Testing Success

Long before the birth of No Child Left Behind, students have suffered test anxiety. Workplace testing is no exception. My husband works in an industrial job that must comply to its own set of standards for safety as well as OSHA standards. On occasion, usually annually, all employees are required to watch a video about some aspect of their duties and then take a test upon the content of the video. Even as a teacher I did the same annual process for knowing what to do with blood-borne pathogens. Each time I was tested, and my husband has been, and my students are tested, the discomfort immediately begins.

Common Responses to Testing
1. Anger, thinking the material is not important and the testing process is a waste of time.
2. Stress, including fear of failure.
3. Misplaced anger, blaming the enforcer of the testing for all the tester does not know and does not like about the test.

Solutions to Testing Anxiety
1. Know that rarely do tests matter in themselves as much as the knowledge the test addresses. Know that tests are just a tool to see what you know about a particular subject. They are not designed to make a fool of you or to humiliate anyone.
2. Ask yourself: A year from now, will it matter if you passed the test the first time you took it? In most cases, it does not and second or even third chances are given if need be because mastery of the information is key, not the assessment device.
3. Do you have time to study or prepare? If so, use it wisely. Some business tests, such as employee handbook and ethics tests are purposely created to allow the tester to view the material being tested upon during the test itself!

What matters most in testing is to recall it is one tool to assess your knowledge and proof you've had the opportunity to learn the material at hand. Everyone wants to be successful, and your employers and teachers also want you to know the material. Approach the process with an open mind and you'll get further faster, and possibly never have to take that particular test again.

Reunion. com Invite Apologies -- Computer Glitch Spam

Dear Friends of School Room to Boardroom,

Against my wishes and actions, it appears Reunion.com has spammed all of my contacts in my private e-mail lists to invite people to register for their services. This was not done intentionally, and the full story is listed here this morning.

It will not ever happen again, as I will not ever use their services, and I am deeply sorry for any breech of trust this spam has caused. 

It is not professional, 

respectful 

or responsible 

to mix social media with business, 

and this inadvertent error 

has caused undo stress for many people that

I value most sincerely.

-Mel. Edwards

Beginnings and Goals

Today, at Virginia College in Greenville, SC, over 300 new students will begin the path to receiving a college diploma or certificate. Beginnings are exciting and stressful. Here are a few quick tips for success.

1. Don't lose sight of your goal.
2. Plan out the steps to reach your goal.
3. Work at your goal a bit every day, even when you're not required to do so (such as attending class or being in the office).
4. Find like-minded individuals to share your goal with and help you along the way.
5. Ask for help if you need it.
   

Whatever your goals in life may be, these steps will help you from the classroom to the boardroom. Success begins with you.

Best wishes to all students today!

Cost of Expert Advice and Knowledge

It seems in this day and age everyone seems to be selling their knowledge. Person A gets certified in a course and is suddenly an expert in that field. Person B lives the path necessary to become well-versed in a subject but doesn't have a "piece of paper" to back it up. Who is the better resource? 

What Are You Seeking?

If you know what information you desire, you can easily find out if Person A has experience that matches what you are looking for. If you need paper credentials for a raise, no matter how much Person B knows, your supervisor may not believe your training was rigorous or targeted enough to warrant the boost in salary. In the end, make sure what you are learning meets your needs, and the outcome you desire. If it does not, you may be due a refund, and just might go to the one person you overlooked in the first place to truly master the details you wanted all along.

What is a Fair Price for Knowledge?

Market rates for training range from the ultra-low to astronomical proportions.   An Ivy League education can make your career in some fields, but for others, what matters is what you have done with the training your have received. I have taught English to students who with two years' education have walked away with a diploma into an electronics career that garnered them wages that exceeded mine, and I have a master's plus 30. Is this fair? It all depends upon the value people put upon your services. 

I once paid a plumber $800 for a few hour's work. It was essential and we needed it done in a hurry by someone with the proper certification/training. We never had the plumbing issue again, but I don't usually make $800 for a few hours' work. 

No one calls an English professor saying, "I must have this resolved today or it could ruin my house." The value of what I do isn't on the same par with the loss of a residence in most people's opinions. I do not personally know of anyone who lacked a grasp of proper English or business writing skills who got into a bind that would cost them their home on that very day if it were not resolved. However, I do know many who immediately lose out on other financial opportunities because they do not know the two basic rules of school room and boardroom business: 

Be Respectful 

and 

Be Responsible. 

I'll write about lacking English skills at a later date. If you read carefully above, I said anyone who "got into a bind that would cost them their home on that very day." This eludes to the fact lack of some skills may cost you your income in the future. The price for ignorance can be staggering.

The bottom line is this: Learn all that you can that will help you become successful and respected in your field, and never do it at the expense of someone else's feelings or integrity.

School Room to Boardroom

Having been a certified teacher since 1991, I am often surprised when students do not see the connection of what they are required to do in the school environment as being connected to success in business or adulthood. Furthermore, as a business woman, I'm astounded when I notice adults who still have not mastered the basic rules of success and are dismissed from positions they were qualified for.
The purpose of this blog it to address these issues and to gather input for a new book that I'm co-authoring on the subject with Sonja Randall, of Verizon Wireless.
-Mel. Edwards