credit cards when used sensibly and carefully are great. They offer the user so much cosumer protection and they are so convenient. If you have credit cards then you have credit history. Obtain a copy of your credit report, check it for any inaccuracies and correct any problems. Then slowly, one per month, there is a reason for this, close unused accounts so as to have the recommended number. Keeping the oldest cards, especially if you never missed payments, makes sense as you then have a lengthy and successful credit history.

Having fewer credit cards makes it so much easier to manage them. It is easier to remember payment dates and so avoid late payments and the worry of late payment fees. Also as credit cards increase their minimum payments it will affect your monthly outlay just to meet the minimum payment. Just remember, it is you who is responsible to make your payments and keep on top of your credit.

Bruce Walls is webmaster of http://www.usa-credit-card-guide.com a site offering people information about credit cards and credit card offers.

It seems like I’m always telling people that the best way to get fit, boost your metabolism, and constantly burn fat is to make sure that you work out frequently. But much of the time, I think that this is interpreted as “working out five times a week”, or making sure to “get to the gym every day”. While this is a great habit to have, there is a way to incorporate frequency into your program at an even more practical level. For example, a great nutritional practice is to eat frequently, but that doesn’t mean that you try to eat “every day”. You should actually be eating up to 8-10 times per day. Guess what? Exercise is no different. This may cause some jaws to drop, but there is absolutely no reason why you should not be exercising up to 8-10 times per day!

Of course, this sounds absurd and extreme. No one in their right mind is going to come to the gym 8-10 times per day. The good news is that you don’t have to. A great secret to a lean and muscular body is to “grease the groove”. This means that constantly, throughout the entire day, you have small activities that you do to shoot your heart rate up just a little bit. This doesn’t mean you have to breathe hard, sweat or even spend 5 minutes in a routine outside of your normal daily workout at the gym or elsewhere. It just means that you have *something*, some set of rules that you follow, to force you to do just a little bit, now and then, throughout the whole day.

This is where the Three Rule concept fits in. This week, try something new. Give yourself three rules, based on three different exercises. In this case, let’s say the three exercises are: 1) a regular or knee pushup; 2) a body weight squat; and 3) a crunch. The next step is to generate a quantifiable goal that you will reach with each rule. Pick something that is achievable, let’s say 30 pushups, 30 body weight squats, and 45 crunches. So Rule 1 is that each day, you must complete 30 pushups, Rule 2 is that each day you must complete 30 body weight squats, and Rule 3 is that is that each day you must complete 45 crunches. Your regular workout in the gym does not count as a time to complete your three rules. You must finish them sometime outside of your normal workout.

So here’s how a sample day for a working professional might look. In the morning, before your cup of coffee or breakfast, you complete 10 pushups and 10 body weight squats. Then, in the mid-morning, next to your desk at work, you complete 15 crunches. Right before you head to lunch, you do 20 more body weight squats (by the way, this completes Rule 2, and if you get funny looks, just do them in the bathroom stall). After lunch, before you head in from the parking lot, you do 10 more pushups. In the mid-afternoon, it’s 15 more crunches next to the desk. Finally, after you’re off work, at home, next to the couch, or before bed, do 10 more pushups and 15 more crunches. When it’s spelled out all at once, it looks like quite a bit of work, but that entire day probably amounts to perhaps 5 total minutes of exercise. Obviously, that isn’t enough to see a huge response, but when combined with a daily routine of 30-60 minutes at the gym, it’s enough to make a difference, because each time you do something that gets the body and limbs moving, you’re pushing your metabolism up just a little bit. That little bit can amount to double digit pounds of fat in a single year! The added bonus is that after your quick 30-60 second exercise break, you’ll find yourself much more focused and productive.

This is something I do personally. Here are my 3 rules: Rule 1) 10 1 arm pushups or 10 1 leg squats; Rule 2) 50 regular pushups; and Rule 3) 25 body weight squats. I do them all at some point throughout the day. It’s a great reason (or excuse) to get up and take an active break from sitting at the computer or reading a book, as well as great way to jump start the morning. Try it out and tell me what you think - my e-mail is elite@pacificfit.net.

Head trainer Ben Greenfield runs the online training website Pacific Elite Fitness, and holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Sport Science and Exercise Physiology, as well as certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a Personal Trainer and Strength and Conditioning Coach (NSCA-CPT & CSCS). For over 6 years, Ben has coached and trained professional, collegiate, and recreational athletes, and helped hundreds of individuals achieve their personal fitness goals. For more information on online personal training and fitness, contact Ben at elite@pacificfit.net.
www.pacificfit.net

We all have weaknesses. Whatever our roles.

In management positions, one of the bigger challenges is to
recognise our own shortcomings and alter our own behaviours.
Sometimes this can be very challenging.

Often a hint is that there are areas of your work where you feel
like you really struggle, or are things you avoid. Or are things
that you don’t enjoy doing. So you do other things that you do
like and leave gaps. Spaces in your attention that are
important, but get missed.

You are not alone, your gaps are natural, because no-one is
perfect, not even those at the very top of their game.

You see, the very best executives realise that they aren’t
completely rounded. The ones who have wonderful strategic
visions may not be the best with the purse strings. The ones who
have a very focused view of the operational standards of their
business, may well not see the possibilities.

The business world is littered with big-time bosses that missed
a trick or two. You may have worked with one or two!

The best ones realise this and take action. Even though it might
mean getting over that truly biggest hurdle for top bosses,
their ego, the best are able to get the point that they aren’t
perfect and they need help, for the greater good.

So they surround themselves with others who have the skills they
lack. A great visionary may have an expert with tight financing.
The detail guy may have someone who is a whiz at thinking off
the wall and with wow ideas.

It’s a blend that the very best bosses understand and let go of.
They give up control in the areas where they are not as strong.

If you have weaknesses, accept it - it’s natural and where those
are, look for people in your team who have those skills. Nurture
them and let them have a free rein to manage that part of your
business where you can’t - not effectively anyway.

And get on doing your stuff really, really well, without the
worry about those bits that you are less comfortable with.

Jewelry as a form of revenue should not be overlooked by any
serious-online-entrepreneur. Why? Read on…

We are often asked why we got into the jewelry industry. Easy
answer to that one… “Do you know a poor Goldsmith”?

Seriously though, the onset of e-commerce revolutionized the
trading of precious stones, gold, and most of the other raw
materials that are combined to produce jewelry. To a large
extent pricing was previously controlled by diamond merchants
like De Beers and retailing by jewelry chain stores charging
top-dollar for a mediocre product. Online trading changed all
that. Mining companies found that they could deal with
manufacturers directly and luxury jewelry became more
accessible. What didn’t change was the consumers’ perception of
the value of high-end jewelry.

Unless your into silicone chips, there is no other item we can
think of that offers the kind of turnover in relation to the
size of the item*, as jewelry. This means it is easy to handle,
you don’t need huge storage facilities or complex packaging
systems. If you want to, you can set up a multi-national empire
in a one bedroom apartment.

If you “buy clever” (which we hope you will, after reading this)
you will be able to store a months inventory in a small to
medium sized safe. Added to that, very little can go wrong with
say, a diamond ring after it is sold and warranty claims are
therefore minimal.

So what do we mean by “buy clever”? Well, as a rule of thumb,
your buying price for any item should be no more than a tenth of
the market price. e.g. After researching the market you find
that the average sale price for a 10K gold ring is $100.00. You
then need to find a source that sells something similar for
$10.00. Can it be done? Yes. Are there sources online that offer
a 900% lift? Yes. Where do I find them? Sorry but we can’t
divulge that information, it’s down to you to do the research
but I assure you they are there and can be found online.

The above points, added to the quite phenomenal profit margins
attached to jewelry, make this product group a very interesting
and viable proposition.

In the meantime, here is a snippet of information to consider. A
relatively expensive item of jewelry for a small local jeweler
would be in the region of $20,000.00, the production cost for
that very same item is around €500.00. Now we are not saying
that you are likely to earn $19,500.00 on single items but this
does illustrate the potential.

*The “en tremblant” flower brooch by Bulgari, 1958, which
achieved $1.1 million (1998) in auction at Christies, is an
extreme but good example, further examples can be found on the
Christie’s web site.

Choosing a domain name is a very critical part of your
website marketing strategy.

By choosing a domain name that targets the specific keywords for
your website you’ll flood your website with laser targeted
traffic by enhancing click through response.

Pick a domain name that gives your prospects what they most
desperately desire. By including the keywords in your domain
name that are your customers desires, including them in your
marketing messages and your website content you can’t help but
flood traffic to your website!

Wondering what your customer’s desires are? If so, you’ll need
to determine what your really selling. Let’s look at an example
product here: home security alarm system.

Keep in mind few people know, nor do they care what the heck the
product looks like or the features of the product such as size,
color, weight, speed, or availability. The only thing they have
an interest in is the “results” your product will achieve
for them. It all boils down to what’s-in-it-for-me?

Why would a prospect purchase a home alarm system?
What’s-in-it-for-them? If you think for just a moment you’ll
come up with the right answer.

Yes, it’s to protect their jewelry or valuables while they are
at work or when the house is empty.

You must stop thinking of yourself or the features of your
product to determine what your customer’s deepest desires are.
By turning your product or service features into “benefits” or
“results” you’ll be able to hit their hot buttons and flood
traffic to your website in the process.

The easiest way to turn features into benefits is to list all
the features of your product or service on a piece of paper
first. (a feature is a characteristic of a thing: size, color,
weight, speed, availability) Then one by one turn each feature
into a benefit for your customer. What’s-in-it-for-me– save
money? youthfulness? friends? security? money? power? luxury?
prestige? thinner body? obedient pet?

The traffic driving potential of keyword targeted domain names
is awesome, provided that you research your target market and
satisfy their “true” needs, desires and benefits. Once
you have established this system for marketing, you’ll be able
to use your domain name to construct specific ad campaigns
targeted to specific markets even if your website offers
multiple products and services.

To take it a step further, you could formulate a domain name
that works like a headline for a classified ad. When you break a
headline down it should have several different parts. It should
fan the flames of desire with a hint of information about
solving a specific problem, satisfying a need, providing a
benefit, or invoking curiosity with a call to action. Your
domain name should contain as many of these “headline
characteristics” as possible. Try and phrase the keywords into
something relatively short, catchy and easy to remember.

Keep in mind “what’s-in-it-for-me?” as to “what your
really selling”. The job of your domain name is to act like
a headline to drive targeted traffic to your website by
“scratching the itch of your customers.” If you’ve found the
right words to scratch that itch, then ONLY YOU can put it to
use in your domain name. You’ll find that not only will you do
better on your search engine rankings you’ll also attract a lot
more attention with your pay per click ads or any type of
advertising you use.

The Problem

In our rapidly moving culture, special education students, diagnosed with ADD or ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) are an ever-increasing challenge for teachers. Having taught in some capacity for nearly 40 years and being a parent of an active little boy, I have studied these conditions with immediate personal interest.

Holding Their Attention?

Early in my work with the attentionally challenged, I observed that if the learning activity were engaging enough, many of these students could hold attention for long periods. Special Education students diagnosed with ADD or ADHD often have the ability to attend for long periods working with computers or video games. I wondered, could the problem lie more in the pace of the learning activity?

Give Them What They Need

Subsequently, I began to provide activities in my classroom that had some of the same qualities of the immediate response achieved in those computerized attention-holders. One of the most successful of these was the excavation of fossils.

The Setup

Fossil excavation was a 6-week class - more of a club, really – in which students excavated a real fossil fish from a soft rock matrix. This time the class was made up of many special education students with various learning challenges, especially ADHD. The outcome of the class was remarkable.

Getting Their Interest and Attention

We started with a sort of guessing game involving fossils hidden in velvet bags and moved quickly into individual excavation of the fossils. Within minutes, my work was done; the students worked independently for the remainder of the two-hour class. My hardest work that day was to enforce clean-up-the students simply didn’t’ t want to stop working.

Tools And Supplies

The only tools needed for this activity were small screw drivers-the sort that are available from any hardware store in a set of increasing sizes beginning with an eye-glass tool . I also provided magnifiers of varying types. The most sought after were the dissecting microscopes, which gave the individual the best view of the fragile fossil. However, much of the work could be easily accomplished using the naked eye or a magnifier in a stand, just to leave the hands free.

And Then There Are the Behavioral Challenges

I was presented with a new challenge about halfway into the second class: a behaviorally disruptive student who had been removed from another class. I did what I could to introduce him to our work and bring him up to speed. His initial work was little more than digging a hole through his rock, paying little attention to the fossil it contained.

Success!

Then a wonderful thing happened. Another boy, a challenging special education student who generally had little academic success, began to teach. You see, this boy was enthralled with digging out the fossil and he was having incredible success. He single-handedly took over and my work was done.

Students Give Rave Reviews, Almost

The final endorsement came at the end of our 6-week class. Throughout the period, I had rarely interrupted their work, but I had shown a couple of videos to give the students some additional detail about fossil preservation and excavation, geologic history and so on. At the last class, I asked the students to verbally evaluate the class. When I asked how I could improve the class, all agreed: Only show the videos if we can continue excavating our fossils during it!

This is a true story of success. In this six-week project middle school children diagnosed with ADD and ADHD and receiving special education services enjoyed the same success, if not more than, the other students.

Even the most absorbing tool, the TV, was not high on these students’ list of significant work. As a teacher, I felt I had been given a great gift of learning about how to support these special students. I encourage you to try it!

Claudia Mann is a teacher and contributor to www.fossils-facts-and-finds.com where you will find fossil lesson plans and activities for your classroom or home school setting. She and her husband own www.fossilicious.com. This is the place to find all the fossils needed for the lessons at prices teachers can afford.