by California Casualty | Good to Know |
If you’re piling into your car or truck for Memorial Day fun, here are important tips to keep it from becoming a “Griswold Family” vacation:
- Plan ahead – research the route and possible hazards and know the rules of the road in the new places you’re traveling to
- Have your vehicle serviced – make sure it’s road-worthy by having fluids, tires, battery and other essentials checked and replaced
- Prepare a safety kit – extra water, jumper cables, fire extinguisher, reflective triangles and sealant for flat tires can be trip savers in an emergency
- Get plenty of rest – drowsy driving is dangerous. The effects of driving for 18 hours straight can equate to a blood alcohol level of .05; 24 hours straight is equivalent to a blood alcohol level of .10. Switch drivers or take a short nap if you feel tired
- Always wear seat belts – safety groups estimate seat belts save 14,000 lives a year, yet as many as 10 to 20 percent of drivers don’t buckle in themselves or their passengers
- Observe “move over” laws – every state now has a move over law requiring you to slow down and move over when you see an official vehicle with it’s warning lights on, to protect highway workers, first responders and law enforcement officers
- Never leave children or pets in a vehicle – the heat inside a vehicle can reach dangerous levels in less than half an hour, even on 70-degree days
If you’re having a get-together instead of a getaway, remember these important safety tips:
- Understand safe grilling – read grill instructions, check hoses, keep grills away from structures and never leave them unattended to avoid a disastrous fire
- Check your deck – inspect and repair cracked boards, loose planks and rails, rusty hardware or rotted supports to prevent dangerous collapsing
- Know pool safety – keep uninvited guests and small children out with full fencing, teach everyone in your family how to swim, never leave children alone near a pool, know CPR and consider removing slides and diving boards
- Ensure you have enough liability protection – protect your assets with high liability limits or an umbrella policy in case someone sues if they get hurt at your home. Umbrella policies help pay for legal defense, medical costs and loss of wages
Whether you are home or away, some auto repairs may be more complicated. That’s why it’s important to have a reliable backup. Whether the battery let you down, your spare tire went flat or you locked the keys in the car, for as little as a couple dollars a month California Casualty’s towing and roadside assistance pays for:
- Dead battery start
- Flat tire repair
- Lockouts
- Fuel, oil or coolant delivery
California Casualty’s towing service also covers getting your vehicle to the nearest shop, even if you get stranded off-road in deep mud.
TAKEAWAY:
Contact our Customer Service department to add Express Road Assistance or to purchase extra liability insurance at 1.800.800.9410 option 3, or email [email protected].
Read all the articles from the this edition of the Calcas Connection Newsletter:
by California Casualty | Behind the Scenes, Calcas Connection |
Their little paws and happy faces have graced California Casualty for close to 15 years. They are the service dogs who temporarily call California Casualty home before heading off to become service animals for those with various disabilities.
Three of our employees are puppy trainers for Canine Companions for Independence, a nonprofit that provides service dogs for adults with physical disabilities, hearing issues, physical, cognitive and development disabilities, or for therapy in a visitation, education or healthcare setting.
If you have a pet-friend at home or work, you know how much joy and fun they bring. That’s how it is at California Casualty.
Each dog spends the first year-and-a-half of their life with a trainer getting socialized, learning commands and dealing with distractions. California Casualty, with a large number of employees with varying schedules and personalities, is the perfect place for their education, and the company encourages it.
While there have been as many as four pups roaming our hallways, there is currently only one – Darien, being raised and trained by Mary, one of our claims representatives. Darien is a year-old golden lab. He’s the 18th puppy that Mary has taken in.
She and her husband share a love of animals and a desire to give back to the community. Canine Companions was the perfect way to fit volunteering into their busy schedules.
The training has left a permanent bond between Mary and the pups. Mary keeps in touch with every dog, and each one remembers her when she visits, even a decade later.
Many people at work can’t wait to play with and puppy-sit Darien. One of those is Jasmine, who is convinced that spending time with Darien helps her as much as it helps him. “Darien makes me happy and makes my day go better,” she said.
Mary said that Darien is so popular that she often has to search to find where he has gone at various times of the day. “I know that many of my co-workers think Darien is a therapy dog for them, reducing stress and bringing joy to their day. They often come to my desk to give him pets when they are having a challenging day, saying how much it helps.”
Karen, the manager of our Learning and Development department, is another volunteer for Canine Companions. While raising puppies to go to others takes an emotional toll, she said it’s worth it knowing the joy and independence they give to those with physical disabilities.
We love the dogs that are fostered within our company walls, and we look forward to the pitter-patter of little paws and the boundless love when new ones arrive.
TAKEAWAY:
Learn more about Canine Companions and their dedication to helping others at www.CCI.org.
Read all the articles from this edition of the Calcas Connection Newsletter:
by California Casualty | Educators |
Our Education Blogger is a public school teacher with over a decade of experience. She’s an active NEA member and enjoys writing about her experiences in the classroom.
Making the Most of Your Summer Break Without Breaking the Bank
If you are lucky enough to have some free time during summer break, take advantage of it. Don’t let the summer days slip by. Make the most of your summer without spending much money!
Sleep In and Take Naps
How often do you really get to do this? According to the American Sleep Association, sleep is a basic, biological need, and if we are deprived of sleep, our bodily systems fail. The average adult needs about 8 hours of total sleep time each day (ASA). So, no need to feel bad about sleeping in that extra hour or taking a quick snooze on the couch during the day. It’s for your health!
Find Free Activities
Make a list of the free festivals, carnivals, fairs, and other summer activities that your city or town has to offer during the summer. When you notice you have a free day, see what’s on the list for that day and have fun!
Exercise
Use your summer days to get back into an exercise routine. Use your break to fine tune your routine so you can transition easily into the following school year. The best part about summer is that there are a variety of activities you can do: swimming, biking, canoeing, kayaking, skating, jogging, hiking . . . well, you get the idea.
Have a Staycation
It’s time to explore your own town or city. Take a stroll through a local hiking or nature area. Visit a local museum, zoo, or aquarium. Eat out at a new-to-you restaurant. Or simply lounge at the pool soaking up the sun.
Get Outside
There are many benefits to spending time outdoors. As the Harvard Health Letter titled “A Prescription for Better Health: Go Alfresco” says, spending time outdoors will raise your vitamin D levels, encourage you to get more exercise, make you happier, improve your concentration, and might make you heal faster.
Spend Time with Friends
Carve out time each week to have lunch with a friend, or a group of friends. Maintaining meaningful relationships is important to your well-being. The Mayo Clinic says there are many health benefits to having friends including boosting one’s happiness, reducing stress, improving self-confidence, reduced significant health problems, and longer life spans.
Get Ahead on Professional Development
If you have “extra” time during your summer break, think about squeezing in some professional development so you won’t have to work on it during the school year. Don’t have the monetary resources to take coursework? No need to worry, here is a list of 6 Free Professional Development Resources for Educators.
Organize
Take a few hours each week to do that “spring cleaning” you never got around to. Focus on one room or area at a time. Purge, clean, and organize. You’ll feel like you can tackle the upcoming school year with ease if you have a clean and organized home.
How do you make the most of your summer break?
by California Casualty | Educators |
Our Education Blogger is a public school teacher with over a decade of experience. She’s an active NEA member and enjoys writing about her experiences in the classroom.
Dr. Carol Dweck, a psychology professor, created the terms “fixed mindset” and “growth mindset” after studying behavior in children. These mindsets refer to a person’s belief in their intelligence and learning. Having a growth mindset allows one to believe they can develop and expand their intelligence, so they work harder to do so. Students who exhibit growth mindsets are shown to do better in school than students who have a fixed mindset. People with fixed mindsets believe their intelligence is limited and nothing can be done to change it.
Teachers LOVE to teach students to develop a growth mindset. We are our students’ cheerleaders, support team, and personal encouragers in the classroom. A student in our classroom will do their best and achieve to the best of their ability. We recognize when students need help, encourage them to seek assistance, help them find strategies to succeed, and watch, smiling, as they use what we’ve taught them to become more autonomous in their school work, all the while patting yourself on the back and thinking “Yep! I helped do that; growth mindset. BAM!”
But what about teachers? Can this growth mindset and fixed mindset stuff be applicable to educators, too? Do you notice any educators who are lacking this mindset? Are you one of them?
I understand. Being a teacher can be rough. Something changes each year, and it’s usually just after you’ve mastered it. Like those fancy new tablets that were just ordered, or the latest writing textbook your building just adopted. Typically, teachers aren’t excited about change when what we have been doing seems to be working . . . or so we thought.
Just like our students, we should be demonstrating a growth mindset. We can’t get stuck focusing on the things that have worked for us for the last five years. Our students are changing, their needs are dynamic, and the world we’re sending them out into is ever-evolving. It is our job to continue finding innovative ways to reach the youth in our classrooms. Educators must be open-minded to changes and challenges that come our way. We must believe that what those same changes and challenges will make us better at our job, and, in turn, create lifelong learners of our students.
Teachers who demonstrate a growth mindset:
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- Collaborate with colleagues
- Take ownership of mistakes and share them with students
- Seek out assistance and mentoring
- Share teaching goals with colleagues
- Learn from weaknesses and challenges
- Maintain a positive attitude and use positive language regarding their own abilities
So, at your next faculty meeting, before you scowl and snicker about the latest changes coming your way, stop and think about what you would tell your students. Maintaining a growth mindset can make you a happier, more successful educator.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
by California Casualty | Educators |
Our Education Blogger is a public school teacher with over a decade of experience. She’s an active NEA member and enjoys writing about her experiences in the classroom.
Did you know that using humor in your classroom can help your students learn? In a Monitor on Psychology (American Psychological Association) article titled “How laughing leads to learning,” author Zak Stambor reports “when used effectively, classroom comedy can improve student performance by reducing anxiety, boosting participation and increasing students’ motivation to focus on the material.”
Before you start jotting down those one-liners, consider the following guidelines before implementing comedy in the classroom:
Timing is everything. Plan out when you’re going to insert your comedy into your instruction. Students may remember the content better if it is tied to something memorable, like a humorous anecdote or joke.
Keep it appropriate. It’s best to avoid foul language, no matter how “mature” your students might be. Also, be sure the comedy is age appropriate. If students don’t understand the joke, it will have less impact.
Make it relevant. Your humor should be connected to the content being taught, but also to the students whom you are teaching. Don’t use an outdated joke for a modern concept. You’ll be hearing crickets instead of giggles.
Know your audience. Will the class lose focus if you get too silly? Adjust your level of humor and its frequency according to the needs of each class.
Get funny before a big test! Using a bit of comedy before a big test can reduce student anxiety and improve performance.
Don’t overuse it. You don’t have to be funny ALL the time. Your students may miss important content if you’re constantly cracking jokes.
Avoid sarcasm. Some students may not perceive your style of sarcasm and can be put off by your flavor of humor. Some people may also feel offended by sarcasm; they see it as a lack of respect.
What if I’m just not that funny? No need to worry. If you can’t get them laughing, you should at least be able to put a smile on your students’ faces using some of these suggestions:
- Incorporate memes, videos, or songs
- Add funny items to test/assignment questions
- Post funny quotes in the classroom
- Dedicate a bulletin board to jokes, cartoons, puns, etc. Ask students to bring in items.
- Have a Joke-of-the-Day, invite students to share
- Laugh at yourself, share with students your own ridiculous experiences and stories
Humor can be an effective teaching tool. Capturing the attention of students with a joke may help them remember content more clearly. A bit of classroom comedy can also lower student stress and anxiety levels and improve student engagement. Having a bit of a funny bone also makes you seem more human to your students, thus creating a more comfortable setting where students are more likely to learn.
References
Stambor, Zak. “How laughing leads to learning.” Monitor on Psychology, vol. 37, no. 6, June 2006, p. 62. American Psychological Association.
