By Mindy Lockard, etiquette consultant in Eugene, Oregon, who teaches Teen Etiquette, Adult Dining 101 and other courses in etiquette.  Mindy is a great source for all your etiquette training needs.

December is a perfect time to polish up on the art of the handwritten thank-you note! A handwritten thank-you note is a kind gesture and a habit your child will thank you for instilling. If your child is too young to write but old enough to express their feelings, you can write their thoughts, and they can sign or scribble their name. A note with the child’s own words will mean much more to the gift giver than a note from the mother expressing her hopes for how the child will feel about the gift!

Photo: DeLucaFoto

Make it fun! If thank-you notes are presented as a chore, they will be seen as a chore! Because we have always made it fun, my four-year-old, loves dictating notes, even though she is not allowed to play with her toys until the thank-you is written. Start with fun supplies for your child to use when they write their notes. Make a thank-you box full of pens, crayons, paper or stationery, and stickers. Here are some age guidelines to prepare your child for writing their own thank-you notes: 

0 to 2 years of age—Adult writes the thank-you note.

2 to 3 years of age—Adult writes the note, and child can scribble/decorate part of the note.

3 to 5 years of age—Adult writes a message from the child by using prompting questions. Child signs his/her name and colors the card.

4-plus years of age—Child writes note while adult helps him/her with spelling and wording. If a child is in the early stages of writing, let him/her write on the card. The parent can add a translation under a word that may be difficult for the recipient to read.

Remember, children model what they see. If they see you writing thank-you notes with little effort, they too will see thank-you notes as something that is easy to do. The act of writing thank-you notes is an important discipline to instill; the exercise of taking the time to sincerely express gratitude for another’s generosity (acts of kindness or gifts) is at the heart of the manner!

Visit Manner of the Month for more everyday etiquettes, and/or Mindy’s personal website.

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By Mindy Lockard, etiquette consultant in Eugene, Oregon, who teaches Teen Etiquette, Adult Dining 101 and other courses in etiquette.  Mindy is a great source for all your etiquette training needs.

Taking business outside for the confines of the office walls can prove to be productive and profitable to any business. These social opportunities allow business relationships to operate on a more personal level, allowing business associates to get to know one another in different environments. Business associates will appreciate well planned communication regarding the event, and follow-up leading up to the event.

Think ahead and provide any information that they may need or want to know. For example, where will they park if it is not explanatory and will it cost them? What should they wear? If a client comes to an event and feels out of place (over or underdressed) they will not feel comfortable to mingle and therefore could be a missed business opportunity. Preparation will ensure a well run event, and will allow you to genuinely welcome your guests at their arrival. If you and your colleagues are not able to actively participate, and be mentally available to your guests it may cost you more than the time and money invested in the event itself!

Photo: Victoria University, Toronto, Canada

Mixing business with pleasure? No matter how free your boss or co-workers are getting, it is always important to keep your composure. Especially if you are the host! Off color jokes, profanity, and gossip is always taboo in any social setting and even more so in a business setting. Remember, you are the only representation of your personal integrity. You never know when someone is uncomfortably going with the flow. The way you act, the things you choose to talk about could negatively concrete your social or business fate in the eyes of an on-looker. Respect is something difficult to earn, and unfortunately easy to loose! And if the situation should occur that you have gone over the line or business into self-indulgence pleasure, remember to earnestly apologize…as difficult as it may be!

Visit Manner of the Month for more everyday etiquettes, and/or Mindy’s personal website.

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By Washington Academy of Languages (WAL), language school in Seattle. Students can learn languages in fun and interesting ways, from learning conversational French to experiencing the German language through cinema.

One of the most common questions we receive regarding our Teaching English as a Second Language program is: “What can I do with a TESL Certificate?” At Washington Academy of Languages, we offer both a TESL Certificate and an ELL Endorsement. The latter is a state-regulated endorsement applied to an active Teaching Certificate. So, if a teacher would like to teach K-12 ELL in the public schools, they will need a Teaching Certificate as well as an ELL Endorsement.

TESL Certificate at the Washington Academy of Languages

The TESL Certificate, on the other hand, is offered for teachers who would like to teach ELL abroad or, where a certificate is sufficient, in the US. Our courses cover pedagogy strategies for all ages, and help our teachers build knowledge of first and second language acquisition theories. After earning the TESL Certificate, what do our teachers do?

Well, what don’t they do? We’ve had TESL-certified teachers teach all over the world! They use resources such as Education First to find job opportunities and Dave’s ESL Café to find not only jobs but also a community of English teachers who share their experiences and offer support and advice. There are public schools, private schools, American schools and evening schools, not to mention tutoring too! Sometimes, teachers combine a TESL Certificate with a Master’s Degree in another field (Education, Teaching, or Linguistics, for example) to teach in higher education here in the United States, or use the TESL Certificate to find volunteer teaching opportunities at community centers, immigrant resource centers, or places of worship.

With WAL’s graduate level certification in-hand, students should not have any difficulty finding employment abroad. Now, the only question is: “When will you start?” A new session begins in January!

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By Jacqueline Schmidt, violin teacher in Minneapolis offering local viola classes too.

I recently received an email from a parent asking how to find a music teacher for their child. This is a great question! In my experience as a Suzuki violin and viola instructor, I’d love to share with you about what you should consider.

Photo courtesy of adjustafresh

1. QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF
Before you start looking, you need to know what you’re looking for. Here are some questions you should ask yourself before you look for a teacher:

• What instrument will your child be learning?
• What method are you looking for? Suzuki or traditional?
• What are you willing to commit to in terms of time, schedule, practicing, and cost?

2. DOING THE RESEARCH
You are about to invest your time and energy. Research and asking questions are definitely worth the time and effort! These are the best ways to get a good base of information to start for the search:

• Word of mouth
  Talk to parents who have had positive experiences with their child’s music lessons. What do they recommend? Why?

• Visit Music Schools
  Look around your neighborhood and see if you can attend a concert or observe lessons. What do you notice about the quality and attitude? Is this consistent with what you are seeking?

• Search online
  You can find tons of wonderful teachers online through various resources. Along with TeachStreet.com, you can find great resources like Suzuki Association, which is a great resource for Suzuki parents, teachers, and students. You can also search for a teacher by instrument and zip code to see who is in your neighborhood.

3. NARROWING THE SEARCH
Let’s say you’ve done your research, know what you’re looking for and have even found a few potential teachers. Before committing to a teacher, I would suggest checking out the following:

• Background
  What kind of background does the teacher have? Where and how have they learned to master their instrument? If they have a website, check it out! For example, my website, jackieschmidt.com, has my resume, teaching philosophy, studio policy and even video of my students! This gives potential students a chance to know what my teaching is like before we meet.

• Working Style
  What is this teacher’s working style and personality like? How will this match up with your child?

• Specialization
  If you are starting with a very young child, definitely seek out a teacher who specializes in this! Teaching music to young children is truly an art. Likewise, if you are looking for a teacher who takes on adult students or teenagers. There are a lot of teachers around and you want to find the best match for you.

• Trial Lesson or Observe Their Teaching
  The best way to see if the teacher’s working style and personality in action is to observe their teaching or to request a trial lesson with them. As a Suzuki teacher, lesson observation is one of the core beliefs of the Suzuki philosophy. For potential students in my studio here in Minneapolis, I offer an interview lesson (first, trial lesson) to them at no charge.

Best wishes on your teacher quest! If you have questions, feel free to drop me a line at jackie@jackieschmidt.com or stop by my TeachStreet profile.

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By Nils Osmar, artistic teacher in Seattle teaches a range of artistic expressions.  From learning how to write stories to drawing portraits, Nils is a great resource for all of your artistic needs.

Thinking about making a movie, but not sure where to start? Here are “The Five Stages of Production” in order create your very own movie:

STAGE 1: Preparation
The first stage is Preparation. Laying the groundwork by learning the principles and techniques that go into making good independent films. During this stage, you’ll be learning about the language of film making. From camera angles such as close-ups to medium shots and long shots — and what each of them communicates. Plus, it’s a good time to get an understanding about the equipment most indie filmmakers use (camcorders, lighting, and microphones), and the software people are using nowadays to edit movies, such as Premiere, iMovie or Final Cut Pro.

STAGE 2: Pre-production
After you’ve done your prep work, the next phase is Pre-production, gearing up to make a particular film. The steps within this stage include planning your movie; writing a good,and film-friendly script; finding actors and crew; lining up locations; making or buying props and costumes; planning your shots; and doing the storyboarding.

Photo courtesy of *Solar Icon*

STAGE 3: Production
The third stage is Production, when the actors are on the set, the cameras are rolling, and you’re actually filming the movie. Production is actually the shortest of the five stages. Most independent films spend weeks or months in pre-production, a few days in actual production.

STAGE 4: Post-production
The fourth stage is Post-production. When the filming is finished, the footage needs to be scanned into your computer and edited. Then when the visuals have been edited, you need to go over the sound, adding foley and sound effects and music.

STAGE 5: Distribution
When you’ve finished your post production, it’s time to start working on the Distribution, or getting your movie out for the world to see. This can involve submitting it to film festivals, uploading it to Youtube, Vimeo or other web pages, and showing it to distributors.

Taking some good film classes can help guide you through these stages, and save you a good chunk of time and money. For example, before buying or renting a camcorder, it’s good to learn about the types that are available, and their features, so you don’t waste money on one you may not need. A good film making course should be able to help with this.

There are a number of good classes in Seattle. Here are some classes you should start with:

• It’s Time to Write Your Screenplay
• Film Making For Beginners: How to Make a Movie
• Beginning Acting

For more information about the above classes, visit my website: http://www.classesandworkshops.com.

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By Tracy Ferrara, she teaches clarinet and saxophone lessons in Seattle. Connect with Tracy to learn more about her jazz improvisation lessons too.

It is always a gratifying thing for me to introduce young minds to the world of music. Many of my students are young, from the 10-16 year old range, but at least half of my students are older adults. I’d like to share a bit about my experiences with my adult students and try to connect with more of them today.

Jazz saxophone instructor, Tracy Ferrara, playing the saxophone

We all get very busy the older we become: we have jobs to make the rent/mortgage, children to raise, keeping fit, the everyday tasks of living, plus trying to have a little fun when we can. Those things alone take up the majority of people’s time. So I really appreciate it when I get an e-mail or a call from a 60-something-year-old who says to me, “You know, I’ve always wanted to pursue music but have never made the time for it before, and now I’m ready and I really want to learn to play sax.” That statement, when I hear it, just makes my day. My oldest student? 72 years old. He used to play in high school and then gave it up for about 55 years.  I have another student that came to me as a 20-year lapsed clarinet player and over the last two year has become a swinging tenor sax player and absolutely loves his time with his horn.

I have even more student stories like this and I’m sure other teachers do too, but here is my point: It’s never too late to start learning something you always wanted to do. In some cases, it can become a great new love in your life. Learning new things is imperative for us as we all get older, and what more fun way to fulfill that requirement than with music? Whatever instrument is/was your passion, I say, Go For It!

If you’d like to contact me about saxophone or clarinet lessons in Seattle, find more information on my TeachStreet profile below:

• Saxophone/Clarinet/Theory/Improv by Tracy Ferrara

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By Kristen Moffett, personal trainer in Seattle and owner of LIFT Personal Training Studio, home of the intensive conditioning bootcamp, Moffett Personal Training

The holidays are fast approaching and with the season come a multitude of social engagements- the office party, the ornament exchange, the holiday open house, just to name a few.  Some clients are even planning trips to warmer locales like Hawaii or Mexico and so it happens, the panicked phone calls and emails from clients with places to go, people to see and pounds to lose!

Kristen Moffett showing how to do the proper lunge

Last week we talked about firming up the upper torso and offered a few key exercises to get you moving in the right direction.  This week we will focus on abs, legs and glutes.  These three areas are top priority among male and female clients and drive a big part of my business.  Thanks to industrial strength Lycra and longer hemlines, many women will try to avoid showing off these areas if at all possible.  On the beach, it is a little harder to pull off.  The following three exercises require little or no equipment and produce quick and effective results.

1. The Lunge
This is my favorite exercise for sculpting a rock hard tush.  The example I have listed is for a stationary lunge, but if you are feeling adventurous, find a nice steep hill near your home or office and lunge right on up, resting only when you cross the street.  I like to call this the “can crusher” for obvious reasons.  You will curse like a sailor the following morning, but your back side will soon be the envy of all your girlfriends, trust me.

1. Start off in a stance that is slightly wider than your shoulders and take a big step back with your left leg.
2. Place your hands at your sides or on your hips for balance and once you feel comfortable, bend your left leg and lower it to the floor.
3. When your right leg forms a 90-degree angle, push up through the heel to return to a standing position.
4. Repeat your set number of repetitions before switching legs.

2. The Crunch
Every person, male or female, wants a nice tight mid-section.  The crunch is a favorite standby and can be performed anywhere.  Many people lift with their head instead of their abs which puts unnecessary strain on your neck.

1. Begin with your fingertips loosely behind your ears, elbows wide and out to the side for added resistance, knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
2. Contract your abs and fix your gaze on the ceiling as you squeeze up and elevate your shoulders.
3. Keep your elbows out to the sides as you return to the starting position.
4. Always keep your chin tilted toward the ceiling to alleviate neck strain.

3. The Squat
Squats are crucial to superior leg development and should be a part of everyone’s resistance program.  Squats engage the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings and calves.  They also require core stabilization during execution and for this reason involve all 3 of today’s target areas.

1. To perform, stand tall in a wide stance and look forward.
2. Bend your knees, keep your chest tall and slowly squat down so that your upper legs are parallel to the floor.
3. As you lower your body, think about pushing your hips down and back.  This will ensure that your knees don’t go past your toes.
4. At the bottom of the exercise, your ankles, knees and shoulders should be in line.
5. Return to the starting position by pushing through your heels.

I would perform the above exercises for 3 sets of 15 repetitions, or as many as you can do comfortably.  As they become easier, you may choose to challenge yourself with more repetitions or added resistance.  Rest for about 30 seconds to a minute in between sets, drink plenty of water and push yourself without over-doing it.

When combined with last weeks upper body exercises, this workout will have you looking fabulous in no time while leaving your stash of cash where it belongs – in your wallet!

If you’d like to contact me about personal training in Seattle or questions about other frugal ways to exercise, send me a message through my website at Moffet Personal Training. Happy Holidays and Happy New You!

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by Julian via Seattle Free School (Offering free classes in Seattle)

I began developing this class studying Improv at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade in New York City. In my dual careers as a professional actor and a Technical Recruiter, I find myself constantly using the skills I have learned through the study and practice of improvisation. In teaching this class, I hope to pass along these benefits to you, and more importantly, I hope to show you how fun it can be!

Whose Line is it Anyways? | Photo Courtesy of Anirudh Koul

Have you ever been to Theatre Sports by Unexpected Productions at the Pike Place Market Theatre or watched ‘Who’s Line Is It Anyway?’ and wondered how they do it? Maybe you’ve never even seen live improv, but you’re looking for a chance to step out of your comfort zone and do something new. Whatever your background, you don’t have to be Robin Williams or Chris Farley to improvise. In fact, anybody (yes, even you) can do it! This class is for the curious, the daring, or those who just want to have fun playing games that will sharpen your ear, mind & body and build on your ability to work & play as a team.

Whether you are a seasoned performer or have never been in front of a group of people in your life, improv is not only fun, but the skills you gain will improve your ability to listen to and communicate with others and express your ideas on a personal & professional level. This class will be a series of three, 2-hour classes in which we will be playing games, creating scenes, and having more fun than should be legal.

Class:
Improv Class

Facilitators:
Julian

When:
12/01, 12/04, and 12/08 – 7:00-9:00pm

Where:
Cascade People’s Center
309 Pontius Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98109

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By Erica Pederson of Independent Excellence Tutoring, professional tutoring in Seattle for all school subjects between K-12. They’ve also helped adults improve their English with ESL classes in Seattle.

If you are a non-native speaker with a heavy accent, you may wonder whether or not you can truly improve your speech.  My students have come from many different backgrounds.  Frequently, they have had speaking difficulties in their native language also.  Others speak English in a way that is understandable to most people, but they only want to polish it and sound as American as possible for business reasons.  Some students are over forty, some under, which also makes quite a difference.  Here are some examples of student difficulties and methods I have used to help them.  Read on to decide for yourself if private lessons or the class I will be offering in the winter could be a good fit for you.

Photo Courtesy of krcla

What do you do if you had difficulties in your native language also?  I have had students from both Russia and Japan who complained of having problems since their childhood or teenage years.  Here’s the good news: most of these problems are simply mechanics.  My students who struggle with the “r” are typically holding their tongue in an incorrect position (by American standards).  The same is true for “l.”  Though it takes work and ongoing practice at home, these changes are as simple to make as building your bicep muscles.  It’s all about practice and getting qualified feedback as the sound develops.  Sometimes students need to persevere with lessons for considerable time, perhaps a year, and even longer.  Often students come back to me for tune-ups too!

For those who already speak English well, it is only a matter of learning the American accent rules.   Did you know that “t” becomes a “d” sound when it is surrounded by vowels?  Did you notice that everyone says “Seadl” not “Seattle” with a strong “t”? There are many very specific rules that can change your speech.  Students who have an easier time with language often breeze through one rule after another, and before they know it, their friends are asking what happened to their accent.

Middle-aged and older students often believe that improving their speech will be impossible at this point.  Having had a heavy accent for many years, they believe they will not be able to break the old patterns.  It is true that it is much harder for older people, yet at the least, learning rules of the accent can greatly improve a person’s listening skills.  For instance, knowing the “t” rule above could help a person hear the word “data” (dada) when it’s spoken quickly.   Another example is the reduced “h.”  Many times Americans drop the “h” in small words like “her” and “he.”  Maybe an older person is used to hearing “What’s’iz name,” but could be confused when someone says “Didee do it?”  The practical and specific rules that are available now can make a tremendous difference.  And though the process may take longer for an older person, improving listening skills paves the way for improved speech.  What you hear is, eventually, what you will do.

“Reduce Your Accent” Class helps students improve phonetically

So yes, it is very possible to make significant changes in your speech if you are a non-native speaker.  I will be giving a 3 hour workshop through the UW Experimental college on December 7th called Reduce Your Accent.  Try it out if any of the above sounds interesting.  It’s an inexpensive way to see what this accent stuff is all about.  I will be having an 8 week class in the winter, and I always do private lessons from my home in Northgate for those with more personal speaking difficulties.  I also often cover advanced grammar (especially the small words like a, an, the and in, on, about) while working with speech.

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by Christine Hibbard, Seattle dog trainer and owner of Companion Animal Solutions, which offers animal behavior training

In my previous post about choosing an animal behavior specialist, we discussed the important things to consider and questions to ask of any animal behavior consultant you might be considering hiring. Now that we’ve discussed what you should look for in an animal behavior consultant, let’s try to make some sense out of the alphabet soup of qualifications and credentials.

Photo Courtesy of Warchild

Veterinary Behaviorist
Board certified Veterinary Behaviorists are required to have a veterinary degree and complete two additional years of coursework. They are also required to complete a hands-on internship with an existing board-certified veterinary behaviorist.  There are about 40-45 ACVB certified vets in the United States right now. If you’d like to find one, check out the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists:

Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist
The second form of qualification is certification by the Animal Behavior Society (ABS).  ABS provides for two levels of certification: Associate Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (ACAAB) which requires a Master’s degree in an appropriate field, several years of practical internship experience, and evidence of professional activity (research or instruction), and full Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB), which is similar but requires a PhD in an appropriate field (generally Biology or Zoology).  There are also about 40-45 certified applied animal behaviorists in the US and Canada at this time. Dr. Jim Ha at Companion Animal Solutions is a full Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist. If you’d like to find a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist outside of the Seattle, Washington area, you can search the ABS Directory.

Certified Training Counselor
A relatively new program through the San Francisco SPCA is producing some very well-trained and qualified specialists, individuals who are not at the ACVB and CAAB level but who are well-prepared if one of these experts are not available.  This is a six-week program on-site in San Francisco, which leads to a Certificate in Training and Counseling (CTC) certification: one well-known behaviorist has referred to this program as the “Harvard University” of dog trainer programs. The graduates of this program are “the next best thing” to ACVB and CAAB-certified professionals. Christine Hibbard at Companion Animal Solutions has earned this certification with honors. If you’d like to search for a dog trainer with a CTC certification outside of the Seattle, Washington area, try the SF SPCA Academy Referral Database: http://www.sfspca.org/academy/referral.shtml.

Animal Behavior Consultants
The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants issues the Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC) credential.  Greta Kaplan at Companion Animal Solutions in Portland, Oregon has earned this credential. The IAABC also certifies cat (CCBC), horse (CHBC) and parrot (CPBC) consultants; individuals with multiple species certifications are Certified Animal Behavior Consultants (CABC).  To earn this credential, consultants must demonstrate a substantial amount of hands-on behavior consulting practice as well as learning in five core competencies.  Counseling of owners as well as animal behavior and learning is emphasized. To find a Certified Animal Behavior Consultant outside of the Seattle, Washington or Portland, Oregon area, visit:

Certified Pet Dog Trainer
Finally, there is a certification program for dog trainers to become a Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT).  This is a less rigorous program that emphasizes qualifications for basic dog training but does not require extensive knowledge, training or experience in dealing with specific behavior issues.  A CPDT qualified trainer can help you with basic obedience issues, or to help provide stimulation through training like fly-ball or agility training.

Hopefully, this review of credentials helps you to choose a qualified professional to help you solve a serious behavior issue with your companion animal, whether it is a dog, a cat, a parrot, or something even more exotic. If you have questions or would like to speak with someone directly, contact me at info@companionanimalsolutions.com or give us a call at 206-953-0703. In future posts, I’ll be discussing how to pick an appropriate dog for your family, tips for training your dog, cat, or bird, and what to look for when choosing a dog training class.

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