The Japanese Tea Ceremony Guide

The Japanese Tea Ceremony Guide A Guide to the Japanese Tea Ceremony ChaptersWhat Are the Different Types of Japanese Tea?How Did the Japanese Tea Ceremony Originate?What Happens in a Tea Ceremony?How to Behave in a Chanoyu“You're all late for tea!” - March Hare, Alice in Wonderland4.1 million tonnes of tea are produced globally every year. This equates to 130kg per second. While China is the largest producer of tea, Japan is famous for its tea ceremony.Preparing tea in Japan is an important part of Japanese culture and you need to pay particular attention to it. Respect, humility, and managing your emotions are all important social norms in everyday life and when preparing tea.If you’d like to learn more about the Japanese tea ceremony, we’ve got just the article you were looking for. NanaJapanese Teacher 5.00 (3) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors YukoJapanese Teacher 5.00 (3) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors EllyJapanese Teacher 5.00 (1) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MomokoJapanese Teacher £20/h1s t lesson free!Discover all our tutors MelanieJapanese Teacher £14/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JamesJapanese Teacher 5.00 (5) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PippaJapanese Teacher £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarikoJapanese Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsWhat Are the Different Types of Japanese Tea?Green tea is known in Europe for detoxing, earl Grey is also very popular for its flavour, and there’s also Chinese white tea. Usually, we’ll drink tea from a bag or use real tea leaves and leave them to infuse before drinking it. Unlike what you might think, the teapot doesn’t affect the type of tea. Tea in Japan isn't exactly like tea in the UK. (Source: Free-Photos)In Japan, there’s only really green tea. Of course, there are plenty of different varieties of green tea. The main differences are down the harvest and how the leaves are treated afterwards. Most of the time, the leaves are steamed for a minute to stop oxidation after collection.Sencha: this is the most common type of green tea and is only really available in Japan.Bancha: this is from tougher leaves than those used for sencha. This is the lowest-quality of tea although it’s the second-most popular.,Hoji-cha: this is a very cheap green tea which is heated to 200 ºC before being rapidly cooled. It has a very particular taste.Gyokuro: this is luxury tea in Japan. To guarantee its quality, it’s kept in the shade for 20 days before harvest. The chlorophyll and flavours concentrate in the softest leaves. It’s not very bitter at all because it doesn’t contain many catechins.Matcha: this is the tea used in the tea ceremony. It comes from gyokuro tea. The leaves are reduced to a fine powder.Genmaicha: a mix of tea and roasted popped brown rice.Tamaryokucha: a tea with a fruity flavour.There are many other types of tea consumed in Japan but most of the differences appear during the manufacturing process.How Did the Japanese Tea Ceremony Originate?Before we talk about the origins of the Japanese tea ceremony, we need to talk about the origins of tea. Unsurprisingly, tea originated in China where it was used as a medicine long before it was an everyday beverage. The Japanese tea ceremony originated with Buddhist monks. (Source: sasint)But how did it go from medicine to beverage?Buddhist monks were forbidden from drinking alcohol and to stake awake during their meditation, they would drink tea. Bit by bit, its consumption spread to the aristocracy and then the working classes.Nowadays, tea is part of everyday life in China. In China, most water isn’t drinkable. You need to boil water from the tap before you can drink it. At this point, it’s quite common to add tea leaves or other herbs to add flavour to the boiling water.Tea appeared in Japan in the 9th century and was popularised by the Buddhist monk Eichu. It was first consumed by the Japanese nobility and spread to the rest of the populace during the 12th century. Change can take time.The tea ceremony was influenced by Zen Buddhism and the writings of Lu Yu that mentioned the temperature and utensils used for drinking tea in the 8th century.However, the practice changed a lot between t hen and the 16th century and took on board practices brought in by the samurai and working classes. The philosophy of the tea ceremony was codified by the priest Murata Juko and Sen no Rikyu who developed the key concepts of wa, kei, sei, and jaku.Nowadays, the ceremony isn’t practised a lot in Japan but it’s a symbol of the culture and history of the country. In fact, most Japanese people don’t know the ins and outs of the tea ceremony and will probably only attend one or two of them throughout their lives.What Happens in a Tea Ceremony?If you want to immerse yourself in Japanese traditions and see a tea master conduct a Japanese tea ceremony, you should know what to expect. There's an established order that needs to be followed in Japanese tea ceremonies. (Source: 12019)The ceremony follows a number of specific steps which are always the same. It takes a lifetime of practice and there are even ancestral tea ceremony schools to train tea masters in the art of conducting tea ceremonies.Here are the main parts of the tea ceremony:The preparation: the tea master sends invitations to their guests. They then prepare spiritually for the ceremony by ridding themselves of all thought to be in complete harmony with nature. They also need to clean the house and the tatami. If there’s a meal, they need to prepare it in advance.The arrival of the guests: they also need to prepare themselves for the tea ceremony and leave their worries outside the tea room and wash their hands before they come in. Shoes need to be left outside and the guests cannot enter until asked to by the tea master.Cleaning the tools: the bowls, whisk, bamboo, and spoons all need to be cleaned before the guests arrived in a precise, harmonious, and careful manner.Preparing the tea: whisking the matcha will cause it to foam and froth and release its powerful flavour.Serving the tea: traditionally, only a single bowl is used. It needs to be passed from guest to guest. Sometimes, the tea master will prepare a bowl for each guest.Completing the ceremony: at the end, the tea master will clean their tools in front of the guests. Guests may then be asked to look over the utensils.There are several things you’ll need to perform a tea ceremony. It depends on the tastes of the tea master to arrange the room as they see fit. That said, they’ll need a tea caddy (chaki), a whisk (chasen), a spoon (chashaku), a bowl (chawan), and a pot (kama) that replaces a teapot.How to Behave in a ChanoyuTo make the most of a tea ceremony, you need to prepare. Japanese culture is extremely codified and even as a tourist, you’ll be expected to behave appropriately. Attending a tea ceremony all ows you to learn a lot about Japanese culture and identity. Tea ceremonies are a great escape from some of the busier places in Japan. (Source: sofi5t)You can attend a practice session before going to a tea ceremony. These sessions are designed with non-Japanese tourists in mind and there’ll be an explanation in English.In a tea ceremony, there are usually 4 or 5 guests. Each has a particular role to play, especially the first guest, the shokyaku. Their role will be as a guide or a Japanese person familiar with the tea ceremony. They will communicate with the tea master, the teishu.A few things you should know:Do not enter before being asked.Remove your shoes before entering.Bow as a sign of respect as you enter.Sit in the seiza position (on your knees) where you are told.Do not speak, eat, or drink before being asked to.You must eat and drink everything you are given.Do not smoke.In case of any doubts, do not say anything. Wait until you’re told what to do.You can easily attend tea ceremonies in Tokyo and Kyoto and even in the UK if you want. The tea ceremony is quite simple if you follow the rules.So do you have any more questions about the tea ceremony?If you'd like to learn the language before you go to Japan or a Japanese tea ceremony, you should get in touch with one of the many talented and experienced private Japanese tutors on Superprof. With three main types of private tutorial available, face-to-face tutorials, online tutorials, and group tutorials, there's a solution for every type of learner and budget.Group tutorials are great for those on a budget as the cost of the tutor's time is shared amongst all the students in attendance. While you won't get as much one-on-one time with your tutor in these tutorials, if you and a group of friends are going to Japan and would all like to learn a bit of the language, they're a great option.Face-to-face tutorials tend to be the most effective tutorials because they're tailored to an individual student who'll have the tutor's undivided attention throughout the sessi on. However, with all the extra work the tutor will put into tailoring their tutorials, you can expect to pay more and these types of tutorials are usually the most expensive.Online tutorials are similar to face-to-face tutorials but your tutor won't actually be in the room with you. Thanks to the internet, you can get Japanese tutorials via webcam and they're usually cheaper than face-to-face tutorials. Your tutor might even be in Japan!

The Myths and Truths About Supplemental Essays

The Myths and Truths About Supplemental Essays The following piece was written by Rachel Korn. Rachel has been featured in ourAdmissions Expert seriesand is a former University of Pennsylvaniaadmissions officer, as well as the founder of her own admissions consulting firm. Aside from the required, main college essay, many colleges and universities often ask for at least one more essay or short answer question. Though instructions for these supplemental essays can vary greatly, the essays usually have the general theme of why are you applying to us? The schools want to check that you are sending thoughtful, well-reasoned applications that you are not just throwing an application their way because of their strong name or location near you, for example. How do you write these essays? Here are some myths and facts about them to help you succeed. Myth: I can write one essay and just modify it for all my schools. Fact: Admissions officers know when you do that. Really. You know you have not written a deep enough answer if you can replace the schools name with another schools name and it is still 100% correct. Myth: I have not been able to visit a college due to time, finances, or distance. I cannot possibly know enough to write something strong for these essays. Fact: Not true! You can interact easily with current students via the schools websites, attend college fairs and speak to alumni, or read websites and other materials to successfully get a feel for the schools and then find great, unique reasons why you like them. With proper research, you can get the schools enough without stepping a foot on the campuses. Myth: I can just copy paste from the college website. I can spend five minutes surfing and find a class in my major or a professors name in my field to cite and show something personal about the school. Fact: Admissions officers are not impressed by web-surfing skills. In fact, they expect you to be surfing. They are impressed by the students who dig deeper to say what things actually mean to them. Is that school you want a specialist in your field, or does it send many graduates into the job you may seek after college? Does the school not just have successful sports teams, but strong team spirit and a tradition of campus unity at home games in big stadiums? Is there a special tradition there that you find interesting? What are unique academic or extracurricular programs at that school that match the activities and interests you show in your application? What is the feel of the school that you like? Does it specifically support creativity or intellectuality; is it a particularly liberal or conservative campus; does it have an emphasis on an interdisciplinary education; is it especially diverse or does it have a particularly large number of international students; is it small and community-oriented so you can get to know everybody or is it a large place where you can constantly meet new people? These things go deeper. Show why you like the things you cite. The information should be necessarily unique with each school. Myth: These supplemental essays are not so important I dont have much time and I can just throw some ideas down. Fact: Your admission may depend on these essays! At the competitive colleges at which I worked, my colleagues and I have advocated for wait-listing students whom we loved and thought belonged in the class just because they wrote poor supplemental essays. We would be disappointed, and even a bit angry, because we really wanted to enthusiastically admit the students. Sometimes we did, but sometimes we didnt. How did those students fail? They wrote essays far shorter than the suggested word limits, used interchangeable general ideas that could have applied to many colleges (especially to our competitors and the competitors names may have even appeared in the essays), and used language significantly different from and weaker than the main essays (clearly not spending time editing the supplemental essays). These are all signs that students did not take care to make thoughtful, targeted applications. So, we asked ourselves if these students liked us beyond our reputation. We fought about admitting them. Did such students, even if they were superstars, deserve spots in the class over those who proved they understood us and might be more likely to accept our offers of admission? At the end of the day, remember, admissions officers ideally want to admit students who hopefully will attend. You can prove that they have a shot at you through well-written supplemental essays. As you can see, these essays directly reflect the seriousness of your application. These essays are your one chance to say to the admissions committee, I researched your school and found out that I really like it and would love to be there! They may be the last things admissions officers read in your application, so after the readers fall in love with you, dont leave them on a sour note. Give these essays as much time, attention, and revision as your main essay and give yourself your best chance at admission. Visit RachelsAdmissions Consultingsite. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

Dyslexia Resources a Guide for Parents

Dyslexia Resources a Guide for Parents In a school environment, a child diagnosed with dyslexia can struggle with confidence and self esteem.  The classroom can often be an overwhelming place to learn. For this reason, outside help from a specialist tutor can always be helpful. Susan T is a specialist teacher in Dyslexia (SpLD) with a post Graduate Diploma in SEN (Dyslexia) Here she outlines what exactly Dyslexia is and what as a parent you can do best equip your child to be independent, successful learners. ........ Dyslexia Resources: a Guide for Parents First of all, what is dyslexia? There are many misunderstandings about dyslexia, which can be confusing especially if you are a parent of a child who has been assessed as having dyslexia. Even the term varies! You may hear ‘dyslexia’ , ‘specific learning difficulty’, ‘learning disability’, ‘learning difficulty’ or ‘learning difference’. The word 'dyslexia' actually comes from the Greek and means 'difficulty with words', it affects around 10% of the population and is a life long condition. Most importantly, dyslexia does not affect intelligence. Dyslexia is actually really about how information is processed. That is, how information is taken in, understood, remembered, organized and then how this knowledge is demonstrated. Children with dyslexia can have difficulties at all of these stages and generally, these difficulties can be seen in relation to print. For example, a child may be baffling to teachers â€" they appear bright, articulate and knowledgeable yet cannot produce written evidence to match these skills. Dyslexia can and often does, however, extend beyond the printed word into, for example, difficulties with organization, general ‘clumsiness’, the concept of time, numeracy/ mathematics and sustaining attention. So, how can I support my child? Firstly, some initial considerations. Your child will have good days and bad days â€" be relaxed about this! Progress may not be linear â€" it is important that the trajectory is upward over time, but there will be highs and lows along the way. Consistency with school is recommended therefore finding the right school for your child is crucial. Strategies to help with Reading Practice in reading is important. The reading material can be anything that is going to interest your child. There are many books now available that are ‘high-interest’ that is, the content will be suitable for a 9 year old although the reading age may be pitched at 6 years. Newspapers and magazines are also very useful sources of reading material. ‘First News for Schools’ is a newspaper aimed at children and contains a range of literacy resources at different levels. Remember to always praise your child! - It’s important that your child does not become averse to reading because of the demands it places on him/her â€" ensure the emphasis is on what your child reads correctly rather than incorrectly. You can support your child’s reading development in many ways â€" here are some ideas:  Pre-reading - talk! Use your child’s prior knowledge and experience and discuss what they already know about the text before reading. Here are some suggested questions for pre-reading activities: Who are the main characters? How do you know they are the main characters? What do you know about the characters? Do you know anyone like these characters? How do you think the book/passage will end? Have you read another book or seen a film with a similar story to this book? Looking at the front cover, what do you think the book/article is about? What do you think will happen in the book/article Research suggests that pre-reading discussion is one of the best predictors of a successful outcome in a reading activity. 2. During reading  Decoding Thus is a well-known reading strategy but an over-reliance on this can be demoralizing for dyslexic children as comprehension and reading fluency can become compromised. Context clues. Use any pictures available. Refer your child to the same word that he/she read on a previous page. Use your child’s prior knowledge and experience. Meaning is held in memories, and in the language children use to express what they have experienced.   Reading, therefore, should ‘make sense’ within the context of what they already know or understand, about their world.   Children draw upon meaning when reading. Use syntactic clues (the order of words in a sentence). Language follows certain rules - ‘runs dog the fast’ - does not make sense. Use semantic clues. Good readers develop an expectation that reading about, for example, cats will contact words such as tail, purr, whiskers etc Paired reading â€" basically, reading together! Let your child take the lead when confident and step in when he/she comes across an unfamiliar word that is proving difficult to figure out. Don’t forget, it isn’t wrong to read the word for your child. Strategies to improve spelling Your child will have target words and spelling patterns to practice. Here are some ways you can help at home: 1.Word search Create your own word searches using your child’s target words. Find here a great example by Puzzlemaker 2. Media search     Your child has 10 minutes to look for his/her target words and highlight them in a newspaper or magazine. 3.  Colourful words Ask your child to identify the tricky part of the word and then write it in bold eg s a i l b e f o r e t h e y s h i r t 4.Scrambled words Jumble up the letters and ask your child to spell the word (you can use Scrabble letters) 5.Missing letters Write the word leaving out the tricky part for your child to complete eg b l a _ _ (black) 6.Listen carefully Ask your child to sound the letters in the word for you to write. Has he/she made the correct sound-letter correspondence? 7.  Design a word Write a word in bubble writing and colour in each letter with a different pattern. 8.Mnemonics Eg big elephants can’t always use small elevators (because)  9.Air spelling/Salt box spelling This is a game to play with your child. Ask your child to use his/her index finger to write the word in the air slowly, saying each letter and ‘seeing’ each letter. When the word is finished, ask him/her to ‘underline’ it and say it again. Pour salt into a shallow box/tray (about 3cm deep) and then ask your child to practice writing his/her spellings in it with his/her index finger. ...... If you would like additional help with dyslexia resources  Susan T is available as a tutor on Tutorfair. Alternatively find a  wide range of fantastic  Dyslexia Tutors  on Tutorfair. Check out more Tutorfair blogs here 1. How to Regain Confidence 2. Five Strategies to improve Academic performance

Keys to Success Beyond Hard Work and Intelligence

Keys to Success Beyond Hard Work and Intelligence Improving Academic Performance If you ask a random collection of people what is needed to be successful in school, you’ll probably receive quite a few responses along the lines of “hard work” or “a high IQ.” I would never suggest that one shouldn’t work hard, or shouldn’t always try to continually build their intelligence. But I think there’s mounting research and evidence that hard work and intelligence really aren’t the fundamental drivers of academic, professional, interpersonal/social, athletic, or artistic success. Before introducing four more fundamental keys to success, let’s briefly discuss why hard work and intelligence don’t really lead to success, and might even lead to failure. What’s wrong with “intelligence?” A few points to make here. Over the past thirty years or so, psychologists, educators, neuroscientists, and other researchers have been learning more and more about the brain, cognition, and how skills are developed. As this learning has accelerated, the very definition of intelligence is getting so complex that I’d argue the concept of “intelligence” may be losing its meaning. If you wanted to know how powerful or “intelligent” a computer was, you’d need to think about both its hardware and its software. An extremely powerful computer, with lots of memory and super-fast processing, isn’t actually very useful or productive without the right software programs loaded onto it. Human intelligence works a little bit like that. If you think of each of us as having hardware and software, like a computer, you can then understand the notion of “pure” intelligence as being concerned with the processing power of your brain, the strength of its short and long term memory, etc. Pure intelligence is what most people mean when the say “IQ,” and that’s supposed to be measuring your brain’s “hardware.” The software, then, is all of the knowledge you acquire as you grow up and go through school and life (i.e., math, science, philosophy, how to interact with people, athletic skills, musical ability etc.). And this can thus get very complex. Some research shows that pure IQ can actually increase over time with higher levels of sustained education. Standardized tests like the ACT and SAT and LSAT clearly correlate with IQ, but at the same time can absolutely be prepared and practiced for. Some of us are geniuses when it comes to chess and art, but really struggle with most other academic subjects. Most importantly, when you observe and evaluate other people to assess how “smart” or “intelligent” they are, you can’t see what their “pure” intelligence is, so you have to estimate it based on what they seem to know and how interact with you. But, that’s a function of how much education they’ve acquired, how serious and focused they were during their education, as well as their social skills, passion and curiosity, and ability to communicate. So, the problem is that people that appear to be or are intelligent (by whatever definition you want to use) generally got that way by working hard, being curious, being passionate, paying attention in school, etc. Intelligence is something you build over time and which helps you do things. It doesn’t explain why you are able to do or accomplish things that others haven’t or can’t. Or, from another angle, I think we’ve probably all been in classes or jobs with people who seem incredibly intelligent, but just aren’t that effective or successful. They may have poor communication skills, or spend too much time thinking about theory without taking action. In so many walks of life, intelligence is helpful, but only one of many factors that lead to success. What’s wrong with “hard work?” Hard work is problematic because it can be applied in the wrong ways. And, when this happens, it can even backfire, lead to failure, and decrease motivation. Imagine that you are studying for a math test, and you spend hours and hours reading over the chapters of the math text book. You genuinely put in many hours, and work very hard to pay attention to and digest what you are reading. You really are still very unlikely to do well on a math test, because math skills are best built by doing actual problems, failing, learning, and then practicing again. Also, teachers tend to have their own personal test question writing style, so looking at previous homework assignments, in-class exercises, or quizzes is probably critical as you prepare for a math test. Reading the book seems like a good idea, but isn’t probably all that effective. If you put in a lot of time preparing for your math test by reading the text book, and then you don’t perform well, you may lose faith and motivation. Hard work doesn’t always lead to positive results and success in school. You need to think strategically about where,how, why, and when you are putting in that hard work. What does recent research suggest leads to success? I’ll expand upon these points in a future article, but here are four critical concepts that are fundamental drivers of academic performance and success in business, music, athletics, and life in general. I’ve included links to other blog articles I’ve written on each of these important topics. Adopt a growth mindset â€" people with a growth mindset believe that intelligence is built up over time, much like a muscle. They focus on getting better at things, not at worrying about being good. This leads them towards difficult tasks with an open mind focused on learning and growth. People with a fixed mindset are more focused on evaluating themselves, and see their intelligence more like a fixed trait than a skill to be developed. They end up shying away from tasks at which they aren’t currently good, which then inhibits their ability to learn and grow. Use strategies â€" successful people use strategies in all aspects of their lives. This means they set goals, do research to figure out alternatives ways to reach those goals, make plans, monitor progress, and try to learn from mistakes. This allows them to put in the hard work in the right places. Heidi Grant Halvorson wrote a best-selling book called 9 Things Successful People Do Differently which is all about this topic. Have grit â€" this is a simple one. Research shows that grit â€" meaning you see tasks through to completion and persevere in the face of obstacles â€" does a better job of explaining success in high school and college than IQ or standardized tests scores. Imagine how important grit is when it comes to tasks that aren’t cognitive in nature. I am writing a summary of a book called How Children Succeed which focused on the importance of grit in academic success. Practice deliberately â€" the best way to build skill and become an expert is to work hard in a specific sort of way that some researchers call “deliberate practice.” It involves repetition, pushing yourself to your limits, immediate feedback, and yes, lots of hard work as well. Several of the books featured on MyGuru’s virtual bookshelf are about deliberate practice. If you want to be successful, you should of course place significant value on hard work and intelligence. However, be sure to focus first on understanding and incorporating into your life concepts like the four mentioned above.

February ACT Study Timeline 7 Steps to Success - TutorNerds

February ACT Study Timeline 7 Steps to Success - TutorNerds February ACT Study Timeline From an Orange County Test Prep Tutor The date to sign up for the December ACT has already passed, however, students can still sign up for the February ACT (READ: ACT Tips From a Private Irvine Tutor). Hopefully, most students have already started preparing for the February ACT, but for those who havent, here is a study timeline to help stay on track. One â€" Start with one section at a time Dont attempt to do the entire ACT at one time if you are just starting your studies. Break it up into each section.   Set aside five hours on five different days and designate the first day to an intro lesson, then the essay, the English section, the math section, the science section (READ: Ask a Nerd! Are the SAT and ACT Similar?). Two â€" Give yourself an introduction Spend an hour skimming through your ACT prep book and familiarize yourself with a few important things such as, how The ACT is graded, how to sign up for the ACT, and the basics of test prep. Do a few practice problems in each section and read through the basic ideas of process of elimination in your test prep book. Three â€" Tackle the essay Use the practice problems in your test prep book and write at least one essay. Show this essay to your tutor or to a trusted teacher or friend and ask them to give you honest and upfront feedback. Most students need to write several practice essays prior to taking the actual exam so get started now and plan to write a minimum of three to five practice essays between now and February (READ: Last Minute SAT Study Guide). Four â€" Tackle the English section Take a practice English section after your intro and tally up what your potential score would be. Write down the score and save it for later. Five â€" Move on to the math section Once the English practice test is done, go ahead and complete the math section. Review all of the basic mathematical concepts in the test prep book. The majority of students will already know these concepts and may have learned them several years ago but have long since forgotten them. Six â€" Try out the science section Go ahead and give the science section a try. In reality, this section will mostly be learning how to read charts and graphs but, this is a really important skill to have for the ACT. Once finished with all of the sections calculate a composite score using the directions in the back of the test prep book. Seven â€" Call for help if needed Many students call a tutor a few weeks prior to taking the real exam. Its much more helpful to know ahead of time which sections a student needs help on so it is recommended that students have taken at least one full practice exam, even if they are taking it over multiple days, several weeks in advance of the actual test. Once a student knows what their weaker areas are, they can focus on them specifically and speak with a tutor one-on-one to have a plan of action toward success. Students who are taking the ACT in February dont wait too late to sign up for your Irvine ACT tutor for the first time should plan to start their prep no later than mid December. Most students have at least a week off at the end of December; it is important to make arrangements ahead of time so that the intense tutoring and self-study can start in January. February is not the most popular time to take the ACT but its actually one of the better times to get it over with. Students are relaxed from the Thanksgiving and winter holidays and are usually recharged and able to take an exam without too much stress. Additionally, taking the ACT in February will not interfere with the intense AP study that will follow in April and May. All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at info@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us post about.

Rabat American School

Rabat American School Rabat American School GOVERNANCE AND HISTORY The Rabat American School American School Association. the Association.is a private, nonprofit institution operated by the Rabat All parents who send their children to RAS are members ofThe Rabat American School was founded in 1962 as a K-8 school to meet the educational needs of the children of Americans affiliated with United States government agencies or private companies. The school originally functioned in a villa located near the U.S. Embassy. In 1969, the school moved to its present Agdal site. The original buildings were erected during the tenure of Henry Tasca, United States Ambassador to Morocco, who offered his enthusiastic support to the improvement of the school facilities and the creation of an attractive campus. In January 2019 RAS moved from its Agdal campus to its present location on the Rabat corniche. We are now located roughly ten minutes to the south of the center of Rabat. The school now owns both the land and the purpose-built facilities which include four classroom buildings, an auditorium, a learning commons, a cafeteria and a sports center that includes a gym, indoor swimming pool, weight room and aerobics room. Over the years the school continued to grow and, although the majority of students continued to come from the resident American community, the enrollment began to reflect the growing interest of the international community in Rabat. Today, the Rabat American School offers a strong college preparatory program from Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade. Students may choose to pursue an American-style high school diploma or the International Baccalaureate Diploma. RAS offers a good student-to-teacher ratio, a multi-cultural mix of students, a commitment to standards-based curriculum and purpose-built facilities. A well-trained and committed professional staff join the Board of Trustees and community to provide the best education possible for our children. And we are committed to building upon the expertise of our practitioners to make RAS an educational model for other schools around the world.

Cool Online Courses That Will Also Make You Stand Out

Cool Online Courses That Will Also Make You Stand Out Photo Via: Pixabay.com 1. Gender Women’s Studies One of the more unique courses you can choose is one within the realm of gender and women’s studies. Now more than ever, companies are looking to ensure a certain percentage of annual expenditures go to diverse organizations, which typically means minority or women-owned businesses. With this in mind, a degree in gender and women’s studies is actually beneficial to any organization, especially given the new emphasis that’s placed on corporate social responsibility. So while it may not always seem relevant, these courses allow you to look at the world through a different lens, one that might just set you apart in your business career. 2. Business That all being said, taking courses in business in general is always a good idea. No matter the field you plan to go into, business is always at the forefront, and knowing the interworking of one will only serve you well. Business degrees always read well on an application, and courses in the business field show a potential employer that you’re driven, motivated and educated in the world of business, which will serve you in just about any position you could be applying for. 3. Foreign Languages Now more than over, speaking a foreign language is an asset to an employer. More organizations are looking to global networks to assist them in expanding their offerings beyond national capabilities and having individuals within the company that speak different languages only helps to amplify this goal. One of the most common languages that are beneficial to learn is Spanish, given the proximity of the US to Mexico, but that’s not to say there aren’t other languages an organization would benefit from, such as Mandarin Chinese, which would certainly make you stand out. No matter the language, adding another to your resume is always a good thing. 4. Graphic Design While it may not always seem like it, graphic design is actually a great asset, as most organizations don’t need to hire someone full time in this field, but having someone in-house with the knowledge ends up saving them money (and likely making you more). Graphic design is beneficial in terms of developing new websites, creating logos or simply enhancing the creativity behind marketing initiatives your organization takes on. Putting a new, strong look out there to the world is important for your business, which is why graphic design is a great way to ensure your resume stands out. 5. Coding There are few individuals that can do this, at least a few that aren’t already working for a different organization. For this reason, the candidate pool of coders is relatively small, though they are a huge asset to the organizations they work in. With this being said, having even the smallest coding background is helpful when applying to an organization. Coding is challenging, but useful to companies, and will certainly make your resume shine in front of a hiring manager. 6. Advertising Last, but certainly not least, advertising experience is always an added bonus, and simply taking an online course in it will help you to stand out from the stack of resumes. Advertising is used in every industry, for every business. It’s the way an organization gets their name, their brand and their message out there. It’s everything to drumming up new business and maintaining current business. In taking courses in this field, you’ll not only have a better understanding of what’s required to advertise a business successfully, but you’ll also be able to share fresh ideas with your higher-ups, helping you to stand out from the crowd and, hopefully, help your organization reach new heights, simply with a few tricks and tips from an online course. Again, when choosing online coursework that’s going to make you stand out, you can easily feel overwhelmed. There are so many options available out there, and so many of them that you’ll need to weed through and pass up. For this reason, the above, six, online courses are a great starting point when it comes to beefing up your resume and showcasing your abilities in a way that’s going to ensure you stand out from the crowd. So start researching, use these six courses as a guide and get studying!