This past Saturday there was held a fair on the school grounds of Hilo Union, under the direction of the parents of the students of this school.

The activities began at 1 in the afternoon until the evening. The classrooms on the first floor was where the work of the children being taught at that school were placed, so that the parents could view them. There were also flowers on display. There was also a large bag, and from within this bag an item was given to the the parents and the people who came.

In an area near the kitchen, there were tables of all sorts of goods from all the ethnicities. One of the tables was filled with all the many delicacies of the Hawaiians. Haupia, laulau, and the other good foods of the Hawaiians. On the table of the Chinese, there was Chinese foods like Chinese candy, rice made into sweets, and many other Chinese items. On the Japanese one, was Japanese goods, and so too with the Portuguese table, they had Portuguese bread. On all of these tables, the people taking care of the items were dressed in the clothing of their people.

Near the kitchen, there was a place decorated by Miss Alice Spencer. On this table, tea to drink was served by girls dressed in aprons of all colors skillfully [made?] by Miss Spencer. The decorations on these tables were identical to the clothes of the girls serving tea to those who wanted to drink tea. In one of the rooms all the way at the bottom of the school, a movie was shown, and this is something always done, and the teachers thought it would be good for the parents to see the type of movie seen all the time by the children. Below that play house of the children in times of rain, there were other activities to do, set up by the teachers, and it was thought that these activities would entertain the children, parents, and friends of this school.

[Just passed by Hilo Union the other day and thought I'd put this article up that I had put aside some time ago.]

(Hoku o Hawaii, 5/3/1927, p. 2)

Ka Hoku o Hawaii, Buke XX, Helu 49, Aoao 2. Mei 3, 1927.

Japan is one of my favorite educational systems to write about, mostly because my next-door neighbor was born and raised in Japan and I am able to understand the system through her eyes as well as through research. My neighbor, Miwa, explained to me that education was something every child knew was very important; maybe the most important thing, in their lives. They took it seriously. Students in Japan go to school about ten months a year – 60 to 40 days longer than American students. The academic portion of School is from 8:00 a.m. and lasts until 4:00 p.m., at which time the student report to special classes (such as music, sports, or calligraphy) until 6:00 p.m. Students also attended school a half a day on Saturdays, but as of this time, that practice has been eliminated. This schooling is free for all children. However, almost all student return home for two hours and then report back to classes called Juku, or cram school, which lasts from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Juku is not free, but Miwa does not recall any of her peers not attending Juku. It was important and so parents found ways to pay for it. Studies show that about 60% of students attend Juku (Johnson & Johnson, 1996). Miwa explained that children are very independent from their parents in Japan and their lives are very structured. Students are kept very busy and they spend long hours in school and participating in after school activities.

From 1st to 6th grade students attend elementary school and then move on to middle school, where the focus is on examinations. Students take tests in Japanese, mathematics, science, social students, and English to determine what high school they will attend (Johnson & Johnson, 1996). Education is mandatory in Japan until the end of middle school.  Students are openly classified into learning groups, some at the top of the class and some at the bottom.  Miwa says that most students go on to high school.  She thinks out of about 500 students in her middle school maybe only 5 students chose to leave school and pursue work.  Students may also choose to go to a technical school, like a sewing school.  High Schools in Japan have a purpose.  Some are college preparatory and others train students for the work force.  Miwa says that it is difficult to gain entry into college in Japan, but when students do get it, they do not drop out, like many students in the U.S. do.

Miwa explained that Japanese people are very “delicate” with others and they have much respect for older people. They have a different type of language for communicating with the older population. “If an older person says we are doing it wrong, and this is the right way, we believe them.” Respect and structure are extremely important components of Japanese schooling. The teachers teach the classes and then, afterwards, if a student finds s/he did not understand the lesson, that student must go for help after school or in Juku. They do not ask the teacher for help during the academic part of the day.

Students walk to school on their own in Japan. Parents do not take them to and from school. Japan tends to be safer than the U.S., which allows children to be more independent. In Japan, all students receive a free meal in school, which they are required to eat, and they wear uniforms. All people in Japan receive free medical care. Family socioeconomic status is not obvious in Japan for those reasons, which allows students to focus on academics.

However, changes are taking place in Japan and they are trying to reduce the stress students feel regarding the examinations. As I said, Saturday school has been eliminated as well. Traditional values are being questioned more and more and individuality is being encouraged. There is talk of gakkyu hokai or classroom collapse in Japan today. They are seeing falling academic achievement, uncommitted teachers, increased bullying, and other problems. Japanese society as a whole is suffering with increased crime, social disorder, irresponsibility, poor manners, business scandals, and weaker economic performance. It should be interesting to see how Japan fares in future academic showings.

Sources:

Blake Willis, D., Yamamura, S., & Rappleye, J. (2008). Frontiers of Education: Japan as a “Global Model” or “Nation at Risk”. International Review of Education, 493-515.

Center on International Education Benchmarking: http://www.ncee.org/programs

-affiliates/center-on-international-education-benchmarking/top-performing-countries. 2012. Washington D.C.)

Johnson, M., & Johnson, J. R. (1996). Daily Life in Japanese High Schools. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University.

The government of Kuwait is strongly focused on preparing children for a future which will require these skills, but they are still at the implementation stage, since the first stage is training teachers to be leaders of the future. FasTracKids, located in Discovery Mall, is helping children achieve the Kuwaiti Ministry of Education’s goals in this area. FasTracKids was founded on the premise that “with proper instruction and reinforcement, most young children can maximize their potential to perform at the level we now call gifted.” A potentially gifted child that is provided with the high quality educational experiences continues to develop their abilities, enjoy learning in their own way and find their pathway to success!

Every child deserves the opportunity to be the best that he or she can be. Kuwait’s forward-thinking goals have demonstrated that there is a need and unlimited possibilities in this country. With the right tools and strategies implemented according the goals of the Ministry of Education, within the next 10 to 15 years, Kuwait will be able to shine in the fields of education, science and technology.

References

“The National Report: Development of Education in the State of Kuwait 2004 – 2008.” International Bureau of Education. Kuwait National Commission for the Development of Education, Science & Culture, n.d. Web. 18 May 2013. http://www.ibe.unesco.org/National_Reports/ICE_2008/kuwait_NR08.pdf

“Kuwait Culture – Education In Kuwait.” Kuwait Culture Office – Washington DC. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2013. <http://www.kuwaitculture.com/about%20us/education.htm >.

“‘Smart school’ era in Kuwait – Educational tech revolution transforming Kuwait education | Kuwait Times.” Kuwait Times. N.p., 25 Aug. 2012. Web. 18 May 2013. <http://news.kuwaittimes.net/2012/08/25/smart-school-era-in-kuwait-educational-tech-revolution-transforming-kuwait-education/>.

Some of the words I wasn’t even sure of; I think either many are dated or not common in everyday usage. The majority, however, are; and I found it a huge challenge to read aloud! I wanted to do it though, to show learners that even English speakers can be baffled by their own language.

And here’s the poem if you want to read along:

Dearest creature in creation,
Study English pronunciation.
I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse.
I will keep you, Suzy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye, your dress will tear.
So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.
Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
(Mind the latter, how it’s written.)
Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as plaque and ague.
But be careful how you speak:
Say break and steak, but bleak and streak;
Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.
Hear me say, devoid of trickery,
Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore,
Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles,
Exiles, similes, and reviles;
Scholar, vicar, and cigar,
Solar, mica, war and far;
One, anemone, Balmoral,
Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel;
Gertrude, German, wind and mind,
Scene, Melpomene, mankind.
Billet does not rhyme with ballet,
Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet.
Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.
Viscous, viscount, load and broad,
Toward, to forward, to reward.
And your pronunciation’s OK
When you correctly say croquet,
Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve,
Friend and fiend, alive and live.
Ivy, privy, famous; clamour
And enamour rhyme with hammer.
River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.
Stranger does not rhyme with anger,
Neither does devour with clangour.
Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,
Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant,
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,
And then singer, ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge,
Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age.
Query does not rhyme with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.
Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth.
Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath.
Though the differences seem little,
We say actual but victual.
Refer does not rhyme with deafer.
Fe0ffer does, and zephyr, heifer.
Mint, pint, senate and sedate;
Dull, bull, and George ate late.
Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,
Science, conscience, scientific.
Liberty, library, heave and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven.
We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.
Mark the differences, moreover,
Between mover, cover, clover;
Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
Chalice, but police and lice;
Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label.
Petal, panel, and canal,
Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal.
Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair,
Senator, spectator, mayor.
Tour, but our and succour, four.
Gas, alas, and Arkansas.
Sea, idea, Korea, area,
Psalm, Maria, but malaria.
Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean.
Doctrine, turpentine, marine.
Compare alien with Italian,
Dandelion and battalion.
Sally with ally, yea, ye,
Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key.
Say aver, but ever, fever,
Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver.
Heron, granary, canary.
Crevice and device and aerie.
Face, but preface, not efface.
Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass.
Large, but target, gin, give, verging,
Ought, out, joust and scour, scourging.
Ear, but earn and wear and tear
Do not rhyme with here but ere.
Seven is right, but so is even,
Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen,
Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk,
Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work.
Pronunciation (think of Psyche!)
Is a paling stout and spikey?
Won’t it make you lose your wits,
Writing groats and saying grits?
It’s a dark abyss or tunnel:
Strewn with stones, stowed, solace, gunwale,
Islington and Isle of Wight,
Housewife, verdict and indict.
Finally, which rhymes with enough,
Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough?
Hiccough has the sound of cup.
My advice is to give up!!!

“So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.”

As Founding President of ClassAction I cannot afford to have one of the Founding Officers (myself included) acting in any manner that would jeopardize the integrity and mission of ClassAction. Like I have stated numerous times, if at any time ClassAction feels that I am not living up to my responsibilities and duties as President of this organization, I am up for being voted OUT!… and this is my baby, my life’s work, my vision, my son’s life and the tool for change for my people and my community and my country and this whole damn world. The intention is for ClassAction to become an institution and a FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH. 

As a ClassAction Officer, you are obligated to being an example for our members and our community to follow. While everyone has their individual talents and gifts that they bring to the table, as Officers, our work ethic, commitment, dedication, and teamwork must be something to be admired. At the heart of ClassAction is FAMILY – not the family you are born into, but the type of family we all wish we had. A family where you are free and safe to be yourself. Free to be passionate about the issues that concern you. Free to use and explore your own mind and heart to develop programs and institutions that will better generations and generations of our people dying and struggling and surviving out here in these streets. A support system, a network, a unit, a voice for those who remain silent and hurting and scared and lost. we are the lucky ones. We have gone through the fire to be where we are today and we as students in institutions of higher learning have an OBLIGATION TO REACH BACK AND PULL UP ALL THOSE STRONG ENOUGH AND DEDICATED ENOUGH TO ENGAGE IN THIS FIGHT FOR THE SURVIVAL OF OUR PEOPLE, THIS FIGHT FOR OUR FREEDOM AND PROSPERITY AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT IS OUR GOD GIVEN RIGHT AS THE AS A PEOPLE, AS HUMAN BEINGS AND AS DESCENDENTS OF THOSE WHO FIRST WALKED THIS EARTH… 

AND AS WE PULL THE SOLDIERS INTO THE FIGHT, WE LEAVE BEHIND INSTITUTIONS, PROGRAMS, SCHOOLS, INTIATIVES, AND SERVICES THAT UPLIFT OUR COMMUNITY. PLAY TIME IS OVER… DONE IS THE DAY WHEN WE GRADUATE, GET OUR DEGREES AND LEAVE OUR COMMUNITY ON A CONTINUED PATH TO SELF-DESTRUCTION!!! IT’S RIDE AND DIE- DO AND DIE- NOTHING LESS… NO ONE INDIVIDUAL IS BIGGER THAN ClassAction. IT IS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT AND EVERYONE HAS TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE. IF WE CANNOT DEMONSTRATE THE QUALITIES OURSELVES AS OFFICERS, HOW CAN HOLD OUR MEMBERS TO THESE SAME EXPECTATIONS. ALWAYS REMEMBER – ATTITUDE REFLECTS LEADERSHIP. PERIOD.

by Bernard-Charles

To grad-school or not? Ivy league or community college? Questions swarm the everyday student and it’s a huge task at hand because it is believed by many to determine the future. Our value is integrated in grades, education and money but what we often forget is how to properly weave all aspects of our life.

Inspiration is often dismissed nonchalantly by every day people and we often make the wrong choices and need to spend more of our time, worth and energy to fix those mistakes. Look at how many students transfer schools, change classes and their major. Some have no idea what they want to do because of all the offered choices. I am here to relieve some of that blurry vision with my own story.

I like many students had no idea what I specifically wanted to do with my life. I broke down in front of adults that kept encouraging me to make a choice. This was constant until one adult figure in my life helped me to see my own light. She lives in California with her beloved wife and dogs.

Ellen DeGeneres is my inspiration because of her dynamic personality and thoughtful tendencies to help people. As I watched her talk show, I had the epiphany that I could be a television talk show host too! It was life changing and profound. An intuitive knowing poured over me as I set out on a journey to be America’s Future Talk Show Host. Being exactly like Ellen, isn’t my point or mission, but offering people the way to see their own light and learn from their story is my purpose.

Yes, you may not know what to do, but you should have at least one person that motivates and inspires you. Taking this energy you can plot a point on your heroic map to set out for a quest of self-discovery. Taking a chance means you care and once you have the gusto to move forward you can execute your vision physically with a vision board. Cutting and pasting images and words that resonate with the real you helps remind you everyday that you’re on this journey and I encourage you to place a picture of your idol on it to be a guiding spirit through it all like I have.

Change takes natural time so the best way to feel out picking the right school or career is to be open to synchronicity and following that helpful intuition of yours.

Related readings

• Here’s how to build your own vision board 
• Take a mod look at making a vision board on Pinterest

But WHY?

I’ll tell you why. Firstly the Heiniken Cup final is on. I am watching it right now as I type away at this. It s a massive game. I played rugby to a good level for years up until this season having retired due to various injuries.

I’m 27 years young but ache like an 80 year old who enjoys wrestling.

My body is a mess. I’m 6ft 7ins tall and am trying to stave of the inevitable back issues that will grace me in later years. Going off topic a little (the theme of my revision attempts funnily enough)….I rarely watch the sport I grew up loving on TV. I’m sure the magnitude of the game has something to do with me wanting to watch it but I’m pretty sure its got more to do with the fact I am supposed to be revising.

As with my post the other day, I mentioned various ways I have found myself procrastinating. Today I taken it to a new level. My procrastination has become chronic.

Sitting in my kitchen, I noticed a box of  pistachio nuts. You know you are looking for any excuse to avoid revision when your first thought is,

“I should take all those shells off, just in case.”

Before…

JUST IN CASE.

Of what exactly?

Anyway – it’s done now. time to revise?

After.

It still hasn’t hit me. The only moments when I really feel it is after spending time with a good friend, that moment before goodbye, and realizing we don’t know when we’ll see eachother again. I’m not one for sappy goodbyes. A lot of people think I would be, but I just can’t handle them. All that emotion and vulnerability. I’ll get there in my own time, but not in front of everyone I know.

I thought for sure I’d be a mess after the ceremony. I even made absolute sure to get waterproof mascara from my sister. But I was running mostly on adrenaline and sleep deprivation and coffee. And I had to pee like nobody’s business. They urge you to stay hydrated but I almost think it’s not worth it.

More than anything, in the days preceding and once the adrenaline wore off after, I’ve been reflective rather than emotional. Donning that cap and fluttering gown was symbolic of a lot of things. The end of my formal education (for now), the beginning of total financial independence, the end of my friends living just across the street instead of just across town. It’s the end of exams, final papers, and early morning lectures. It’s also the end of casually running into people. From now on it will take effort and money to see my friends. And though many don’t want to admit it, it’s also the end of putting on face for some people you may rather not.

More importantly, it’s a beginning. It’s the beginning of adulthood. It’s the beginning of manning my own education. It’s the beginning of me taking the helm of my life and making it what I want it to be. It’s the beginning of new friends, new places, and new opportunities.

It’s the beginning of the beginning. And boy am I excited.

Let the wandering begin.

More great art in progress. Thank you Susan and Suzanne for your forest-themed canvas rug. Get your tickets. This will be the best OIEF “Food for Thought” ever. You won’t want to miss out! Tickets at the Chamber of Commerce, the elementary school. And right here — with a click of a button…http://www.oief.org/events.html

People in the United States owe a lot of money on credit cards. In fact we owe about 700 billion dollars in credit card debt. The only thing we’ve borrowed more money for is home mortgages… but home mortgages aside, who owes more than adults when it comes to borrowing money?

It’s school kids! And although technically they are school adults, if you have 1 or 2 or more of them in your home they are still kids to you…but still, the number one debtor in the United States today are young adults who have taken out loans from the federal government to finance their college education.

Student loan debt has gone over 1 trillion dollars…as in 1 followed by 9 zeros, and the federal government has just forecast a record 51 billion dollar profit this year from student loan borrowers. That’s more than the earnings of the nation’s most profitable companies.

Who knew? Did you?

But the good news? In July the 3.4% interest rate that students are paying on borrowed money now will jump to 6.8% …unless of course Congress passes the “Student Loan Affordability Act” which is proposed legislation that would keep existing interest rates… on some student loans… for the neediest households, fixed at 3.4 percent. However, The bill does nothing for existing student debtors….and besides who doesn’t smell a filibuster in the air?

The Department of Education…that much maligned government entity that oversees our crumbling school system and that also gave us the “No Child Left Behind Act”, has generated almost 120 billion dollars in profit over the last five years from student loans which ironically enough, is the only kind of consumer debt that has increased since the onset of the financial crisis.

And get this… Apparently officials in Washington are now worried that perhaps overly indebted student borrowers will be unable to save enough to purchase a home, take out loans for new cars, start a business or save enough for their retirement…and become, you know…productive American citizens.

What is it that we expected would be the rewards of plunging our children into massive debt? Talk about not leaving a child behind?! What about leaving adults behind?!…before they even get started!

And for some reason these adult/children/student borrowers are also finding themselves unable to refinance their loans even if they graduate from college and secure well-paying jobs, even though  most other borrowers are able to refinance debt at quite low rates. And why is that?

Because these loans have become so profitable to lenders thanks to the Bankruptcy Reform bill of 2005 when both federal and private student loans became non-dischargeable during bankruptcy. This has turned student loans into credit risk free loans for the lender. (with a debtor who literally has a lifetime to repay it) The loans are just too good for any respectable financial institution to give up…as any gambler could tell you,  they’re a sure thing!

Getting a higher education is a wonderful achievement but once again with the help of our nation’s love affair with capitalism, we’ve turned a good thing into a profitable thing and that profitable thing into a must thing…and with ever escalating college costs happily jumping on the bandwagon, (because if you can’t afford this much it’s just as easy to not afford that much!)…this thing is spiraling out of control.

Our children are literally taking loans out on the American Dream, which is being dangled in front of them like a candied carrot on a stick, with money they do not have and may not ever have… and in what may be the most sinister twist of fate…all of their government loan filing and debt approval makes them perfect candidates for…

credit card approval once they’ve graduated.

The first few months of my teaching experience were terrible and the reasons had very little to do with instruction. The building that my wife and I signed a lease with was behind schedule so we were living out of a hotel and when the school year began we were eating meals consisting mostly of ramen, macaroni, and toast. Also, early into the year a car hit me on my way home. What was most debilitating was how very little control I had over classroom management and the constant onslaught of misbehaviors I would have never associated with 3^rd graders.

I began to take their behavior personally, causing myself to doubt my ability and if what I was doing would make a difference. I had started to resent staying up late and going the extra mile for an activity. I began to feel like Don Quixote, charging at a something much bigger than myself at full speed only to be hurt and feel incompetent. I was going to battle every day with my class and losing. What did it matter if my lessons were aligned or rigorous if I couldn’t get students to stop talking while I was talking, cursing openly, or engaging in pre-gang activity? I felt frustrated and helpless.

What I couldn’t do was quit. Not when I had such promising students who did everything right and were just dealt a bad hand in life. As tempting as it seemed in my lowest moments, the returning thought was this—What I’m struggling with doesn’t even start to come close to what some of my students have to overcome. If I wasn’t going to quit then I had better find a way to stop feeling defeated all of the time. As the teacher I had to be the leader–being crushed by the enormity of the task ahead and feeling sorry for myself wasn’t going to help anyone.

Through begging, borrowing, and stealing from anyone and everyone I began to make changes to my day to day. Most of my successes came through trying everything and seeing what worked. I started lesson planning with teachers outside of my school. When an individual incentive program wasn’t enough, I started team points to add peer pressure into the mix. When certain teams behaved and others didn’t, I started a class-wide reward system. I went to trainings—lots of them. I participated in real time coaching—a program where I was literally being told how to more effectively manage my classroom through an ear piece by a professional in the back of the room. I gave up preparation time to eat lunch with my students to build better relationships with them every day. Slowly but surely, with more steps than I could ever hope to list, I began to regain control of my classroom.

I began to realize and accept that many of the behaviors exhibited by my students had nothing to do with me. Home life, medical conditions, and being several years below grade level were often the causes of their acting out. As I came to better understand my students and their families I started to more authentically empathize with them and felt an even stronger obligation to be a role model and force for good in their lives. Even if they were getting on my last nerve, I had the duty of putting a smile on my face and staying positive.

While some of the first year growing pains have been excruciating, I have come to treasure them. I’ve been forced to cultivate important self-critical qualities so that I can adapt to students and a profession constantly in flux. While many issues surrounding educational inequity remain in the hands of policymakers and outside of my direct control—I know what I do in the classroom makes a difference and I can’t wait to start again next year with the knowledge and skills I’ve gained.

When the school year ends I will be a summer fellow with Battleground Texas—a grassroots political organization with the sole purpose of organizing and empowering voters who have historically been disenfranchised to make their voices heard in the policy-making process. I believe strongly that the movement to one day give all our children an excellent education will require including and respecting people who don’t have representation in the halls of power.

18th May 2013.

Hull University.

I contend that it’s too important to ignore.

Which brings me to Salman Khan.  Do you recognize that name? In many sectors – education, non profits, business, technology – he’s a recognizable figure (at least his name is!).  He is the founder of the Khan Academy and has attracted much earned attention and respect for his excellent teaching methods that he employs over the internet.

Risky? Difficult? Scary?  You bet.  The difference, though, is he pursues life with a balanced perspective, recognizing the magnitude of life in it’s present moment and having no regrets by daring to believe in the things in life that really matter.

Given that graduation for many students is upon us, I thought sharing Sal’s commencement speech with you may be just what you need to hear today so that you too can gain perspective on life, live with no regrets, and not have to wish for second chances.

Enjoy.

The video of his complete commencement speech can be found here

Don’t worry, this is not my classroom. I’m not that cold.

What kind of snacks are we talking about?
Well, this week I decided to observe what my students were munching on and share with you what some parents are sending their children with for snack.
Here is what I observed:
Apples
Fruit Snacks
Oranges and Strawberries
Pretzels
Oreos
Almonds
Cheetos
Cheese Crackers
Cherry Tomatoes
Apples with Peanut Butter
Peanut Butter Crackers
Snack Cakes (Swiss Cake Rolls)
Chicken Drum Sticks

Apparently Snack Time means Meal Time

Ruffles- Cheese Flavor
An entire bag of microwave popcorn
Cheez-Its
Plum
Goldfish
Teddy Grahams
Granola Bars
Baked Lays

I am not against letting children splurge every once in a while on a treat,
I mean we do (and should) as adults.
However, snack time really shouldn’t result in high calorie, high sugar snacks…
or full on meals.
Beautiful to See
Not so much:
I wish I could say that the positive, healthy snacks outweighed the unhealthy snacks but day after day it never does.
Unfortunately, as teachers/educators we are only allowed to do so much.
Since it’s my job to EDUCATE others instead of telling them WHAT TO do,
I’m not going to tell you that you HAVE to send your kids to school with healthy snacks,
I’m just going to provide you with some healthy snack ideas that are kid friendly and easy to make
#1. Good ole’ Ants on a Log
#2. Apples with Peanut Butter
Tip to keep the cut apple fresh:
Genius
#3. String Cheese
#4. Fruit and granola parfait
#5. Bread-free sandwich. Make little meat wraps.
#6. Banana and Yogurt- a new aged banana split!
#7. Oatmeal- we eat them as overnight oats, why not our kids?
#8. Fruit Kabobs
#9. Carrots and homemade dressing.
#10. Healthy style popcorn (not the whole bag)
#11. Peanut butter and banana
#12. Trail mix (candy free)
#13. Dried Fruit
#14. Frozen Grapes
#15. Unsalted Pretzels
#16. Homemade sweet potato “chips”
#17. Hummus and Veggies
or Hummus and Pita
#18. Mini Pizza on a whole grain english muffin.
#19. Yogurt Bites 
#20. Kid friendly Protein Bars (there are a lot of kid friend recipes on pinterest)

Other tips and resources:
Save The Children has 1o Power Pack Snack Tips
Mayo Clinic shares their Healthy Snack Tips
Nourish Interactive has tips for Creating A Lunchbox
Eat Right has a plethora of Healthy Eating Tips
____________________
Posts from my friends on healthy snacking:
Smart Snacking by Lindsay at the Lean Green Bean
Packing Healthy Lunches by Morganne at NutButter Runner
_____________________________
Are you a teacher? What snacks do you see kids bringing in?
Parents- what do you send your child with to school?
What resources or tips do you have for healthy snack options?

I’m not complaining – far from it, in fact. Although I very much lack any type of sporting gene, I am perfectly at home in The Great Outdoors and would far rather participate in this sort of physical activity than hit a ball over a net. My aching muscles aside, there will be other lingering effects of this particular excursion: field trips give children the opportunity to acquire greater confidence and leadership skills and have an impact on a child’s learning for a long after their gorse-scratched legs have healed. This delightful bunch have encountered a whole host of learning experiences, and I’ll be milking them (yes, we visited a dairy farm) for weeks to come. They loved it almost as much as I did.

There is much evidence, both official and anecdotal, to show that pupils’ grades improve if they spend more time in an outdoor learning environment. On numerous occasions over the last week, I witnessed children making the link between theory they had learnt inside a classroom and connecting it to something they were seeing for themselves, first-hand. Learning how to make an effective campfire, searching for examples of the Fibonacci sequence in nature, witnessing the rubbish washed up on a beautiful beach, tasting milk that is still warm from the cow, being caught in a vicious hail storm when on top of an Iron Age hill-fort, and discovering the delights (or not!) of a grass whistle have built memories and experiences for those youngsters that they will tell others about for many years.

Do we do this to improve a child’s grades? Of course not – that’s just a convenient side-effect. It is the ultimate team-building activity and does, I believe, make children all the better for it.

Of course, taking 45 children for a ten mile walk along the coast is not without risk. We certainly had our fair share of minor injuries, but the number that occurred outdoors was not significantly larger than the stubbed toes etc. that happened when inside. I’ll wager that the drive to school is one of the most risky activities many children undertake; not carving a spoon from a lump of wood, trawling through rock pools, or attempting to answer the call of nature in a patch of nettles.

Some schools, however, are still reluctant to offer outdoor learning opportunities to their children, especially for the more risky activities. Although Lord Young’s 2010 report Common Sense, Common Safety has helped reduce bureaucratic red tape for teachers, there’s still some fear of letting children climb trees, paddle in the sea or abseil down rocks. The most effective learning is often grubby, weather-beaten, turbulent and boisterous – when did we become frightened of these things?

Similarly, there is pressure on schools to look at the timetable, see how many lessons children will miss for this type of opportunity, and predict if it will adversely affect academic grades. After all, it’s much easier to measure academic attainment than it is leadership skills, personal, social and emotional development, or the feeling of having achieved a goal as memorable as paddling down a river for the first time.

Whilst these two issues affect most schools in some way, in the State sector there is the additional issue of funding cuts which has greatly cut down the number of opportunities for children, particularly those in urban areas who do not have nature on their doorstep. For as long as the kitty remains empty, and for as long as we put so much emphasis on academic achievement, this sort of learning will remain out of the reach of some children.

Add into the equation the fact that many children spend weekends within the four walls of their bedrooms, staring at one type of screen or another either for entertainment or academic purposes, and you rapidly end up with a child who spends almost all their waking hours indoors. Surely this makes it even more important that children are offered such opportunities in school if it is not happening at home. Back in the olden days when the world was in black and white, before TVs and computers, everyone played outside. That just isn’t the case anymore.

I’m a fine one to talk, of course. As I sit here staring at a screen, feebly nursing my sore legs and putting through endless loads of laundry, my younger daughter is sitting in her room, undoubtedly still in her pyjamas, either reading or painting her nails. (I stand corrected – I went up to check and she is doing some revision and listening to Spotify.) I have work to do, reports to type, bills to pay and a kitchen to clean.

They can wait; we’re going outside.

hearing one minister announce that the public understood the purpose of their message, even if they didn’t get the details;

the constant choruses of “hear hear” at the most insignificant details;

watching politicians get mugged like celebrities, particularly by old ladies;

hearing my politician friend describe the night as a demonstration of political wankerdom.

it seems, based on last night, that you have to be a certain type of person to be a politician. You must have that slightly nasally, strangely askew voice. You must master the art of the handshake (no floppy grips please, I can’t stand a weak handshake myself). You must look at the people sitting next to you sideways while talking to them. you should know how to push your way through a crowd – be as ruthless as possible! And never ever forget, when making an important speech, to first comment on how beautiful your wife is/ how human and ordinary your relationship with yourwife is/ how much you owe your success to your wife.

Yeh. Based on last night, it seems to me that all politicans are the same, no matter what side of the House they sit on.

the night was full of rhetoric (see dot point about “hear hear” above), and very light on policy detail. Presumably, because everyone n the room was already won over. But I felt myself yearning for a proper politician who would inspire more than just devoted, thoughtless cries in agreement – one who would inspire the public, and would bother to give me the details (god forbid that the public know the details, they might understand them!) frankly, with leaders like that, it is no wonder people my age refuse to enrol, or donkey vote, or demonstrate such strong political apathy that they vote for the sex party because it has a funny name.

we need strong leaders who will inspire us, who will trust us with the details as we trust them with our representation and our taxes. Someone who glows with sincerity, rather than reeking of arrogance and falseness. This is not purely an Australian problem; the issue of political representation is a hot one in countries the world over, and it will be a good day when the right person finally stands up and accepts the mantle that the public wish to bestow upon them. But until that person appears, we will continue to view our politicians with scepticism – even if we don’t quite grasp all the details.

American author Orson Scott Card sets his story in a post-apocalyptic world. Humankind has barely survived two conflicts with the ‘Buggers’, an insectoid alien species. In preparation for an anticipated third invasion, an international fleet maintains a school to find and train future fleet commanders. The world’s most talented children, including the novel’s protagonist, Ender Wiggin are taken at a very young age to a training center known as the Battle School. There, teachers train them in the arts of war…

WELL, looky here. There’s going to be a movie!

It actually looks pretty fantastic — even if Harrison Ford is a douche bag.

It’s got Abigail Breslin — as if Little Miss Sunshine  (2006) wasn’t just the best ! And then there’s Hailee Steinfield — as far as I’m concerned, when the Cohen Brothers say you got it, you got it … guuuurl. Viola Davis even managed to squeeze in alongside Ben Kingsley. Not bad.

But the really exciting part is ASA BUTTERFIELD. ASA BUTTERFIELD GUYS! The kid who worked with Scorsese on Hugo (2011). Yep, that children’s movie that won FIVE Academy Awards. He was also darned cute in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008). This is the real deal!

Again I stress: Harrison Ford is shtupid. Like, the lowest of all lows. Not as low as Halle Berry, but certainly on his way there.

I don’t like even like sci-fi. And I’m really not into adolescent angst (except for the darker Harry Potter books — becoz dat shit waz for realz, guyz), but I think this will be worth the watch, even if only for “professional development”.

Thought you’d all like a look.