| Make Your ABTA Summer Convention Reservation Soon!Presenting ina manner that informs and excites our students is important. Many come to this course because they think they have to; everyone seems to be playing this new system, and they feel they might be left behind. Since they think it's a large revision to what they've been playing, there is apprehension that there will be a lot to digest. As teachers, we have to focus on general concepts, and deliver material that has the potential to empower and amuse players the next time they play bridge. This book will bring you just that! =.) GAME To order books contact Baron Barclay: ARON ARCLAY DGE SUPPLY www.baronbarclay.comTHE MAGAZINE OF Bippiwe: Dealer: West => Pass © Vul: Both " v lwoe v74 4863 + AKQ108 4954 1. What's your call? 2. What would your students call? 3. What would Fred Gitelman do with this hand? Every issue of AUoiiY Givwni’s BeTTEN BrwbGr MaciZaNe brings the opinions of the experts for teachers to share with their students. PLay: ‘As South, you're the declarer after this auction: West NORTH East 1y All Pass ANT 3NT a74 wAB3 *Q9753 aKIB Pass Lead: ¥7 aA106 ¥Q95 *KJ106 #AQ5 1. How many heart tricks will you get if you play low from dummy? 2. Who has the #K? 3, Who has the ¢A? 4, What is the danger if East wins the first trick? 5. How do you plan to play the hand? Aunty Gaani’s BerTen Brince MAG\”iNe guides you through the play in deals like this in the regular Playing Detective feature. DEFENSE: Is it a good idea to lead an ace against a suit contract? Jerry Helms gives three good reasons to lead an ace, and three more important reasons for not leading an ace, in his reguar article in the 1h) |308 MAGA BIDDING, PLAY, DEFENSE...a well-balanced diet of tips ready for your students in the Better Bridge Magazine. It’s worth its weight in gold...and it's only $29 a year! ey ARON To order magazines contact Baron Barclay: 1-800-274 AARCLAY , : BRIDGE SUPPLY www.baronbarclay.comABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 4 Winter 2000. The American Bridge Teachers’ Association Quarterly Ma ne The American Bridge Teachers’ Association Quarterly Magazine (ISSN 0891-6462) is published quarterly by The American Bridge Teachers’ Association. Office is 1254 26th Avenue San Francisco, CA 94122-1505. Annual subscription of $30 is included in $35 annual membership dues paid to The American Bridge Teachers’ Association. Periodical postage is paid at San Francisco, California. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the American Bridge Teachers’ Association Quarterly Magazine, 1254 26th Avenue San Francisco, CA 94122-1505. BTA OFFICER: & REGIONAL DIRECTOR: Officers President New England South Pacific KRISTINE MOTOYOSHI CT ME MA NH RI VT AZ CA HI NV NM UT 1254 East Beacon Lane BRENDA MONTAGUE MARY ANGELA JOSEPH Spokane, WA 99208 14 Capstan Way 77-203 Iroquois Drive dkmoto@mindspringcom Swampscott, MA 01907-1231 Indian Wells, CA. 92210-9028 ae montagues@ comcast.net bridgemary@aol.com pore North Pacific South Central 2200 Sais Ridge SCO wr on wa ey IE as ry Jpenn@eolumbusrr.com DEE BERRY REBA JERNIGAN La ae 72.11 Harrow Place 3107 Colyar Drive Recordin: y Arlington, WA 98223 Chattanooga, TN. 37404 BRENDA SIMPSON Deeandduane.berry@comcast.net rejern@aol.com 11725 East Glenview Circle Spokane, WA 99206-5716 South Atlantic Southwest bsbridge@aol.com FL GA NC SC Car AR MOOK EN Immediate Past President. LINDA GREEN pan CSE DENNIS SCOTT. 40 Bosun Way 22111 Crossbtook Drive 95 Gallimore Drive Delray Beach, FL 33483, Katy, TX 77450-8637 Fredericksburg, VA 22407 _itwinlinda@bellsouth.net dabbler8885@ aol.com bridge4fun@hotmail.com North Atlantic West Canada Special Officer DE DC MD NISY PA VA AB BC SK Business Secretary/Treasurer AMY NELLISSEN DELMA MURRAY DEBORAH MURPHY 7 Sun Watch Court 1297 Ocean View Road 1254 26th Avenue Ramsey, NJ 07446 Victoria, BC V8P 1J6 Canada San Francisco, CA 94122 amynellisen@yahoo.com Delma_murray@telus.net bridgelady@earthlink.net, North Central west Regional Directors IL IN KY MEOH WV WT IN KS MN NE ND SD Fast Canada MARSHA REALL. TED APPLEGATE MIB ON PQ. NB NL NS PEI 4712 Ainsley Avenue 309 West 2st Street KATHIE MACNAB Columbus, OH 43230 Hays, KS. 67601 5 Wren Street mdreall@columbus.rr.co frapple@ruraltel.net Halifax, NS_B3M 2R1 Canada kmacnab@eastlink.caABTA QUARTERLY TABLE OF CONTEN President’s Message Submission Requirements Letter to the Editor New Members Book Reviews ABTA Online Activities Winter 2000 Motoyoshi Editor Nellissen Murphy Berry Sparrow How Do We Get Students to Play for Fun? Members Why Run a Learning Game? Review of New Teachers’ Website Sparrow Simpson What Defines an ABTA Master Teacher? Harrington Teacher Masquerades as Snowbird in FL Shafer What Does a Teacher Make? Ways to Make Your Job Easier : ABTA Seminar & Convention Unknown Editor Murphy Welcome Luncheon for New Members Penn Marketing and Advertising Budnick/Shafer ADVERTISERS BaronBarclay 2&3 Bridge Students ‘R Us ae Great Games Products 10& 11 Masterpoint Press 31& 32 EDITOR & PUBLISHER RALPH “CHARLIE” WILLIAMS 331 Market Street East #154 Gaithersburg, MD 20878-6410 slamhand@ verizon.net Note to advertisers, columnists and regular contributors: Please send your submissions to Charlie Williams or Leslie Shafer. Their email is slamhand@verizon.net or they can be reached by tele- Phone at 301-977-0314. Their mailing address is 331 Market Street East #154, Gaithersburg, MD 20878-6410. FUTURE ABTA QUARTERLY PUBLICATION DEADLINES Spring: April 15, 2009 * Summer: July 15, 2009 Fall: October 15, 2009 * Winter: January 15, 2010 PUSV Se CRON oe, more effectively - more knowledgeably - more professionall.President’s Message Kristine Motoyoshi I write this I watch the inauguration preparations and think that in a few months we too will be in Washington DC! I wonder if our newly elected President plays bridge The committees are working hard to line up speakers and organize the pro- gram of events, We are all looking forward to renewing relationships made at previous conventions, I en- courage everyone to attend the 2009 ABTA Convention and Seminar. Housing Reservations for the 2009 Summer NABC in Washington DC are now open, All events will be played at the Marriott Wardman Park. The room rate is $149. Reservations are also available at the other host hotel, the Omni Shoreham. The room rate is $159. We can make our reser- vations for the ABTA Convention and Seminar through Mega Housing (877- 350-2479) who have blocked out a number of rooms for us. I recently had to make some director calls that were not favorable to the players but are clearly written in the Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge. More than 50% of my students will continue into the duplicate world. In class they have already learned to use table markers, bidding boxes and du- plicate boards. Throughout my classes 1 introduce a concept of the game and explain I am just trying to make their table presence as good as possible. For instance, I might tell them as I come around to their tables: don’t draw a card too soon from your hand; hold your cards up; dummy should not anticipate declarer’s play or play before de- / clarer announces the cai you should not play with the bidding box until you know what your call will be; lead face down and on and on. Personally, I like to know what I am getting into and if I can get rid of inappropriate actions, I will feel better about being at the game. During the more advanced classes where they may be learning to use the “Alert” card, I exaggerate the use and when they get to the game they are pretty much in line with eve- ryone else I have been told by other directors that they appreciate the students, in- cluding the youth, not holding up the game with slow play and discussion of hands prior to the end of the round. How are you introducing duplicate to your students? Do you just let them wander into a game? Ask yourself ifyour community might be able to help you make the student's transi- tion into the game more pleasant. Also, how is the mentoring going? Are you mentoring new directors and teachers? Planting the seed and see- ing the growth sometimes takes a long time. You will recognize the individuals by the questions they ask and I urge you to share your knowl- edge and expertise. Sometimes it comes off as a joke—are you ready to take the director's test yet? Can you come and help me with my youth classes? Have you had a dream about bridge yet??? If so, you're RTC Sty ae DT ns If you would like to submit an article to the Quarterly or send a letter to the Editor, we have some suggestions for you: * Please include your name and telephone number, email and snail mail address (we solicit from ABTA members only); Electronic submissions are greatly encouraged (either as files attached to an email or in the body of the email); We are especially looking for articles about how to teach bridge (methodology, market- ing, advertising, humor, etc.); See page 5 of this magazine for where to send your submissions. Thank you. —Charlie Williams hooked! In our community, bridge is still an inexpensive form of recrea- tion, entertainment, fellowship and challenge even in the economic decline we are experiencing. Most of us are independent contrac- tors: the only one who can fire me is me. Pryyn® Update your contact information (address. phone, e-mail address, change of name) with Deborah Mur- phy (bridgelady@earthlink.net) as Thank you. Letter to the Editor Recently, there was an excellent article in US News and World Report entitled “Learn to Play Bridge” as one of it’s 50 Ways to Improve Your Life. It’s a great little blurb that even refers people to ACBL to find a teacher. I thought you might find it useful for your students as well. Here is the online link to the arti- cle, although we can never be sure how long it will be available. http://vww.usnews.com/articles/ news/50-ways-to-improve-your- life/2008/12/18/learn-to-play- bridge.html?s_cid=rss:learn-to-play- bridge — Amy Nellissen, New JerseyDianne Cox 23876 NE 112" Circle #2 Redmond, WA 98053 eastsidebridge@ verizon.net Mary Kelley 6 Turner Run Plymouth, MA 02360 kelley @pinehills.net Rene Levy 4807 Sandestin Drive Dallas, TX 75287 renlevy@hotmail.com Irving Marks 140 Prospect Avenue Hackensack, NJ. 07601-1820 7 Memoriam Duane Rancourt Sarasota, FL -\ EST Carol Orazetti 2467 Osprey Drive Redmond, OR 97756 cjorazetti@aol.com Howard Reed 195 Jordan Avenue Clovis, CA 93611 hbreed@comeast.net Mick Riccio 1981 Savanna Way Palm Springs, CA 92262 mick@elegancedesigns.com Jan Weber 4420 Rudetown Road Hamburg, NJ.07419 weberjan@embarqmail.cor emailsom IUCR ReIe lion & ECCT SB owe COME oe cs DEBORAH MURPHY at eGo PCMMCre nies Recruitment of new members should be a priority for everyone in our organization. You can download a membership form for your friends from our website. There is a supply of back issues of the Quarterly available if you are planning a teacher's workshop in your area. Make it your goal to recruit at least one new member this year!The Fall 2008 Quarterly magazine was mailed this past January. Please let me know if you did not receive it as that might indicate your membership has expired. The address label on every issue contains your expiration date. You still have time to renew your membership. Dues in US Funds: $35 for one year; $90 for three years; or $49 per year for a household membership. Canadian members may pay in Canadian funds by sending: $42 per year; three years for $112; or $58 per year for a household membership. ABTA offers this option as a convenience and fees may be higher than the conversion rate indicates due to US bank fees. Your check or money order should be made out to ABTA and mailed to: Deborah Murphy 1254 26th Avenue San Francisco, CA 94122-1505 If you have any questions, please contact me via email at:Great companion for students taking a bridge course, but detailed enough to stand alone! ! Introduction to Bridge - Play & Learn with Pat Harrington (Lessons 1-6) ‘Windows 2000/XP/Vista Only Retail $29.95 (ABTA Price $ 24.00) * Teaches both bidding and play * Paced appropriately for beginners * Lessons 1-3 teach the mechanics, trick taking, and provide the background for bidding + Lessons 4-6 teach opening bids and their responses © Quizzes to reinforce your understanding * Provides an extensive glossary and reference section * Includes 38 carefully crafted instructional deals, and 92 BONUS practice hands LEARN AND PRACTICE BIDDING CONVENTIONS Based on the WINNER OF THE 2007 ABTA SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR Help your students learn up to 7 different conventions ¥ Ideal for students looking to learn a new convention Perfect for students to help refine and practice their understanding of a convention they already know 4 Student will learn both the introductory aspects of a convention and its complicated subtleties and Windows continuations 95/98/2000/Me/ Volume 2 ~ Basic Conventions XP/Vista Only Blackwood Takeout Doubles * Strong 2C * Preempts Not available for the Stavmans: fers © Weak Two-Bids Madinisek yyman * Jacoby Transfers * Weak Two-Bids Volume 3 — More Basic Conventions Retail: $29.95 Unusual 2NT + Splinters * Michaels * Limit Major Raises ABTA Price: $15.00 Forcing INT « Jacoby 2NT + Negative Double To Order 800-426-3748 or Fax Cindy: 301-765-8004 : sales@ greatgameproducts.com Cindy EBridge Baron 19 2008 Individual-World Computer-Bridge Championship Runner-Up Available in English (Windows/Mac) Frangais (Windows/Mac), and Deutsch (Windows only) Windows 2000/Me/NT/XP/Vista Retail: $64.95 Macintosbv/iMac/MacOS : Universal Mac OS X application, requires OS 10.4 or later Bridge Baron 19 has a host of NEW features, including these: & When Bridge Baron claims the rest of the tricks, it states its line of play Y We have improved the bidding and play We have added seven new bidding conventions: Multi-Landy, Two-Way Drury, Invitational Three-Level Jump Shifts, Graded Ogust, 2NT-3S Relays, Delayed Two-Suited Bids, and Delayed Splinter Bids 4 We have given you more flexibility in defining your bidding agreements: you can now set the level through which your doubles of opponents’ opening bids will be takeout We have added seven new Bridge Tournaments for free We have added 24 new challenging problem deals for a total of 264 Challenges We have improved the graphical user interface <> Buy 1-10 copies: $39.60 each Buy 36-50 copies: $36.30 each Buy 11-20 copies: $38.50 each | Buy 50+ copies: $35.20 each Buy 21-35 copies: $37.40 each **Plus Shipping Have your students get more out of Bridge Baron! ! Bridge Baron Companion Book Retail $24.95 (ABTA Price $12.50) ‘This book attempts to lift that veil and demonstrate how Bridge Baron can be used by both beginning and advanced players not only to play bridge, but also to learn the game, study the game, practice with partners, compete in tournaments, and moreBite as ary Dg ee ea PRC) Duplicate Bridge at Home ©2008 Deals & Scoring from Fred Gitelman’s Bridge Base Online Commentary by Mark Horton This imaginative new softcover book lets participants play five 24- board sets of deals (all from Fred Gitelman’s Bridge Base Online) com- paring results after each deal or mid- way through a session or at the end of a session. Each player receives a page which includes that direction’s hands for the session and each player then makes up the appropriate hand to be played. There is a detailed analysis of the bid- ding, play and defense of each of the 120 deals, The author points out that playing duplicate bridge at home has these advantages: the luck of the deal is eliminated, since you and partner bid and play with the same cards as every- one else; score comparisons are possi- ble with players of all levels who have played the same deal on Bridge Base Online; games can be scored by matchpoints or” IMPs and the scores can be obtained immediately after each deal if that is wished; commen- taries are available by British expert Mark Horton; and as many deals may be played as the foursome wishes. From a teacher’s standpoint, this could be a fun way to introduce a group to duplicate bridge, or the hands could also be used for a supervised play type class. Published by Master Point Press as a book of “General In- terest,” Duplicate Bridge at Home sells for $19.95 US; $21.95 CDN. You can email them for more details at info@ masterpointpress.com. North of the Master Solvers’ Club, ings of Frank Vine ©2008 The joy of reading bridge stories has definitely been enhanced by the publication of North of the Master Solvers’ Club, the Bridge Writings of Frank Vine as presented by Ray Lee. Vine died in 1987 but he pos- sessed an “acid wit along with a rare talent for putting pen to paper.” An Ontario Canadian, a lawyer by profes- sion, Vine was an expert bridge player with a National Men's Pairs to his credit. He wrote for Bridge World Magazine and other publications and old and new readers of his material thoroughly enjoy these bridge tales. My favorite, as is the editor’s, is a marvelous tale told from the viewpoint of each of the four people at the table. Another delightful one focuses on a murder which deserves to become as famous as the Bennett Murder. A story spotlighting hesitations rings all too true from most of our experiences. Much sage advice is tucked in the pages of this 183 page softcover book. One favorite: Look for reasons to bid, not reasons not to bid. Published by Master Point Press, the book retails for $18.95 US and$19.95 CDN. This would be a most delightful gift for any bridge friends, and the anecdotes give bridge teachers many useful tales. Laws of Duplicate Bridge Through the Eyes of the Player ©2008 By Larry R. Harris, with Gary S. Zeiger, Technical Advisor This may be the first book about the laws of duplicate bridge which is easily readable. “Legalese and items of little importance to the player have been omitted. Emphasis is on the prac- tical. Insights, tips, cautions, and warnings are woven together so you will be able to hold your own no mat- ter what the venue or who the oppo- nent. Intimidation begone!” says the frontispiece. The author vowed after a dis- gracefully handled director call during Bridge Week in Pasadena that what happened would never happen again. He studied, became a director, wrote books for club directors, and now, a book for players. The softcover booklet, 8-1/2 x 11”, is full of helpful graphics and diagrams. The “hot tips” include “If the play seems abnormally fast or con- fusing don’t play to the trick until you are clear as to what happened ... If the declarer ‘shotguns’ his play from dummy at trick one, play in tempo, only face down. This stops him cold. Then, after you have worked out the defense, turn the card over.” Another, “Get in the habit of leaving your cards on the table until there is agree- ment as to the number of tricks won.” To determine who is the dealer for any given board, the author suggests dividing the board number by four; if the remainder is 1 the dealer is N; if the remainder is 2, East; if 3, South, and if 0, West. (Wow, the reviewer learned a new trick!) Baron Barclay Bridge Supply (www.barenbarelay.com) is the pub- lisher. The book is sold along with a copy of the 2008 Laws of Duplicate Bridge for $17.50. Right Through the Pack Again ©2008 (as part of the Master Bridge Series) By Ron Klinger “The original Right Through the Pack (A Bridge Fantasy) by Robert Darvas and Norman V. Hart was pub- lished in 1948 and the idea of each card in the pack telling its own story was an instant hit. It is on virtually every magazine's and player's list of the top ten bridge books of all time and has become a bridge classic,” explains the preface to this absolutely delightful and entertaining softcover book by Australian Ron Klinger, an interna- tional bridge teacher and world cham- pionship participant. The prologue covers a match be- tween the Old Master and the world bridge computer champion. It first ap- peared in Bridge World Magazine in 2001. At the end of a long tournament the Old Master collapses, is at death’s door and wants to go through. If he dies the pack of cards in his brain, in (Continued an page Hi(Continued from page 13) his soul, dies with him. The cards’ to save him by recounting their favorite deals. If this reviewer were to purchase only one book all year (in reality there will be many) Right Through the Pack Again would be that book. If we awarded stars as movie critics do this book would receive the greatest num- ber of stars possible by me. The tales of the 52 cards are each charmingly told, and they are also instructive. Yes, the deals are advanced, but high intermedi- ate players as well as teachers’ most advanced students will enjoy every page, The source of each deal is listed in the appendix, including those that ‘were constructed. The book may be obtained for 14.99 pounds through Orion Books, UK (www onbooks.co.uk). This reviewer found it on Amazon.com for $22.76 plus shipping and handling. Slam Bidding Made Easier and Better Slam Bidding with Bergen (The Companion Workbook to Slam Bidding Made Easier) ©2008 By Marty Bergen (10 time National Champion) Bridge teachers (and their students) will be delighted with Bergen’s pair of new books, the first in hardcover, the second in softcover. Starting with a special method of hand evaluation (upgrading as well as downgrading), Bergen moves on to quality suit” definitions as well as starting points,” recommended for players of all levels. Valuing voids as responder has always been a headache: Bergen sug- gests that when you have a void, the value is equal to your number of trumps; so with five trumps, a void is worth five; with four trumps the void is worth four, etc. (This assumes a fit has been found.) Control-showing bids rate a full chapter in this 240 page book and Ber- gen is adamant that initial control- showing bids (below the five level) show first or second round control, with second round control being either a king or a singleton. He recommends that a control-showing bid in partner’s long suit promises the ace or king. Others of the 16 chapters cover Jacoby 2NT, the Ten yyy Commandments (worth & ul the price of the book by ad themselves), — Splinters, Blackwood Do's and Don'ts, Roman Keycard and a variety of subjects presented in Bergen’s conversational and humorous way. ‘The companion workbook, a real gem for students, includes the vital sub- jects from the hardback book in con- densed form as well as_ partnership checklists. Teachers should like those, too. Slam Bidding Made Easier retails for $24.95, and the Companion Work- book for $9.95. Both are published by Bergen Books, 9 River Chase Terrace, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418-6817. Order toll free at 1-800-386-7432. Dis- counts (half price plus S&H) are avail- able for teachers, regardless of the quantity ordered. If requested, books may be autographed at no extra charge.ABTA QUARTERLY PAGE 15 Winter 200 ABTA Online Activities f af by Maggie Sparrow, Ontario j Are you missing out on our online activities? ABTAhome Check our website www.abtahome.com. Do we have you listed on the teacher page? ABTAdiscuss Go to http://games.groups.yahoo.convgroup/ABTAdiscuss to join our email discussion list. Then send in any questions, thoughts or concerns you have about your teaching or your students and get answers from other teach- ers. Read past discussions at the web site. ABTAchat Join our live Chat once a month (fourth Sunday evening) held at Bridge Base Online. Download the program ahead of time from www.bridgebase.com. It's great fun to get together with other teachers and share ideas, and it takes only about an hour of your time. If you are not sure how to get there or what to do, don't be afraid to ask—just email Maggie at msparrow@csolve.net. If you can't make it one month you can ask for a copy of the chat record by email. Here are the topics for tl xt few ths it tbe fe tk. all kinds of other things too—whatever April 26" 2009 How has your fall and winter session gone? Were your classes successful? Is there anything you wish you had done differently? Will you be changing any- thing next year? May 24th 2009 Now that you have taken all those new students through their first course or ‘two, what will you provide for them next? Have you thought about running a beginner game for them, or getting them to come to an already established game? June 28th 2009 What new bridge books have you enjoyed this year? Both for yourself and for your students? You didn't have time to read any? Shame on you ... well, come and hear about what the rest of us have been reading! No chat in July. See you at the ABTA Seminar and Convention, July 21-24th in Washington, DC. if we have your email address, you will receive a monthly reminder about our Chat date and topic. If you are not receiving this every month but would like to, send your email address to MAGGIE SPARROW at msparrow @csolve.net.How Do We Get Students to Start Pl % By ABTA Members [Last issue we asked ABTA Members to share their ideas on how 10 get their sudents to start playing. We were pleased to receive the following responses.) I teach absolute beginners for a six-week series, take a short break, and resume with another six-week series for them. I give all students a class list of names and phone numbers (with their permission, of course) and encourage them to get together to play. At the sixth class, one student, Susan, asked the group if anyone would be inter- ested in playing at Star- bucks on the same class days and the same time as class. A few raised their hands and she explained exactly where to. meet. When we resumed the second series, I discovered they had been playing. Eight people showed up the first time and Susan had asked for their email addresses. She communi- cated when and where they would be playing the coming weeks. They had between six and eleven people each time, switched partners, drank coffee and had fun. It’s a win/win situation as the coffee house makes money and the bridge students have a convenient meeting place. They are continuing to meet (on a different day) even now that class has resumed. — Ginny Schuett, Illinois, on behalf of her “Starbucks students I became manager at Adobe Bridge Club in Arizona one year ago and began teaching beginner and in- termediate classes continually throughout the year. Many of the stu- dents have moved into duplicate through our use of several plans: * Supervised Play every Friday 9- 11; $3, just drop in, no reservation or partner needed, just play and learn. It is conducted by one of our younger directors; * A_ successful non-life master game held every Thursday in con- junction with our open game. This game is in addition to our very successful non-life master game which has been held for several years on Saturday morning; and * The institution of a mentoring program which began in Septem- ber where a NLM is assigned to a life master. There is a commit- ment from the life master to play at least once a month with their student and the life master plays for free. I encourage them to play the student's card and add new conventions as they see a readi- ness from the mentee. I assigned the pairs, with some of the stu- dents choosing their mentors from a list. Most of the pairings have worked out quite well and at this time we have 32 students/ mentors.Our Unit runs several Pro-Am Swiss teams during the year and this also encourages I/N players to move up to tournament play. Tucson is well known for ‘t's I/N Sectional and Re- gional yearly. The attendance at the Adobe has grown 20% this year and hopefully we will add more new players in 2009. Happy New Year to everyone! — Barbara Rosenthal, Arizona 1am nota believer in posting results for new players as it adds a competi- tion that they are not ready for. I run a very popular game in which they play 9-12 boards over an hour and a half period and it is "loosey-goosey”—they can ask questions, talk among them- selves, etc. I use the last half-hour to analyze and discuss the interesting deals. They love the format as they have regular play as well as analysis. No results are posted (and they don't even ask for results!!) I also have run a supervised play for years for all ability levels (I group each table by ability) where they just come and casually play and I am avail- able to move from table to table an- swering questions. This serves those who just want playing time with a little supervision but no formal lessons. I charge the same for these games as I charge for my formal lessons. PLAY! — Carole Budnick, Georgia We have two mornings devoted to supervised play. One of my teachers, Jill, does both sessions. She is great with the non-duplicate players. One morning features a set of 12 deals, which she does up in advance using Deal Master Pro. The students get a handout which has a prescribed auction. Now that there are 8 - 12 tables she makes up two sets: one for beginners and one for intermediates. Mind you, Jill has been doing this for about three years, and can do up the 24 deals in about two hours. They love it. No changing tables, play with your friends, you can ask questions, refer to notes and discuss deals. Our other practice begins with a 10 - 15 minute "Bridge Tip" then random deals. Or as some of the students. like to think of them - real bridge deals. Again, notes are allowed, questions can be asked. This game now has about 9 or 10 tables. The boards move, but the players do not. No real scoring, but some of the tables like to keep track rubber bridge style. — Kathie Macnab, Nova Scotia Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment. If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. = Will RogersAs teachers, when our students come to the end of their beginner course and say to us, “What now?” we need to be able to answer them, to offer them something. In my opinion, it is not enough to just give them a class phone list or the location of the nearest bridge club with a novice game and expect them to go off and play party bridge or duplicate with others. As we all know, most of the time that will not happen. Beginners do not have the confidence yet to say to someone else, “Yes, I play bridge, let’s get together.” Their learning is only half there, their egos are very fragile, they are not yet ready for the big wide world of bridge games. So meanwhile, what do we do? When I first realized this, about six years ago now, I had a small group coming to the end of their second course, a brush-up course using the first ACBL Play course. They looked at me aghast towards the end of the last lesson. “What are we going to do now?” Completely without thinking about it, I said, “Come to the bridge club next Tuesday afternoon and we'll have a practice session.” That's how the Learning Game started, with five brave souls. They came and enjoyed playing a few deals, with my help. It was a friendly, non-threatening envi- ronment, and as the weeks passed they continued to come and they brought a few friends, we advertised ‘on the web site, I phoned and invited Why Run a Learning Game? By Maggie Sparrow, Ontario other beginners and I established our Learning Game Philosophy (see box on page 20). Six years later I still run the Learning Game one afternoon a week at the bridge club. It is a non- sanctioned game because I like them to feel free to discuss what they are bidding, to ask questions, to ask for help, to change their minds, to change their bids, to change their contracts. They use duplicate boards that have previously been played in an open game, and add their scores to the trav- elers. This enables them to see what might be bid and made on any one deal, and they have time to lay the deal out afterwards if they want to discuss it. It doesn’t bother them in the least that we don’t score the game, nor that there are no winners and los- ers. We just look at how others played the deal, and they add their score if they want to, to practice scoring. The game now attracts a variety of folk—new students, elderly players no longer willing to fight it out in the open game, players returning to bridge after illness, stroke or accident, party bridge players wanting to try bridge duplicate-style—and friends bring friends. We started with just a few tables and now regularly get 9-10. Three of the origi- nal five students still come, even though they nowall play in other games too. Fast track- ers quickly move up to the open game, but many stay with the Learn- ing Game for years, We have a mini-lesson (with a handout to pick up as they leave) for the first fifteen minutes where each table plays the same prepared deal, which we then discuss. The mini- lesson deal always has a bidding, a play or a defense point, and we might do several weeks on one theme, e.g., Tesponses to notrump, or takeout dou- bles, or slam deals. I provide the one- page handout for them to take home. These are numbered, and many stu- dents collect them in a binder. Some have every single one of these (and I'm now up to #253). Occasionally, a student will come to me with an old handout from years ago with a ques- tion! They are a treasured resource. The 15 minute “learning bite” is just enough for most of them. Then the group plays four three- board rounds with the East-West pairs moving up a table each round. Twelve boards with a total time of just over two hours, which is plenty, as they do not want a longer game. If a table fin- ishes the round early they just help themselves to another board from the box. The game is run all year, except for a two-week break at Christmas, and the fee is a little less than the open game fee. Showing up without a partner is fine, we accommodate any- one. Often they find their own partner as they come in, or I ask them to sit at a table and I direct someone else their way. If we have less than full tables, I play with them, sometimes bidding at two tables and then they have dummy switch around while they play. With one extra person we make a table of five. ‘They are free to raise = their hand for help at any time. Sometimes I will address questions to the whole table to help them out, or just have a discussion with that one person. I think its good to offer alternatives, to discuss what the bids mean, often leaving the decision to them. It is very much a social event, because they can talk about things (hopefully bridge) as much as they like. We have a lot of fun, a lot of laughs. No one bothers about things like leads out of turn, or whether the card has reached the table, or hesitat- ing with the bidding box. We're not playing duplicate (even though we're using previously played duplicate boards and moving duplicate style), we're using the time to experiment with bidding and play, to learn what works and what doesn’t. If they sud- denly feel like making a wild bid they do! OF course, it also enables me to see where they are still confused and I can plan future intermediate lesson series on the mental notes I make they play. Even when not being di rectly asked for help, I have ears eve- rywhere, unobtrusively of course. I invite the absolute beginner class students to come too after their third lesson, for free while they are (Continued on page 20)‘Continued from page 19) still taking the course, to practice their lesson deals. They sit at sepa- rate tables and work through the les- son deals again by themselves, with lots of discussion and consulting of notes. If there is time they play a few of the boards. This is a great environ- ment for these brand new beginners; they see “real bridge” in action, with bidding boxes, duplicate boards and scoring slips. Yet the atmosphere is non-threatening and supportive—and we have free coffee and cookies, with birthday cake once a month! Once their course is finished they can still come and play, first at their own tables then gradually integrated as they gain confidence. So ... why run a learning game? To offer beginner students a friendly, non-threatening playing environment. To help students revise their bridge knowledge with 15 min- ute mini-lessons and one-page handouts. To encourage party bridge play- ers to realize that duplicate bridge need not be terrifying. To introduce brand new students to the world of bridge. To enable the teacher to get to know the students better and to be able to plan further lessons based on the students’ current knowledge. THE LEARNING GAME PHILOSOPHY [This is taped inside the lid of the box I carry supplies in, propped open so that players can read it as they sign in and drop their money in the basket. Hope- fully everyone leaves happy, satisfied that their bridge game is improving.] Students may use this game for their own learning time. Students may call the teacher for help with bids or play. Students may change their mind, change their bid, discuss the meaning of bids with partner, or rebid the deal entirely. During the play of the hand they may take back tricks, or re- play the deal in a different way. They may decide to play the deal again in a different contract. Students will show support and consideration for all players, particularly partner. The main object of this game is LEARNING and ENCOUR- AGING experimentation to find out what works and what doesn’t through experience.Review of New Teacher: PRUE NST OMA ee rc CHECK IT OUT Ray Lee, publisher of Master Point Press, has done it again! His new website www.masteringbridge.com is an untapped source for teachers and students. You have several choices when you log in to this site. You can go to the teacher center, player section, or forum. Teacher Center. Vma great fan of getting free downloadable material. There are links, articles and recom- mendations for books from other teachers and authors. There are monthly offers and teacher discounts on books from Master Point Press. There is a FAQ (frequently asked questions) section to which you can refer. Student Center. Here is where I found numerous quizzes (duplication is permitted for teaching purposes only). Students can use the student- orientated blog to hear from other stu- dents, This is a great site for teachers to recommend to their students for the variety of resources they can discover. Forun. Maggie Sparrow, of ABTA fame, is the moderator of this forum which is similar to the ABTA discussion group. I like the idea that the exchange of ideas on various bridge topics is able to be read by all at any time and not only at a specific time and date. Guess who was featured on the home page of this site? Leslie Shafer and Charlie Williams had a great arti- cle on their bridge teaching careers. This was timely as they are our new Quarterly editors. There was an arti- cle about Marti Ronemus also that you can check out. This new site also encourages those who have a website of their own to establish a link through them. Any- one who wishes to con- tribute an article to the 3/7 site can just send it in QA for posting. It sounds | like whatever we need to “| help us teach, they will © try to help give us guidance. By the way, they are great ABTA supporters and come each year to our convention and give us new material. I encourage you to register for the forum and check it out. [Note from the Editor: For more in- formation about this website, see page 30 of this issue.] After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut. — Will RogersBRIDGE STUDENTS ‘R US Written & Published by Leslie Shafer & Charlie Williams Teachers, are you looking for: : ret gage a * New teaching ideas? een * Original and complete hands for your students to play? Club Owners and Directors: + Want fantastic pre-game mini-lessons? Our mission as bridge teachers is to make the process of learning bridge entertaining and exciting, yet factual. If that is your goal as well, this publication will help. — Leslie} FA Where do you get all your material? We frequently play bridge with our stu- dents (Chicago scoring). We observe their failures in bidding or play, and can write about those hands as “reporters” who have witnessed the event. Are the deals original material? Absolutely. We also include all four hands, vulnerability, dealer, etc., which makes it easier for teachers to use the deals in their classes. What is your Highlights issue? It’s a sample issue with a collection of our favorite articles included. It can be used as a free handout for students—they love getting free stuff! Our hope is that they will fall in love with our enter- taining, easy-to-understand articles and become subscribers themselves. What student skill level is the newsletter targeted towards? Our publication is not geared toward the absolute beginner. We recommend that subscribers have at least a basic understanding of opening bids and responses. For some of your students, that might mean after they have attended classes or games for about 3-4 months. We have life-master level subscribers who are still finding useful information in some of our more advanced articles (balancing, reverses, jump-shifts, ete.) We cover all standard bidding, play and defensive skills, as well as etiquette and rules of the game. Do you cover conventions? We usually don’t visit many of the conventions that are popular in the duplicate world. We do present universally accepted conventions (e.g., Stayman, Blackwood, even Jacoby transfers)—ones used by duplicate AND party bridge players. We have delved into a few advanced treatments used for slam bidding, such as Jacoby 2NT and control bidding.BRIDGE STUDENTS ‘R US A Newsletter for the 0-300 Players! Written & Published by Leslie Shafer & Charlie Williams ABTA Master Teachers What others are saying — “Can't tell you how much 1 enjoy your magazine. It’s just loaded with won- derful ideas and tips, not only for the students, but teachers as well. I'm al- ways looking for new material and ideas for my students and you've given me so many great ideas. (How do you come up with them all?) The hands are always good, the tips are excellent, and I think this is a magazine that teach- ers can benefit from as well.” — Ed Layton, ABTA Member, California "A definite plus for students and teachers alike! Students will Sy learn more and teachers will appreciate the constructive and By) entertaining presentation of the material. A welcome addition to the wonderful world of bridge!” — Pam Schaffer, ABTA Member, Maryland : eight bright, punchy pages of well-targeted material, newcomers and their teachers would do well to subscribe to it. This is an unfortunate publica- tion in one respect only—not enough people know about it! Rating: A” — Tim Bourke, ACBL Book Reviewer Special for ABTA teachers: Eight pages; Glossy with black and red printing | If you agree to distribute our Price: $25 for six issues; $45 for twelve issues | free Highlights issue to your Canada—add $5 per six issues (US $ only) | students, you may subscribe for $15 per six issues. What we offer teachers: As a subscriber, you will have a source of new mate- rial: complete deals and analyses that can be used to supplement your existing lessons. You will find new teaching concepts and an abundance of bridge hu- mor that your students will appreciate. What we can offer your students: We can provide you an unlimited amount of our complimentary Highlights issue to give out to your studenis—FREE!! You don’t have to be a subscriber to take advantage of this offer. Just send us your name, address and the number of copies you need to our address below. Leslie Shafer If you wish to subscribe, send your 331 Market Street East #154 check made payable to Leslie Shafer Gaithersburg, MD 20878 to the address at the left. Phone: 301-977-0314 To view a complete index of our past slamhand@verizon.net issues—or a sample issue—visit our www.bridgeteacher.com website listed at the left.What Defines an ABTA Master T DAM wae leita oye e Master Teacher is the highest title awarded by the ABTA. No sin- gle attribute is definitive of the truly exceptional teacher. By conducting a personal interview, the Membership Credentials Committee attempts to gain insight into a candidate's bridge knowledge. Members of the inter- viewing committee are all ABTA Master Teachers. These skilled pro- fessionals make the decision to be- stow the title of Master Teacher based on their judgment of the candi- date’s qualifications in several areas. Good knowledge of bridge is important. Although candidates are not required to be expert players or Life Masters, a thorough knowledge of bridge enables a Master Teacher to answer questions from students. Candidates will be asked to answer a small number of bridge questions during the interview. Interviewers look for reasonable answers to these questions and no single incorrect answer necessarily disqualifies a candidate from the rank of Master Teacher. When unsure of the best answer, a Master Teacher is willing to admit uncertainty and is able to use outside resources to research the answer to bring back to the students. No specific ranking in bridge is re- quired. However, many Master Teachers are ranked as Silver Life Master or higher. Bridge skills alone do not guar- antee teaching expertise. Good com- munication skills are essential to a Master Teacher, who is comfortable in the classroom and communicates clearly and tactfully. Attributes such as composure, intelligence, verbal skills, professional appearance and attitude, teaching philoso- phy, awareness of the lat- est teaching methods and materials, personality, pa- tience, enthusiasm, con- cern for students’ needs, experience, background, dedication, and the desire to become even better are all contrib- uting factors in qualifying for Master Teacher. Candidates are asked to discuss their teaching philosophy and cre- dentials, answer bridge questions on the spot, and to give two presenta- tions to the interviewing committee — a brief mini-lesson and discussion of a pre-assigned bridge problem. Not all ABTA members will qualify for Master Teacher designa- tion. We are confident in recom- mending our Master Teachers for bridge teaching jobs at any level and in any setting. ABTA Master Teach- ers are our very best professionals. Master Teacher interviews are always conducted just prior to the ABTA Annual Convention. All 2009 interviews will be held in Washing- ton DC on Tuesday morning, July 21. Since we begin early, candidatesshould plan on arriving in town the day before interviews. REQUIRE TS FOR ABTA MASTER TEACHER CANDIDATES 1. At least 3 years of continuous ABTA membership. 2. At least 100 hours of profes- sional (for remuneration) bridge teaching experience. 3. Attendance at a full ABTA Convention and Seminar. 4, Successful completion of an interview with the Membership Cre- dentials Committee. LETTER OF INTENTION & APPLICATION PACKET Applications must be received by June 1, 2009. Anyone mailing a printed application must notify the chairman by phone or email by June 1. Regular mail submissions sometimes take a long time to be received and we need time to sched- ule interviews. Send your application to the Membership Credentials Chairman: Pat Harrington 14840 Crystal Cove Court #503 Fort Myers, FL 33919-7417 mrsbridge@embarqmail.com Phone 239-437-4106 Your application packet may be emailed if samples of the work you have created lend themselves to do- ing so. Include the following infor- mation with your application: 1. A statement verifying that you meet the requirements listed in the above section. 2. Your post office and email addresses and telephone number. 3. Your background and history as a bridge teacher. 4. A listing of teaching materials you use (textbook, course outlines, materials you have created, etc.) 5. Samples of work you have created yourself (course outlines, lesson plans, handouts, class fliers, etc.) 6. A brief description of your teaching style (lecture/play, black- board, flip chart, “hands-on,” student participation, questions from stu- dents, etc.) 7. Who, when, and where you teach, 8. Any other pertinent informa- tion (such as special awards, appoint- ments, or attainments in bridge). Materials in this application packet will NOT be delivered or re- turned by mail to you. It is your re- sponsibility to request them at the conclusion of your interview. BEFORE YOU APPLY Because bridge knowledge is the most frequent reason for candidates not achieving the title, it is suggested that you check your own bridge knowledge before applying for Mas- ter Teacher. Sample questions simi- lar to those that will be asked during your interview are available at our website, www.abtahome.com. It is suggested that you review them to be sure that your bridge knowledge is sufficient to proceed with the appli- (Continued on page 26)Continued from pas: cation process. If you are unsure, you may email Pat Harrington to request a voluntary pretest be sent to you. The pretest questions are similar to those that will be asked during your interview. You should be able to an- swer them without any consultation or research. After you take the pre- test and return it, you will receive your results and be advised whether or not to continue the application process. AFTER YOU APPLY 1. Confirm your convention and hotel reservations (reserve at the host hotel early as rooms often fill up). Out of town applicants should plan for arrival on Monday, July 20. BLS e MER Cad By Leslie § 2. In addition to answering bridge questions similar to those on the pre- test, your interview will include two presentations — a mini-lesson on a topic of your choosing (to take no more than 15 minutes — less is good) and a bridge question sent to you in advance so you can research your answer. Pat Contact Harrington at mrsbridge@ arqmail.com with any questions. The committee is of- ten asked to make exceptions for candidates who are unable to meet one or more of the above require- ments. In order to be fair to all, no exceptions can be made so please don’t ask. s Snowbird in Florida hafer, Maryland Studmuffin and I are nearing the end of our first try at snowbirding in Florida. I have a palm tree fetish, so felt at home right away. I thought I'd share the important tips I’ve learned. 1. If renting, ask how old the build- ing is instead of relying on pic- tures on the internet. 2. Don’t feed the ducks directly from your porch — they will come back and leave you nasty little gifts. I also credited them with a very high IQ when I re- peatedly saw them walking in the crosswalks. But someone just had to break it to me: they can’t handle curbs with their webbed feet, so they use the wheelchair access built into the crosswalks. 3. If you're giving lessons, make sure at least three friends back home are available to speed-ship needed lessons that you did not bring with you. 4. Make sure your travel laptop has a duplicate of the hard drive you have at home. 5. Take your rolodex with you. 6. Take your favorite martini glass! Long ago when men cursed and beat the ground with sticks, it was called witchcraft. Today it's called golf. — Will RogersWhat Does a Teacher Make? Author Unknown The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, ‘What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?” He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: “Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.” To emphasize his point he said to another guest: “You're a teacher, Bon- nie. Be honest. What do you make?” Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, “You want to know what I make?” She paused for a second, then began. “Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I make a C+ feel like the Congres- sional Medal of Honor. I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for five without an IPod, Game Cube or movie rental. You want to know what I make?” (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.) “I make kids wonder. I make them question. I make them apologize and mean it. I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions. I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn't every- thing. I make them read, read, read. I make them show all their work in math. They use their God-given brain, not the man-made calculator. I make my students from other coun- tries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity. I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe. I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, One Nation Under God, because we live in the United States of America. I make them under- stand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.” (Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.) “Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me know- ing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant. You want to know what I make? “I MAKE A DIFFER- ENCE. What do you make Mr. CEO?” His jaw dropped, he went silent. [Special thanks to Dee Berry for sending this to us. We would like to acknowledge the Author if anyone recognizes this reprint.]Ways to Make Your Job Easier Ever had a student bring you a deal they played at home, seeking your advice on the bidding? Usually, the suits are listed in random order, there are 16 cards in one hand, and they only give you one hand to look at (not the entire deal), One way we've ad- dressed this problem is to put on our website a template that the students can print out and use to record the cards and bidding BEFORE they bring the deal to us. You can view the template on our home page at: www.bridgeteacher.com If you have a website, it is easy to post lessons, handouts, flyers, etc., if you first convert the documents into a format called PDF. You can purchase the software necessary or you can use a free shareware download from the internet. The only cost of the share- ware is viewing a 20 second pop-up advertisement each time you use it. The website for the shareware is: www. pd i995. It turns almost any document into a pdf file. Most computers now have the Acrobat Reader software needed to open pdf files pre-installed. If you don’t have it, that is also available on the internet at no cost. Say your stu- dent missed a class—you can email her the lesson in a pdf format! You don’t have to worry if they have MSWord or CorelWP, it just doesn’t matter. Email away—just as good as sending a fax! Nea els & Convention July 21—24, 2009 Washington, DC TER Ce aa ed PNB OTOL UN AnH LN Pio ieouec ead Our Seminar & Convention will be held in Washington DC this year starting July 21. The Seminar starts on Tuesday afternoon July 21 and ends at noon on Wednesday. The Convention starts Wednesday afternoon July 22 and ends on Friday July 24 at noon. We are in the process of lining up speakers and will mail registration packets in March or April. We will also post registration in- formation on our website. We will meet at the Marriott Park Hotel at 2660 Woodley Road NW, Washington, DC 20008. Wardman Please make your reservations through Mega Housing Manage- ment to get the cheaper bridge rates by calling 877-350-2479 or by fax at 866-445-6704. You can also go to their website at: www.megahousing.com/achl You should make your reserva- tions now if you want to stay in the host hotel—it will sell out! The Mar- riott Wardman Park Hotel is also where the Summer Nationals will take place.On behalf of the ABTA, we welcome you to our profes sional bridge teacher’s organization. I hope you'll consider attending our fun-filled mectings being held July 21 to July 24, 2009, Our annual Seminar begins Tuesday, July 21 and continues until noon on Wednesday, July 22. The many knowledgeable speakers will assist you with ideas and in- formation to help shape your classes and make them more |) interesting for your students. The 2009 Seminar begins at 1:30 pm, July 21, 2009. You are invited to at- tend a new-member luncheon that day (before the Seminar) either at the Mar- riott Wardman Park, the host hotel, or a restaurant within a short walking dis: tance. At this cash luncheon officers of the ABTA will answer your questions introduce you to other teachers new to the organization, and review the agenda for the Seminar and Convention immediately following. We will help make your time in Washington DC both enjoyable and memorable. Consider attending our meetings this summer because you owe it to your- self to become as knowledgeable a teacher as you can and the agenda offers you a unique opportunity to do this. These wonderful sessions, designed with you in mind, will expand your knowledge in many areas. If you have been in the ABTA but never attended our meetings, feel free to join us on July 21 for lunch. If you wish to reserve a place at the luncheon, please contact me at or 614-451-8680.[This is the first in a series of columns devoted to addressing how teachers can better market their classes. 1 invite all our members to participate. Send your best marketing tips to slamhand@verizon.net] Please share with us advertising/ marketing ideas that have helped you have successful bridge classes. From Carole Budnick, Georgia The Atlanta Athletic Club (ACC) in Atlanta asked me last year to do a "Bridge Blitz." It is a five hour session (10 am. to 3 p.m.) on a Saturday with one hour for lunch and four hours of instruction. I charged $75 per student and each participant paid for their own lunch. The ACC did not want any profit from this. They just wanted this activity for their members. This year the number of participants doubled and obviously as the numbers go up, so does your hourly rate. I also teach at a gift shop that has cooking classes as well as bridge classes so I want to try something similar there by offering lunch for them and working out a deal with the owner so that it is a win/win situation for both of us. I have run the “Bridge Blitz” twice and it has been fun, effective and very lucrative. From Leslie Shafer, Maryland The current economic crunch may mean many of our students can no longer afford the luxury of bridge classes, and we need to realize how will affect our incomes. AWE Coniremae COMMIT PUNY onl rad This semester we lowered our tuition fee from $150 to $125; how- ever, we also reduced the class length from eight to six weeks. It might appear we reduced our fees, but we are going to be making about the same amount per class. One way to reduce or eliminate rent costs is to let your students help. A student of mine now coordinates a s for me in her condo’s “card room.” There is no rent for me to pay (although t that she participate for free for all of her help) T hold another class at a local tem- ple. The temple donates a room for the Sisterhood to use for our lessons, as it is considered a fundraising event (the Sisterhood retains 35% of the tuitions). They do their own ad- vertising and have been pleased with how these classes have helped their members bond and become more of a “family.” I have reduced my copying costs by pos student handout sheets on my website. Students can now print them out at home if they have a com- puter. I picked up this very helpful tip from another ABTA member. I also save a significant amount of time this way. The bottom line is: we need to be more creative in our marketing and budgeting.THE BRIDGE SITE FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS WWW.MASTERINGBRIDGE.COM Includes: * Free downloads for teachers ~ quizzes, practice hands, etc. * DEAL OF THE Month especially for teachers * Teacher discussion forum * Articles about bridge of interest to teachers * Ideas for your lessons * Suggested reading for teachers and students * Q&A zones for students and teachers and much, much more Log in and help make this real community for the world’s bridge teachers and their students. Ee hatNew BrIiDGE TITLES Master Point Press BARBARA SEAGRAM’S BEGINNING BRIDGE by Barbara Seagram & Linda Lee If you're still looking for the perfect textbook for your students, this could be it. US $19.95 CODED CARDS to accompany this book also available: $8.00 Gary Brown's LEARN TO PLAY BRIDGE by Gary Brown 2007 ABTA Book of the Year — the ideal text for a short beginner course. US $17.95 or Master Point Press, 331 Douglas Ave, Toronto, Ontario, MSM 1H2 416.781.0351 Call your bookstore or bridge supplier, ie — VISA