not to say i told you so....

but....i told you so. apparently i am not the only one considering the state of higher-education and goal setting among the majority of students. one of our local columnists (whom i happen to agree with frequently) addressed the topic of college TODAY in our sunday paper. read rod's take on students who aren't quite college material~just click on the link!

"what if they aren't smart enough?" from the dallas morning news

i'll post more later....we are getting ready to head over to matt's for lunch to celebrate papa's birthday!

summer goals

for those of you not lucky enough to live with or be really close to a teacher, you might not get this. so i'll explain. teachers live by a different clock and calendar. for the general public, resolutions for a better life are made each year on jan 1. and broken by february, maybe march (if you are super stubborn!). not so with educators. we resolve to do things on the day before the last day of school. that is when we have a (almost) three month break in which to focus on whatever, and so our thoughts turn to self-improvement.



naturally, it is much easier to resolve to exercise, home-cook, turn off the tv, when you have three months away from your job, and you can focus only on those things! of course, i do still have two major distractions from those goals, but hey, i love em!

so i am changing one of my lists on the side....in a little while, i will post a list of my "summer resolutions". as my friend monica says, if you go public with your goals, you are held to them. and since i don't do too well with any type of failure, that will be a big motivator. who knows, i might even post what exercise i did, just to hold myself even more responsible. we'll see.

did ya' check out my widget over there --->

its pretty cool, huh? i hope that shelf will be super full by the end of the summer. i am a nerd. i am okay with that.

and yes, i can hear the snickering about the "strong-willed child". we all gotta have help sometimes.....

"college ready"

"college ready" huh. interesting term. who among us is really ready for college when we start anyways?

i work for a large urban school district in texas. i mean huge. and i don't even work in a "difficult" school, with many challenged students. sure, my kids have got some issues, but comparatively, i am really in a pretty good school.

one of the missions of this school district (we have many missions!) is to have all students graduate ready to be competitive in college. or, in other words, we are striving to make all students college ready. okay. i get that. its a lofty goal, it sounds great, etc.

here's what i don't understand....why are we (in the education field) so down on vocational education?

yes, going to college is a good thing. it will get you a degree, and lead to higher education. it is quite a bit of hard work, and most definitely a lot of fun. it does allow you a little more time to decide what to do in life. and, in many cases, it will help you on the road to whatever you would like to become, in addition to making you a more educated and well-rounded person. i appreciate that. BUT college is not for everyone. its not. and i am not speaking financially, because these days, where there is a will, there is a way to pay!

i mean, there are tons of students who are bright, and talented, who don't want to continue in to higher education. there are others who are not as bright (gasp! did a teacher actually say that?!?), who might be lacking support, or who need a little direction in life. those kids (and many others) can really benefit from a strong vocation. a way to earn a productive living, and get training, while finishing out high school. (i also understand that taking body shop will probably not improve the chances of passing TAKS (that's another upcoming post!), which may have everything to do with this!)

so here's the deal. stop a minute. ask yourself who provides MOST of your daily life services for you. who is it? do you really spend that much time in the company of doctors, lawyers, or MBA's? (outside of work?) what about your mechanic, your heating guy? your plumber? your bank teller? your dry cleaner? how about your pest control person? your lawn service? the manager at your grocery store? how about all the truck drivers, who get those goods where they need to go? mailman? sales associates at the stores you like to shop? see my point? those people could be college educated...or not. either way, will a degree make your plumber more effective?

without those hard working people in the various vocations....life would surely (and quickly) come to a screeching halt. and yes, many of those jobs are made possible by behind-the-scenes work from someone who probably did have to go to college....but he's not the one bringing your package to you, is he?

so college ready is an admirable goal. but lets give these kids some choices. they aren't all going on to a university. and they don't all want to leave high school and get a job for minimum wage with little opportunity for advancement. BUT teach a kid a trade (bodywork, HVAC, plumbing, electrician, etc) spark their interest, help them to find the apprenticeship programs to go into after school, and you may just have changed that student's life.

but de-valuing this type of work, because it doesn't require a college degree, discouraging vocations and promoting all academics is not only unrealistic, it is just wrong. our economy (and our daily life) is based on this type of work. and no one should devalue any one who is working hard and training to learn a skill that can support someones family.

just my two cents. (actually, my high-school educated husband's two cents....he is our big moneymaker...and my check is spent, haha)

oh, and one last point...really, you want to pay the price increase for your college educated mechanic? you want to pay more to cover your plumbers student loans? the degree your electrician holds means he can demand a higher price....doesn't it? isn't that the thinking? i don't know about y'all, but i know that when we need those services, i will happily pay what is needed, but man, its not inexpensive. i pay for their knowledge, even if it didn't come from a university!

some stuff

okay. first thing. the stars lost last night. it was not a pretty game. i mean, letting a goal in during the first three minutes? arg. and the score of four to none at the end of the second was just sad. AND then, a goal, and new life in the team. who knows? had the stars shown that sense of urgency throughout the game, instead of waiting until the third, we could be gearing up for another game! arg. but, at least turco got over his "can't win at the joe" issue, and maybe, just maybe things will be better next year!

now, The Contract. man, i really thought i would get in to that movie. jon cusack and morgan freeman? seemed like a hit. not so much. in fact, another friend up the street called, asked if i wanted to come up and have a drink and chat for a little while, so i ditched poor hubby to finish it up all alone. had a nice time chattingn with the girls though. and hubby said the movie had a good plot, but not fast enough for his liking. he finished it though, and sent it right back.

oh, and we are now REALLY counting those days down. i mean really. i only have TEN days of school left (plus, really, only nine, cause i took this friday off!) so what could be better?

oh, and on the topic of education....oh wait, i will save that post for another time. probably later tonight, since husband is at home, and the good computer is there.

friday night

good times.

at home with the family. hanging out.

kids are finally in bed (knock on wood)

starting a movie with hubby now.

the contract?

i'll let you know how it goes.

whew!

okay. whew.

there are only two days left in this week. and then there are only two weeks, and three days of school left. and one of those days is a holiday. and i am taking off one of those fridays, cause the kids sitter is off. so really, for me, there are only THIRTEEN days of school left.

i am soooo waiting for summer. lotsa this planned:

okay, i know. but a girl can dream. maybe more like this:

but that's okay. the drinks are much cheaper (and stronger) at the second one!!!

and...

GO STARS!

we love you marty! we believe!

too true

i can't resist posting this....and its only funny if you have worked with us....


http://www.dallas.org/node/424

its a must-read!!!! (even the comments are great...i hope my canoe-effectiveness-index is this great)

new happenings...

there is a lot going on right now....and then there isn't!

things are in that endless lull between spring break and summer. that time of year when children act wilder and sillier each day, and the weather gets nicer and nicer....and if you aren't careful, recess starts to stretch.....

so we are now five mondays out from the end of school. five more. five more. its becoming my mantra. and there is plenty to keep a person busy between now and then, but, quite frankly, i am getting as restless as my first graders.

mothers day is coming up. (B....DONT FORGET YOUR MOM) so is memorial day, which is a monday off, but i don't think we have any plans.

but we are up for any invitations.....i will pause while the invites pour in....

oh, hey, yoplait has a freebie offer....follow the link, fill it out, and a coupon for free yogurt! woo-hoo

http://www.yoplait.com/products_yoplaitkids.aspx

(hahahaha)