I want to share a story that may not have much to do with writing, but everything to do with teaching. I’m the den leader for my 7 year old’s Cub Scout den. Yesterday we discussed flags. We talked about caring for a flag, what the parts of the flag mean, what the words in the Pledge mean and how to display the flag. I was surprised and impressed when the kids began telling the parents the story of the Star Spangled Banner – and covered all the details. I learned the school music teacher told them the story in first grade. As the mother of a child who doesn’t always pay attention in class, I’m impressed by the music teacher’s ability to consistently engage his students. It’s not always easy to teach, but not lecture. To present facts without being tedious or boring. As writers, we struggle with the same thing every day. How do we get our point across without losing our audience? My son’s music teacher is entertaining and engaging and the children respond. Today, he will be my role model. Everything I’m going to write will be with him in mind. I hope my readers respond in kind.
Here’s what’s new around the FWJ network:
- 45 Free Things for Writers
- Update Your Look Before Updating Your Resume
- Article Writing and Your Psychic Friends
- Less Than vs. Fewer
So sorry for the short list. I’m helping out at my son’s school today.
Leads…
Content Writing Jobs
- Smart Brief is Seeking Freelance Writers
- Freelance Writers for Political Website – $20/post
- Freelance Writers for SodaHead
- Online Writers Bloggers
- Web Content Writers – Top 10 Reviews
- Freelance Writers for Wooftown
- Online Writers Needed Immediately - Spokane/Seattle
- Christian Article Writers - $20
- Healthcare Pharmacy Content Manager – San Francisco – Telecommute OK
- Article Writers Wanted
- Shoe Review Writer
- Men’s Lifestyle Site Looking for Freelancers
Blogger Jobs
- Pregnancy Blogger - $20 – $40/post
- Blogger for Performancing Legal
- Health Writers/Health Experiences
- DIY Blogger – L.A
- Latin Food Bloggers
Proofreading/Editing Jobs
- Editors/Writers Wanted – Wayne MI – Telecommute OK
- Proofreader Wanted
Copywriting Jobs
Journalism Jobs
- Freelance Restaurant Critic - Los Angeles
- Non Profit Seeks Freelance Investigative Reporter - Broward
Technical Writing Jobs
Ghost Writing Jobs
- Ghost Writer – Berkley CA
- Ghost Writer for Thriller Novel – $10,000 to $20,000
Business Plan/Proposal/Grant Writing Jobs
- Grant Writer Wanted – Chicagoland
- Business Plan Writer
Sports Writing Jobs
Social Media Jobs
General/Misc. Freelance Writing Jobs
- Writers for Spoilers Guide
- Writer for Music Bio – $30
- Writers for Startup
- SEO Writer – Los Angeles
- Sales Writing Position Available
- Need Treatment and Synopsis – Burbank – $40
- Celebrity Gossip Writer
- Seeking a Writer for Editing and Consulting - NYC
- Experienced Writer with Major Business Publication Experience – NYC
- Writer Needed for Picture Book
- Local Mesa Writers Needed
- Vegan Writers Needed
International Freelance Writing Jobs
- Vacancies for Freelance Journalists – Bonn Germany
- Spanish Editor – Toronto
Good luck!
Hey, just noticed that the posting title has “September 9″ instead of October. But Oct. 0 is mentioned as the posting date in smaller print.
oops…I meant Oct. 9 was in the smaller print, not Oct “0″. That would just be…wrong. LOL
Thanks, Mary. That’s a what a get for rushing through it!
Under Content Writing:
#4 Online Writers Bloggers and #7 Online Writers Needed Immediately are for the same company – SEO Kings – but list different contacts, Sasha Wilkinson and Brittany at Online Ventures. I can’t find anything in my mailbox, but I swear I’ve run across those names before.
Your tweet says September as well!!!
It’s a half-day here, so I got work done early before the school bus returns. I definitely applaud any parent who takes time out to volunteer at their child’s school. I did so for the entire year my daughter was in kindergarten and learned so much, plus it’s been amazing to watch these little kids grow into teens.
There are definitely teachers who do so well catching and holding their student’s attention, but others fail miserably. I still remember my son coming home in tears one day because his 2nd grade teacher yelled at him for not doing his 20 minutes of reading on Christmas Day. He handed me the nasty note she’d written me to chew me out for not forcing it. He’s now a high schooler, straight-A student taking all AP classes and still getting A’s. Missing that one day of reading certainly didn’t affect him, yet her attitude towards him has never been forgotten. To this day he still says she was one of the few teachers who still gives him nightmares. Sometimes I wonder if teachers really know how much impact they have a child’s life.
That’s awful, what that teacher impressed on your son. Good thing he overcame that to become a good student. I’m going to add a link to a book review I wrote; the author is a pretty special teacher. If it’s not kosher to add links to our own work – let me know and I won’t do it anymore! : )
Review of Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire
http://blogcritics.org/books/article/book-review-teach-like-your-hairs/
That is horrible. I’ve had many teachers that I thought should find another profession–prison guard perhaps. It’s the main reason I chose to homeschool my kids. Kids should always feel that their teacher wants them to succeed. Seriously, that is such an upsetting thing to read, I actually teared up reading it.
One of the worst I ever had was in gym. Think Mr. Woodcock (Billy Bob Thornton movie). I had Mr. Willamson in middle school and he would call all the chubbier girls “thunder thighs” in front of the whole class. As additional torture, he would have everyone sit in a half-circle around the chin up bar and he encouraged the boys to laugh at the girls who couldn’t do chin-ups. I loathed gym and that never changed for the rest of my school career.
I have to say gym is one area that has changed in the 20 years since I graduated. Both of my kids get to choose the activities they participate in. My son gets these weird choices like field archery (shooting at a moving target), birdie ball, wally ball, floor hockey on ice, orienteering, swimming, yoga, mountain biking, snowshoeing and a lot of others. Each month, they pick from three activities and they are given their top choice. My son loves his gym class and is even thinking of taking it for more credits than necessary because he likes it so much.
The Marketing Copywriter posting (the only entry under “Copywriting Jobs”) has to get the prize for best wording:
“. . . you need some idea of what all those boxes with the blinky lights do and who buys them and why.”
I love it when they have a sense of humor!
Loved this one! In Content Section/Number #10, these folks aren’t looking for anything Herculean out of their writers, just a novel a week.
I guess it’s easy-peasy since you do have your choice of fiction or non-fiction. hahaha!
Hi, thanks for posting writing job listings. This is the first website I check for available writing positions. I got my first part-time writing job through this web site, and the people I write for are great to work for! Thanks for your hard work, and for helping people find legitimate work-from-home opportunities.
The pregnancy blogger job looked perfect until I noticed they wanted someone in their first trimester – I’m nearly in my 3rd! Argh. Never mind
Deb,
I just want to say thanks, I got my first private client from one of your lists, and I could not be more excited!
Heath Gordon
@Deb”My son’s music teacher is entertaining and engaging and the children respond.”
Might I make a suggestion? Why don’t you write this in a short note to that teacher? As a former teacher who taught third grade, fourth grade, and worked as a substitute, I’m fairly certain that this man would enjoy reading your comment. The note doesn’t have to be a long one, but it’ll give him a pick-me-up about the instructional choices that he’s made.
@Anne G. “Sometimes I wonder if teachers really know how much impact they have a child’s life.”
Yes, Anne, most of the teachers that I know think about that a lot. I did as well, and for many, it’s one of the reasons that they entered the profession. Whatever difficulties you may have had with this particular teacher, I’m sure that your son has had several positive experiences with teachers as well. Teachers remember their students as much as students remember their teachers, which is all the more reason that Deb might want to share her thoughts with her son’s teacher. Her words will leave an impression on him as much as his actions left an impression on her.
In my son’s case, very few elementary and middle school teachers made any positive impressions. The only two that did, he emails when he has the time. Part of the issue is that they changed the school entry age when he was 4 1/2. The school board didn’t listen to our plea to grandfather him, or any of the other children for that matter, so by the time he started kindergarten, he was reading Harry Potter, already knew basic addition and subtraction and was writing his entire alphabet, upper and lower case. To deal with him, he was sent off to the enrichment room most of the day and tutored one-on-one by one of the enrichment teachers. Few teachers really took the time to get to know him for that reason.
The other problem is that a huge percentage of teachers in this school have been teaching for more than 30 years and it is apparent they’re ready to retire. Few of them have the passion that the younger teachers show. My daughter’s teacher last year was amazing, and we did make sure she knew what a difference she made. However, she’s already looking at switching districts because she was denied a raise because she’s new while the old-timers got a 30% increase for longevity. With a union in place, there’s little that can be done.
As always…thanks for the info! I’ve been on the site for over a year now, and got discouraged when I never got any legitimate callbacks (plenty of the scams though/people wanting work for free). I have now picked myself up, am going to rework my blog (need to see how I can make it pretty…hello Google) and am adamant to find a job. You’re the best Deb…and keep my hopes up!
Shermika
I hope you will forgive me because this is kind of off topic, but it is related to teaching.
I just got the King Arthur Flour catalog for this month and in it it says that King Arthur Flour offers a life skills bread baking program to 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th graders. KAF will visit the student’s school and teach them about baking bread from scratch. Schools must be in the Northeast or Midwest US. The program is FREE. The contact is julie.christopher@kingauthurflour.com. If you know a school that might be interested in this program, please pass this information along. I have been to their free adult baking seminars and they are very well done.
King Arthur Flour is a a little over an hour away from me and they’ve done the program in my children’s school before. It’s a fantastic class. All kids go home with a pound bag of flour, a recipe for making white bread and the yeast. They also make loaves of bread in the classroom that are then donated to the area food shelf.
Sometimes these teachers can bring out the best (and worst) in parents too.
I swear I would have replied to that god awful note re failure to read on Xmas Day.
To this day I remember the wonderful teachers I had but I’ve never forgotten the evil ones either. Maybe that is why short dyed hair freaks me out.
Gone to google King Arthur Flour. Sounds awesome.
Good Morning Deb? I recently recieved an email in regards to a freelance writing job. The Hiring Manager is requesting a credit and background check. Is this legal?
Thanks,
Omar
Hey Deb. I recently applied for a freelance writing job. The hiring manager is requesting a credit and background check. I have to send the file from http://www.creditreport.com so she can review it. Is this legel?
Thanks,
Omar
I got the same email from the 40 400 word articles. As soon as they asked for a credit and background check I laughed. There is no reason for a freelance writer to have to do that. I think they may not be trying to steal your info, though that may be the case, but they are possibly just trying to increase traffic to the site and get people to sign up for the credit report.
I don’t know if it is legal, but I have been a freelance writer for 20 years and no one has ever asked me for a credit and background check. The only time I can see where it _might_ be appropriate is if you are going to work on site instead of remotely. I’d be careful that you don’t give them any information they can use for identity theft.
I too got the credit report request, only mine was from someone looking to have 40 400 word articles written up…I’m pretty sure it’s all a scam, and I didn’t give my credit info out!
Cait*
When I was admin. asst. for a printer/bulk mailing firm, I was in charge of hiring. We asked to see credit reports for potential employees to see if their work history was really as stated. We also had them bring it in and they left with the paper in hand. As far as I know it is completely legal, and there are many employers who do it.
Given that, for freelance work, I will NOT give out my credit information. Too many scammers out there. Face to face is one thing, you can sit there and make sure they are doing nothing else with it, over the internet with a stranger, I’d never give out that information.
I think I got the same e-mail Omar.
Krista,
After reviewing your resume, I think you would be a great fit for the position. The next step is a mandatory credit and background check. You can access the website we use for this by clicking here now. Please send us the file you receive so we can review it. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Regards,
Christine Rawley
Hiring Manager
The link I got is to http://www.mygiftcentre.net/?config=5668&src=WC-209308aaa39420:198305: a gift card site.
I have no doubt it’s a scam, and I agree with Anne. Don’t give out any information like that, especially if you have no information about the company.
Thank you Anne and everyone else for the advice. I received the same email @ Caitlin and Krista. I thought it was kind of strange to ask for a credit and background check.
Peace,
Omar
I’m sorry Deb for referring to you as Anne. Keep getting you mixed up with Anne from the other site. Thanks Deb. I appreciate the time and effort you spend posting freelance jobs.
Peace,
Omar
Just popping in to say that I’ve selected your blog as one of a group I’ve recently discovered, which deserve special mention
Nice blogs!!!
Great list!!
Teachers are special and should be rewarded for their hard work. Just think,if teachers were paid $100 – $350 a hour, we’d have better teachers and less lawyers.
I’m going to get a bit off topic here, but hope that’s okay
First, Deb, I want to thank you for this amazing resource, I check up on the leads practically every day and am hoping that my persistence will pay off! 
Anyways, I’m still pretty new to freelancing and am trying to create my own blog with my previous (albeit small amount) of work I’ve done so I can refer people there and hopefully get more work from that. But I wanted to get some feedback from you all about what’s worked best for you in the marketing area. Do you think a website or blog is better? Do you post samples of your previous articles and work directly on there, or links? And I’d love to see any of the sites/blogs that have worked for you guys! Thanks a bunch for any advice or help! 
If you are in the early stages of a pregnancy or starting to plan a wedding – those are two topics that might land you a job like the pregnancy job above.
If you are pregnant or planning a wedding, I would do specific job searches to see if any of those jobs are available so you can get paid to write about something you are going through anyway!
Has anyone applied for the Top 10 Reviews (#5 in content writing)?
I got a response back but I’m still a little leary…
Hello All:
I could really use some freelance advice. Recently, I put queries in with two organizations. One accepted my bid and the other said they were very interested and my fee was perfect. I found them both here. One even went so far as to say ‘welcome to this project’ (and this is a very well known organization) and the other merely asked for one more sample of work. Since then, neither have returned my emails and I have no idea what’s going on. Any advice on dealing with these types of situations? Thanks for any advice.
This is a week old now, but on the listings for 10/9, there was an ad for a music bio writer (#5 under General) I responded right away, and not heard anything. OK that’s not a huge deal. But I think this is the third time I’ve responded to an ad for a bio writer, and have not heard anything back at all. Has anyone landed a bio writing gig from here? I’m curious if they actually responded to anyone. Or perhaps copied the format and plugged in their names?