text:
var Promise        = require('bluebird');
var sinon          = require('sinon');
var chai           = require('chai');
var chaiAsPromised = require('chai-as-promised');
var sinonChai      = require("sinon-chai");
var Key            = require("../../lib/key/key.js");
var UUID4Key       = require("../../lib/key/uuid4Key.js");
var IncrementalKey = require("../../lib/key/incrementalKey.js");
var RefDocKey      = require("../../lib/key/refDocKey.js");
var KeyError       = require("../../lib/error/keyError.js");

//this makes sinon-as-promised available in sinon:
require('sinon-as-promised');

chai.use(sinonChai);
chai.use(chaiAsPromised);
chai.should();

var assert = sinon.assert;
var expect = chai.expect;

describe('Keys', function() {

    before(function beforeFn() {
        this.instanceMock = {
            getStorageAdapter: sinon.stub(),
            getData: sinon.stub(),
        };
    });

    beforeEach(function beforeEachFn() {
        this.instanceMock.getStorageAdapter.reset();
        this.instanceMock.getData.reset();
    });

    describe('Key', function() {
        it('should throw an Error when we try to directly create object of `Key` (eg.: `new Key(options)`)', function() {
            function test() {
                return new Key({
                    prefix: "Test",
                    postfix: "",
                    delimiter: "_"
                });
            }

            expect(test).to.throw(Error);
        });

        it('should throw an Error when we try to generate an id on an object which does not implement the `generate` method', function() {
            function CustomKey(options) {
                Key.call(this, options);
            }
            CustomKey.prototype = Object.create(Key.prototype);
            CustomKey.prototype.constructor = CustomKey;

            var key = new CustomKey({
                prefix: "Test",
                postfix: "",
                delimiter: "_"
            });

            return key.generate().should.be.rejectedWith(Error);
        });

        describe('parse', function() {
            it('should throw an Error when we provide `key` argument which is not a string', function() {
                var context = {};
                function test() {
                    Key.prototype.parse.call(context, null);
                }

                expect(test).to.throw(Error, /Expected `key` to be a string but got/);
            });
        });
    });

    describe('UUID4Key', function() {

        it('should expose static `dataType` property', function() {
            expect(UUID4Key.dataType).to.be.a('string');
        });

        describe('generate', function() {
            it('should return a Promise with fulfillment value being generated `key` instance', function() {
                var key = new UUID4Key({
                    prefix: "Test",
                    postfix: "",
                    delimiter: "_"
                });

                var promise = key.generate();

                promise.should.be.an.instanceof(Promise);
                return promise.should.be.fulfilled.then(function(generatedKey) {
                    generatedKey.should.be.equal(key);
                    generatedKey.should.be.an.instanceof(UUID4Key);

                    var regx = /^[0-9a-f]{8}-[0-9a-f]{4}-[1-5][0-9a-f]{3}-[89ab][0-9a-f]{3}-[0-9a-f]{12}$/i
                        expect(generatedKey.getId().match(regx)).to.not.be.null;
                });
            });
        });

        describe('parse', function() {
            it('should throw when parsed `id` from `key` string is not valid uuidv4', function() {
                var key = new UUID4Key({
                    prefix: "Test",
                    postfix: "",
                    delimiter: "_"
                });

                function parse() {
                    key.parse("Test_some-non-uid-value");
                }
                return expect(parse).to.throw(KeyError);
            });
        });

        describe('inspect', function() {
            it('should return correctly formated string', function() {
                var key = new UUID4Key({
                    prefix: "Test",
                    postfix: "",
                    delimiter: "_"
                });

                return key.generate().then(function() {
                    key.inspect().should.be.equal(
                        '[object UUID4Key: "Test_' + key.getId()  + '" ]'
                    );
                });
            });
        });

        describe('toString', function() {
            it('should apped `postfix` part of the key if the `postfix` option is set', function() {
                var key = new UUID4Key({
                    prefix: "Test",
                    postfix: "postfix",
                    delimiter: "_",
                });

                key.toString().should.be.equal('Test_undefined_postfix');
            });

            it("should convert it's id value to lowecase when the `caseSensitive=false`", function() {
                var key = new UUID4Key({
                    prefix: "Test",
                    postfix: "postfix",
                    delimiter: "_",
                    caseSensitive: false
                });

                var id = '885AD3C0-47B9-4D3F-9EF0-8B025E324E47';
                key.setId(id);
                key.toString().should.be.equal('Test_' + id.toLowerCase() + '_postfix');
            });

            it('should NOT throw an Error when we call the method on ungenerated key object AND the `caseSensitive=false`', function() {
                var key = new UUID4Key({
                    prefix: "Test",
                    postfix: "postfix",
                    delimiter: "_",
                    caseSensitive: false
                });

                function test() {
                    return key.toString();
                }

                expect(test).to.not.throw(Error);
            });
        });
    });

    describe('IncrementalKey', function() {
        it('should expose static `dataType` property', function() {
            expect(IncrementalKey.dataType).to.be.a('string');
        });

        describe('generate', function() {
            it('should return a Promise with fulfillment value being generated `key` instance', function() {
                var key = new IncrementalKey({
                    prefix: "Test",
                    postfix: "",
                    delimiter: "_"
                });

                //mock storageAdapter.counter()
                var storageAdapterCounterStub = sinon.stub();
                storageAdapterCounterStub.returns(Promise.resolve({value: 100}));

                this.instanceMock.getStorageAdapter.returns({
                    counter: storageAdapterCounterStub
                });

                var promise = key.generate(this.instanceMock);

                promise.should.be.an.instanceof(Promise);
                return promise.should.be.fulfilled.then(function(generatedKey) {
                    storageAdapterCounterStub.should.have.been.called;
                    generatedKey.should.be.equal(key);
                    generatedKey.should.be.an.instanceof(IncrementalKey);

                    expect(generatedKey.getId()).to.be.a('number');
                });
            });
        });

        describe('parse', function() {
            it('should throw when parsed `id` from `key` string is not valid integer', function() {
                var key = new IncrementalKey({
                    prefix: "Test",
                    postfix: "",
                    delimiter: "_"
                });

                function parse() {
                    key.parse("Test_100abc");
                }
                return expect(parse).to.throw(KeyError);
            });

            it('should not throw an Error', function() {
                var key = new IncrementalKey({
                    prefix: "Test",
                    postfix: "postfix",
                    delimiter: "_"
                });

                function parse() {
                    key.parse("Test_100_postfix");
                }
                return expect(parse).to.not.throw(KeyError);
            });
        });

        describe('inspect', function() {
            it('should return correctly formated string', function() {
                var key = new IncrementalKey({
                    prefix: "Test",
                    postfix: "",
                    delimiter: "_"
                });

                key.inspect().should.be.equal(
                    '[object IncrementalKey: "Test_' + key.getId()  + '" ]'
                );
            });
        });
    });

    describe('RefDocKey', function() {
        describe('_setRef', function() {
            it("should throw a KeyError when we don't provide valid property references", function() {
                function case1() {
                    return new RefDocKey({
                        prefix: "Test",
                        postfix: "",
                        delimiter: "_",
                    });
                }

                function case2() {
                    return new RefDocKey({
                        prefix: "Test",
                        postfix: "",
                        delimiter: "_",
                        ref: []
                    });
                }

                expect(case1).to.throw(KeyError);
                expect(case2).to.throw(KeyError);
            });
        });

        describe('getOptions', function() {
            it("should return cloned key's options", function() {
                var key = new RefDocKey({
                    caseSensitive: false,
                    prefix: "Test",
                    postfix: "postfix",
                    ref: ['name'],
                    delimiter: "_"
                });

                var options = key.getOptions();
                options.should.be.eql({
                    caseSensitive: false,
                    prefix: "Test",
                    postfix: "postfix",
                    ref: ['name'],
                    delimiter: "_",
                    id: undefined
                });

                options.ref.should.not.be.equal(key.ref);
            });
        });

        describe('parse', function() {

            it('should throw an Error when we provide `key` argument value which is not a string', function() {
                var key = new RefDocKey({
                    prefix: "Test",
                    postfix: "postfix",
                    ref: ['name'],
                    delimiter: "_"
                });

                function test() {
                    key.parse(null);
                }

                expect(test).to.throw(Error);
            });

            it('should correctly parse key string', function() {
                var key = new RefDocKey({
                    prefix: "Test",
                    postfix: "postfix",
                    ref: ['name'],
                    delimiter: "_"
                });

                key.parse("Test_name_john_postfix");
                key.getId().should.be.equal('john');
            });
        });

        describe('generate', function() {
            it('should convert generated id value to lowercase when `caseSensitive=false`', function() {
                var key = new RefDocKey({
                    prefix: "Test",
                    postfix: "",
                    delimiter: "_",
                    ref: ['username'],
                    caseSensitive: false
                });

                var instanceData = {
                    username: 'TEST'
                };

                var getDataStub = this.instanceMock.getData.returns(instanceData);

                return key.generate(this.instanceMock).then(function() {
                    key.getId().should.be.equal('test');
                });
            });

            it('should return a Promise with fulfillment value being generated `key` instance', function() {
                var ref = [
                        'user.email',
                        'color'
                ];
                var key = new RefDocKey({
                    prefix: "Test",
                    postfix: "",
                    delimiter: "_",
                    ref: ref
                });

                //mock instance.getData
                var instanceData = {
                    user: {
                        email: 'test@test.com'
                    },
                    color: 'red'
                };

                var getDataStub = this.instanceMock.getData.returns(instanceData);

                var promise = key.generate(this.instanceMock);

                promise.should.be.an.instanceof(Promise);
                return promise.should.be.fulfilled.then(function(generatedKey) {
                    getDataStub.should.have.been.called;
                    generatedKey.should.be.equal(key);
                    generatedKey.should.be.an.instanceof(RefDocKey);

                    var expectedId = instanceData.user.email + "_" + instanceData.color;
                    expect(generatedKey.getId()).to.be.equal(expectedId);
                });
            });

            it('should return rejected promise with `KeyError` if value of a data `property` which should make up document key is empty', function() {
                var ref = [
                        'user.email',
                        'color'
                ];
                var key = new RefDocKey({
                    prefix: "Test",
                    postfix: "",
                    delimiter: "_",
                    ref: ref
                });

                //mock instance.getData
                var instanceData = {
                    user: {
                        email: null//should cause `generate` to throw
                    },
                    color: 'red'
                };

                var getDataStub = this.instanceMock.getData.returns(instanceData);

                var promise = key.generate(this.instanceMock);

                promise.should.be.an.instanceof(Promise);
                return promise.should.be.rejectedWith(KeyError);
            });
        });

        describe('inspect', function() {
            it('should return correctly formated string', function() {
                var key = new RefDocKey({
                    prefix: "Test",
                    postfix: "",
                    delimiter: "_",
                    ref: ['username']
                });

                var instanceData = {
                    username: 'test'
                };

                var getDataStub = this.instanceMock.getData.returns(instanceData);

                return key.generate(this.instanceMock).then(function() {
                    key.inspect().should.be.equal(
                        '[object RefDocKey: "Test_username_' + key.getId()  + '" ]'
                    );
                });
            });
        });

        describe('toString', function() {
            it('should apped `postfix` part of the key if the `postfix` option is set', function() {
                var key = new RefDocKey({
                    prefix: "Test",
                    postfix: "postfix",
                    delimiter: "_",
                    ref: ['username']
                });

                key.toString().should.be.equal('Test_username_undefined_postfix');
            });
        });
    });
});


Stanislaus County Sheriff's Deputy Royjindar Singh said officials investigated a report that there was a gun on campus.
Several ambulances, and dozen of sheriff's and police cruisers, responded. Four students were injured, but all were treated on the scene.
Dozens of worried parents are waiting across the street, but deputies were not letting anyone on campus.


text:
A Tester's Story of Adapting to the New World of Pipelines
byParveen Khan (Guest Author)
Feb 20, 2019 8:00:00 AM
As a software tester, how do you adapt when a new technology or process is introduced within your team? Do you panic? Do you accept it as a challenge? Do you research to find a solution along with the team? Do you reach out to people in the community to see how they approached it? Or do you just expect it to magically work for you without any effort on your part?
I was in similar situation when our team decided to adopt Continuous Integration (CI), as we were transitioning to a DevOps culture. I would like to share my experience of how, as a tester, it was to go through the journey.
It had been a while since we started to work in agile from waterfall. We took baby steps and evolved slowly. We were all happy, comfortable, and settled into the way we were approaching agile with our scrum process. Just when we were happy that we went through the agile transition from waterfall, now it was a new challenge of transitioning to DevOps. We had to embrace another new change of process, and it was the introduction to the world of pipelines - it was the CI/CD world!
As a tester you always like challenges, and this was challenging because I had to understand a new way of how testing fits in continuous integration, and embrace the new type of value it could provide while working on it.
As a tester I was very curious to know:
What it brings to my world of testing
How would it affect current test process
What do I have to change
What benefits do the pipelines get?
What do they look like?
And on and on. It was pretty confusing and scary at the beginning to visualize the change.
Why is our first instant emotion towards any change 'Scary'? Why can't it be an excited feeling or enthusiastic feeling for trying something new - I asked myself this question. Then I thought to myself, it's as simple as this - When you don't know about something, you are always scared about the change, but if you feel safe and see it as a new challenge, you will definitely get excited.
Then I started to explore and read more about pipelines. It wasn't surprising that the more I was reading, the more I was confused. Then I decided to draw those pipelines and visualize them.
I sat with my colleagues and said: "Let's please visualize the pipeline by drawing it on a big white board." They agreed and we had a whole discussion around these pipelines. And we finally agreed on this and it looked something like this initially:
That's where it started to make more sense to me, and I got a better understanding about what exactly this continuous integration is - but all in theory though. What I understood at this point was that it is simply nothing but a step by step process to release the code once there's a commit. Continuous Integration is a practice for integrating the code several times to receive a quick feedback without waiting long. Whenever the developer finishes development task and pushes the changes to the repository, that's where the pipeline stage starts. Because it has stages, it is called as a pipeline I thought to myself .
Now, a few more questions came to my mind:
What are those stages?
Who defines those stages?
Who defines what should go in the pipeline and when?
Will I have any place as a tester to suggest something?
The biggest question was - will there be no manual testing at all?
We as a team had discussions and came up with the our own version of the pipeline because there's no definitive structure for a Continuous Integration (CI) pipeline. We decided we shall run static code analysis, unit tests and integration tests as our initial stages of our pipeline. This stage would create a unique artifact which could be deployed on a test environment to run additional tests. As my understanding got better about pipelines, I started to suggest that we add more valuable tests to the pipeline.
Initially we added smoke tests to the pipeline which would run alongside the existing tests. The reason why I suggested to add smoke tests as part of the pipeline was to make sure the build is testable before it is deployed on a test environment for further testing. I just called it as smoke test, but we could call it a Build Verification Test or Build Acceptance Test too. If the test didn't pass, the build would be rejected and a new build would be released once the failed tests were fixed.
I could see each stage of tests running one after the other. It would stop going further if there was a failure at any of the tests or stages. Isn't that magical!!!
It was just the beginning for us and especially for me. I continued to understand and observe more and more, and then I discussed with my team if we could add regression testing to the continuous integration pipeline. But initially we did not wanted to add any long running tests to the pipeline as we thought the whole point of having these pipelines was for quick feedback. So we decided to run the regression tests as nightly run task instead of running it with every commit. But we had the goal to run these regression tests with every commit once our pipeline was mature enough, when we would decide to run those tests in parallel. But that was a long term goal.
Each morning I could see the results of which tests where passed and which were failed and the difference was that I could add the build number while raising the issue, so it got easier for a developer to find the root cause. It's not to say that it tells you where exactly where the issue is but they could easily check the recent code related to that build to see what went wrong. Instead of searching a needle in a haystack, it's like you know which part of haystack you need to look to find the needle.
I got to spent most of my time as tester defining the test strategy, exploratory testing, being part of the 3 amigos to refine user stories and acceptance criteria, checking the test feedback from the pipeline, and adding more valuable tests to regression tests.
As we got along and had more clarity and saw the benefits for having these pipelines in place, we decided to discuss a long term goal, where I suggested to have visual testing as part of the pipeline as well, from a testing point of view.
This was my actual pipeline journey into the world of testing! It was very challenging and interesting!!
Thanks for reading my story!! Happy Testing!!!!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This marks the 10th anniversary of our columns on teachers.net. You know our style; we feature educators who are effective so our readers can "steal" from their effectiveness. Every month we write about a teacher, administrator, school, or school district.
Please share with us your success, so we can continue to share with the profession.
I began creating procedures so there was no room for confusion WHATSOEVER.
I just ended my 3rd year and this is the first year I can honestly say I look forward to the next school year!! I've learned to organize myself.
This year when my principal observed me for my formal evaluation, she commented how well it went and how much improvement I've made in terms of my classroom management skill and student scores.
possible to even consider if I hadn't created and implemented my classroom management plan.
in place, I can actually take the time not only to teach, but to get to know my students.
Thanks for the peace I've been waiting for in the teaching profession! I even have time to stay up late on weekends getting lost in a good book or movie--which was once a rare, rare luxury.
For more than 25 years, we have worked to help educators become more effective teachers. We have steered clear of fads, buzzword initiatives, and trendy programs and have based our work on the findings of Thomas Good and Jere Brophy from their book, Looking in Classrooms.
First published in 1973, the book is now in its tenth edition and their findings remain the same. After almost four decades, the three most important characteristics of effective teachers remain the same.
We are pleased to have in the t.net archives ninety-four articles featuring educators who have implemented the three characteristics of effective teaching.
We hope that these past ten years of articles have inspired you to be a Difference Maker. We encourage you to take a look at the following summaries to find teachers, administrators, schools, and school districts that are doing truly exceptional work. Find one that speaks to you. And then, as all effective teachers do—STEAL, STEAL, STEAL!!!
Key Idea: Start school with a First Day of School script. One teacher began his year with fun activities and spent the rest of the school year chasing after his classes. His first day lacked structure, which led to his students structuring his classes for him. Elementary school teacher, Melissa Pantoja, began the first day of school with a script, which led to a successful beginning. Her script is provided so you can adapt it for your classroom.
Key Idea: Mentoring is not induction. Know the difference between mentoring and new teacher induction. Statistics say that teachers entering the profession right now will not be teaching in three to five years. In fact, many will not even last a year. To combat the high turnover rate of teachers, many schools and districts are turning to new teacher induction (not mentoring) programs to prepare teachers for success in the classroom. Examples of successful induction programs are provided. Review them and learn what to look for in your next school.
Key Idea: Seven things students want to know. What you do the first day of school will determine your success for the rest of the school year. Discover the seven things all students want to know on their first day of school, and why a successful school year starts on the first day. You would not expect a truck driver to haul an expensive load without first making sure he knew how to drive the truck. Neither can you expect students to succeed if they do not know the routines and procedures of your class. The seven things all students want to know are provided so that you can use them to prepare for your first day of school.
Key Idea: Manage, do not discipline, your classes. Learn how to manage, rather than discipline, your classroom. The former will enhance student learning, while the latter will wear you down. Rather than discipline your classes, manage them. Learn which procedures every class needs to have in place before students can start learning. Create or hone your procedures so this school year will be your best school year ever! Suggested procedures are outlined in this article. Copy and use them in your own classroom.
Key Idea: Start your class with effective start-up routines. Start the day or period with an organized routine that includes bellwork and other procedures that get the students ready for the class. The first few minutes of every class are prime time, so what you do in those first few minutes determines how on-task your students will be for the rest of the period. Read about teachers and schools who have experienced success because of effective prime time practices. Use the prime time examples as a guide to create your own effective prime-time practices.
Key Idea: The first five minutes are the most important. Make the first five minutes of your class count. Like the first chapter of a good novel, the beginning of class must capture students' attention. Have your students working the minute they walk into class and you will have their attention for the rest of the period. Once you have achieved this, keeping them on-task is easy. Use the examples in this article to create your own bellwork and warm-up activities.
Key Idea: Effective teachers show, not tell. When teachers tell us their discipline problems, we refer them to this article. Ineffective teachers want to "do things" (punish, discipline, send to detention, etc.) to students, whereas effective teachers know how to teach procedures. Rather than telling students what to do, show them how to do it. Effective teachers, like effective parents, show students what to do instead of telling and yelling. Even a student from a negative home environment will respond positively if teachers follow the steps shared for teaching procedures.
Key Idea: Thanks for being a teacher. Learn what teachers have been doing right, and how they have improved the American education statistics exponentially in a few short years. Teachers are the most amazing professionals in the world and deserve to be thanked and to know that their accomplishments are shaping the nation and world for continued success. Take heart and encouragement from the stories of hope in this article. You, the teacher, are a miracle.
Key Idea: Teachers impact students' lives. This column is about the journey teachers make into the hearts of their students. What teachers do every day touches the lives of students in immeasurable ways. Teachers change lives, and the proof is in every student who has gone on to succeed. If you touch just one life as a teacher, you are a success. Learn how to invite students to learn by following the steps outlined in this article.
Key Idea: Induction prepares teachers for success. Learn how induction programs teach new teachers to be successful. Start your career right in a district that values its teachers and provides a comprehensive and ongoing induction program for all teachers new to the district. Know the difference between mentoring programs and induction programs, and choose to teach in a district that has a solid, comprehensive program to help you develop in your chosen career.
Key Idea: The ten questions to ask at your interview. Know the ten questions you should ask at your interview to ensure you choose the school and district that are right for you. After reading this article, you will be able to recognize the district you should teach in to maximize your potential. Your career depends on the decisions you make. Note the ten questions to ask and pose them in your next interview.
Key Idea: Motivational activities capture students' attention. Motivate and entice students with discrepant events. Then, learn how and why to continue the lesson with group collaboration. Students will remain motivated to take on whatever they are asked to do. Ideas for discrepant events in different subjects are provided in this article. Use them to capture your class' attention and imagination.
Key Idea: A good university will teach you how to be an effective teacher. Sarah Jones' experiences at Western Kentucky University enabled her to begin her teaching career with the proficiency of a veteran teacher. Her success is due to diligent instruction in everything from lesson planning to effective classroom management practices. Before she ever set foot in a classroom, she had a comprehensive list of classroom procedures to develop responsible students. Steal and adapt Sarah's action plan to meet the needs of your teaching environment.
Key Idea: Effective teachers can implement what other effective teachers are doing. Become an effective teacher by thinking about what you learn, observing other teachers doing it, and adapting it to meet your unique classroom management needs. Steve Geiman, a Physical Education teacher in Virginia, thought about what Harry said at a conference and the wheels of his imagination began to spin. The result is an effective and efficient model of classroom management that has transformed his PE class. Steve's procedures are outlined in this article. Steal, adapt, and implement his procedures in your class.
Key Idea: Effective classroom management works in every situation. This column illustrates effective classroom management procedures in two very different environments: the library and an elementary art classroom. Betty Hamer and Jeanne Bayless guide their students to success with procedures that cut down on confusion and mistakes while allowing students to get down to the business of learning. Both teachers' classroom management procedures are featured in this article for you to steal and adapt to your needs.
Key Idea: A safe and productive school culture leads to an effective school. Transform your school into an effective school by creating a school culture that promotes a safe and productive learning environment from day one. Goldfarb Elementary in Las Vegas, Nevada, has such a culture. They developed and maintained a set of consistent, school-wide procedures that have become the foundation for the school's culture. Create school-wide procedures using Goldfarb's procedures as a guide and watch your school blossom into an effective learning environment.
Key Idea: Become a stress-free teacher. Reduce your work-related stress by creating consistent procedures for all classroom activities and interactions. Liz Breaux's structured approach to classroom management has guided students to success and has made her classroom virtually problem-free. Apply her techniques for stress-free teaching and begin your own path to a teaching career free from anxiety.
MARCH 2002—Impossible, No Job Openings?
Key Idea: Teacher induction means teacher retention. Learn how to retain your new teachers with a structured new teacher induction program that guides them through classroom management, instructional strategies, and more. Teach them the things they need to know to ensure success before they even step foot in a classroom. See the procedures that Medford's new teachers have created and get inspiration for your own list of procedures.
Key Idea: Good leaders are models of success. We have shared how teachers and principals create and maintain effective schools. In this article we show you that superintendents do it, too. Sunnybrook School District #171, under the guidance of Dr. Joseph Majchrowicz, has developed an effective, district-wide culture based on core values agreed upon by all the members in the learning community. The district-wide set of procedures established by Sunnybrook's learning community, as well as their four core values, are showcased in this column. Review this article to select elements of effective teaching to implement in your school or classroom.
Key Idea: Evidence supports new teacher induction programs. The costs of having an effective new teacher induction program are small in comparison to the cost of losing newly hired teachers. Use the information in this article to guide you as you build an effective induction program for your new teachers. Or use the information within this article to guide your quest for the perfect school or district in which to begin, or continue, your teaching career.
Key Idea: Procedures start on day one. Teach your students procedures from day one. Establishing procedures—beginning with the first day of school—will set you up for a smooth-sailing school year. Use the First Day of School Script shared in this article to develop or hone your own First Day of School Script.
Key Idea: Start your first day of school with an action plan. Sarah Jones began planning her action plan, procedures, and activities long before she ever set foot in a classroom—and it paid off. Use the sample Action Plan to guide you in creating your own First Day of School Action Plan and the Academic Expectations templates to guide you in creating your statement of academic expectations.
Key Idea: Effective procedures make activities effortless. Using procedures will make any classroom activity go off without a hitch and will guarantee that all your supplies are accounted for at the end of the activity. Imagine a school year in which no supplies are lost and activities take place without a single discipline problem. Use the time-tested methods contained in this article for dispensing and collecting materials and never again lose another ruler!
Key Idea: Effective practices work in all classes. Effective classroom practices apply to all teachers—even foreign language teachers. Effective teachers can adapt the techniques in The First Days of School to any classroom environment and any subject matter—even high school Spanish. Review examples of foreign language teachers' procedures, from what to do before class starts to procedures for traveling teachers. Reflect on what you have learned and then adapt your favorite procedures to implement in your classroom.
Key Idea: Learn how to manage your non-traditional classroom. Imagine standing in front of 500 teenagers, raising a hand, and having the entire class of 500 grow quiet in a matter of seconds. It is possible. These results are just a matter of establishing procedures and practicing them with students until they become routine. This article examines the success of teachers in non-traditional classrooms and illustrates how even the largest class can be a well-oiled learning machine.
Key Idea: Students remember effective procedures. School-wide procedures can make a school run smoothly even after a devastating act of nature has shaken the community. Imagine a hurricane tearing through your community and school, and leaving in its wake devastation and despair. Now imagine the students returning to school, shaken but finding a classroom ready for learning. This is not a fluke. It is a result of consistent and practiced school-wide procedures.
Key Idea: Share your business cards with us. Professional educators are invited to share their business cards with us. An update on the December 2002 article featuring Sacred Heart Elementary (the school that survived Hurricane Lili) is included in this month's column. If you did not take some of Sacred Heart's school-wide procedures as your own last month, take the opportunity to adopt them today.
Key Idea: Teacher induction is a multi-year commitment. Retain new teachers by implementing a new teacher induction program. Induction is a multi-year investment in your new teachers' career, and in your school's or district's ability to retain top talent. Induction is a process that includes a variety of career building activities, from courses in classroom management practices to how to integrate effective strategies within a lesson plan. Learn the components of a successful induction program and read examples of three commendable programs. Model your approach after these fine examples and watch as your retention rates rise to unprecedented levels.
Key Idea: First Day of School Scripts work. Here's further proof that First Day Scripts put teachers on the road to success. This article shares Melissa Pantoja's Daily Class Routine for the Substitute and John Schmidt's First Day Script, Procedures, and Class Policies. Use these exceptional works to guide your creation of a First Day Script, as well as to develop procedures that will guide your class to success from day one.
Key Idea: Effective substitutes employ effective practices. Prepare in advance for your next substitute teaching adventure. Learn how to create a Sub Pack, including what materials it should include and why. Print a copy of the Professional Substitute Teachers' Checklist and use it to organize your daily routine and prepare for your next subbing job. Peruse the many helpful substitute teacher links we've gathered and glean many more helpful tips from them.
Key Idea: Learn the actions that guarantee a successful interview. There are two critical questions you should ask at your interview. In this article, we discuss the first question, "Does your district have a new teacher induction program?" Review the tips contained in this article as you prepare for your teaching interview and get ready to wow your interviewer.
Key Idea: Look for a district with a curriculum and standards guides. This article discusses the second question all teachers should ask when they interview for a position: "Does the district have a curriculum guide that is aligned to state standards?" Understanding the state standards and implementing them in a classroom is hard enough, but to do so without a curriculum guide is suicide. Be sure that the school you choose has a set curriculum for each grade and that the curriculum is aligned with the state standards. As a bonus, included are end-of-the-year procedures. Use them to guide you toward a stress-free summer vacation and new school year.
Key Idea: Creating effective lesson plans. Discover how to begin lesson planning when there is no curriculum guide to steer you. Many districts do not have curriculum guides and most teachers do not leave behind collections of curriculum and activities to assist a beginning teacher. Follow the Steps to Creating an Effective Assignment and begin your lesson planning with confidence.
Key Idea: Get out of survival mode. This article explores the realities of survival mode and explains how to move beyond survival to mastery. If you are in survival mode, you must read this article. It contains advice that will help you to become the teacher you always dreamed you would be. The article also contains an innovative adaptation of the Tote Tray System. We invite you to explore and adapt this method for use in your own classroom.
Key Idea: Classroom management helps in the diverse classroom. This article features the classroom management plan of Nathan Gibbs, whose class is a well-oiled learning machine. Consistent classroom management will make even the most behaviorally challenged children take note and perform their best. Adapt the procedures you find in this article to meet the needs of your learning community.
Key Idea: Respond to complaints the right way. This article highlights the proper response to complaints and presents further examples of Nathan Gibbs' procedures that you can modify for use in your classroom. In every group, there will be at least one person who complains; this includes any given group of students. We share insight into how to deal with complaints without becoming upset, and how to promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills at the same time. Try the complaint procedure, and see how it changes the dynamics in your classroom.
Key Idea: Effective classroom management is universal. Classroom management procedures are universal and can be used to create a successful learning environment from Pre-K to Technical College and beyond. The career-changing management and teaching strategies of Jeff Smith are featured. His is a story of both teacher and student success.
Key Idea: Provide students with an agenda. After teaching for over ten years, Carol Brooks, a middle school teacher in South Carolina, came up with a solution to the problem of student organization. In time, her classes of under-achieving students were doing so well that the parents (who didn't even know what she was doing) were clamoring, "Get my kid into that notebook class!" Carol's one-page agenda is shared.
Key Idea: Be prepared for an emergency. Heather Chambers, who teaches kindergarten in Denton, Texas, had a diabetic seizure and collapsed in class. Because of her health condition, Chambers had developed a simple but highly effective procedure for her class, so they would know what to do in case she had a seizure. Indeed, because her class knew the procedure, they saved her life.
Key Idea: The need for structure is vital in the special education classroom. The demands on the teachers of special education students are enormous. The work is emotionally and physically draining, the stress is considerable, and the magnitude of the workload is colossal. Robin Zarzour (now Robin Barlak) works with children with a variety of disabilities—autism, speech and language delays, ADHD, severe behavior issues, and physical and developmental handicaps. Read about the remarkable work she does with her students.
Key Idea: Present procedures in PowerPoint. Some teachers duplicate pages and distribute them to students. Some teachers make charts and attach them to walls. Some teachers make overlays and display them with a projector. Kazim Cicek in Tulsa, Oklahoma, communicates his classroom management procedures to his classes with a PowerPoint presentation.
Key Idea: It's all in how you begin. Jane Slovenske's success with her students begins on the very first day of school. She spends the first ten days of school teaching and reinforcing the behaviors and standards her students will need to succeed in her classroom. Jane shares her lesson plans in this column.
Key Idea: A great school year stems from a great start. The first day of school finally arrived. Her lesson plans were ready. The desks were in order. Her PowerPoint presentation was ready to go. First-year teacher Chelonnda Seroyer had not even entered the classroom. The first minute of her first year as a new teacher had not begun. Standing at the door dressed in a suit, she was greeting her students when she had an eerie feeling. She turned to look in her classroom and saw that her students had already started working on the assignment. Yes! She was now confident that this was going to be a good day. It turned out to be a great year. Learn what she did in this article.
Key Idea: Never, ever, give up. Ed Lucero was miserable. He was seriously considering leaving the teaching profession. He decided to give it one more try, but knew he had to make some radical changes. He restructured his classes to be more business-like. This corresponded with the classes he was teaching: Business, Marketing, and Finance. It worked and now he loves teaching again.
Key Idea: Effective teachers go to conventions to learn. Never, ever cease to learn. Go to at least one conference a year. This column explains how conferences are structured and how you can reap the greatest rewards from your attendance. Go and listen to the ideas and insights of successful teachers. They are all participating, contributing, and doing. No one is complaining. It is heartwarming and contagious. You return to school fully charged with a positive attitude and proud that you are a teacher.
Key Idea: It's the teacher that makes the difference. It's the teacher—what the teacher knows and what the teacher does in the classroom—that results in student learning. Improving student achievement is very simple. It boils down to the teacher and how the teacher instructs. When teacher instruction is effective, you will see improved student learning. In fact, the most effective teachers produce as much as six times the learning gains as the least effective teachers.
Key Idea: It's the teacher that results in student success. It is the teacher who holds the key to student achievement. And, it is the district that holds the key to the lifelong professional development of teachers. Everything the district does should focus on student learning. And training teachers to be the best must become the priority for a district, especially if we believe that students deserve the very best teacher—every year.
Key Idea: Create morning routines. A high performing school has a culture of consistency that must be established the first day and first week of school. See how an elementary school establishes a culture of consistency every morning with a morning routine at the playground. They do this with a staff that works together in a professional learning community.
Key Idea: It's all in how you start. On the first day of school, Elise brought in a roll of toilet paper for a fun activity. She left teaching after two days. Sarah Jondahl came to school on the first day with a binder complete with a management plan. Today, Sarah is an accomplished fifth-year teacher. Sarah's classroom management action plan is featured in our eLearning course offered at www.ClassroomManagement.com.
Key Idea: Learn the difference between management and discipline. Ineffective teachers discipline their classes with rules and punishments. Effective teachers manage their classrooms with procedures and routines and experience the joy of a productive working environment. It's never too late to implement classroom management techniques in your classroom. Alternative certification teacher Diana Greenhouse shares how she has set up her classroom for student success.
Key Idea: Experience the trials of a first-year teacher. Without certification or training, "emergency teacher" Christina Asquith is hired on the spot and assigned to a classroom that few veteran teachers would take—sixth grade in the city's oldest school building, in a crime-infested neighborhood known as The Badlands. Christina asks the two classic questions: Why are American inner-city public schools failing? And can one young, motivated person make a difference? Her story reminds us all to stay steadfast to our dreams of helping children.
Key Idea: Lessons learned from Rosa Parks. Effective teachers know that the rewards go only to the professionals. They are the happiest, make the most money, get the most respect, and are the most successful. Professionals have arrived at this happy state in life because they build on strengths, not on weaknesses. The professional educator chooses to always learn and grow. The professional educator is on an endless journey—looking for new and better ideas, new information, and improved skills to further student success.
Key Idea: Meet three special ed teachers. The demands on the teachers of special education students are enormous, but the rewards are equally huge. These are the wonderful teachers who have the skill to bring order and structure to the lives of their students, as well as kind and understanding hearts that are able to see all children as capable and worthy. In this column, we revisit Robin Zarzour (Barlak) and meet two other special education teachers: Charlotte Empringham of Canada and Dan Seufert of North Carolina.
Key Idea: Standards and objectives are needed for high school students. Many teachers begin teaching without a clear lesson plan format or an operational curriculum. Even fewer receive curricula that are aligned with state standards. Norm Dannen is presently enrolled in New Pathways to Teaching, an alternative route program to teaching in New Jersey. They give their teachers-in-training a template to use as a lesson plan format. Norm created a 15-day unit to have students interpret The Great Gatsby artistically, thematically, and historically. He shares his rubric with you in this article.
Key Idea: Create a classroom community. Effective teachers first have a plan to prevent problems and then they proactively work the plan. Barbara De Santis is ready and organized from the first day of school. She has a Classroom Management Plan. She builds a Classroom Community by teaching her students to respect and celebrate the success of others. Learn more about Barbara's plan and why thinking like Gumby, Darwin, and Disney helps her.
Key Idea: Use of a personal responsibility card. Two effective teachers, Chelonnda Seroyer and Barbara De Santis, share how they use Pink Slips to improve homework turn-in rates. Find out who they "stole" the idea from and how they each made it their own. Plus, tips on how to improve your homework turn-in rate and a few procedures for orchestrating homework for maximum effectiveness.
Key Idea: Give students a scoring guide. The role of the teacher is not to grade a student. The teacher's main role is to help every student reach the highest possible level of achievement. The purpose of a test is to assess what the student has learned so that further learning can be planned. Read how Norm Damen's rubric helps to engage his students while assessing what they have learned. The tone of your classroom will change when the students see that you are there to help them progress through the year.
Key Idea: Steps to writing a rubric. Give students a rubric before each assignment. Structure each lesson so that the students know beforehand what they are to accomplish. Decide which factors you are looking for as this will tell you if students have learned what you want them to learn. Oretha Ferguson's Prose and Poetry Rubric is shared for you to use as a model. Her success goes way beyond a single lesson as her classroom is structured and organized from day one.
Key Idea: Rubrics apply to all grade levels. Two college professors use rubrics to train future teachers. Dr. Lena Nuccio-Lee found herself teaching an online class for the first time after Hurricane Katrina left her without a classroom and without the majority of her teaching materials. She used rubrics to make her course a success. Carla Boone uses rubrics to guide and grade the results of her course for new teachers at the College of Mainland, Texas. Learn about the success that follows from using rubrics from these effective teachers.
Key Idea: How to construct your own rubric. Kathy Monroe uses a picture rubric to vividly show her students how their work will be evaluated. Karen Rogers uses short and simple rubrics to guide her science students. Diana Greenhouse created a rubric using a teacher tool called RubiStar. All of their rubrics have three parts, involve students in the assignments, and help assess what the students have learned. Review their rubrics and create your own to foster student and teacher success.
Key Idea: Observe, reinvent, and implement procedures. Stacey Allred is a special education teacher who knows that classroom management is applicable to all teachers—regardless of grade level or setting. The key to becoming a successful classroom manager is to observe procedures practiced by other effective teachers. Then reinvent their procedures to meet your classroom needs. Finally, you must practice your procedures with your class. Specific examples from various effective classroom managers are shared.
Key Idea: Generation Y and how to have a successful induction program for them. There is a new generation entering the teaching profession. The Millennials are a generation poised to be lifelong learners and collaborators. They are team-based learners and thrive on collaboration. To meet the needs of this new generation entering the profession, induction programs focus on a group approach. Learn from Dr. Linda Lippman and others about their successful programs for the Millennial teacher.
Key Idea: Gain happiness from continuous growth. Melissa Boone-Hand was Melissa Pantoja when we wrote about her in our first Teachers.net article in June 2000. We know that 50% of new teachers drop out of teaching within their first five years on the job. Melissa is not one of those statistics. What Melissa did in her first year of teaching, on her very first day, may be a clue to ensuring the future success of beginning teachers. Melissa Boone-Hand's career success and happiness are a result of her continuous education, involvement in various organizations, and constant growth—and it all began with her First Day of School Script.
AUGUST 2007—First Day of School Script—in Spanish, Too!
Key Idea: Plan for student success. Your foremost responsibility as a teacher is to create a classroom that is organized so that the maximum number of classroom minutes can be spent on instruction and learning. Elmo Sanchez and Angelica Guerra are two teachers who reclaimed their classrooms by using First Day of School Scripts. View their PowerPoint presentations (one of them in Spanish) and find out how their scripts transformed their teaching experiences.
Key Idea: Consistency is the determiner of success in your classroom. The most important factor to establish in the first week of school is consistency. You set your students up for success when they know what to expect and how your class is run. The ten tools in this article will ensure a positive learning experience for both your students and yourself.
Key Idea: Have your students help develop rubrics. By having a hand in creating their scoring guides, your students will see the value of using rubrics to assess their work. Scoring guides can be used to assess any kind of assignment, including the growing trend of multimedia assignments. Norm Dannen started using scoring guides in his very first year of teaching. Read about Norm's success and view his rubrics.
Key Idea: Be organized—very organized. Diane Blocker and Tobias Larson are effective migrant teachers who are extremely organized. They have all of their classroom materials on hand at every moment. This article contains tips to help you succeed as a floating teacher or as a teacher in a self-contained classroom.
DECEMBER 2007/January 2008—Wrapping the Year with Rap!
Key Idea: Get creative with your lessons. Alex Kajitani uses rap, not only to teach math concepts, but also to teach procedures. He connects with his students through an innovative method of teaching, which also helps to increase the scores of his "at-promise" students. Find out how he came up with his alter ego, "The Rappin' Mathematician," and the difference his approach made in his classroom. Listen to some of his raps, too!
Key Idea: Mentors have roles; coaches have responsibilities. Hopewell City Schools in Virginia has a formula for new teacher success. They know that one-on-one mentoring does not improve student learning. Instead, new teachers are given a full complement of activities and access to skilled coaches to help them become proficient and effective. Learn how Hopewell ensures the success of each of their new teachers.
Key Idea: Academic coaches are important to school and teacher improvement. Angie Cook and Vallorie Borchardt are two academic coaches who have helped their teachers, students, and schools improve. Coaching assistance is sustained and job-embedded, and the transfer and implementation of new skills is immediate. Read about how the gains from coaching are six times more than the gains from spending money on class-size reduction.
Key Idea: Use professional learning communities. L.C. Kennedy School in Arizona, has created a learning community of teachers that tackle problems and issues. The teachers work as a team, with student success at the forefront of every meeting and conversation. Learn how two grade level teams developed a common goal, as well as the steps they took to achieve success.
Key Idea: Structure your classroom for success. Bernie Alidor found procedures provided him with the structure he needed to work with his ADHD. He now provides his kindergarten students with a safe, inviting, and comfortable environment through the use of procedures and routines. See how he provides his students with consistency, and nurtures in them a "can do" attitude.
Key Idea: Effective teachers adapt, not adopt. Adopting means you want someone to tell you what to do. Adapting means you implement someone else's work—regardless of their grade level, subject matter, or even professional field—molding it for use in your unique classroom situation. Effective teachers are also proactive. They prevent problems from occurring in the classroom, rather than react to problems. They do this by implementing a well-considered classroom management plan.
Key Idea: Whoever is doing all the work, is doing all the learning. When you walk into a classroom, what do you see? Is the teacher doing all the work—lecturing, demonstrating, and rushing back and forth? If so, the person doing the most work is the teacher. Encourage your students to be responsible for their own learning by setting a class goal. When students tutor each other, working to help each other toward a common goal, they learn more.
Key Idea: Together, we learn. The Boaz philosophy states, "We can do something to help every child succeed."Their schools are all ranked in the top ten percent of the state. They are able to accomplish this with mutual cooperation, emotional support, and personal growth. There is an on-site instructional coach in each school to help lead the professional development process. Learn how your school can commit to improving the learning process for teachers and students.
Key Idea: The group always accomplishes more than the individual. Isolation is the enemy of improvement. In low performing schools, teachers are less likely to collaborate with and learn from one another. Whereas in high performing schools, teachers will share with one another the needed knowledge and skills to help their students attain greater academic heights. Read this article to learn how to go about creating a professional learning community in your school, as well as to see examples of teacher coaching and teacher collaboration.
Key Idea: Structure translates to success. Nile Wilson was hired as the new Director of Orchestras for John Paul Stevens High School in San Antonio, Texas. She started her very first day armed with a thick handbook of classroom procedures. Students and parents were initially skeptical of her methods, but grew to appreciate the structure and organization of her class. Subs love her. "My students run the show and all the subs have to do is supervise. I'm proud of my students for being productive and staying on-task, even when I'm not around!" Nile shares the orchestra handbook she uses for her effective classroom management and improvement of her students' skills.
Key Idea: Teach the teachers well and they will teach the students well. Prairie Rose in Alberta, Canada, is a highly effective school district with a professional development program to continually upgrade the effectiveness of their teachers. Entire staffs take our online Classroom Management course together and wind up teaching and reinforcing the same, school-wide procedures and routines. Tips are shared on how to replicate Prairie Rose's success, as well as links to its induction program and the induction programs of seven other school districts.
Key Idea: Assessment for learning sets students up for success. Brad Volkman does something unusual—almost unheard of—in his class. He guarantees his students if they work with him and follow his system of practice and self-assessment, they will not fail his course, no matter how bad they think they are at math. And every single one of them pass his class! The one simple sentence that Brad uses in assessing his students is shared.
Key Idea: If everyone knows what to do, they will do it. We introduce you to four visionary educators who all subscribe to the same mantra, "If everyone knows what to do, they will do it!" These educators have seen the benefits of having successful teachers and know how to achieve a school and district-wide culture of success. The components of success are well documented. And it has nothing to do with programs, money, secrets, or luck. Four education leaders share how they do it!
Key Idea: Successful schools wisely invest in the effectiveness of their teachers. The better the teachers instruct, the more the students will learn. Studies cited consistently state, the more effective the teacher, the more the students will learn. Good teaching matters for student achievement more than any other single education resource. We also know that the first group to benefit from an increase in teacher effectiveness are the lower-achieving students. Money well spent on processes that improve the capabilities of the teachers yields the greatest benefit for the students.
Key Idea: Effective teachers are unique. They do not limit themselves to doing the same things, thinking the same ways, or behaving just like everyone else. Alex Kajitani, 2009 National Teacher of the Year Award finalist, has a unique ability to connect with his students, especially those who have all but given up on school. Lowell Leffler, Deputy Superintendent of the Prairie Rose School District, has developed a unique and effective three year induction program. Successful teachers like these are always on the lookout for good ideas they can adopt and adapt for the unique needs of their specific classroom.
Key Idea: Be a Difference Maker. Just like Melissa Dunbar, she is not satisfied with anything less than a 100% success rate in her students. Melissa chooses to be a "Difference Maker." This means she continually goes above and beyond, working with her fellow teachers, and supporting her students in all aspects of life. She is always on the lookout for new ways to raise student achievement, create a better classroom environment, and be a more efficient and effective teacher.
Key Idea: Positive expectations can change lives. Ruby Hernandez was born into a migrant family. She spent her entire education fighting low expectations. Now as a teacher, she works to empower her students. Ruby stresses the importance of collaboration between the teacher, the student, and the parents. She is a strong advocate for including a child in decisions made in the classroom. She believes students should know that no matter what, you will always be on their side.
Key Idea: Address is not a factor in student achievement. Demographics and culture are not an excuse for poor student achievement. Research shows that how a teacher instructs is 15 to 20 times more influential in student success than family background, income, race, or gender. Marcos Campos knows this. He uses procedures, collaboration, and motivation to gain a 100% pass rate in his classroom. Make a conscious decision to be positive and set high expectations for both your students and yourself. Every child is capable of success.
Key Idea: Consistency and structure equal student success and achievement. Griselda Almonte uses rules, procedures, and routines to achieve a high success rate in a struggling, state controlled school. She calls it her "Stress Free System" because when everybody knows what to do, nobody gets stressed out. She emphasizes that classroom procedures benefit everyone, not just the teacher. If you are a proactive teacher, and not a reactive one, demographics and school situation don't matter. You, too, can be an effective teacher.
Key Idea: A First Day of School Script leads to a successful year. First year teachers Sarah Ragan and Stacey Greene rave about the ease their First Day of School Script gave them. And after a rough start to the year, Nick Saadipour went back and wrote a First Day Script when he realized he had introduced his procedures, but had failed to rehearse and reinforce them. After reintroducing his procedures, he was sure to model each one, discuss the purpose of it, and rehearse it with the class. The rest of the year was a huge success.
Key Idea: Stealing ideas is the mark of a truly effective teacher. EPI is an Alternate Certification Program for people looking to transition into teaching. They embrace the "beg, borrow, and steal" mentality. Each month they hold a Fill Your Toolbox activity night to share ideas and things that work. Ninth-grade teacher George Bartuska's first year was a disorganized mess. But after a workshop where he was able to steal procedures from other teachers, he went back his second year prepared. By introducing his procedures on day one, George was able to successfully introduce his curriculum the rest of the year.
Key Idea: A few simple changes can make all the difference. Jessica Fenton had a difficult first semester of school. Then she discovered that a few simple steps could change everything. She set up classroom procedures and routines, being sure to follow through with how she implemented them. By setting expectations of herself and her students up front, Jessica paved the way to a successful rest of the year.
Key Idea: Teacher induction is necessary to create effective teachers. To simply give a new teacher a mentor will not produce an effective teacher. Teachers must be trained in a well-organized program, with varied activities, and instructors with defined responsibilities. This article shows one example of a top notch induction program. The Flowing Wells School District has an exemplary eight year induction process. They know that effective teachers produce student success. And proper induction produces effective teachers.
Key Idea: A successful school has a Culture of Consistency. A school must have a set of schoolwide procedures that are constant from classroom to classroom. This way, everyone knows what to do, what is happening, and what to expect. At Elite Scholars Academy, Graysen Walles has created a culture of consistency. He set up teams of teachers to share ideas, plan lessons, and tackle problems as a unit. Teamwork, consistency, and procedures have led to an extremely successful and smooth first year for the school.
States and school districts face severe funding cuts. Budgets barely have the money to pay the electrical bill—and professional development is out of the question. But that does not stop you from becoming more effective each year.
You don't need costly in-service speakers to tell you what you need to be doing in your classroom. This archive of columns contains countless examples of effective practices at all grade levels covering a gamut of experiences. The access to these columns is free and the information they contain is priceless. Teachers.net is the best bargain this summer for your professional development. Do what Angela did—Steal from these effective teachers to become an even more effective teacher and happier teacher for your students next school year.


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Welcome to issue 83 of Credit Insurance News Digest. This issue is kindly sponsored by STA International.
Business collapse shows the importance of trade credit cover. Insurance Business has published an article which reports that the collapse of Australian high-profile fashion labels Marcs and David Lawrence can be used by brokers as a way to drive client interest in trade credit cover. Mark Hoppe, Managing Director of the Australian branch of Atradius, said: "Even though it might not be their industry, nearly every business has got a large exposure on their books who they are not worried about because they know their name and they have dealt with them for 20 years." Mr. Hoppe also stressed that uncertainty remains in the trade credit market. In 2016, insolvencies in Australia peaked in the first part of the year and Mr. Hoppe said that businesses without insurance are left scratching their heads when a large supplier fails. "With a name like this [being impacted] it can happen at any time to anyone." To read the article on Insurance Business' website go to http://www.insurancebusinessonline.com.au/au/news/breaking-news/business-collapse-shows-importance-of-trade-credit-cover-230693.aspx.
UK to face the sharpest rise in business failures of any EU economy. According to research by Euler Hermes, UK business failures will rise by 5% (to 20,254) in the next 12 months as the economic slowdown, rising input prices and increased late payment risks begin to take their toll. This is in sharp contrast with the rest of the continent, where insolvencies will fall by 4% in Western Europe and by 1% in Central and Eastern Europe this year. The company's latest Economic Insight, 'Insolvencies: Tip of the iceberg', reveals that this upswing in UK failures will be the first rise in the UK since 2010 and follows a 3% fall in 2016. Valerio Perinelli, CEO of Euler Hermes - UK and Ireland, commented: "The UK will be the only major European country to see a sizeable rise in business insolvencies in 2017. While the economy has remained resilient since the EU referendum, there is already evidence of additional strains on prompt payment in the supply chain." To read Euler Hermes' report go to http://www.eulerhermes.com/economic-research/publications/Pages/insolvencies-the-tip-of-the-iceberg.aspx?postID=952.
Four key risks businesses face without trade credit insurance. Boss Magazine has published an article which describes four key business risks that can be substantially mitigated by credit insurance. These include: the danger of unknowingly trading with high-risk partners; governmental policy changes and natural disasters; international market risk due to regulatory changes, goods confiscation, civil unrest and even the sovereign's willingness to pay. The article stresses that as soon as a business sells its goods to a buyer on credit, it puts itself at risk and suggests that a credit insurance policy can mitigate the risks involved with trading domestically and internationally, regardless of the external factors. "In the absence of firm information to help businesses prepare for crises, credit insurance provides a dependable solution." To read the article on Boss Magazine's website go to https://thebossmagazine.com/key-risks-without-credit-insurance/.
Equinox pursues Brexit contingency plan in Hamburg. The Insurance Insider has published an article, which reports that Equinox Global plans to submit an application to set up a German subsidiary in preparation for Brexit. Equinox Global's CEO, Mike Holley, who was a vocal member of the 'remain' camp in the run-up to the referendum, told The Insurance Insider that his London-based company had, in December, registered a GmbH or limited liability German company to be located in Hamburg. This follows Mr. Holley's comments in a blog in June 2016 in which he advised that when setting up Equinox Global in the UK: "had we known that Brexit was on the cards, perhaps we would have reconsidered choosing the UK as our home domicile." To read The Insurance Insider's article go to http://www.insuranceinsider.com/equinox-pursues-brexit-contingency-plan-in-hamburg. (Subscription required).
Hardening rates boost the Australian trade credit market. An Insurance Business article has reported that the trade credit market is seeing hardening rates, which could be good news for brokers. Mark Hoppe, Managing Director of the Australian branch of Atradius, commented: "The market hardened in the backend of last year and I think that it will continue to do so." With that being said, the market is recovering from a very soft level, and while Atradius increased its rates in Australia in 2015, the rates that were offered in 2016 were still lower than were being offered in 2014. Looking ahead, Mr. Hoppe cautioned that he expects 2017 to be "one of the more uncertain years" that he has ever seen, but stressed that "uncertainty is when you want to be insured." To read Insurance Business' article go to http://www.insurancebusinessonline.com.au/au/news/breaking-news/hardening-rates-to-boost-trade-credit-market-231082.aspx.
Global GDP expected to grow 2.8% in 2017. An article by CPI Financial reports that Euler Hermes expects the world GDP to grow by 2.8% in 2017. Jules Kappeler, CEO of Euler Hermes GCC, commented: "The US is expected to benefit from renewed confidence, hence the world's biggest economy to post 2.4% growth in 2017. Growth in the Euro zone, on the other hand, will likely reach 1.6% as there are some pain points in 2017: elections in France, Germany and The Netherlands, the everlasting Brexit route, and the vulnerability of the Italian banking sector will continue to make headlines in 2017." Mr. Kappeler added that after two consecutive years of contraction, trade growth could recover in 2017 in value terms, above 3.5%, as imports from the US, from Europe and from the emerging world, are on the rise. To read CPI Financial's article go to http://cpifinancial.net/news/post/39323/euler-hermes-global-gdp-expected-to-grow-2-8-per-cent-in-2017.
Overview of trade Credit Insurance in Portugal. Astreos Credit's latest country overview reports that the Portuguese trade credit insurance market has so far failed to reach the €70 million premium high it last experienced in 2009. The market also almost stagnated in 2016 when compared to 2015. The market is dominated by five players: Cosec, CyC, Cesce, with Cosec holding the largest market share with 53.61%. The report also notes that during 2016, Cosec made a huge effort to maintain its client base by means of price decreases and renewal bonus payments. Overall, the forecast for 2017 shows that economic growth in Portugal will remain weak, affected by a fragile government and a delicate banking sector that increases the risk of a credit downgrade. To read Astreos Credit's news release go to http://www.astreos-credit.com/single-post/2017/02/01/Credit-Insurance-in-Portugal.
Lackluster outlook for world trade could be compounded by the resurgence of protectionist measures. Global Trade Magazine has published an article which reports that Coface's latest forecast for the global economy has predicted that following two years of slower world growth, the outlook should improve slightly in 2017 - up from 2.5% to 2.7%. This outcome will be driven by a rebound in emerging countries - with expected 4.1% growth due to recoveries in Brazil and Russia - that will offset the slowdown in China. Advanced countries will see stable growth of 1.6%. Coface also warns that the lackluster outlook for world trade, forecasted at 2.4% for 2017 (compared to an average of 7.0% between 2002 and 2007) could be further compounded by the resurgence of protectionist measures following the US election of Donald Trump. To read Global Trade Magazine's article go to http://www.globaltrademag.com/trade-credit-insurance/coface-country-risk-outlook-2017.
UK businesses advised of new opportunities within growing emerging market economies. Leading economists from Atradius have released their assessment of the world's top emerging markets of 2017. The new economic report reveals that India, Indonesia, Kenya, Côte d'Ivoire, Peru, Chile and Bulgaria are some of the global leading emerging market economies to watch. According to Atradius, these economies have been boosted by higher yields, reduced concern surrounding a hard landing of China's GDP growth and a stabilisation of commodity prices. However, while there are increasingly new opportunities for UK businesses to trade with emerging markets and new global opportunities must be "seized upon", Richard Reynolds, Head of Regional Brokered Sales at Atradius, cautioned that "the key for businesses operating in these new markets is protection. Businesses must be aware of the risks and take positive action to mitigate against them with robust risk and credit management strategies." Click here to read Atradius' news release.
The bleak economic environment has cast a shadow over Brazilian companies' payment behaviour. A new payment survey of Brazilian companies by Coface has found that the majority of companies (58%) observed an increase in their delinquency rates in 2015, compared with 2014. Similarly, in 2016 the survey found that payment experiences had deteriorated in comparison to the previous year for 46% of companies. The survey also found that the majority of surveyed companies (58%) saw the number of clients that filed for Chapter XI soar in the last year, while in 2015, a hike of 5 % was reported compared to 2014. Among those companies that reported an increase in Chapter XI cases, 53% did not see any changes in the client's behaviour prior to the request. Over recent years, Chapter XI has become more and more common in Brazil and is affecting companies of varying sizes and sectors. To read Coface's news release with a link to the full report go to http://www.coface.com/News-Publications/News/First-Brazilian-Corporate-Payment-Survey-2016.
Is the oil market finally approaching balance? Atradius' latest Economic Research has reported that the price of oil bottomed out in early 2016 and, since Q4 2016, has held steady around US$55 per barrel. This has been driven by rising demand, OPEC's decision to curb production, and resilience in the US shale sector. Looking ahead, Atradius predicts that oil prices are expected to stay steady around US$56 until 2018 when demand is forecast to begin exceeding supply, lifting the price more rapidly to US$79 per barrel by 2020. Downside risks stem from a persistent supply glut, either from US policy or OPEC's failure to follow through on the agreement to cut production. To read Atradius' research paper go to https://group.atradius.com/publications/oil-price-update-2017.html.
Growth in most GCC countries is expected in 2017. CPI Financial has reported that Coface's latest global and regional economic outlook has a found that although all GCC countries except Kuwait saw economic contraction in 2016, growth is expected to improve in 2017 across the GCC states - except in Oman and Bahrain. Coface now forecasts that growth is likely to reach 2.5% in the UAE, up from 2.3% in 2016 owing to being more diversified from oil than its neighbouring GCC countries. Saudi Arabia's economic growth is expected to accelerate to 1.8%in 2017 from 1.3% in 2016, and Qatar's economic growth is forecast to be 3.3% in 2017 up from 2.6% in 2016. Kuwait's economy had more than doubled from 2015 to 2016 going from 1.1% to 2.4%. In 2017, the country will grow more and reach 2.6%. In contrast, the Bahrain economy is expected to shrink further to 1.7% in 2017 from 2% in 2016. Growth in Oman will also dip slightly again to be 1.7% in 2017 from 1.8% in 2016. To read CPI Financial's article go to http://www.cpifinancial.net/news/category/economics/post/39420/2017-an-economic-upturn-in-the-face-of-uncertainty.
Forget China or India. The ASEAN countries are the latest hot spot for export growth. ChronicleLive has published an article in which Atradius' Mike Rowan was asked what risk factors businesses heading to ASEAN markets need to consider. He answered that although many of the main risks are very similar to those encountered when doing trade closer to home, political change, instability, succession, weak infrastructure, in-market ethnic differences and the slow pace of economic reforms within these nations also play a role. "The more recent and growing territorial disputes, for example over maritime boundaries, is also a source of concern." Risk issues aside, do the ASEAN countries represent a genuine opportunity for North East exporters? Mr. Rowan believes so, and commented: "With uncertainty surrounding Brexit, the eyes of businesses are being turned to other markets across the globe to consider new trade destinations." To read ChronicleLive's article go to http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/business/business-news/forget-china-india-asean-countries-12572974.
Sompo Canopius to enter trade credit with AIG hires. The Insurance Insider has published an article, 'Sompo Canopius to enter trade credit with AIG hires', which reports that specialty (re)insurer Sompo Canopius has hired a pair of trade credit insurance underwriters from AIG. Insurance Insider understands that Will Clark and Scott Morrison have moved to Sompo Canopius as part of an expansion into trade credit insurance at the Japanese-owned carrier. Mr. Clark was previously head of UK trade credit at AIG. Also moving over from AIG is Mr. Morrison, who will act as Mr. Clark's deputy. To read The Insurance Insider's article go to http://www.insuranceinsider.com/sompo-canopius-to-enter-trade-credit-with-aig-hires. (Subscription required).
Insolvencies in China continue to rise. Atradius' latest country report on China warns that the countries current economic slowdown has led to increasing overdue invoices and businesses requesting longer payment terms – a trend that is expected to continue in 2017. Insolvencies are also expected to rise further after a substantial increase in 2016, as overcapacity and high indebtedness remain an issue in many sectors (especially construction, steel and metals, shipping, mining, paper). While listed and state-owned businesses still benefit from stronger support from banks and shareholders, Atradius advises that more caution is recommended when dealing with small and medium-sized private businesses, as many of them - even those active in better performing industries - often suffer from limited financing facilities. To read Atradius' report go to https://group.atradius.com/publications/country-report-asia-pacific-china-2017.html.
Additional country reports are also available for India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philipines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam at https://group.atradius.com/publications/.
Political Risk Map 2017: Global geopolitical risk concerns for businesses. Marsh has published its latest Political Risk Map 2017 and has warned that recent events in the West (including the UK's Brexit vote and the US presidential election) have the potential to amplify geopolitical risks in 2017. Overall, emerging markets, particularly those in North Africa and the Middle East, show the greatest instability as conflicts, civil war, and socio-economic instability affect Syria, Sudan, South Sudan, The Central African Republic, Yemen, and other countries. Marsh also predicts that there is likely to be continued growth in rivalries between world powers in 2017, such as those witnessed in recent tensions between China, Japan, and South Korea in the South and East China Sea, and in Russia's growing assertiveness in peripheral countries and in Syria. For more information and to see the Map go to https://www.marsh.com/us/campaigns/political-risk-map-2017.html.
US leaves TPP-dashed hopes for industry growth in Asia. Atradius has warned that the US decision to leave the TPP agreement could foretell profound economic and strategic implications for certain Asia Pacific economies and industries. Australia and New Zealand food producers and exporters and service providers would have benefited from increased market access to TPP markets. Japan would have gained better access to the US market, including manufacturing US-bound cars with more parts provided by (cheaper) Asian sources. Vietnam was supposed to be a major beneficiary of a US-led TPP, which would have led to a significant increase in its medium-term growth prospects and it is estimated that Vietnam's GDP would have grown an additional 10% over the coming 10 years. To read Atradius' news release go to https://group.atradius.com/publications/US-leaves-TPP-note.html.
Congratulations to Credit and Business Finance and Nexus CIFS, winner and highly commended respectively in the 'Credit Insurance Specialist of the Year' category at the recent CICM Awards in London. For a full list of all the night's winners go to http://www.cicmbritishcreditawards.com.
Tokio Marine HCC has recruited two new professionals to continue the development of a mid-market and larger turnover portfolio.
Nick Dando has joined the New Business team as a Business Development Executive reporting to Caroline Davies. Mr. Dando has 10 years' experience in the industry, most recently with Euler Hermes in the Major and Strategic New Business team.
Linda Christensen joins Tokio Marine HCC's Customer Relations Department on 13th February 2017 as a Commercial Underwriter reporting to Andy Aldridge. Ms. Christensen has over 20 years' experience in senior customer relations roles and 15 years in credit insurance. She will be responsible for a portfolio of business in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Eire.
Cécile Paillard will succeed Antonio Marchitelli as CEO Mediterranean & Africa Region and will be based in Milan. Ms. Paillard joins Coface after more than 17 years spent with the Axa Group, most recently as Chief Operating Officer for Axa Seguros Brazil and Axa Corporate Solutions LATAM.
Antonio Marchitelli, CEO Mediterranean & Africa Region since 2013, will become CEO of the Western Europe Region. He will be based in the Paris head office. Mr. Marchitelli previously worked with the Axa Group, where he occupied various positions in the Mediterranean and Latin American regions, in charge of implementing growth and profitability strategies, mainly in emerging markets.
Cyrille Charbonnel, CEO Western Europe Region and France since 2013, takes charge of a new group underwriting department comprising risk underwriting, information, debt collection and commercial underwriting.
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Iran Trade Finance Business Briefing 2017, 26 April. London.
With 2017 looking set to be another hugely significant year for Iran, GTR gathers in London to hold its inaugural 2017 Iran Trade Finance Business Briefing.
Following the events of 2016, which saw the January implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal, countless signing agreements and huge excitement concerning the potential provided by a new global market economy, interest levels in Iran have continued, alongside political wrangling and ongoing expert discussions regarding issues such as sanctions and compliance.
With a new US administration potentially signalling further change to the terms of the JCPOA and with Iranian elections scheduled for May, this event provides the perfect opportunity for business professionals to come together to consider the country's future trade prospects, sharing experiences and gaining crucial insight into the opportunities provided by this exciting market. Topics for discussion will include: The view from government - The future of Iranian trade; Experiences of doing business in Iran - What you need to know; Understanding the regulatory landscape (including the impact of sanctions); Bridging the gap - How can you build financing capacity in Iran; Which industry sectors hold the key to fostering Iran's future trade growth? Click here for more information.
Next steps for the UK insurance sector - innovation, regulation and key issues post-Brexit Thursday, 4 May 2017. Central London.
The seminar will provide policymakers and key industry stakeholders with an opportunity to discuss the future for the UK insurance sector.
Delegates will consider the impact of the EU referendum result on the sector, including its implications for the future of passporting, skills, investment and market stability, as well as options for the future of Solvency II and its impact on both stability and competition. Further sessions will focus on latest trends and challenges facing insurers - including the future use of big data and ongoing initiatives to tackle insurance fraud - and will also bring out discussion on how Government policy in areas such as Flood Re and personal injury reform will impact on the future of the sector.
It is also timed to discuss the findings of the Treasury Select Committee inquiry into EU insurance regulation, as well as other ongoing policy developments such as the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) consultations on cyber insurance underwriting risk and the sector's ability to deal with market turning events.
Speakers and other delegates at this conference are expected to be a senior and informed group numbering 120, including Members of both Houses of Parliament, senior officials from HMT, PRA, FCA and other relevant departments as well as representatives from life and general insurance sectors, brokers, business groups, lawyers, consumer bodies, consultants, academics, as well as members of the national and trade press. Click here for more information.
The underwriter has online access to each and every action taken by STA, including a consolidation of a single buyer across multiple policyholders. Simultaneously, the policyholder sees every STA action on each buyer it places for collection, along with collection success dashboard and recovery cost details. With PD claims reduced for the underwriter, cash flow and premium protection maximised for the policyholder, STA provides a win-win solution to the challenges of cash collection.