Study Tips from Pope Benedict XVI - Private Tutoring

Study Tips from Pope Benedict XVI BobbiM Mar 4, 2013 We all know that Pope Benedict XVI (aka, Joseph Ratzinger) recently resigned as the Pope of the Catholic Church. Apparently, the last Pope to resign was 600 years ago. The world went up in arms of hearing the news. All of that is interesting and all, but what I really cared about is this:  What can we learn about study habits and routines from Pope Benedict XVI? Are there actually study tips from Pope Benedict we can learn from? A Day in the Life of Pope Benedict XVI So what exactly does the Pope do all day? Im sure youve asked yourself this before; or maybe not. Regardless, its a good question or at least its a half interesting one. FYI: As an aside, Pope Benedict speaks several languages fluently including German, Italian, French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. But, wait, theres a point to all of this. What if we can actually learn something about learning to study, learning how to learn, and something about self-discipline from the Popes daily schedule? Lets see. Heres his daily schedule as reported by Time Magazine: The Popes day begins at 7 a.m. with Mass; one hour later breakfast is served. At 9 a.m. the Pope goes into his private study, the one where he recites the Angelus prayer every Sunday, speaking from the window overlooking St. Peters Square. He does his work in the study, where another consecrated laywoman, Birgit, helps him in her role as secretary and typist â€" she can read Benedicts tiny handwriting better than anyone else. Following Birgit in the study is Gänswein, the Popes secretary, to discuss the days agenda. Typically, the Pontiff works until 11 a.m., when audiences, or meetings, begin. At 1:15 p.m. lunch is served, with the secretaries and the memores sitting at the table with Benedict. After a brief stroll in the roof garden, the Pope rests, to return to his private study at 4 p.m. He says the rosary and then resumes his work. After a prayer, dinner is served at 7:30 p.m., in time to watch the 8 p.m. newscast on RAI, the Italian state broadcaster. An hour later, the Pope says good night and retires, though he works some more before going to sleep. Lets glean some the nuggets that might help you frame your schedule for success. Study Tips from Pope Benedict The Pope wakes up early: This is key. When you attack your day by waking up, becoming alert and sensitive to the world around you, you senses can take in more information and you are sensitive to stimuli. This means you can learn better from lectures, books that you read, and also from experiments that you run. Pope Benedict Eats Breakfast: Crazy, I know, but part of attacking your day is to wake up to it and then arm yourself with the energy and nutrients you need to be successful. This means you should eat a healthy breakfast. The Pope Takes Time for Self Reflection: The Pope takes time to think, reflect, self evaluate, and to offer worship to God. Regardless of your religious affiliation, taking time to reflect and to think alone will help you be successful in your day. Pope Benedict is Social: Human interaction no, not through social media but actual human interaction, is critical to having a successful day. Humans are social creatures and sociality will help you in your study habits by sharpening your ability to take in outside stimuli. The Pope Rests: Pope Benedict XVI rests his mind and body during the day. This is important to regenerate yourself for the remainder of the day. Pope Benedict Works Hard: He does. Im not sure exactly what that work entails, but he works until 8 PM. That shows dedication and also self-discipline. The Pope Goes to Bed at a Decent Hour: As important as waking up early is to go to bed early. When you are able to close your eyes, turn off your brain, that gives your mind and body a chance to recover and to heal and sets you up for success the next day. Now, lets talk about you. As you look at your personal schedule, does it resemble the Popes day? If not, is there something you can learn from how he attacks his day? Would making modifications to your day help you be successful? Give it a shot. You have nothing to lose, but a ton to gain.

Will having a criminal record stop me from teaching abroad

Will having a criminal record stop me from teaching abroad Wondering whether a conviction is a barrier to teaching abroad? Keep reading to find out! Can I teach English abroad with a criminal record? No one is perfect. In fact, as humans, we’re all fundamentally flawed. We all make mistakes. If you’re reading this, it’s likely you made a mistake in the past that has, unfortunately, resulted in a criminal record. If you do find yourself in this position, you might be concerned about how this could affect your prospects as a teacher overseas. It’s definitely not all doom and gloom, so there’s no need to stress. Where you’ll run into trouble are visa restrictions imposed by countries barringanyonewith a criminal record from obtaining a work permit. Although blanket exclusions are relatively few and far between, some countries and employers may always be off limits to you unless you can get the offense expunged from your record (more on that below). Despite this, there should still be more than enough options open to you to travel and teach abroad. The first thing to bear in mind is that, nowadays, most government programs, international schools and ESL companieswillcheck your personal information against national criminal databases. Popular countries to teach in Asia, likeJapan,China,South Korea,Thailand,TaiwanandVietnam, for example, all conduct background checks on anyone looking to obtain a visa to teach there. Criminal record checks are also common practice for both certified and ESL teaching jobs throughout the Middle East. However, this doesn’t mean that having a criminal record automatically disqualifies you from any teaching jobs in these places. More often than not, it’s not so much a question ofwhetheryou’ve committed a criminal offense in the past, but whichkindof criminal offense. The guidelines for which crimes will prevent you from teaching will vary from country to country, as well as from employer to employer. Minor or non-serious offenses such as misdemeanors probably won’t keep you from landing that teaching position. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that you will likely in the running alongside other candidates with similar credentials who do have a clean record. In these cases, it really comes down to your potential employer’s personal judgment and that’s ultimately something that’s out of your control. In general, however, there tends to be a higher level of understanding for bad choices made when you were a teenager or in college. Most of us can remember the questionable decisions we made in our younger years. As a result, some employers are more likely to look past something that can be chalked up to youthful indiscretions, such as underage drinking, marijuana possession or shoplifting, if their perception of you is otherwise positive. But serious felonies (like murder, sexual offenses and domestic violence) are likely to be hard-and-fast dealbreakers. Teaching in Asia with a criminal record. One salient point to bear in mind is that popular English teaching government programs likeEPIK in KoreaandJET in Japanwill typically screen out applicants with a criminal record. Similarly,HESS, the largest private language institution in Taiwan, do not employ applicants without a clean criminal record. Maybe you’ve heard anecdotes of a friend of a friend who was able to land a job teaching at ahagwonin Japan or at an ESL language center in China in the past with a criminal history. However, as competition for English teaching jobs in Asia continues to heat up, even smaller ESL schools are setting more rigorous background check policies that prospective candidates will need to abide by. What about teaching in Japan with a criminal record? It really depends on whether your offense was a felony or misdemeanor. TheJET program websitestates the following: ”A criminal record will not necessarily disqualify you [from teaching with the JET program]. However, the seriousness of the crime will be taken into consideration and a final decision will be made whether or not you will be offered a position on the program.” A little vague, but a teaching job with JET is not necessarily out of bounds. And while theSpecialist in Humanities visa(the work permit of choice for English teachers in Japan) does not require applicants to undergo a criminal background check, hiring schools in Japan may still ask for it and reject your application, depending on the severity of the offense committed. Can I teach in Korea with a criminal record? A national criminal record check is required as part of the E-2 visa for teaching in Korea. At present, the country has adopted a zero tolerance policy when it comes to applicants with a criminal conviction. This means, more than likely, Korea is off the cards as a potential teaching destination. Can I teach in China with a criminal record? While you might still be able to teach English in China with a misdemeanor charge on your record, having been convicted of a severe crime (especially against a child) is a surefire bar to obtaining aZ visa. Getting a visa to teach in China with a Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) or Driving under the Influence (DUI) conviction is also highly unlikely. And as much as we hate to break it to you, a DUI will also prevent you from getting a visa to teach in Asian countries such as Japan and Thailand, as well as throughout the Middle East. Which brings is to your next point: Sign up to Teach Away today for access to the latest teaching jobs around the world. Where can I teach English abroad with a DUI? A DUI shouldn’t count against you when it comes to getting a work permit Europe or Latin America. With the exception of international schools in the region, criminal background checks aren’t requested as frequently here - especially for ESL teachers hired as independent contractors within private tutoring centers. I have a criminal history but I still want to teach abroad. What should I do? Your first step should be to request a national or federal criminal record check. If a past conviction does show up, then it may be worth checking with a lawyer on whether it’s possible to have the charge expunged from your record. This may be a possibility if you committed a relatively minor offense many years ago, although there are no guarantees with this route. Note: US teachers can request aCriminal Record Check through the FBI. Canadian teachers can request aCertified Criminal Record Check from the Royal Canadian Mountain Police. Irish teachers can request aPolice Certificate from the Gardaí. Australian teachers can request aNational Police Certificate from the Australian Federal Police. New Zealand teachers can request aCriminal Record Check from the New Zealand Ministry of Justice. Quick word of warning: You will be required to get your background check authenticated or Apostille-certified. For obvious reasons, we don’t recommend any attempts to forge your criminal record check (or using a fake identity) in an attempt to game the system. Embarking on an international job search isn't easy, and it can be especially intimidating if you have a background that is less than favorable. But a criminal record doesn’t necessarily have to stop you from pursuing your dream job teaching abroad.