Frank Holes Jr. Profile and Articles

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1). Emergency Lesson Plans, Real Lifesaving Tools for Teachers
Everyone gets those situations in life where an emergency has come up, and you don't have the time (or sometimes the ability) to get a good lesson plan in to school for your students. Maybe you have a family emergency or a disrupted travel plan and you just cannot get into school to leave detailed lessons. That is why it is essential for you to have an emergency lesson plan available and handy.

2). Modeling Student Behavior
Whether you as a teacher realize it or not, you are the best model of behavior in your classroom. A large part of your proactive behavior plans should include your own behavior you demonstrate to the students every day.

You must set expectations for your students, demonstrate the behaviors, and be vigilant to correct the kids. Don't waver on your expectations; inconsistencies will only confuse the students and cause you more problems.

3). Creating an In-class Cable TV Network
Ever wonder if you and your students could create your own TV news show? Would you like to have announcements and school/class information available to students all class long? Would you like to avoid those students who were absent constantly asking you, "What did we do in class yesterday?" It isn't only possible to do, but with a few pieces of equipment, it's easy to set up and run.

4). Daily Points in Class
Starting your class on the right foot each day is very important to both you and the students. There are certain expectations you will have, be they required materials (texts, folders, gym clothes), basic supplies (pencils/paper), or behaviors (on time, in seats, working on opening activities). You are going to want these expectations met every day.

5). Randomizing Class Choices: Breaking Up the Monotony
Much has been said and written lately about providing students with choices. I'm all about any methods which will improve student involvement in class, giving them ownership in their learning. There are many ways to give students choices, options, or just to provide random results and change up the monotony. This article will discuss how to use random results in typical class situations.

6). Positive Parent Conferences
It's parent-teacher conference time! Some are positive experiences where teachers are able to make great connections with parents. And yet other meetings are foretold by apprehension and met with strife. Over the years, you will encounter the gamut of positive and negative experiences, and everything in between. However, there are strategies you can use to make the best of any situation.

7). Who Are the People Involved in Your Construction Loan Process?
Whether you are going to be an Owner Builder or hire a General Contractor, there are several people that will be involved with your loan process in addition to the loan officer with whom you choose to work. Knowing the roles of each of these people will make your loan process flow smoothly and quickly.

8). What Makes You Different? Hone Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) or Perish
My office works in a very crowded industry. However, we make a lot of money, because we have found a better way to market our services. We stand out from our competitors thanks to our Unique Selling Proposition (USP) within our industry. Without a strong USP, your business will not succeed.

9). Building Permits: What Every Owner Builder Needs to Know Immediately
Your local building department is dedicated to reviewing house plans and issuing permits to build. If you are hiring a general contractor, he or she should be intimately familiar with the local codes and procedures. But, if you are an owner builder, you need to learn all you can from your local permit office as soon as possible. It could change your mind about the land and blueprints you want.

10). Using Random Student Cards in Class
Ever wonder if you choose certain students more (or less) often in class than others? Or would you like to be able to completely call on students at random?

A great technique is to make and use an index card deck with your students' names on the cards. On the first day of any of my classes, I pass out blank lined index cards (we use the 3 x 5 size) to all the students.

11). Preparing for Emergency Situations at School
We know emergency situations can (and will at some point) happen in your class. It may be minor, such as a student becoming sick in your room, or even a practice event like a fire drill or tornado drill. Hopefully you won't encounter a real life-threatening emergency. But you should always be prepared for such instances.

Fire drills are probably the most common situations you will encounter.

12). Building Positive Relationships with your Custodial Staff
The custodial and maintenance staff isn’t just around to sweep the floors, empty the wastebaskets, and clean up messes. They play an important role in the school environment. These people are not only essential to keeping the building and grounds in top shape and presentable to the public, but also keep the various physical systems in the school in working order.

13). Shopping for an Owner Builder Construction Loan: The Features You Need to Look For Before Building
It is hard to find construction financing when you want to build your own home as an owner-builder. When looking for the loan that is right for your scenario, make sure you see the big picture and look for the right features in your loan. Otherwise, suffer the consequences.

14). Are You Pre-Qualified or Pre-Approved? Knowing the Difference Can Save You a Lot of Time and Money
Nearly everyone who has wanted to buy or build a home has been told that they need to obtain a "pre-qualification" or a "pre-approval" before making an offer on a property. The problem is that these terms are used interchangeably. This is a big mistake, and understanding the difference could save you a lot of time and money.

15). The Construction Loan Timeline and the Number One Mistake Most People Make
The number one mistake, hands down, that people make when building a new home is not allowing enough time to get through the process. Building a custom home, and obtaining a loan to do so, is not as simple as getting a mortgage to buy an existing home. You CANNOT do it all in 30 days. So, before you sign a contract to buy a piece of land, take a moment to learn how to avoid potential disaster.

16). Ten Common Mistakes to Avoid with Your Credit
How many of these ten common credit mistakes do you make? How many of them are currently keeping your credit score lower than it should be? Knowing the answers to these questions could boost your credit score and provide opportunities for better financing terms.

17). An Almost Free Way to Generate New Business - A Creative Twist on the Joint Venture
Almost any marketer already knows how a joint venture basically works. However, very few people apply it properly to their business. If you do it creatively, you will build a strong list of new leads. Best of all, it will cost you next to nothing.

18). What You Need to Know About How Construction Loans Really Work
A construction loan has some similarities to a regular purchase or refinance mortgage. You will still be judged on your income, credit, savings and monthly debts. However, with a construction-to-permanent loan, there are a additional factors that lenders consider - you need to know them if you want to build a new home.

19). Owner Builder Construction Loans: The Three Imperatives
Owner Builder construction is a great way to build instant equity into your new home by eliminating the costs of a general contractor. However, owner builder construction loans can be complicated and difficult to find. Here are the three owner builder loan features that you absolutely must have to be a successful owner builder.

20). The Smart Way to Use Joint Venture Marketing in an Online World
Will joint venture marketing work for online marketing? Can you use joint venture practices even if you focus on online marketing? If you do it correctly, you absolutely can. And should. Here are a few tips for joint venture marketing that will drive increased traffic to your websites and generate more online leads.

21). Owner Builders: 43 Interview Questions You Need to Ask When Choosing the Right Sub-Contractors
Owner builders oversee the construction of their new homes, cutting out the costs of a general contractor. To do this, though, owner builders hire and manage their own sub-contractors. Choosing the right subs will make the difference between a successful owner builder construction project and a disaster. Owner builders need to ask these 43 questions when choosing their sub-contractors.