Students relax just a bit when they are advised that mercy is shown for cell phones going off in class for the first violation, although I reserve the right to answer any and all incoming calls–and that includes those from their mothers.

via How Zero Tolerance for Texting Promotes better learning |Suite101.com.

This generation is spoiled with the ability and the connections of texting and making or accepting phone calls during class or in a situation that requires complete silence. Even though it seems important to respond immediately to a text or call during class, it is very rude. If the student shuts off the phone and puts it out of sight, it presents a wonderful opportunity to pay attention and actually learn more. I like how this article points out how to have zero tolerance for texting while the student is supposed to be paying attention.

Living expenses soon take a toll on your wallet and your life. Many college students have heard about grants, but do not take the time to research them.

via College Tips.

Students can easily rack up forty to fifty thousand dollars in debt through the course of four years of college. Many students think the only way to save money during college is to apply for scholarships. Grants offer another option for students who are trying to save money on college. Grants are wonderful because you don’t have to pay any money back. Students can receive grants for a variety of reasons that are listed in this article.

The decisions that you make and the actions you take during this first year of college will have a major impact on the rest of your college experience.

via 25 Tips to Help You Survive and Thrive Your Freshman Year.

This article has a bunch of tips that may help you get yourself in gear and prepared for making college worth your time. It has a bunch of very obvious tips that you know you would’ve thought of on your own if you were planning to take college seriously and try to get through it with passing grades. I like how this article points out that college is very different from high school and that it’s the beginning stages of adulthood. I hope these tips are helpful to those who feel like they needed them.

What economically friendly things can a college student do to help the environment? More than you might think, actually.

via Green Tips for College Students: 10 Environmentally Friendly Ideas for Dorm Rooms and Campus Life | Suite101.com.

Every little bit on your part can help the community. Whether it simply means to put the things you use in the recycle bin or using your own reusable shopping bags, it all adds up to help make our world beautiful. It will take a little bit of getting used to when getting into the swing of beginning to become economically friendly, but brings such a rewarding feeling just knowing you’ve done your part in helping.

The first year of teaching can be a roller coaster. Here are some tips to help you become a master teacher–not just a surviving teacher.

via Survivor to Master: The First Year of Teaching | Suite101.com.

The first year of teaching is by far the most difficult year you will experience. Having a successful first year significantly decreases with a chance of suffering burnout. It will be very stressful until you adapt completely, but the tips in this article are very helpful and will definitely increase your chances of coming out ‘alive’ if you follow them.

A bad essay topic can have disastrous results when applying to a selective college. While a masterful writer might be able to turn one of the topics below into a strong college admissions essay, all too often these topics harm an application.

via Bad Essay Topics for College Admissions – Avoid These Bad Topics in Your College Admission Essay.

While handwriting and grammar do matter in an admissions essay, the topic does as well. When the college board is going over your papers to see if they’re going to accept you, they can be allowed to turn you down simply because of a really bad topic choice for an admissions essay. This article can help you to steer clear of topics that can destroy your chances of getting into the college of your choice. There are plenty of really good ideas, so choose a cleaner, less offensive topic to get your foot in the door.

An average reading speed can range from 200 to 350 words per minute, but that rate can vary depending on the material and your reading experience. It’s also important to understand what you are reading–even when you improve your speed. Here are a few tips to help you improve your reading speed.

via How to Improve Your Reading Speed.

This article on how to speed read has about 12 tips in it. If you can’t learn to speed read by the rules in it, it must mean you weren’t reading it right. It’s very helpful in making reading much faster and to the point of what you’re reading. It can be really boring to feel like you have to catch every word when it seems like the lines never move. It makes your eyes feel like a snail going through peanut butter doesn’t it?

Ice breakers are the best way to help your students get to know each other, to break the ice on the awkward first day of school. If your students are adults, it’s even more important to choose an ice breaker that won’t backfire on you. Most adults don’t want to play silly games. Choose one of the top ten and you’ll be a hit on the first day of school. Be creative!

via Top 10 Ice Breakers for Adults.

If someone doesn’t like you right off the bat and they think you’re a stick in the mud, you’ve lost them as an audience. Don’t get right down to plain Jane teaching as soon as they walk in and sit down. They are obviously there to learn something and you’ll get to that, but first, try to make them feel comfortable. Most adults would feel a little weird needing to go back to school and they generally won’t be thrilled to need to sit in a classroom and be the student again. It can seem extremely weird to try to teach someone who is older than you or the same age. It’s typical for pride to interfere, so here are some tips for breaking the ice. I hope you find them helpful.