As
some of you might know, about five years ago I cofounded the website www.CPAreviewforFREE.com. Since that time, we have provided CPA exam
candidates with 2,400 free questions and answers which are (in my opinion) well
written and well explained. We do this
because we firmly believe that everyone needs access to affordable materials so
that they have a reasonable opportunity of passing the CPA exam. The CPA profession should be open to all
people, even those who cannot afford expensive study guides and review
materials. Over the years, many
candidates have passed the exam solely using our questions and answers. These are often young people with very
limited resources. These are the kinds
of folks who keep the profession fresh, active, and innovative.
We
have been searching for some way to fund this site so that we can continue to
offer this assistance for free. Over
the last couple of months, I have been writing an entire book on Achieving
Success. I am thrilled with the way it
has turned out – even better than I had hoped.
We will publish the book in January or February for under $10 (with
proceeds going to support www.CPAreviewforFREE.com).
More
information will be available soon but I wanted to get this book on your
radar. It is intended as a guide for
anyone who wants to become more successful:
more successful in school, more successful at work, more successful on
tests, and just more successful in life.
You can never be successful 100 percent of the time but you can
certainly increase the odds for success by adopting logical (and reasonable)
strategies. Success does not happen by
accident.
When
the book is published in early 2014, I hope you will consider buying a copy and
telling your friends, neighbors, relatives, enemies, and anyone else you
encounter all about it. You will be
helping us continue our mission AND I hope that my thoughts on achieving
success will prove to be beneficial.
**
I
was in San Francisco a few days ago on business and had some time to
waste. So, I wandered around the city
and played one of my favorite games. In
this game, I assume that I am a rich business owner who has an unlimited number
of jobs to fill. I need one of
everything: one bus driver, one
plumber, one dish washer, etc. As I
walk from place to place and go in and out of buildings, I ask myself which
people I would hire. Who catches my
attention for doing a particularly good job?
And, just as importantly, what did they do that caught my
attention? I am trying to figure out
what makes someone excellent at their work.
I am obviously fascinated by success and this is one way that I can
better see what leads to success.
Focusing on the essential nature of success helps a person become more
successful.
In
life, a few people are terrible at their vocations whereas a great majority are
basically average. Luckily, the
remaining folks (a relatively small number) are absolutely excellent. What makes this last batch so very good at what
they do? How does Mr. A manage to do
his job so much better than Mr. B? What
can we learn from these people?
For
example, while I was in San Francisco, I had to rush across town and then hurry
back to work. The driver of the taxicab
was wonderful. He stayed calm in heavy
traffic and was both friendly and helpful.
I would have hired him for my company.
I liked his attitude. I liked his
efficiency. I liked his calm control
while he navigated through all the cars.
If I drove a cab, I would want to be like him.
Later
that day, I went to a deli (a large chain) and ordered a sandwich. Four employees stood in line behind the
counter making sandwiches. Three of
these people never looked at me even once, never smiled, never seemed to care
if I lived or died. However, the third
person in the line looked up with a kind smile and asked how she could be of
help. She actually listened to my
request and made the sandwich in the way that I had asked. She was quick and efficient. I would have gladly hired her for my
company. Her attitude made my day a bit
brighter and she did her work with a genuine sense of enthusiasm. If I made sandwiches for a living, I would
want to be like her.
There are two ways to do things – the right way and the wrong way. I was looking for people who did their job the right way. And, they are out there but you will see them only if you look.
This
game got me to thinking. Let’s assume
that I was going to hire someone to teach at my school. What characteristics would I search
for? This question intrigued me so much
that, on the plane trip home, I made a list of characteristics that I would be
looking for if I was given the task of hiring one exceptional teacher. Here is my list but you might want to stop
before reading and make your own list for comparison purposes. Remember, though, how I have defined the
position: a person to teach at your
school.
Because I stopped at ten items, I refer to this as my Ten Commandments of Teaching.
--Walks
in every day adequately prepared. No
one ever teaches well making up the lessons on the spot. No one becomes a great teacher by just reading Power Point slides to the students.
--Has
a true sense of what he or she wants to accomplish. If you have a reasonable understanding of
what you want your students to know on the last day of class, the entire
semester goes better. (I wrote about
this in one of my first blog entries “Thinking about Teaching” way back on
February 28, 2010.)
--Is
able to impart a sense of excitement about the material. If the teacher shows no enthusiasm, why
should the students get excited?
--Is
able to engage the students so that the energy for learning comes from them
instead of being forced on them.
--Is
fair to all students. The education
process breaks down almost immediately if students feel they are being treated
unfairly. Fairness usually requires a
lot of open and frank communications.
--Stays
as far away from memorization as is humanly possible. With modern day technology, education needs
to focus on using information rather than memorizing it.
--Cares
about the students as individuals.
Teachers and students should be on the same side and not come to be rivals or
enemies.
--Makes
efficient use of class time. At my
school, we have the students in class for 150 minutes each week. That is not a lot of time. It is important to make good use of every
one of those minutes.
--Works
to teach 100 percent of the students and not just the top 10 percent.
--Is
not put off when students claim “I am stupid,” “I am lazy,” “I cannot do
this.” Education teaches students to
push for a low threshold. Don’t let
them pull that trick. If you don’t
demand excellence, you’ll never get it.
Okay,
what would you add or delete? This was
just the list that I came up with on a plane flight across the country. But, I believe that a person who followed this list would
likely be an outstanding teacher. This
job is not rocket science. I think it is
important to take the mystery out of teaching.
Most of us know what it takes to become excellent. In fact, as you can see from my list, it
is basically just common sense.
Now,
do one more thing. Take your list or
take my list. That makes no
difference. Look at each of those ten
commandments very carefully and give yourself a grade on each one. Where are you strong and where are you
weak? That can be amazingly helpful as you
strive to become a better teacher. For
the 2-3 areas where you give yourself the lowest grade, make it your goal over
the next week or two to focus on them in particular. If you can locate weaknesses and address
them with some serious effort, your chances of becoming a great teacher go
up immediately.
Make
it your long term goal to be the type of teacher that an outside person would see and
immediately say “If I were hiring someone to teach at my school, it would be
that person because that’s a person who knows what it takes to be successful
and can make learning happen.”
