Teaching the Youth the Importance of Education

We are taught that while we can’t take any of our earthly possessions with us when we die, we can take our intelligence and our understanding with us as we progress past the veil. This knowledge has always inspired me to get a good education and to seek learning throughout my life. We recently watched the education segment of the church’s “Brand New Year” DVD with our youth, and I loved many of the aspects of the video. We watched and then talked about education, and I was really impressed with the way the video taught the youth about the … Continue reading

Exploring the Computer With Your Preschooler

Now, if your preschooler is like mine, she probably knows her way around a computer. After all, my daughter has seen me type away at mine since she was born. Perhaps her first memories are of nursing on my lap as I type, who knows? We limit screen time in our house, and that includes computer time. However, aside from learning the valuable skills of pointing and clicking, computer time can be educational. Here are some ways that you and your preschooler can explore the world of the internet. We love Starfall. It has levels like the ABCs for the … Continue reading

one, two, three…

From the first moment I changed my son’s diaper I’ve been counting to him. I know… I know… I should be reading to him but I’ve been counting to him because throughout my life I’ve found numbers to be an important thing to know. From my work as a spreadsheet guru for banks, roleplaying games, data manipulation, data processing and analysis I’ve found that numbers are important. So… if you’re sitting in a math class thinking “why am I learning this?” you should really think about learning it anyway. This comes from a guy who has worked as a caddy, … Continue reading

Get Out Of My Face!

My poor baby couldn’t catch a break this morning. We have a morning routine. I hear her stirring (she sleeps with us), roll over to feed her quickly, then pick her up for some pajama snuggles. After we’re all snuggled out, I change her diaper, since it is usually saturated with pee. It’s during diaper changing that I have a prime view up her nose. Yes, I admit it: I’m one of those mothers – the kind that hates boogers in her baby’s nose. I could see a big one, so I got my bulb syringe and got to work. … Continue reading

School Food Fight Leads to Jail Time

When you pack your child’s lunch in the morning the last place you consider it will end up is on the wall of the school cafeteria. Unfortunately, that’s exactly where dozens of lunch items stuck after a huge food fight broke out earlier this month at a Chicago middle school. In the end, tuna sandwiches, which were made into torpedoes and apples used as attack weapons, were spattered all over the cafeteria at the Calumet middle-school campus of Perspectives Charter Schools, in the Gresham neighborhood on the South Side. Even more disconcerting was the fact that police were called in … Continue reading

Sexual Innuendo Gets Teacher Fired

I don’t know about you, but when I look at the state of Florida on a map, the last thing I see is a phallic symbol. Of course, I haven’t seen science teacher Ryan Haraughty’s recent depiction of the “Sunshine State.” If I did, I might have a better understanding of why Shawnee Mission school district administrators gave Haraughty the boot a couple of weeks ago. According, to the former Mission Valley Middle School teacher his firing was instigated by a drawing and comment he made about the state of Florida. The Kansas teacher says as part of a lesson … Continue reading

Why Schools Are Banning Hoodies

It’s not what you think. Schools are not banning the popular hooded sweatshirts because they are sloppy-looking or they promote gang violence. Rather, school administrators in Kansas have put the kibosh on hoodies with large pockets because an inordinate amount of students have been using the sweatshirt’s “kangaroo pocket” to text others during class. According to reports, cell phone and other PDA abuse by students has forced administrators to revamp the school dress code. Students attending Kansas’ Andale Elementary and St. Mark’s Charter School can still wear sweatshirts, but the fleece tops cannot feature hoods or front pockets. The change … Continue reading

President Obama Angers School Kids

I suppose I would be irate too if was a school-hating 10-year-old who just learned that the President of the United States was trying to institute a law that would essentially eliminate summer vacation. Forget about three months of free time to swim and snooze in the sun. According to reports, President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan want longer school days and a move toward a “balanced” or year round calendar for school kids. Translation: If Obama gets his way, summer vacation would be dramatically reduced and endless nights of firefly catching and smore making will be a thing … Continue reading

Medicine Cabinets and Toddlers

What’s in your medicine cabinet? If you have a toddler, the American Academy of Pediatrics has a list of items you should have stocked in your medicine cabinet, including: Thermometer: Pediatricians recommend that you invest in a rectal thermometer, as it provides the most accurate readings. However, most doctors also realize that many parents are weary of using one, so they suggest taking your toddler’s temperature in a way that you feel most comfortable. Be warned, though, digital ear thermometers are notoriously inaccurate. What’s more, trying to cajole a sick tot into holding an oral thermometer under his tongue or … Continue reading

Twitter Major

Would it be a major deal if your child told you he planned to major in Twitter-nomics in college? Yes, that Twitter. As in: “I can’t talk right now Ma; I’ve got to tweet my peeps, yo!” If you think I’m making this up, then you haven’t seen the recent proposal made by professors at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. A group of educators there are looking to incorporate the soaring popularity of interactive technology such as Twitter and Facebook into an actual four-year bachelor’s degree. “A working title has been Interactive Web Technology Management, but we’re not quite happy with … Continue reading