HIGHLIGHT MONDAY: Educationtipster Blog

Kathy Stemke is the author and educator behind Educationtipster, a great blog aimed to help parents and teachers through book reviews, movement activities and great tips!

Kathy has a passion for all things creative, including writing and the arts.  She has a B.S. from Southern Connecticut State University and Covenant Life Seminary, as well as graduate coursework from New York Institute of Technology and Columbia University.

As a freelance writer, Kathy has published several articles.  She is a contributing editor for The National Writing for Children's Center.  Kathy's first children's book, "Moving through All Seven Days," came out in 2009.  She has many more books coming out this year!

Kathy uses her talents in her blog to help her readers.  One great example of how she give great advice can be found below.  Click on Read More below for an example of Kathy's blog posts...

INTERVIEW FRIDAY: Photographer Kristen Duke

We're excited to have Kristen Duke (pictured above) from Kristen Duke Photography as our interviewee today.  Her photographs are beautiful and impressive and the insight that she gives below is a must read for anyone interested in pursuing photography.  Enjoy examples of her photography throughout the interview!  Thank you Kristen!

Interview Questions: 

Q.  Please tell us about yourself and what people, influences, events or desires led you to your profession.

Photography has always been a passion of mine.  I love people and I love capturing pure emotion.   In high school, I learned how to develop film in the darkroom, and I'm grateful I have that history with film/print as it helps me in my digital darkroom.   My husband and I have 4 children, and we’ve been in North Austin for nearly 8 years.  

Early on, I tried the backdrop/studio setup and it just wasn’t my thing. It felt too stiff, too constricting. I love the versatility of outdoor or in-home portraits. Plus, I think the natural sunlight is the most beautiful light.  You will very rarely see me using a flash.  

To read more of Kristen's interview and more examples of her beautiful photography click on READ MORE below...

ADVICE WEDNESDAY: Are You a Personal Transformation Tortoise or Hare?

by JONATHAN 
(Repost from http://advancedlifeskills.com/blog/ )

When it comes to making transformations in your life, what approach do you favor? Do you like to rush right in and shake things up, or do you prefer to ease into it at a slower pace?

Both of these approaches to personal transformation can produce good results. However, understanding and using the one that actually works for you can greatly increase those results. Let’s take a closer look at these two techniques.

To continue reading click on READ MORE below...

HIGHLIGHT MONDAY: Successful Teaching Blog

I came across Pat Hensley's blog Successful Teaching when looking for quality sites by and for teachers.  This blog is full of great information, strategies and ideas for all grades and all types of teaching.  Pat taught special education for 30 years and now teaches graduate courses at Furman University.  In 2006 she was chosen as Teacher of the Year- which is quite the accomplishment!

Check out her great insights and if you have any any desire to be a teacher or are a teacher and needs some ideas- be sure to check out her blog.

Click on READ MORE below for an example of a blog post on Successful Teaching:

INTERVIEW FRIDAY: Portrait Artist Mike Theuer

The best way to introduce our Artist is by letting you see this video of him in action!

Interview Questions:

Q.  Please tell us about yourself and what people, influences, events or desires led you to your profession.

A couple of things propelled me into being a portrait artist online.  The first was ability.  Although I never majored in art, I've always had a strong ability.  Not the greatest though.  When I started this business in 2007 my portraits were a little sloppy.  Luckily I have improved with practice since then!  Second thing that got me into an online art job was time.  I'm the stay-at-home parent for our three boys.  Now all three are in school, the oldest in middle school.  So I had time during the day.  I didn't want to go out of the home to work.  So, I found something I could do at home!

Read the rest of Mike's interview by clicking READ MORE below...

ADVICE WEDNESDAY: How to Manage Workplace Stress During Tough Economic Times

By Erin Suess

During tough economic times many of us experience some level of stress. For some, the level of stress can be mild and for others it can be much more severe. The economic turmoil that we face such as increased unemployment, foreclosures, lose of financial investments and retirement savings, bankruptcies, etc. can force many of us to experience tremendous stress. According to cnnmoney.com, Yahoo just announced that it is cutting 5% of its workforce leaving many workers looking for new jobs. For those employees who do survive these cuts, many will experience feelings of uncertainty which can produce stressful workplace settings.

Although research shows that some stress can be positive and help us perform better, excessive or prolonged stress can lead to a multitude of problems such as: depression, anxiety, insomnia, medical problems such as high blood pressure, headaches, heart problems, ulcers and even death in some instances.

The key to managing your stress is to recognize and learn how to deal with stressful situations. It is important to pay attention to your how you feel and the physical changes that can occur when faced with stressful situations. Failing to understand your tolerance for stressful situations and managing this pressure can lead to many problems in the workplace and even possibly losing your job. Below are some tips that can help you manage your stress in the workplace.

Read Erin's Tips by clicking on READ MORE below...

HIGHLIGHT MONDAY: Grandad Science

I came across GrandadScience.com months ago and have wanted to highlight it for all of you.  It is a website, run by a Grandfather, who posts about interesting activities for kids that their grandparents or parents can do with them.

GrandadScience is a mathematics and science educator himself who is not happy with what is happening with kids in their homes and schools today.  He dedicates himself to posting about things that will maintain kids interest in learning as opposed to mastering content.  He not only tells you how to do it with photos, instructions, and sometimes even videos- but he also does these activities with his own grandchildren and highlights his family in this quality website.

It's so refreshing to find resources like GrandadScience that have such great and simple activities that we can use with our children to encourage and promote real learning!  GrandadScience's way of thinking is just what we need today!


Click on READ MORE below for examples of activities on GrandadScience.com...

INTERVIEW FRIDAY: Yoga/Pilates Teacher Kristin McGee

I am extremely excited for our interview today.  Kristin McGee graciously accepted the offer to do an interview for us.  She was so sweet to work with and I'm excited for you all to read about what she does.  She has been on countless television shows, magazine covers, and trains numerous celebrities, models and athletes.  Her interview today gives us insight into her career as a yoga/pilates instructor.  Enjoy!

Interview Questions:

Q.  Please tell us about yourself and what people, influences, events or desires led you to your profession.

I grew up in Idaho and my family always played an important role on encouraging me to go for my dreams. They let me move to New York for NYU Acting School Tisch and it was there I discovered my first yoga class. I fell in love with it and I started going to studios and teachers that resonated with me. In 1997 I certified to teach yoga to support my acting career. In 2002, I was discovered by and MTV producer to do a series of yoga and Pilates DVDs. I then continued on the path of becoming a leading Fitness professional and celebrity yoga instructor. I love sharing fitness and yoga and Pilates with as many people as I can. 

Read the rest of Kristin's interview by clicking READ MORE below...

Advice Wednesday: Top 7 Ways to Prepare for a Successful Job Interview By Erin Suess

Interviewing for a new job regardless of whether it is with a different company, within the same company or in a completely different industry can be quite overwhelming and stressful. The majority of us will participate in several interviews in our lifetime and for some of us interviewing will become a big part of our lives. This is especially true during economic turbulent times like today. Companies are being forced to layoff, downsize and even job shift. Many major corporations have been shifting jobs (outsourcing jobs offshore) therefore leaving many people out of work. According to Business Week, "IBM has indeed been shifting jobs. The magazine reported that the company's workforce went up from 386,558 at the end of 2007 to 398,000 at the end of 2008. But U.S. employment fell from 121,000 to 115,000 during the same time." Through various diverse means jobs are being cut and many people are looking for new opportunities. Below are several tips that may be helpful when preparing for a job interview.

Click on READ MORE to read Erin's top 7 ways...

INTERVIEW FRIDAY: Lyndsay Johnson - Graphic Designer

For today's interview we have the pleasure of hearing from Lyndsay Johnson, a Graphic Designer. I first took note of Lyndsay's work on a blog that she designed called Nie Nie Dialogues. After reading her interview and checking some of her other wonderful creations- I can assure you that you will enjoy this sincere interview that holds great advice. Be sure to also check out her links- they're all wonderful. Thank you Lyndsay!


Interview Questions:

Q. Please tell us about yourself and what people, influences, events or desires led you to your profession.

I’ve been a graphic designer for ten years. I am a stay-at-home/work-at-home mom. I have two small children, and I am a freelance designer and illustrator. I have always been artistic, and especially love the graphic arts. I went to both undergraduate and graduate school for graphic design. Before I had children I worked for a publishing company mainly designing layout design for publications. Once my son came along, I decided to stay at home and do the most important job of all, being a mommy! I worked for a scrapbook company for a while designing scrapbook paper and accessories. A few years ago I started my blog design business, Beautify My Blog (http://www.beautifymyblog.com), with my business partner, Sarah Bradford. We have also branched off into another venture, The Blog Guidebook (http://www.blogguidebook.com), which offers free blog listings and other blogging resources.

I also enjoy digital illustration, and you can find some of my personal work in my Etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/LyndsayJohnson).



Click Below to READ MORE of Lyndsay's Interview:

Advice Wednesday: 3 Steps to Landing a Job in 2010

Along with our Interview Friday Series we are debuting our Advice Wednesday Series today. I thought that a good place to start would be with 3 Steps to Landing a Job in 2010 by Suze Orman that was featured on Oprah.com.

Here's some priceless advice for those of you who need a few steps in the right direction!