The Education Proclamation

Last week, I had a great idea.
It was innovative.  It was revolutionary.  It was grandiose.
And then it was gone.
 Poof...like so much smoke in the ether.  I posit that it had something to do with my theory about hats (have I ever told you all about that?), but alas, that matters not in the end.  It is still gone. And I am sad.
However, never one to wallow in my own inadequacies or self-perpetuated miseries, I have moved on.  Just about a week late.
Which brings me to the blog at hand--which was not the one I planned to have at hand, but such as it is--this is it.

Education is an esoteric concept in many ways.  Teachers like to think they have one (most, of course, do), students like to think they're getting one (sometimes) and parents like to think that the academic responsibilites of both teachers and students are being handled by the teachers and students.  It's a system that has been in place for many years.  And I think that may be part of the problem.

I am not the soothsayer of doom, at least most of the time I'm not, but I am a realist.  And the reality of the situation is that our economy is recovering, albeit slowly, and as it becomes much more competitive, so too, do the opportunities that are available.
 It's not enough anymore to be the best test-taker, to have the highest GPA and a transcript that boasts all AP classes.  Other folks can meet that same criteria.  The Princeton Admissions Board will tell you that the essay is an integral component of the decision making process most colleges use.  But, that's ONE moment in a series of 12 years of education.  Mind-numbing, isn't it?

So, with that in mind, I'd like you to take a look at something.
Below, you will find a link to an article written by Tony Wagner called "Rigor Redefined."
 In it, he references many AP classes that he observed and how, in simple terms, he found them woefully inadequate.
I would like you to take this opportunity to tell me what you really thought of this article, specifically about what he mentioned about the skills that CEOs and company execs really look for in their new hires.
Do you feel as though your schooling thus far has prepared you for what these companies appear to be looking for?
Go a step further and consider the job pursuits you in which you hope to engage. What do you want to do? If you left school right now, do you feel as though you would be work-place ready and prepared for what they want? Why or why not?
What about the AP classes Wagner references...do they sound familiar to you? Why?

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/oct08/vol66/num02/Rigor-Redefined.aspx

Some Levity to Combat a Rough Few Weeks

OK--let's face it.  There are times when digging down deep to exhume your deepest musings or just pondering the intricacies of your own DIVERGENT (yes, I am really excited) thinking is simply too much for a week that will, no doubt, seem surreal due to (pick one...) stress, athletics, prom probs, Calc, boys, girls, pets...
In other words, sometimes we just need a break.

In the spirit of that, let's try for one of those Facebook-type survey thingamabobs. They are easy, breezy beautiful-type questions--the ones that are simply meant to have you think about..well...YOU. But, not in that deep, dark mystery-solving way we usually do

The trick is, you will have to copy and paste the entire thing into a word doc, and then change your answers to reflect your individual responses. Then paste it back into the posting dialogue box.


Read a few of your classmates and find some things about them--and possibly yourself--that you may otherwise not have known. The list below contain my answers in their entirety.



The Rule of Four


A) Four jobs I have had in my life:

1. bartender/waitress
2. adjunct English professor
3. director of admin. finance
4. English teacher


B) Four movies I would watch over and over (in no particular order):

1. All HPs
2. The Fugitive
3. POC natcurally
4. 50 First Dates


C) Four places I have lived:

1. Cali
2. Utah
3. Lacey
4. Philly



D) Four TV shows that I watch:

1. Modern Family
2. The Middle
3. Criminal Minds
4. House of Cards (All Hail NETFLIX!)



E) Four Interesting Places I've been:

1. Ireland
2. Thailand
3. Belize
4. Japan


F) Four people who email me (pretty regularly)

1. college board
2. Mrs. Finn
3. former Oak grads
4. Spammers


G) Four of my favorite foods:

1. Filet mignon topped with crab meat and asparagus and drizzled with hollandaise sauce...OMGGGGGG
2. bruschetta
3. spinach dip
4. grilled cheese and tomato



H) Four places I'd rather be than freezing my butt off in sunny, south JRZ:

1. Tuscany, Italia
2. San Diego,CA
3. Bora Bora
4. digging my toes in the sand of our own OC Beach while eating a slice of Manco's...



Four things I am looking forward to this year:

1. my AP babies getting 4s and 5s.
2. my seniors graduating
3. Summer, specifically see #4 above :)
4. former APers getting into the colleges of their dreams

Favorite quote (as it pertains to irony at its finest):

"In the beginning the universe was created. This made a lot of people
angry and has widely been considered as a bad move."
"The Book" - Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

I Think; Therefore I AM

There is an old proverb that says, basically, if you cannot ask you cannot live.

Well, it sounds deeper and more profound than that but I can't think of the exact wording.
In preparation for your This I Believe presentation, please carefully consider the questions below, and do your best to reflect and answer them as honestly as possible.

 1. What am I grateful for?
2. Am I honest?
3. What do I need to change about myself?
 4. Do I know what my talents are and do I utilize those talents?
 5. When I help someone, do I think, "what's in it for me?"

Again, answer honestly--no one will judge you, especially me. In fact, I will answer them too.