Learning, Teaching and Leadership

Have yourself a financially stress-free Christmas

December 2, 2013

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. I have fond memories of mince pies, decorating the tree and home-made gifts. Every year, my Mum would start in the summer to plan and create our gifts. She could knit, crochet, sew and do just about every other kind of craft. She didn’t have sewing machine, but she had a full set of knitting needles, a collection she took years to build.

Back in those days, yarn was not nearly so spendy as it is today. Making sweaters, mittens and gloves was inexpensive and so, it was one of the only ways she could afford to put gifts under the tree. I remember her sending me off to bed as early as possible to give herself more time to work on creating our Christmas presents by hand.

I am ashamed to say that I was sometimes disappointed that I did not receive the gift I wanted. I remember being devastated that I was the only girl in my class who did not receive a Cabbage Patch Kid one year. When I reflect on this, I am ashamed that I pined for these products so selfishly and felt so empty and worthless when I did not receive them.

All this made Mum terribly anxious. Without fail, she would buy a few small things and put them under the tree, but every year the trendiest gifts got more and more expensive and always seemed to be just out of her financial reach. Whatever the most fashionable gift of the year was, the prices always inched up so that a single mom of the working-poor could never have those gifts within reach. Pride and dignity prevailed at all times of the year and accepting hand-outs from friends or charity groups was out of the question. Sleep deprivation was a small price to pay to ensure there was something under the tree on Christmas morning.

As I look back, I can not remember any of the consumer products that I received as Christmas gifts, but I remember every single handmade gift she made me. The effort and love she put into those gifts are what have left me with warm and special memories. She died at Christmas time and my tolerance for consumerism has waned every year since. What I wouldn’t do for one of her hand-made sweaters today!

Here are seven things I have learned about Christmas gifts:

The amount of money spent on a gift is not equal or proportionate to the amount of love in the giver’s heart.
Store-bought gifts take less time than hand-made gifts.
A gesture of kindness, a hand-written card or sincere forgiveness for something that went wrong in the past, are better gifts than anything money can buy.
When the giving comes from your heart, it is more likely to be cherished in the long run.
The best gifts are those that leave us with warm memories.
Spending time to build, create or prepare a gift is often more valuable than spending cash to buy one.
Thoughtfulness and intentionality count. Thinking of what the recipient would deeply enjoy takes effort and a deep focus on the person on the receiving end. Think twice before buying gourmet coffee for the person who does not care for caffeinated beverages.

If you are going to buy gifts this year, here’s a way to lead by example when to comes to putting the spirit of Christmas ahead of the spending:

Set a budget

One of the basics of financial literacy is budgeting. Decide how much you can spend on gifts. Then, figure out who you want to buy gifts for. Allocate a maximum amount of money for each person. Remember to factor in taxes and if you are buying online, remember the shipping costs, too. The amount you spend on all of your recipients combined can not exceed your total.

Gail Vaz-Oxlade has an excellent online worksheet to help you plan your holiday spending: http://www.gailvazoxlade.com/resources/holiday_spending_plan.html

Buy local

Look at where the product is made. If it’s made in your country, or better yet, your province or state, it is more likely that it was made under fair working conditions. Why not support your own local economy?

Support independent businesses and solo-preneurs

Farmers markets, craft fairs and independently owned shops and businesses are just a few of the placed you can find locally-made products.

I was recently told that 70% of all small businesses in Canada are service-based businesses. How about a gift certificate for a house-cleaning or a massage? There are plenty of options for a gift that allows the recipient to feel pampered without adding more to the landfill.

Remember that Christmas is not about how much money you spend on others, but offering letting the love in your heart shine towards those whom you hold dearest to your soul. A gift can come in many forms, but best are those that leave you with warm memories to hold on to long after the gift itself has gone from your life.

For those of us who work in the literacy field and are advocates of literacy, it is up to us to lead by example when it comes to responsible spending during the holidays. So have yourself a financially literate Christmas and focus on sharing laughter and love this holiday season.

5 Festive ways to say Happy Holidays! to your favorite teacher http://wp.me/pNAh3-151

Top 10 affordable and unique Christmas gift ideas for teachers http://wp.me/pNAh3-1xD

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

Comments Off on Have yourself a financially stress-free Christmas | leadership | Tagged: Christmas, gifts | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Job Posting: Marketing and Recruiting Manager for Prestigious English Language Program

October 29, 2013

When I wrote the first edition of 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program in 2002 one of the language program directors I interviewed for the book expressed disgust at the very idea of the book, saying that the idea of integrating marketing into educational administration was “blasphemous”.

That was at a time when language program managers had no training, no resources and no budgets for marketing. Many of them still don’t.

Since then I have kept my focus on marketing of language programs of all kinds as part of my career. From heritage language programs to TESL to modern world languages, they all have a place in our classrooms, our communities and yes, even the business world. I created www.marketyourlanguageprogram.com where I offer almost all the resources that I have created over the years for free.

In 2009 I wrote my doctoral thesis on marketing of ESL programs at post-secondary institutions. My supervisor liked that I had an innovative topic in an area that had yet to be researched by anyone (anywhere), but warned me that it might not get me a job. (As it turned out, things have worked out just fine.)

Recently, Georgetown University posted a job for

Manager, Marketing for Recruitment.

You can check out the job description here. The position involves recruiting qualified American English teaching professionals for the English Language Fellow and Specialist Programs. The programs, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, send American teachers around the world to teach English. The jobs are affiliated with and supported by local embassies. What a cool program.

It’s not super clear, but just so it’s forever captured as a graphic, here’s a screen shot of the job posting:

Slowly, enlightened organizations are beginning to see that marketing our language programs is neither blasphemous nor futile, but rather necessary if we want to endorse, promote and share the importance of learning languages on a global scale. Marketing is serious business. It is unlike any other facet of educational administration or language program management. If we want to get serious about not only saving our language programs, but elevating their importance, we’ve got to go beyond putting up posters in the hallways of our schools to advertise the newest language class, and instead take a professional and strategic approach to recruitment, complete with market research, using metrics to track results and understanding how to demonstrate the concrete impact of language learning to funders, stakeholders and others in our communities.

When prestigious institutions like Georgetown University start creating positions called “Manager, Marketing and Recruitment” for their language programs (and it’s supported by the U.S. Department of State) other schools are sure to follow.

Does your institution have a marketing manager for its language programs?

If not, what are you waiting for?

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

Comments Off on Job Posting: Marketing and Recruiting Manager for Prestigious English Language Program | 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program, branding, education, ESL, language program administration, languages, second languages, target market | Tagged: 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program, consultant, educational administration, Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), educator, EFL, English Language Fellow, ESL, Georgetown University, language programs, marketing, marketing manager, recruiting, recruitment, Sarah Eaton, Sarah Elaine Eaton, TEFL, TESL, TESOL, U.S. Department of State | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Eloquent is the new sexy

October 25, 2013

Glenn Hetrick: Long-hair, tattoos and a literary vocabulary so big you’ll be gob-smacked.

I have noticed a scintillating trend in entertainment lately. From Glenn Hetrick, judge on Syfy Network’s TV show, Face Off, to social critic comedian, Russell Brand, there’s a new kind of sexy hitting the screen: Eloquence.

It is not board-room, corporate speak jargon, but real English. It is the use of verbs more interesting than “get” and “have”. It is sentences replete with subordinate clauses that are artfully woven together. It’s linguistic prowess at its best.

Hetrick critiques the work of make-up artists competing on a reality show. In a YouTube clip that shows Hettrick offering formative evaluations to competitors, Hetrick’s feedback succinct, precise and pithy. The summative feedback he offers at the end of every show is articulate and poignant. Unlike other TV show judges, Hetrick avoids profanity and F-bombs. He cuts straight to the heart of the matter without ever being vulgar.

Brand weaves words like “vitriolic”, “indefatigably”, and “litigious” into his interviews with anti-gay guests on his TV show, all while he mocks the infantile language shown on the placards brought in by his guests. Brand peppers his eloquence with blue collar vernacular such as, “Bloody ‘ell!” and the occasional “ain’t”.

Neither Hetrick nor Brand are Oxford-educated, wear suits or show any signs of being pompous. Instead, they are “men of the people”, with a healthy dose of rebel in them. They are raw, real and compassionate with in-your-face honesty. They go against traditional conventions in terms of their image. Sporting tattoos and long hair, both have an air of being unapologetically subversive. These men exude sexiness because they know who they are and what they stand for.

One thing they stand for is eloquence. Not only do they consistently use proper grammar, they both have the ability to create verbally majestic sentences when they speak. Their language is lyrical and fluid, flowing naturally from one phrase to the next. Their delivery is powerful and compelling. We listen to them and we want to hear more.

I am fascinated by these examples of linguistic elegance. That kind of loquacity takes years to develop. Their language is a cultivated as any Ph.D., but without any hint of being pretentious.

There’s a new kind of sexy on the screen. It is man with a staggeringly large vocabulary — who knows how to wield it.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

Comments Off on Eloquent is the new sexy | languages, Literacy | Tagged: eloquence, Face Off, Glenn Hetrick, language, Russell Brand, sexy, vocabulary, words | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

What’s the difference between a citation and a reference?

October 18, 2013

There are certain things no one tells you (usually) when you are a university student. You are just expected to know them. When you learn them, suddenly it is as if you are part of an inner circle of respected peers who accept you… but you are not really sure how you got there. The devil is in the details. What sets rookies apart from experts is deep knowledge of details and sublties that others overlook or gloss over. Knowing the difference between a citation and a reference is one of those subtle details that moves you from the category of “novice researcher” to “respected researcher”.

It’s one of those things that you don’t really need to know — until you really want to be taken seriously among a group of experts. It’s akin to car buffs who know the difference between a supercharger and a turbocharger. Unless you are a “gear head” you don’t need to know. But if you want to be taken seriously in that social circle, you might be shunned if you didn’t know.

Regardless of your field, one key element that sets the experts apart from everyone else is their understanding of details in various elements of our work.

For students and scholars, once of these subtleties is knowing the difference between a citation and a reference:

Citation

A specific source that you mention in the body of your paper. The format of the citation may change depending on the style you use (e.g. MLA and APA) and the way that you weave the citation into your writing, but the basic elements of the citation that you need to include are:

Name of the author(s)
Year of publication
Page number or page range

If you quote a source directly you must include the exact page number in your citation or it is incomplete.

Sarah Elaine Eaton, speaker, presenter, keynote, technology, social media, Calgary, Canada, educator, education, professional development

References

This is a list of the the sources you have cited. The references come at the end of your paper. In APA style, this is not a list of “works consulted”. Every source that is listed in your references also needs to be cited in the body of your paper.

Every source listed in your references should be accessible by others who read your work. Think of it as a trail of breadcrumbs that you leave for readers to show them where they can go to find the original source material for themselves.

In APA style, not all work that is cited necessarily goes into the references. For example, personal communications get cited in the body of your paper, to show the reader that you have a source for your information. But if the reader can not track that source as a primary document (because, for example, the information is contained within a private e-mail between you and someone else), then it does not go into the reference list.

Alert! It is not very common that sources are cited but not referenced. Use sources such as personal communications sparingly, if at all. The more credible sources you have in your references, the better quality your work will be perceived as having.

In general, there should be an exact match between the sources you cite in the body of your paper and those that appear in your references.

The actual books, articles and other materials you consult are called your sources of information. You need to know how to cite and reference all your sources correctly.

Now you know one of the subtle differences of of terms used in scholarship that sets apart the experts from the rookies. When you use the terms correctly, those who know will quietly nod their head and accept you a member of the scholarly community.

How to Get Your Academic Article Published in a High Quality Journal – https://drsaraheaton.wordpress.com/2024/01/02/how-to-get-your-academic-article-published-in-a-high-quality-journal/

What is the difference between a thesis, a dissertation and a capstone project? https://drsaraheaton.wordpress.com/2018/02/06/what-is-the-difference-between-a-dissertation-a-thesis-and-a-capstone-project/

Self-Plagiarism: Publishing Works Based on a Thesis or Dissertation – https://drsaraheaton.wordpress.com/2024/01/28/self-plagiarism-publishing-works-based-on-a-thesis-or-dissertation/

What’s the difference between a citation and a reference? https://drsaraheaton.wordpress.com/2013/10/18/whats-the-difference-between-a-citation-and-a-reference/

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Update – February 2024 – This blog has had over 3.6 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

Comments Off on What’s the difference between a citation and a reference? | education, research | Tagged: citation, difference, how to, reference, research, scholar, university | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

In Quebec, kippahs are out, but swastikas are OK

September 11, 2013

There have been very few times I have been ashamed to be Canadian, but today is one of them.

The provincial government of Quebec is institutionalized its vision of a secular society and “state neutrality”. It has produced its own “Charter of Values” that prohibits all public servants from wearing religious symbols or dress while at work. For example, female Muslim teachers can no longer a hijab to work. Jewish men who work as public servants may no longer wear a kippah. This poster shows what is and is not acceptable in Quebec workplaces:

On the top row you can see the approved “non-ostentatious” symbols that recognize “Quebec heritage”, including a small cross or a discreet Star of David. So, Christian and Jewish symbols are OK, as long as they are not too obvious.

But clothing is out. Turbans, hijabs and kipphas all have to go.

Note the distinct lack of the swastika in the poster. The Quebec government might say those are OK, because they are not a religious symbol. The message seems pretty clear: Fanaticism might be tolerated, but showing that you believe in a non-human supreme being is not. Of course, the Quebec government has not explicitly said, “Yes, please wear a swastika to work”, but by not adding it to its list of “unacceptable symbols” the permission seems implicit, no?

This new “Charter of Values” has made international news and has Canadians up in arms. This CBC news article says that support for the Quebec government’s new policy is growing, however.

Journalists such as Steve Murray have parodied the new policy, suggesting that perhaps hockey jerseys should also be outlawed. After all, we would not want fans of the Montreal Canadiens offending those who believe strongly in the Toronto Maple Leafs. Can you imagine the riots that might break out at the local Tim Hortons if people went after one another for wearing a jersey from the wrong team? You might spill your double-double. (For my non-Canadian readers, that is Canadian-speak for a cup of coffee with two lumps of sugar and two helpings of cream).

Another, Canadian-born journalist, Fariha Naqvi-Mohamed offers a brilliant response to the Parti Quebecois in her Huffington Post Op/Ed.

What gets me is that this dress code does not seem to have been thought through. We have a national Charter of Rights and Freedoms that trumps (or should trump) what happens on a provincial level.

It’s not that I don’t think there should be a dress code at work. Safety and social decorum are two sensible reasons to have a dress code. People who work in an environment where the risk of injury might increase if your hair gets in the way, well, they should have to tie it back or tuck it under a cap, for example. That’s just common sense. Likewise, there’s no need for public servants to wear bathing suits, hot pants or pasties to work. That sort of attire is more suited for work outside the public sector. That’s also common sense.

But banning religious symbols and particular pieces of clothing in the hopes of creating a secular society? Really? Didn’t the former Soviet Union try that and fail? Miserably?

As I mentioned earlier, people holds lots of beliefs that have nothing to do with religion… Those are still OK, though? You can believe in aliens or racial supremacy or child labor and that’s all OK?

Mind you… Quebec is the same province that was able to pass a law banning businesses from posting any signage in English, in order to promote the French language. (Equally silly, in my humble opinion.) They seem to have carte blanche to do whatever they please and we’ll let them do it because, well… they’re Quebec.

Hopefully, Quebecers will remember that we still live in a democracy and they get to elect their leaders.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

Comments Off on In Quebec, kippahs are out, but swastikas are OK | education, leadership, Multiculturalism | Tagged: multicultural, Quebec, secular | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Learning, Teaching and Leadership