Gift - ED

I found a great new blog - Project Gift-ED. The home page is cool. Lots of good articles too.

Article from Romanian Newspaper

This was a forward I received by e-mail. Just wondering... How did we go from this to this????


Article from Romanian Newspaper

We rarely get a chance to see another country's editorial about the USA . Read this excerpt from a Romanian Newspaper. The article was written by Mr. Cornel Nistorescu and published under the title 'C'ntarea Americii, meaning 'Ode To America ') in the Romanian newspaper Evenimentulzilei 'The Daily Event' or 'News of the Day'~

An Ode to America ~

Why are Americans so united? They would not resemble one another even if you painted them all one color! They speak all the languages of the world and form an astonishing mixture of civilizations and religious beliefs. On 9/ll, the American tragedy turned three hundred million people into a hand put on the heart. Nobody rushed to accuse the White House, the Army, or the Secret Service that they are only a bunch of losers. Nobody rushed to empty their bank accounts. Nobody rushed out onto the streets nearby to gape about. Instead the Americans volunteered to donate blood and to give a helping hand. After the first moments of panic, they raised their flag over the smoking ruins, putting on T-shirts, caps and ties in the colors of the national flag. They placed flags on buildings and cars as if in every place and on every car a government official or the president was passing. On every occasion, they started singing: 'God Bless America !'

I watched the live broadcast and rerun after rerun for hours listening to the story of the guy who went down one hundred floors with a woman in a wheelchair without knowing who she was, or of the Californian hockey player, who gave his life fighting with the terrorists and prevented the plane from hitting a target that could have killed other hundreds or thousands of people. How on earth were they able to respond united as one human being? Imperceptibly, with every word and musical note, the memory of some turned into a modern myth of tragic heroes. And with every phone call, millions and millions of dollars were put into collection aimed at rewarding not a man or a family, but a spirit, which no money can buy. What on earth can unite the Americans in such way? Their land? Their history? Their economic Power? Money? I tried for hours to find an answer, humming songs and murmuring phrases with the risk of sounding commonplace, I thought things over, I reached but only one conclusion...

Only freedom can work such miracles.

Cornel Nistorescu
(This deserves to be passed around the Internet forever.)
It took a person on the outside - looking in - to see what we take for granted !
GOD BLESS AMERICA !!!

Pardon me, but were you raised in a barn?

Being gone for 3 weeks, not watching TV and limiting computer use has certainly led to my being out of touch with the media world. So, I was a bit shocked to hear about all the hoopla surrounding the upcoming Obama address to school kids. At a time when the high school drop-out rate is skyrocketing, and kids have no respect for anyone but themselves (and their cell phones / video games), Americans opposing a Presidential address encouraging kids to study hard and stay in school should be ashamed of themselves. I'm embarrassed by our country, yet again.

A friend sent this excerpt from a blog post and it sums up my feelings enough to post it here.


Pardon me, but were you raised in a barn?

This was the phrase that was sure to greet my brother and I whenever we showed disrespect to our parents by disrespecting the house they provided for us. If we left a door open, especially, but also whenever we'd track in grass and dirt, or leave a mess in the living room, or tear something up that didn't belong to us.

I want to address the people who are disrespecting a different house today. The people's house. The White House.

Were you people raised by wolves or something? Don't you have any honor? What kind of example are you setting for your kids, telling them that they're not allowed to hear the president speak to them?

This is the president of the United States of America! You're treating him like a vacuum cleaner salesman. You don't slam the door on the president. You sit down and listen, and wait for your turn to speak.
I remember in grade school the biggest speaker we had come and talk to us was a police officer. And it was the coolest thing a first grader could imagine. Look at this guy! How cool. He's got a badge and handcuffs and he fights crime. Amazing!

But these kids are getting the opportunity to hear the president speak directly to them? How much more cool is that! That never happened to me. The only thing the president ever did for me in grade school was embarrass me by making me do pull-ups in front of everybody.

This is an opportunity, and you're robbing your kids of it because you don't like this man. But I ask you, whatever happened to "respect the office even if you don't respect the person"? We heard that a lot in the days of Republican presidencies.

If you're that outraged at Barack Obama, save it. Save it for the next election and don't vote for him. That's how it works in this country.

Until then, grant the office of the presidency the respect that you owe it as an American citizen and (I assume) a voter. Hell, this man is the chief executive of the government that is paying for your child's education, and this is how you pay him back? I guess he's good enough to give you free education, but not good enough to speak to your children.

Or is it something else? After all, plenty of presidents have spoken to schoolchildren over the years. Many of them even used schools as backdrops to make some political/policy comments. And there's nothing wrong with that. Such is the bully pulpit. That's democracy at work.

I just can't help but think perhaps there's something different about this president. I've been very slow to think it because I've always considered racism a serious charge that shouldn't be thrown around carelessly.

But nobody's telling me why this man, why Barack Obama? It's certainly nothing in what he plans to say. That much is basic. Stay in school. Work hard. Get along with your classmates. Your future is important. It's the same thing presidents always say to children, and that's good because it means something to children to hear it from someone they respect. But why don't you respect this man in particular?

Maybe you should be asking yourself that question. And maybe then you should ask yourself why you're allowing a petty prejudice to be not only your problem, but your child's as well.

As for me and my family, we respect the president of the United States of America. Because we are Americans, and we're all in this together.

Coasting the East

Here's a link to my newest blog - Coasting the East. Our summer fieldtrip this year is a trip to the East Coast. We will visit Philadelphia, Boston and Washington DC and lots of sites in between.

Should be fun!

Annie, Jr. - Starring Rachel !!!!

Rachel played Miss Hannigan during a summer camp production of Annie, Jr. The class met all day long for 2 weeks and at the end, performed the show for 2 audiences. Rachel was really funny and made the audience laugh out loud. Of course, we think she was the star!

Try this video...

Another Plug for Goodbye Old School, Hello Bold School!

Here's a post from a blog I just found and really like. Sounds like the author and I have a lot in common. Maybe I'll need to get Pat to read the book like her husband. Then, away we can go!!!!
(Oh, by the way, on the posts in which I link to someone else, I always put my comments in black.)


The New Global Student: Kicking My Dragon
July 12, 2009 by SwitchedOnMom

So let’s take a look at my living room bookshelves, shall we? In amongst the volumes of African fiction and non-fiction, political science, voluntary simplicity and environmentalism, biography, classics, personal essays and creative non-fiction (much of it travel literature), there’s Tales of Female Nomad by Rita Golden Gelman. Eat, Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Monkey Dancing, by Daniel Glick

Hmm. I’m detecting a trend here. Person/family leaves everything behind to travel the world/start new life overseas. No, I don’t have any surprises in store for Husband Dear, but I guess I have long entertained the fantasy/dream of ditching everything and moving overseas…or at least traveling for an extended period of time. (Does it say anything to you that I loved, loved, loved The Dove back in 1974?) I’ve spent a total of seven years of my life living overseas (six with Husband Dear) and as I’ve written here before, the only thing I have ever explicitly told my kids they must do is spend an extended period of time living overseas, be it as a high school exchange student, gap year, junior year of college, Peace Corps….

Meanwhile, my downstairs bookshelf is weighted down with books about education and homeschooling and giftedness. (Mine too!)

Enter The New Global Student: Skip the SAT, Save Thousands on Tuition and Get a Truly International Education by Maya Frost. Which had me at … the cover. Reading Frost’s book felt like being in a benevolent Vulcan mind meld or chatting with my upbeat new best friend. I devoured it.

Seamlessly combining my longheld vision of a life overseas and all my hardwon “radical” out-of-the-box educational notions/solutions/knowledge, Frost’s book coalesces the ideas and impulses that have been swirling around in my brain–and makes me want to do it all NOW.

Drat you Maya Frost!

Why? She’s kicking my snoozing dragon, that’s why. “The Plan” had always been for Husband Dear and me to bid the suburbs farewell and pursue international careers as soon as M. was in college. We’ve repeatedly told the girls, more than half seriously, “When you’re out of here, we’re out of here.” But after reading The New Global Student I found myself spinning out different scenarios, accelerated timetables. Because if you’re already as far along as I am in questioning the whole educational industrial status quo, and in believing that we are in the midst of a fundamental global and societal shift–then what Frost lays out is simply the next logical move outside the box.

And what exactly is Frost saying?

Step away from the herd. Step away from “doing time,” checking off the “right” extracurriculars and all the other “givens” of high school and college. Step away from the fear. To quote Twain: “Don’t let schooling interfere with your education.

It’s a whole new world (pity this year’s graduating journalism and finance majors)–and one that is ready and able to compete with us here in the US on all levels. Creativity, flexibility, initiative … these are the skills to cultivate in our kids, and the ones that will be rewarded in the future.
Total immersion in another culture during the formative adolescent years is indeed crucial.
And here, in an enthusiastic, step-by-step fashion, is how to do it.

C. actually grabbed the book before I started reading it. She has a pretty clear picture of what she needs to do to get where she wants to go. A few things, like IB, she’s already doing. But after reading The New Global Student she did for the first time express interest in doing a homestay exchange experience rather than just going solo somewhere, and she is now talking about wanting to have conversational Spanish in her skill set, something she pooh-poohed before. Meanwhile M. hasn’t even read the book yet, but just based on my oohs and ahhs she has taken to lobbying–hard–for us to move overseas sooner rather than later. In the past week there have been heated arguments with C. over whether we should move to somewhere in Latin America or to Thailand, whether Husband Dear should start a restaurant or be a CPA. “Mom,” she’s intoned, “I’m already out of school. And life here is stressful.”

Dear Husband is now in chapter two. Will be interesting to see his reaction.

The 7 Secrets of Highly Successful Students

Some people may like this article, but I personally find it appalling. It's just another example of how Americans are selfish, egotistical and all about status and money - without putting in any work, to boot. Why can't students go to college to actually learn?!!! Does it always have to be about getting grades (even if you don't earn them) and getting that BIG job? I wish I had actually learned in college and not just worried about the grades. Anyway, here it is...


The 7 Secrets of Highly Successful Students
By Don Asher

What does it cost a student to go to college without any idea of how to manage the process? It may cost a lot. Students who have knowledgeable parents or older siblings to guide them can finesse the process, earn higher grades, get along better with faculty, solve problems with the business office, and so on. But students who are the first in their family to go to college have no one to guide them, and their mistakes can cost them that awesome post-college job, or access to the best graduate schools.

At a recent conference, I sat at a table full of staffers from various undergraduate research programs. We got to musing about how nice it would be if all students knew the insider tips and techniques the best students seem to soak up from the ether.

This is not about being smart. This is about being savvy. So from our notes scribbled on a stack of paper napkins, here is what savvy students know that others seem to miss:

1. Grades are engineered, not "earned" (Pathetic!!!)
A savvy student wants to earn as many A's as possible, as few B's as possible, and avoid C's at all costs. So how do you engineer your GPA? Class-shop at the beginning of each semester. Sign up for more classes than you can possibly take, and drop boring or difficult professors sometime in the first two weeks. (It won't show up on your transcripts.) If you get a bad exam or quiz score, ask the professor what you can do to earn extra credit. Reading an optional book, writing a one- or two-page paper, or even just helping the prof out with mundane tasks such as setting up for class can push you back into the A column.

If you're not earning the grade you want in a class, negotiate an "incomplete" grade, then do whatever it takes to get that I turned into an A or at least a B. (Be warned, some profs won't give an A on an incomplete, no matter what you do). Or, worst case scenario, drop the class before finals. You don't want to do this a lot, but a "withdrawal" or two stamped on your transcript is much better than a low GPA.

Get involved with study groups, and your GPA will likely go up. Take a light load during the semester when you have a known difficult class, such as organic chemistry. And finally, be sure to take enough of a class load that you can ditch a bad class without dropping below minimum credits, especially if you're on financial aid or your parents are strict about the four-year plan.

2. Visit professors outside of class
Professors are people, too. They worry about being liked, whether they're gaining a few pounds and whether or not they're good at their jobs. So go visit them. Ask them for clarification of some point they made in class. Try out your paper or lab ideas on them to see if you're headed in the right direction. Ask them the best way to study for the exams.

It's probably not a great idea to focus on grades only, as in "What do I need to do to earn an A in your class?" Get your professors to help you be a better student. And maybe ask, "Have you lost a little weight?" (Seriously? Give the professors some credit!)

3. Prerequisites matter
Naïve students always want to go around prerequisites and take any class that interests them. This is unwise. Prerequisites are in place to make sure you have the skills you need to do well in a class, so skipping them is perilous. Don't take "Population Biology" until you've had "Math 321" or you'll be sorry. If you think you don't need the prereq, contact the professor and find out before you sign up for the class.

4. Internships are required, not optional
The norm now is two internships, not just one, so you have to build them into your summers starting at the end of the sophomore year. Recruiters look at students without internships as deficient, no matter how strong the GPA and rigor of the curriculum. Earning money on a fishing boat may be great for the first summer, but those other two summers need to be used for internships to support your post-college career or grad school plans. You can find a paid internship if you need the money, or a part-time internship combined with a part-time job. Savvy students know this, and un-savvy students go fishing.

5. Study abroad in the sophomore year, not the junior
The junior year is a time to concentrate on your major and get the most out of your department. If you're abroad, you can't do that. Plus, some students get distracted by drinking in Naples, or that cute French guy or gal in Nice, and blow their GPA during the study abroad. Grad schools and employers care most about your GPA in the final two years of college, and if you go abroad in the junior year those grades are prominent. Finally -- and don't tell anyone -- but most sophomores aren't 21 yet. In most of the world, the drinking age, official and unofficial, is much younger than that. So... (Yeah, great advice. Just what I want to fund my kids doing...)

6. Read your handbook and catalog
How many credits make a full-time course load? How many classes do you have to take to major in X or minor in Y or double major in X and Y? What's the last date to drop a class without it appearing on your transcript? Is there any place to get a short-term, emergency loan? If you retake a class, do both grades appear, or does the first grade disappear? These are the kinds of questions that your catalog and handbook answer.

Here's a massive tip: The rules in the course catalog that's published when you begin your college career often apply until you graduate, even if the rules change. So keep that catalog! Don't rely on your adviser or your professors for rules and regulations. They might not know them very well anyway, and you'll pay the penalty for following bad advice.

7. It takes the entire senior year to get launched from college
No matter what your major, the career center can help you get a job or apply to graduate school. Naïve students don't worry about life after college until they've graduated. They miss a huge chance. You're only a college senior once in your life. Participate in the on-campus interview process, because it's part of the college experience and it's there for every undergraduate. English majors and philosophy majors can get great jobs out of college, but not if they're hiding out in the game room dissecting Kant and Bukowski and griping about how nobody gives them a chance. Spend the entire senior year making sure that come June, you know where you're going. That's what the savvy students do.