As you start your first year as an elementary school teacher, on the top of your list of things to do should be, “Get to know the support staff.” That is anyone you will call on for help during the year. Of course the principals are important, but who are you going to call when the toilet overflows or a student gets sick in the middle of class? Who is going to prepare the lunch you will buy or make sure you have enough tables and chairs for all of your children? Who is going to get you a sub when you have to call in sick? Those people can make or break your year. You don’t have to bake them cookies, although they would enjoy them; just introduce yourself and say hello during the day. It is amazing how helpful someone can be when they feel appreciated.

Always have the names and contact numbers of your students’ parents at your fingertips. This can be easily accomplished with an index box and note cards. Place each of the students’ names, addresses, birthdays, contact numbers, bus numbers and allergies or medicines on their respective cards. When you need any of this information, all you have to do is grab your box and not a huge file.

Make your own classroom files. The ones in the office are filled with all of the important and official records. The ones that you keep in your classroom can be less formal. Keep examples of work and test grades. Always keep copies of notes you have sent home. Then keep the response. Keep a copy of formal and informal yearly assessments. All of this stuff can be used during parent-teacher conferences.

Label all of your personal belongings. You don’t want to get your things mixed up with things that belong to the school. Plus, if you let someone borrow your materials, they will know to whom they should return them.

Keep a box or desk drawer with emergency supplies; flashlight, hairbrush, lotion, screwdriver, hammer, etc. You want to be able to take care of the simple things without having to wait.

Devise a filing system. When you make or find something that is good, file it away for next year. If you teach the same grade each year, your system could be based on weeks. Number your files week 1, 2, etc., and put what you do week by week in them. You can also file according to months or seasons. It does not matter how you do it. What matters is that it gets done and that you can understand it.

Do the same thing with your books. Shelve them so you can find what you need easily. Alphabetical order by author or title always works. You can also shelve by topics or reading levels. Using tubs is a good way to keep books in order. Label each tub with the type of book that you or a student will find inside. Make a running list of all of the books you have and the way you are shelving them. This will help you keep track of them and know where to look when you need one.

Collect copy paper boxes, and use them to store monthly materials. Label each box with the month, and only put things for that month inside. For January’s box, you might put that month’s bulletin board boarder, winter decorations, pictures, wall hangings, and paper snowflakes.

Have a set of mailboxes for student work. Instead of trying to send home papers every day, do it once a week. Designate a day when all work will be sent home. Make sure you use the same day each week. Give each student a folder, and have them check their mailbox on the assigned day. Send only important papers or notes home on a daily basis. Inside the folder, label the pockets, “Keep at Home, Return to School.”

The more organized you are in your classroom, the easier your year will be. Save what you know you will use again and get rid of the rest.

There’s a lot you’re going to learn from your broker and mentor agents after you start to work. But to get that license, focus on study materials and resources that are designed to “pass the test”.

Be selective in taking advice. If you’re going to ask other agents what they remember of the test, ask those that took their exams in the last few months. Memories falter and tests change, so at least get the most current advice you can.

Check exam training book dates. Again, tests change over time with business change and to make this passing on of questions and answers more difficult. Look for published study guides that are current.

Learn for the test. You’ll have lots of time after you have your license to expand your knowledge and expertise. Focus now on locating study materials or courses that are designed for “passing the test”. If you’re considering a pre-exam prep course, find out their first-time passing success rate. Some offer free re-training if you fail the first time around.

Read it, know it, or skip it. Good test-taking practice is to answer the questions you know, while not getting bogged down time-wise on those that you’re not sure about. Many are given on computers now, and they usually make it easier to mark and come back to skipped questions. If you know it, answer it. If you’re not sure, move on. It may surprise you how a related question further along in the test will help you with the answer to one that you skipped.

The old stand-by advice still works. The tried-and-true advice to get a good night’s sleep and arrive early and fresh still applies. It’s rare that the midnight oil helps if it’s the midnight before the test.

Studying a foreign language can be fun and frustrating at the same time. Most of us don’t mind learning to speak another language when we are motivated to do so by a good reason, such as necessity, travel, or someone we know.

People born in another country who want to learn English generally have good reasons for wanting to do so. Some of them plan to move here or have immigrated already, while others know that English is the primary language of international business.

If you want to help a non-native person learn to speak English, here are some easy ways to help him or her:

1. Practice informal conversation skills. Most people who are trying to learn English are eager to speak the language with a native. They will try out a few words or an expression, hoping to make a good impression and draw you into conversation so they can learn more. If that happens, speak naturally but distinctly so that the person can understand to the best of his or her ability. Use basic conversational words while avoiding slang or regional expressions, which the non-native may not know.

2. Offer help with grammar drills. If the non-native person is not already in an English class, you may want to write out a few basic grammar drills. For example, write a verb at the top of a page, and below it, conjugate the verb’s usage with all the singular and plural persons of speech:

To Talk:

I talk

you talk

he or she talks

it talks

we talk

they talk

Repeat each expression, encouraging the other person to say it after you.

3. Suggest television viewing. Thirty-minute weekly television programs are helpful because they set up a situation that is ongoing and easy for the viewer to follow in terms of understanding context and learning names. If possible, watch the show together and point out characters’ names, along with basic traits or actions in simple terms the non-native speaker can follow. Try to discuss the show afterward, beginning with easy phrases or comments:

“Funny, wasn’t it?”

“Did you like it?”

4. Pass along newspapers and magazines to read.

Even if the person has limited English skills, becoming familiar with the shape of English letters and print of common words will help the non-native begin to identify them. If you have time, point to a word or sentence and pronounce it, encouraging your friend to say it after you.

5. Visit public places. Go shopping, see a museum, stop by the park, or take the bus in order to experience new sites together. Use simple expressions to name or describe each location or main features. Your friend will begin to learn these as you say them, and the time spent together will hopefully prove mutually enjoyable.

In addition, you can recommend that your friend look up English grammar skills on the Internet, or pick up a grammar guide at the bookstore. Many of these are geared to people from other cultures. Remember to be patient, and consider referring your friend to the local International Institute or other agency that provides free or inexpensive English classes or tutoring.