Whether you’re graduating from high school and thinking about taking out loans for college, graduating from college and thinking about how your debt might effect your future, or in the workforce and already paying your monthly loan payments, it’s not too late to pick up some tips about your personal finances. Washington Post columnist Michelle Singletary recently shared her top financial tips that reflect many conversations she’s had with young people about the shape of their finances.
For over a hundred years, The Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club has provided Philadelphia’s boys and men the opportunity to be a part of a positive community. Before the heart of downtown Philadelphia was known for its poverty stricken neighborhoods with abundant drug activity and high unemployment rates, the African American community of Fletcher Street was thriving, and out of that community men began saving horses from slaughter and giving them a new home in the city’s urban stables.
In an interview with Temple University, longtime proponent of Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club, Ellis Ferrel said, “A lot of kids would come around the stable, who wanted their own horse. They reminded me of me. I would assign them to a horse to take care of, and it helped teach them responsibility and respect. They learned to respect the horses and respect themselves, and they learned to respect others.”
The mission of The Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club is to save the historical aspects of Philadelphia’s community, and most importantly, its children. Through riding, the club offers a safe environment, mentorship, lessons in responsibility, discipline, and reward. The men who keep the club alive are sometimes the only support the young equestrians have in their lives.
However, as old buildings get demolished and new housing takes their place, the original 50 stables once throughout Philadelphia continue to dwindle and get closer to extinction. The interesting juxtaposition of horses trotting through urban settings and numerous personal stories from the Fletcher Street community inspired the documentary, “Fletcher Street,” a film that hopes to raise awareness and “shed light onto a neighborhood worth saving.”
To learn more about the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club visit www.fletcherstreeturbanridingclub.com.
References:Â http://www.fletcherstreeturbanridingclub.com/main.html
Author and Harvard University lecturer Richard Weissbourd examines the negative effects that “achievement obsessed” parents have on their children in the recent article “The Overpressured Student.”
Many of the parents who fall into this category are from the upper-and-middle class and are guilty of behavior like playing a Baby Einstein video for their children, hiring a tutor for their preschool student, and making their college-aged students believe their life is “ruined” when they don’t get into a prestigious school.
In research conducted by Weissbourd and his team, they found more than one-third of the 40 juniors surveyed believed “getting into a good college” was more important than “being a good person.” Almost 50 percent of students believed that their parents thought it was more important for them to get into a good school than be a good person.
Of course, students should be motivated to succeed, persevere, lead, and dream big but studies show, if anything, added pressure is keeping students from succeeding rather than preparing them for a successful college experience and career. Weissbourd believes parents, schools, and communities are selling unhealthy standards of achieving and a balance is needed in the community as a whole to make students not only high-acheiving, but also happy and moral.
Research shows the following problems have a strong association with achievement pressures:
When parents put such a large focus on their children’s achievement, especially when it’s done in subtle ways — like involving their students in extracurricular activities they don’t show any interest in just to spice up their college resume, or pushing them to apply to a prestigious college even if it’s a poor fit — children feel like their individual qualities are not valued by others.
There is a disconnect between what parents want their children to achieve in school, and the skills their students will need to succeed when they get out in the workforce. Not only will these AP, IB, and G&T students be unhappy and overstressed in K-12, the feeling will follow them through college and into the profession their parents chose for them. No matter how intelligent the student is, if they don’t have compassion, know how to communicate, or value their personal strengths, they won’t be valued in the world of work.
References: “The Overpressured Student” -Â http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/may11/vol68/num08/The-Overpressured-Student.aspx
Experts are saying that the problems associated with ADHD may be a self-perpetuating loop. In a recent New York Times article, “Fixated by Screens, but Seemingly Nothing Else,” Dr. Perri Klauss addresses the issue of screen time and those with ADHD.
Many parents who are encouraged by their student’s teacher to get them tested for ADHD are confused by the diagnosis, saying their child can sit in front of a television or play a video game for hours. To be consumed by television and video games and not anywhere else, however, is a characteristic of ADHD that many experts have been interested in understanding.
It’s believed by experts that children with ADHD actually spend more time at the television than their peers. But, the attention they give to a screen is not the kind of attention they need for school or other real life situations, says Dr. Christopher Lucas at New York University School of Medicine. “It’s not sustained attention in the absence of rewards,†he said. “It’s sustained attention with frequent intermittent rewards.â€
In a recent Edutopia blog, neurologist and teacher Judy Willis made the case that video games were among the best learning tools because the gamer is rewarded by doses of dopamine. When students guess right, dopamine is released and they have a “powerful pleasure response.” Students are motivated to keep learning/playing so they can be further rewarded.
It’s believed that children with ADHD play more video games because their “dopamine reward circuitry may be otherwise deficient.” One study found when children with ADHD were prescribed Ritalin, they played less video games, suggesting video games were a form of self-medication.
But research is also finding that playing video games might lead to ADHD. When children are exposed to fast-paced stimulation, they may find real life understimulating.
Another loop experts are worried about is that those with ADHD have a harder time identifying why events happen. This is one reason why those with ADHD have difficult social problems. When these kids don’t socially fit in, they might revert to video game where mastery of their world comes easier.
References:
It’s not uncommon for people to associate earning a college degree with increased wages and employment opportunities. According to the U.S. Census Report “The Big Payoff: Educational Attainment and Synthetic Estimates of Work-Life Earnings,” over the span of an adult’s working life, high school graduates can expect, on average, to earn $1.2 million; those with a bachelor’s degree, $2.1 million; and people with a master’s degree, $2.5 million.
But despite the numbers, this school of thought has been losing followers. The recent New York magazine article “The University Has No Clothes” addresses the Obama administration’s goal to increase the number of people attending college and what this is doing to increase debt, dropout rates, and grads who are underprepared for the workforce.
According to a study by Sallie Mae, 84 percent of students strongly agreed that higher education was an investment in their future. However, when asked if they would attend college for the experience, not for monetary gains, only 32 percent strongly agreed they would.
Students haven’t always thought of a college education as a ticket to success. The Huffington Post article “What’s Wrong With American Higher Education?” looks back at how enrollment rates have changed over the last 60 years. In 1950, 2.6 million people – less than two percent of the population — were enrolled in college. By 1990, the number of people enrolled rose to 13.2 million, which was more than five percent of the overall population. Then, between 1997 and 2007, the enrollment rose by 25 percent.
This spike in enrollment is an enormous change in the structure of the university, says professor Jane Robbins. Unintentional growth has lead to a system that is both rife with inefficiencies and extremely powerful.
Should students attend college with the motive to gain knowledge and experience? Or do students gain just as much when motivated by a dollar sign? Is there a fine line? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
References: What’s Wrong With American Higher Education? -Â http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/25/whats-wrong-with-american_n_853640.html#s246451&title=Focus_on_Elite
It’s that time again when teachers and students are counting down the weeks, days, and minutes until the end of the school year. Blogger and teacher Larry Ferlazzo offers teachers some ideas on how they can finish the school year strong while keeping learning fun and interesting for the students.
1. Introduce the idea of Finishing Strong
Share the idea of finishing strong with your students. Have them answer the following questions on pieces of poster board and hang them in the class for motivation:
2. Student-led lessons
Letting students take over the teacher’s role can be a strong motivator for students. Have students get in small groups and come up with something they are passionate about. Have them teach their lesson to another group or the class.
3. Technology projects
The end of the school year is the perfect time to introduce more technology in the classroom. Get students engaged by making their learning experience correlate with digital tools and techniques.
4. Work fewer hours
It might not be worth throwing in the extra hours at this point in the semester. Cutting down on a few hours might be just what you need to feel more energized in the classroom.
5. Read a stimulating book
Even though it’s the end of the year, it’s not too late to introduce a new lesson or teaching method. Read an article or book on teaching and learning to get ideas on what activities you can add in the classroom in the last few weeks.
What will you do to keep the classroom energized in the last few weeks of school?
References: Finishing the School Year Strong -Â http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2011/05/05/tln_ferlazzo_3.html?tkn=TUCFETR5PCC7LqjhElm%2FDCyLGDXHpK9jQAgI&cmp=clp-sb-ascd
Millions of people will turn on their TVs this Saturday to watch the horse race known as the Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports:Â the Kentucky Derby. Thirteen horses are entered in the longest running sports event in the country, but among them are three unlikely participants.
In the last 136 horse races, there have only been 14 female trainers and five female jockeys. No female trainer or jockey has yet to win a race, but this year trainers Kathy Ritvo and Kathleen O’Donnell and jockey Rosie Napravnik are real contenders for breaking the gender barrier.
Jockey Rosie Napravnik is a 23-year-old who will be riding a colt named “Pants on Fire”. She’s had her jockey license since 2005, and in the last year won the Fair Grounds riding title and last month’s $1 million Louisiana Derby allowing her to place in this year’s Kentucky Derby.
Keep an eye open for  “Watch Me Go” to see the work trainer Kathleen O’Donnell has done. “I feel like I’ve been a trailblazer since time began to be honest with you,” she said. “I’ve been on the track since 1970. My first license said ‘exercise boy’ because there wasn’t even a category to check for a girl.”
Resources:Â http://www.bigsiteofamazingfacts.com/how-long-does-the-kentucky-derby-last-and-how-many-people-watch-the-kentucky-derby-every-year
Three women eager to break gender barrier at Derby -Â http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/05/us-horse-racing-kentucky-women-idUSTRE7447HD20110505
When is the Kentucky Derby 2011 – Â http://news.travel.aol.com/seasonal/when-is-the-kentucky-derby-2011/
Look at any daily news source this week and expect to see coverage on Osama bin Laden’s death, education policy, candidates for the next presidential election, and the U.S.’ involvement in two wars, among other issues nation-, state-, and city- wide. Now, look at a graduating class of seniors who are either of voting age or almost there, and guess how many are prepared to vote in the next election.
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Finals week is coming up and many students are panicking to find time to squeeze in studying for every class, write term papers, and memorize oral presentations. When life gets stressful, students often turn to commonly alcohol for a stress relief, but research shows this habit is doing more harm than good to student’s grades.
A new survey found that besides time spent studying, time spent drinking was the most reliable predictor of a student’s GPA. Researchers surveyed 13,900 incoming freshmen from 167 schools, including institutions known for both their drinking and stellar grades, and found across the board the amount students drink is more influential to their grades than how many hours they spend in the classroom.
However, researchers did find that when students who drink are also involved in extracurricular activities they had fewer negatives consequences like ditching class, missing work, or failing assignments than those who weren’t involved in an activity.
Researchers were also surprised by how students spent most of their time. Even though social networking seems like a likely candidate to be the number one distractor from doing one’s work, students spent the 4.41 hours social networking, 5.32 hours watching TV, 7.25 hours studying, 7.61 hours working, and 14.21 hours attending class. The study warns not to get too excited about studying taking third place. In the 1960’s, college students were studying 24 hours a week.
“The main value of the study lies in using the relationships between study time, alcohol consumption, and academic success to predict student behavior so colleges can develop programs that target specific students in danger of falling behind,” writes Newsweek editor Kristina Dell.
Many schools are attacking the issue with alcohol awareness programs, community help, and online courses. Some schools have seen positive results from requiring students to take an online alcohol education test before entering the campus.
Resources: How Alcohol Consumption Predicts GPA – http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-03-31/drinking-and-grades-how-student-alcohol-consumption-affects-gpa/#
For many students, the last day of school is just around the corner and summer learning probably isn’t the first thing on their minds. Get tips on how you can make the long summer days fun and educational by joining recognized expert in student success and parent engagement, Maureen Breeze, for the live, interactive webinar, Promoting Summer Learning: Fostering Analytical, Practical, and Creative Intelligence.
Multitudes of research show that students experience learning losses when they are not engaged in educational learning during the summer months. According to Ron Fairchild, Executive Director of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Summer Learning:
Yet many students need a break from the rigor and structure of daily school. During this webinar, LifeBound presenter, Maureen Breeze, will discuss why summertime is great for fostering multiple types of intelligence and will discuss ways you can ignite your child’s curiosity while promoting analytical, practical and creative learning.
This webinar is recommended for parents, educators, counselors, and administrators who want to improve their effectiveness with students in 5-12 grade through a summer of learning. Click on the links below to register for a session.
| Morning Session | Evening Session |
| Tuesday, May 10, 2011 | Tuesday, May 10, 2011 |
| 11:00 am – 11:45 am Eastern | 9:00 pm – 9:45 pm Eastern |
| 10:00 am – 10:45 am Central | 8:00 pm – 8:45 pm Central |
| 9:00 am – 9:45 am Mountain | 7:00 pm – 7:45 pm Mountain |
| 8:00 am – 8:45 am Pacific | 6:00 pm – 6:45 pm Pacific |