Whether you support the Occupy movement or not, it’s probably caught your attention long enough to make you think about how you feel about social and economic inequality, or if you believe it’s an existing problem in our society at all. Protests and news on the state of our economy pulls on different emotions and prods at different financial worries for different people. Maybe it’s student loans, mortgages, unemployment, or unstable stocks.
Today is Veteran’s Day. It is a time to give thanks and pay homage to all of the people who have served this country—past and present. We owe our freedom as a nation to these brave individuals who have made huge personal sacrifices on our behalf to preserve our liberty. This summer, we had the pleasure of working with our intern Brandy Castner, an Iraq vet working toward her degree in journalism at Metropolitan State College of Denver. All of LifeBound gives thanks to Brandy today and encourages you to read her guest post on women in the military on my blog from earlier this year.
In an Edutopia blog from earlier this week, “The Emerging Age Bias,” fifth-grade teacher Pernille Ripp sees a trend growing that veteran teachers are now being thought of as being “old” instead of “experienced.” Ripp argues that these veteran teachers are the ones who bring “knowledge, expertise, methods that work, and a deep-seated passion” to incoming teachers who lack experience and desire a seasoned mentor. Arguably, veteran teachers also have something to learn from new blood. New and seasoned teachers can mentor each other in areas where they need development. For instance, a veteran teacher can help an incoming teacher with balancing lessons, effective teaching practices, and enhancing the classroom with items that create an environment conducive to learning. An in coming teacher can share their expertise with a veteran teacher, whether it’s a new methodology, recent technology, or fresh energy.
Arming students with book smarts is only part of the education they will need to succeed. Students need to learn social and emotional skills to not only give them the tools they need to interact with teachers, peers, future employers, and family, but so they can quiet the environmental factors that can be so distracting and focus on their academics.
Were you shocked when you watched Steve Jobs’ Standford commencement speech and learned he was adopted by  working-class parents, dropped out of college, and still became one of the most successful and influential men of today? In the article “When Will We Learn” by Fareed Zakaria in this month’s Time magazine, Zakaria notes that although Jobs’ accomplishments are outstanding, the times were different when Jobs graduated in 1972 and dropping out then isn’t what it is today.
Most people might expect to be praised and to praise others for a job well done. Reinforcing that something was done well shows the person they are appreciated and should continue their behavior in the future, right?
Has the idea of technology taking over the jobs of millions of assembly line workers ever frightened you? Or maybe technology being used to file papers, ticket speeding cars, or checkout your groceries? These are still valid concerns, but technology is now moving beyond low-level tasks and posing a threat to high-skilled jobs as well, according to a recent NPR article.
If you’ve been involved in the college process, two of the biggest moments might have been getting your acceptance letter and receiving your diploma on graduation day. College might have been exciting the first year. You took classes that taught you basic skills you would need for higher level classes and you were also encouraged to register for classes just because they sounded interesting. You lived away from home, met new and diverse people, and had more independence than ever before.
Do you know a student who loves writing, has a unique perspective, and wants to beef up their resume before heading into the workforce? In college, the majority of students have to exercise their writing skills on academic papers and assignments but don’t always get to put it to real-world practice. They could be the perfect candidate for starting their own blog or contributing to an established blog.
College is a big commitment and might be more so today than ever before. Incoming college freshmen have heard the stories of recent college graduates searching for working opportunities, seen the Occupy Wall Street protestors marching against their student loan debt, and grown into legal working age in a recession.